The Tail of 'Too Bad' Mike

by Iain Cameron Williams

Mike, the shrew, was born without a tail. His grandmother was a whizz at sewing and made him a false tail from woven horsehair, which he wears every day. It's the best tail in the land, and all the other shrews are envious of it. When his tail goes missing, presumed stolen, Mike sets off with his skateboard to find it. Along the way, he encounters a sequence of adventures, the outcome of which sees him acquiring the nickname 'Too Bad' and becoming the most celebrated animal in the kingdom of Pembridge ... this is The Tail of 'Too Bad' Mike. Edition 3

'My inspiration for The Tail of 'Too Bad' Mike came from a visit I made to London's V&A Museum in 2009, where I saw a Beatrix Potter display. I was fascinated by her life, especially her philanthropy. After leaving the museum, as it was a sunny afternoon, I walked up to Hyde Park and lay down for a while on East Albert Lawn. One of Potter's book titles kept going around in my mind and sparked my imagination. The book was The Tale of Two Bad Mice. From it, I devised the title, The Tail of 'Too Bad' Mike. That was my starting point; from there, I concocted the imaginary world of 'Too Bad' Mike. I wrote the story in 2010 then put it to one side, intending to revise and edit it at a later date. In 2020, I rediscovered the manuscript during the Coronavirus lockdown and finally got round to revising it.'
Iain Cameron Williams

200 pages, Paperback

First published December 22, 2020

About the author

Iain Cameron Williams was born in Sheffield, Yorkshire, of Scottish and Welsh ancestry. His mother was born in New York, America, and his father was born in Kalimpong, West Bengal, India. His grandfather is the missionary, writer, and poet Rev. Aeneas Francon Williams, and his great grandfather is the renowned Welsh writer and geographer John Francon Williams. On his maternal side, Williams is a third cousin of the author D. H. Lawrence. Iain Cameron Williams is the writer of The KAHNS of Fifth Avenue [publ. 2022], and the travelogues The Empirical Observations of Algernon (vol. I & II). Williams' debut novel for younger readers, The Tail of 'Too Bad' Mike (audiobook released July 2023, narrated by Eilidh Beaton), follows the adventures of a skateboarding shrew named Mike. Set in the fictitious kingdom of Pembridge, the story introduces the reader to a curious little world full of hidden meanings. ‘Too Bad’ Mike™

Brighton Follies - A Stage Musical in Two Acts [publ. Nov 2023].

The Clock Winder: a short story [publ. Dec. 2024].

The Empirical Observations of Algernon (vol III) travelogue, to be published in 2025.

To read a selection of poetry from The Empirical Observations of Algernon (vol I) follow the link: https://b2l.bz/XKlHUM

Karaoke Freedom, a new screenplay by Iain Cameron Williams to be published in 2025. Set in Brighton in 2010 during the annual PRIDE event. '’An uplifting story of hope, diversity and challenge..."

Reviews

[Erwin Tolentino · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is a very good read book. Very witty and funny and at the same time not only children will learn importance of moral values but adult too. Highly recommended and I can't wait for the next book.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Tail of 'Too Bad' Mike We listened to the book on Audible narrated by Eilidh Beaton, and it's an absolute joy. She has the rich sort of voice that sounds as if it's coated with a fine layer of strawberry cheesecake. We played it in the car on our journey to the Lake District last week with my boyfriend, his sister, and my BBF, and we were in hoots of laughter throughout. It brightened up the miserable weather no end. Some of the expressions the author uses we adopted over our holiday, one in particular being, 'there's only so much you can do, and then you don't' - a perfect catchphrase for when you're on holiday. We were so involved in the storyline that when we arrived home from our holiday, we only had 15 minutes of the book left to hear, so we all stayed in the car to listen to the ending, which was totally brilliant. The story is memorable for so many reasons, but most of all, for the characters, its originality, cleverness, and the way the author brings all the storylines together—four big thumbs up.
Is there a sequel on the horizon?