Happy 20th birthday Abigail Fantail

First there was Abigail Fantail, given birth in book form in 2000 by Titirangi writer Janet Martin after she was inspired by a walk along Exhibition Drive with a little fantail (pīwakawaka) following her.

That walk was 22 years ago and later, sitting in a spa pool with her late husband Chris, they decided to write stories about New Zealand native birds, something they both loved. Chris wrote about a tūī, and Janet created Abigail. Chris and Janet had been injured in a bad car accident that saw them both off work for 6 – 12 months and Janet saw her writing as a form of recuperation. “I didn’t really plan the Abigail story – it just wrote itself with rhyme and rhythm,” she says. Many edits and drafts later and after Janet was back Janet Martin sitting outside her writing hut on at work, she met her Titirangi property. young art and graphic design student Marigold Freeman and fell in love with the artist’s handdrawn colour pencil illustrations.

“Publishers were hard to find then and after sending the manuscript to numerous publishing houses and getting the usual rejection letters, Chris and I decided to publish Abigail ourselves,” Janet says.

They formed their own publishing company, Jampot Productions Ltd and published Abigail and four further titles. After Chris passed away, Janet continued to charm children and adults alike bringing the total to 13 tales - Louie the Tūī came after Abigail, followed by Molly Morepork, Mia the Kea, Janet the Gannet, Kiri the Kererū, Joe the Kākāpō, Emily the Kiwi, Enough Crumbs for Everyone, Pūkeko Shoes, Noah the Moa, Squinty the Seagull and Tania Takahē.

“There’s been trial and error and I’ve learnt a lot along the way. I’m really proud, and quite surprised, about how well the books have done, thanks to my talented illustrators who made the characters come to life.

“The hardest thing was wondering if publishing was going to be financially worthwhile to start with. There have been plenty of ups

and downs and at the beginning there was always the fear of failure and rejection. But you just get on and do it, and I really loved creating stories to share with my grandkids and others,” Janet says.

After Abigail was published, illustrator Marigold Freeman left on her OE but as luck would have it, Janet ran into artist Ivar Treskon at Titirangi Market and he took on the role of illustrating further books. When Marigold (now Marigold Janezic) returned to New Zealand she worked on Pūkeko Shoes and Tania Takahē.

Janet’s writing has taken on a different edge too – she and her partner, musician Dave Hodge, sometimes perform at schools and festivals presenting the stories with live music. (Check them out at Titirangi Library on Wednesday November 11, 10-10.30am.)

“After 20 years I still love meeting parents who say their children call fantails Abigail ...”

Now retired from her day job as an accountant, Janet says she’s enjoying working on an anthology of frivolous poems and short stories – “just for fun.” She’s also written many unpublished stories about dogs, cats and other subjects and is now thinking about writing a novel for young adults.

And, if you’ve been followed by a little fantail, swooping and diving and chatting to you while in the garden or out walking, well sorry. Janet reckons the birds are not actually talking with you. “They’re just interested in the insects your footsteps are stirring up,” she says. There are those who will disagree.

All of Janet’s books are printed in New Zealand using vegetable inks and paper from sustainable forestry. Kiri the Kererū is currently out of print, but all other titles are available through bookstores and Titirangi Pharmacy.

For more information visit www.jampotbooks.co.nz.

– Moira Kennedy

The Fringe has five sets of Emily the Kiwi and

WIN Abigail Fantail to give away. To go in the draw to win a set, write your name, phone number and address on the back of an envelope and post it to Abigail, PO Box 60-469, Titirangi or email your answer and contact details to info@fringemedia. co.nz with Abigail in the subject line. Entries must be received by November 13.