1. Who wrote the book?

Dr V.L. Welch, who is a science writer and medical writer. Dr Welch is currently based in the UK and has been working as an editor, ghost writer, copy editor and sometime magazine columnist under various pennames for over a decade.

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2. When was it written?

The first draft of this book was produced in 2016. The final draft is very similar indeed, in terms of content, but finding the right illustrator, publisher and distribution channels took a while. This situation (long delays in publishing work) is not as unusual as many people think.

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3. Where can I get a copy?

E-books are available for pre-order on Amazon (UK, US, CA, AU, and other international) from 5th March 2024- just search for “Serana.”  The official release date is 31st March- preordered e-books will be delivered then.

Paperback copies will be available by mail order from this site and from our local partners from 31st March 2024. More details to follow.

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4. Where can I get many copies?

Both Linden-Lime and our local bookselling partners offer multiple purchase options.

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5. Do you offer bulk discounts?

Bulk discounts are available from us for mail orders. The size of discount depends upon the order size. Contact Marc Salazar for details: MarcFSalazar@protonmail.com

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6. Can I book a signing or an author talk?

Signed book copies are available from Linden-Lime- for details, drop Marc an e mail at MarcFSalazar@protonmail.com . Author talks are not currently on offer- when slots/dates are available, we will update here.

 

7. Can I interview the author for my class/project?

You can e mail the author c/o jamesmsutton@protonmail.com

We do NOT guarantee an answer, but every effort will be made to forward your e mail. Any interviews will be in print only- i.e. written/e mailed answers to your e mailed questions. Video and in-person interviews are not available at this time.

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8. I am a journalist/magazine writer/similar- are interviews available?

Linden-Lime and the author are both currently offering e mail responses to print interviews. Please advise us of your deadline and we will make every effort to respond as soon as possible.  A media pack including higher resolution images will be available upon request from 16th March 2024 onwards.

Initial contact for the author, Dr Welch, is via jamesmsutton@protonmail.com

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9. How do I contact the author?

You can e mail the author courtesy of  jamesmsutton@protonmail.com

 

10. Is this a book about FGM?

Serana is a fictitious story set in an imaginary continent (it has talking antelopes, after all!). That said, there are obvious parallels between the book’s female antelopes being forced/coerced into having their horns removed and various real-world practices; not least, FGM. From a medical perspective, FGM is a very damaging human tradition that leads to a great deal of physical suffering, as well as deaths every year amongst those girls and women upon whom it is inflicted*. FGM also leads to birth injuries in some of the children born to its victims**. The scar tissue produced following FGM frequently complicates, hinders and prolongs childbirth for its victims, this sometimes leads to brain damage in children born of these women, as a result of oxygen deprivation during the protracted childbirth process***.

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Whilst FGM is a particularly harmful tradition, it is, sadly, not the only form of violence routinely practiced in the world. Nor is FGM the only damaging bodily modification inflicted upon children and women- with their (coerced) “consent” or without it. Serana, therefore, could be seen as an allegory for any significantly physically harmful tradition inflicted upon anyone too young to consent, not consulted, or otherwise manipulated or coerced into consent. It could also be read as entirely fictitious, with more general themes of injustice, courage and compassion.

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* See e.g. Berg, Rigmor C.; Underland, Vigdis; Odgaard-Jensen, Jan; Fretheim, Atle; Vist, Gunn E. (21 November 2014). "Effects of female genital cutting on physical health outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis". BMJ Open. 4 (11): e006316. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2014-006316. ISSN 2044-6055

** See e.g. https://www.unfpa.org/news/5-ways-female-genital-mutilation-undermines-health-women-and-girls

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*** See e.g. “Module 4: Management of women with FGM during pregnancy, labour, delivery and the postpartum period.” https://www.jstor.org/stable/resrep28048.9 .

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11. Is this book an attack on specific religions, races or cultures?

No! Of course not! It IS easy to read Serana the Antelope as an attack on physically damaging traditions that cause harm and suffering, particularly those that are INFLICTED on individuals AGAINST their physical best interests and/or their FREE (uncoerced, unmanipulated) consent. Harmful behaviours of different kinds are found in various countries, regardless of religion or race. Even if one were to read Serana as an attack on FGM specifically, this is a practice that is inflicted upon girls and women in many countries, of various religions and ethnicities and distributed across several world regions on multiple continents (see e.g. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Female_genital_mutilation#Distribution).  Serana is not about any particular religion, race or culture. Since the geographical landscape of Serana most closely resembles the semi-desert of the Sahal, the character’s names were chosen from a book of names of that region- one from each country- as far as possible. This was precisely to emphasise the broad applicability of the book’s themes- courage, compassion and long quests, after all, are not the preserve of any one section of humanity. The use of an illustration company based in Asia, a graphic style very crudely based on Disney-esque renderings of Aladdin and the introduction of European style castle walls and halberds, again, are to emphasise this broad applicability. If we relate Serana back to FGM in particular, it is notable that there are women and girls living in Europe (4*), Asia, Africa, Oceania and the Americas upon whom FGM has been inflicted.

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(4*- see e.g. Yoder, P. Stanley; Wang, Shanxiao; Johansen, Elise (June 2013). "Estimates of female genital mutilation/cutting in 27 African countries and Yemen". Studies in Family Planning. 44 (2): 189–204. doi:10.1111/j.1728-4465.2013.00352.x. ISSN 0039-3665 and Torjesen, Ingrid, (May 2013) "First UK prosecution for female genital mutilation moves a step closer," British Medical Journal, 346, f2981, doi: 10.1136/bmj.f2981.)

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12. Does Serana the Antelope relate to the author’s lived experience?

The author has no experience of talking antelopes! Dr Welch’s background is in medical- and science- writing. It is this experience and understanding that is particularly relevant to the author’s work on this book. The desert and semi-desert setting of the book, however, was inspired by the author’s protracted travels and work in those environments. In particular, the feel of the desert, its wildlife and scenery. The author is currently working on a memoir of various lived experiences. However, at Linden-Lime Publishing we firmly believe that part of the point of story-telling and fiction is precisely that it deviates from any one person’s experience. Such an approach offers both variety in the topics any single author can cover and it allows for significant editing and sculpting of the narrative for artistic reasons.

 

13. Can I use this book in the classroom?

Absolutely! One aim in writing this book was to explore topics of consent, power, courage, allyship, bodily-autonomy, seeking-help, compassion, etc. in an age-appropriate way. Because this book is fictitious and all characters in it are entirely figments of the author’s imagination, there is scope for debating real life parallels to the book and the extent to which any such comparisons are accurate.

 

14. Are the translation/film rights for this book still available?

Yes- as of March 2024. Contact Mark Salazar for further discussion – MarcFSalazar@protonmail.com

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FAQ compiled by M.F. Salazar & J. M. Sutton in consultation with the author, V. L. Welch.