Mark’s labradoddle book hero takes a bow-wow at launch
The Crescent Hotel, Scarborough was the venue for the launch of Mark Harland’s latest novel Hotel Scarbados. The story follows the Fishburn family of Hull at the beginning of the Covid epidemic. Mark, who lives in Scarborough and has been writing for 20 years, said: “I hope the book will help to restore ‘Scarbados’ as England's premier seaside resort after the ravages of Covid.”
The story revolves round senior steward on the MV Pride of Bruges ferry plying between Hull and Zeebrugge. Peter is fearful for his own future and that of his wife Mandy and three teenage kids.
Fate intervenes with the news of an unexpected inheritance from a long- forgotten aunt. While undertaking his last trip to Belgium the rest of the family decide, in his absence, that once Covid is over they would leave Hull and buy a small hotel in Scarbados – the affectionate name for Scarborough.
They arrive, with their labradoodle Sebbie, in a snowstorm three days before Christmas. With the help neighbours, the Ritsons who happily were also dog lovers, they settled in as best they could.
They changed the name of the hotel from the Wendover to Hotel Scarbados registered the website and waited until the end of the epidemic to start trading.
Did they all like Scarborough and did they all settle? Sebbie certainly did and from day one took a persistent liking to a particular tree in the garden.
His obsession with digging a hole beneath it would eventually change the whole family's future.
The cover of the book features Sebbie at the gates of the Hotel Scarbados. In reality, labradoodle Flossie, owned by Sheila Beard from Sleights, posed for a photograph which was sent to artist Anne PilgrimGreen from Norton on Derwent, who painted the book's cover.
The painting was framed and raffled in aid of the new animal charity Caring4Critters with its shop in Huntriss Row. It raised £220 and founding director Sue Kendall told those attending the launch about the new initiative.
The book is available now either as a download from Amazon Kindle or as a paperback – online from YorkBookShop. com or by telephone on 01904 431213.