Tales of Tails
Welcome to a small corner of my world.
Here, I share my thoughts, a bit of my history, the inspiration behind my stories, and a few surprises along the way.
If you have any comments or questions, please don't hesitate to get in touch via my contact page.
What’s in a Name?
Why did a little black miniature poodle from Suffolk end up named after one of Tudor England’s most famous cardinals? And how did his apricot-coloured companion nearly become “FitzRoy”? In this reflective blog piece, JR McCoy explores the unexpected stories behind the names Wolsey and Henry, and how the names we give our animals often become woven into memory, history, personality, and family life itself.
The Lost Story
Then, one day while cleaning up some old emails, I found it. The missing story. I had emailed myself an adventure I called A Trip to the Periwinkle Inn, in which Wolsey describes his good friend Ruby and the other animals that live in his master’s second favourite boozer.
Adventures Beyond Foxtail Green
Have you ever wondered what lies beyond Foxtail Green? In A Holiday in France, Wolsey’s world expands beyond the familiar fields of Suffolk to the shadowed corridors of a Normandy château, where new scents, new friends, a bit of danger, and a sense of mystery await.
Do Dogs Dream of Sights Unseen?
Have you ever wondered what your dog dreams about when sleeping? The twitching, the quiet yelps, the sudden burst of movement: these all suggest a world unfolding just out of reach.
When Wolsey leapt up one evening and began chasing something I couldn’t see, I dismissed it as nothing more than a vivid dream. But weeks later, a small discovery in the brickwork of my home made me question whether it had been so ordinary after all.
The Day Henry Disappeared
A real-life hiking mishap in the Scottish Highlands became the inspiration for A Hole New World, one of Wolsey’s Adventures. This is the story of the day Henry (Wolsey’s real-life companion) disappeared, and how a moment of danger turned into fiction.
Adventures in Inspiration
Where do stories come from? For Wolsey’s Adventures, inspiration has always been rooted in real moments, half-remembered incidents, and experiences that linger in the mind. From lost dogs in the Scottish Highlands to unexplained figures in the dead of night, this is a look at the real-life sparks behind the stories.
Where Wolsey’s Adventures Began
When a neighbour appeared at my door holding Wolsey on a borrowed lead, I realised he’d quietly slipped out of the garden and taken himself on “quite the adventure”. That small moment – innocent, unexpected and entirely Wolsey – became the spark that led me to imagine what a dog might see, fear or dream when we aren’t looking.