The latest book written by author Tracey Iceton has been published – and it’s a remarkable work which is very different from her previous titles.
Sparky: My Barn Owl Tale (2026, Cinnamon Press) is Sparky’s semi-(auto)biographical account of life before, and since, she and Tracey met in 2022.
Hatched in the UK in August 2017, Sparky is a captive-bred barn owl. Raised by humans, living with them, she accepts them as essential to her life, benefiting from the security they can provide, but suffering under the uncertainty they can inflict.
And here, thanks to her current human, t-raay-cee, Sparky recounts her unique story. By turns heartwarming and disturbing, Sparky offers an owl’s-eye view of her relationship with her human mates and her search for a special human to bond with lifelong.
It’s a mesmerising and ambitious work that crosses genres and raises important questions about how we can connect deeply with the more-than-human world.
Tracey Iceton, PhD is the author of four previous books. Her Celtic Colours Trilogy (2016-2019, Cinnamon Press ) tells the story of a hundred years of Troubles in Ireland, following one family through four generations of the conflict from the Easter Rising to the Brexit Vote. Rock God Complex: The Mickey Hunter Story (2020, Cinnamon Press) recounts the exploits of Crown & Kingdom’s legendary guitarist Mickey Hunter.
Tracey’s articles and short stories have appeared in national and international journals, magazines and anthologies. She has won or been shortlisted in several notable writing competitions. Her doctorate, Troubles Women (2017, Northumbria University), was a practice-led project exploring the portrayal of female paramilitary protagonists in Troubles fiction.
Formerly an English and creative writing teacher, Tracey continues to work with emerging writers, offering mentoring and editing. But most of her time is divided between home life with her husband, cats and birds of prey, animal rescue volunteering and running, which she took up in case she ever needs to chase a furred or feathered friend.
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