David C. Holroyd and Tracy J. Holroyd
At 11, David won a prestigious scholarship to Bolton Art School, then at 15 became apprenticed to his father as a sign writer and illustrator. However, at 17 a leading leisure company employed him as a dolphin show presenter. His natural talent and understanding of animals immediately elevated him to the position of trainer, and he quickly became recognised as one of Europe's best trainers. On reaching the top, he left the dolphin industry, vowing never to return. He became a casino croupier, eventually rising to the position of inspector. He later moved back to his roots working as a sign writer and illustrator. He now writes and illustrates full time.
Tracy has worked largely as a Further Education lecturer, as well as writing short stories and articles for several national children/teen magazines. She has been widely published in "Shout", "Animals and You", "The Mandy" and "The Bunty", to name but a few. Hometown World commissioned her to write the best-selling "Children's History of Lancashire" and "Children's History of Manchester", and she later worked with her brother, David, on the award-winning book series "The Perfect Pair Dolphin Trilogy".
Brother and sister are now working on the Belinda Fellgate young adult fantasy series. The first book, Belinda Fellgate: HellCat, will be available from July 2020.
Author news
THE WISHING SHELF AWARDS FIVE-STAR AMAZON REVIEW OF THE PERFECT PAIR:THE ENCHANTED MIRROR, BRONZE WINNER IN THE NON-FICTION CATEGORY 2013
COVER 8/10
Generally, the readers liked the cover of the book. They felt that the picture on the front and back could have been incorporated better into the text but, apart, from that, they liked the easy-to-read font and the excellent comments on the back cover. One reader put in her feedback, Black is always a very dangerous colour to have on a book cover. It suggest many things: horror, darkness, foreboding; oddly, this book is not any of them. Why, I wonder, pick black.
CONTENT 10/10
All of the readers loved this book. They thought it was wonderfully written and, often, very moving. They liked the way the authors developed the bond between the young boy and the dolphins and how they educated the readers not only on dolphins and how they behave but also the inner workings of the industry and the treatment of dolphins in captivity. This book would be of interest to lots of different readers: those with an interest in dolphins, those with an interest in the commercial exploitation of these animals, and those who just want to enjoy a good story.
EDITING 10/10
The readers discovered no punctuation, spelling or grammatical errors. Oh, apart from p134, extra space before the word One reader put in his feedback, This is a very well edited book, not only the grammar and punctuation but also the pacing. I turned every page knowing the next would keep me highly entertained, all the way to the satisfying ending. I understand this is the first part of a trilogy. I look forward to reading the next two.
STYLE 10/10
The readers thought the authors' style of writing was very accessible. They describe setting and characters well and they work well with speech. One reader put, The writers handled the developing relationship between the two dolphins and the boy very well. I could really feel the love growing in the boy for the two dolphins in his care. Another reader put, What I liked most about this book was the pacing. It moved along with speed and grace. A lot of new authors find this difficult to do. The Holroyds don't.
A fascinating, in depth look at the world of dolphins in captivity. Highly recommended.' The Wishing Shelf Awards
STATS
Of the 26 readers:
17 liked the cover; 9 suggested working a little with the illustrations. Black and white on such a fascinating and colourful tale just felt wrong to them.
20 of the readers thought the best part of this book was the developing relationship between the dolphins and the boy.
4 thought the best part was the way the authors depicted the often methods of keeping dolphins in captivity.
26 of the reader want to read the next two in the trilogy.
"The Perfect Pair: The Enchanted Mirror" has scooped Bronze in Non-Fiction category of The Wishing Shelf Independent Book Awards 2013.
"The Perfect Pair: The Enchanted Mirror" now available for Kindle and other e-readers.
Following in the footsteps of "The Perfect Pair: The Enchanted Mirror", "The Perfect Pair: The Mirror Cracks" has already been made a key text for Dr Ursula Hurley's English and Creative Writing Course at the University of Salford.
Rave celebrity reviews already flooding in for the second book in the dolphin trilogy, "The Perfect Pair: The Mirror Cracks".
Dr Ursula Hurley, Senior Lecturer in English and Creative Writing at The University of Salford, has made The Perfect Pair: The Enchanted Mirror a set text for the Creative Non-Fiction module of her course as from next semester. David and Tracy due to give a talk there soon. 13/11/12
David and Tracy have now been signed by The Leo Media & Entertainment Group who will be representing them globally in publishing, radio, TV and - potentially - film.
This is a story well known to those who work in the dolphin industry: a tale that over the passage of time has taken on an almost mythical quality. It tells of a young boy who took the dolphin world by storm, creating The Perfect Pair, two dolphins who worked in absolute unison, eventually achieving the much-revered somersault routine - a shadow ballet of exquisite grace and beauty. However, the tale of their psychic trainer, as he became known, sent shivers down the spines of managers, who deemed the boy's total control over his charges as dangerous to Company interests. So The Perfect Pair and their special trainer were deliberately written out of dolphinarium history until now. Because of this bookââ¬Å¡ based on official dolphin logbooks, long-since thought destroyed - the dream team is no longer consigned to marine folklore, but reborn, allowing Duchess and Herbe to once again weave their magic. An enthralling story for those too young to remember and a shameful reminder for those too old to forget.
