The Memories of the Milliner will sadly be the last book in the series.

Mr Milliner lives in an enormous oak tree in the middle of a field. He has no concept of time, believing that adults invented it to stop everything from happening at once. He can also change any conversation into complete confusion in a matter of moments. Josie always wonders if he does this deliberately just to annoy her. 

Josie discovers the Milliner one day while she is playing ‘hide and seek’ with her brother Morgan. Almost instantly, their lives are thrown into chaos as a range of different animals mysteriously arrive at their home. They form a strong and loyal bond with Mr Milliner, even though he is very annoying and forgetful.

Spike is a little Jack Russell who lives with Morgan and Josie. He is full of mischief and knows too much English for his own good. He always accompanies the children on their adventures and they treat him just like another friend. Although Spike often gets into trouble, the children can’t be cross for long. 

The Ostrich, or an “Eeee-moo”, as Mr Milliner calls them, makes an appearance very early on, by disrupting afternoon tea in the garden. Luckily, the “Eeee-moo” and Mr Milliner disappear before they’re seen by Mrs Berwick. Although she is suspicious when her washing smells of cigars!

“Pardon the Pig” is another animal that just arrives at the Berwick home uninvited. It is instantly in trouble for digging up Mrs Berwick’s flowerbed and Mrs Berwick makes enquires about where the pig has come from. The children know exactly who is behind it all - Mr Milliner!

Mr Milliner lives in an enormous oak tree. There is a door at the base of the tree, which Mr Milliner opens with a large wooden key. Inside is a maze of corridors leading to other doors, some of which Morgan and Josie have never been in.

Mr Milliner wears a very strange hat indeed. It’s covered with all sorts of bits and bobs, including a candle so he can see in the dark and a broken alarm clock, even though the Milliner doesn’t believe in time. His pet harvest mouse, Ronald, can often be seen sitting on the Milliner’s hat. 

There is also a Jay's feather, which the Milliner believes is lucky.

There is a large wooden gate at the top of the field where Mr Milliner’s oak tree is. Morgan made a special sign to stop adults from disturbing the Milliner. Every so often, this sign has to be changed, as you will see….

Morgan and Josie are both real children. The Milliner books were written for them as a gift from the author.

The first paragraph of Chapter One in Book One was given to the author by his friend, Kate Winter. He then wrote the entire series based on this one paragraph.​

The Milliner struggles with a lot of words. Josie often says things are a paradox, but the Milliner insists that it has nothing to do with two ducks. 

James started writing Book One of the Milliner Series on the 17th of August 2021.

Many of the locations mentioned in the books are real places in North Berwick. These can be found on the Milliner Trail.

Spike's birthday is the 8th of August (2010). He also has his own Instagram page so you can follow what he's up to and send him messages.

The books raise issues affecting the planet, including plastic waste in the oceans, recycling, deforestation, species loss and climate change.

The book titles were created by Mr Milliner. His first suggestion for book one was The Thinks of the Milliner. Morgan and Josie were able to persuade him to change it to the Musings. However, Mr Milliner insisted on adding the apostrophe. He thought it looked better!

Mr Milliner has no age, other than the age he wants to be on any given day. For that reason, he does not grow old but lives forever. Sadly only the children grow up.

Spike is the author's little Jack Russell that he has had from a puppy. ​Spike loves his toys and has a very large collection, which he keeps in his toy box. He especially likes tennis balls.