Bunky's 5th Birthday! August 31st 2026
"Bunky didn't know why the sky was blue and why the clouds were white, but he knew that he loved the sky and he loved the clouds" - these are the opening words from my second volume of Bunky's adventures ("Bunky and the Summer Wish", Wipf and Stock, July 2024).
The first one - my debut novel "Bunky and the Walms: The Christmas Story" was published by Wipf and Stock/ Resource Publications on October 13th 2021.
However, my journey with my beloved literary character Bunky began much earlier: it began in my heart years before I decided to write the first novel. I carried Bunky with me everywhere; Bunky was my personality and my way of living - he still is and always will be. Nowadays, Dear Readers, I receive messages from you, and it is you telling me that Bunky is so relatable. It makes me immensely happy to know that you found a piece of yourself in my bunkificently imperfect and noble literary character.
On August 31st 2021, while waiting for the publication of my debut novel, I sewed Bunky and his clothes, and then I sewed the Bunky Princess and recorded the first book trailer with my beloved literary characters in the late summer garden. This is how the garden turned into the Bunky Princess' magical land. The zinnias and butterflies began representing everything that makes me think of Bunkyland and the Bunky Princess' castle as discovered by Bunky on one magical day.
If you would like to see the first book trailer recorded with Bunky and the Bunky Princess in the garden, I invite you to watch it here:
Then Rodney, Plum and Maurice were brought to life. I found profound joy in sewing my literary characters and offering them life outside of the written page. My Mum used to sew plush mascots when I was little, and she would always prepare the entire wardrobe for each of them. Now I found so much joy in bringing Bunky, the Bunky Princess, Rodney, Maurice and Plum to life. Those Readers who are familiar with Bunky's YouTube channel and his adventures are aware of the fact that my literary characters can also boast the entire wardrobe of different attires prepared for various seasons of the year.
Bunky and his Friends live in a miniature world filled with numerous accessories and furniture. Their adventures in our world often mirror to some extent the events unfolding in the novels. There are many details bridging the gap between our world and the novels, and the Readers who are familiar with the story will be able to discover them, including Bunky's winter sweater with the squirrel and snowflakes - exactly the one that Bunky is wearing in the first novel, or Bunky's famous summer striped t-shirt from "Bunky and the Summer Wish".
Needless to say, Bunky is a writer too - just like me - and his passions and hobbies closely mirror mine.
Honestly, I don't know at which point Bunky began to resemble me so much. It was a natural process in which I allowed my literary character to write with me. Five years from that day, I believe that sharing the world with literary characters is the greatest blessing for an author. And it is the greatest blessing that you find Bunky relatable as well. Bunky constantly influences my worldview and vocabulary: I'm using the words such as "bunkificent," "bunkyful," "walmful" and "unwalmful" on daily basis!
This is how one of the greatest stories of my life began. In July 2024 the second volume of Bunky's adventures - "Bunky and the Summer Wish" was released and received its very own homemade book trailer:
Meanwhile, a year before, in 2023, I published my first historical non-fiction - "Women's Literary Portraits in the Victorian and Neo-Victorian Novel" (Bloomsbury 2023) - the work compiling almost a decade of research, including the time of my doctoral studies. It was followed by numerous articles in journals and magazines, as well as poetry and short fiction. At the same time, life was moving forward through many brighter and darker days - and Bunky was with me through every step of the way - just as I hope that he can accomapny you, Dear Readers. I have been growing up with Bunky and we both came to conclusion that we will never fully grow up in order to rebel against the world - its chaos, confusion and coldness. Five years from the day marking the publication of my debut novel, I still deeply believe that Bunky is needed more than ever in this day and age. He is the one who is permanently in love with simple things - with the magic of daily life. He is the one offering an example how to live a truly bunkyful life with pure bunkificence of one's heart. Therefore, his story is dedicated both to the youngest and older Readers. Each novel is over 200 pages long and includes my illustrations - for which I am forever grateful to my amazing Publisher, Wipf and Stock.
Bunky's story will be continued alongside other literary projects that have been close to my heart during those brighter and darker days of the past years. I look forward to these further adventures and the possibility of sharing them with you!
Both of my novels dedicated to Bunky's story discuss the notion of dreams and how they align with what we awaken on a written page as well as in our world; how a thought is capable of transforming into a literary creation and this creation eventually enters our world - if we believe in it strongly enough - just like Bunky does - deeply, bravely and without hesitation or second guessing. These are the novels about miracles, and Bunky turned into my miracle and the most beloved creation of my life.
Starting a YouTube channel with Bunky's adventures in his fairyland was another step allowing for the creation of a meeting place with the Readers in between the worlds: literary and tangible ones. Then, Bunky began appearing on social media, and even though the authoress (me) is not a very social media-oriented person (she prefers to live in her own reality and write, write and write), I realised how much joy it has been bringing me to connect with you there and live through Bunky's story together! I learnt from you that Bunky positively influenced some of your lives, perspectives or even plans - and it makes me the happiest. I hope that we will continue this journey together. I would also like to thank those of you who bought my books or Bunky plush mascots, or in any way supported me on my journey. I would like to thank Chris for supporting and sharing the idea of Bunky plush mascots and for sending them to those of you who decided to purchase them. It means the world to someone who had never had such complex publishing experience before 2021. And yet, miracles did happen! Both of my novels received numerous international awards, including the Book of the Year 2021' from the Chrysalis BREW Project, Bunky and I participated in podcasts and interviews worldwide and we travelled to share Bunky's adventures with our Readers - such was Bunky's memorable trip to Cornwell to our bunkificent Friends: Howard and Jeannie in Tregoll's Lodge Book Club in September 2024.
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I am so grateful to All of you who supported my Bunkies and me throughout these five years and I am looking forward to the future.
Dear Readers, thank you for being with Bunky on our literary journey and thank you for befriending him!
I would like to thank my Family and Friends too, as well as my bunkificent Publisher Wipf and Stock, including William Poncy who is an unmatched supporter of Bunky and who has always believed in his magic with the strength of a million Bunkies.
I would also like to thank my four-pawed Best Friend and the best Literary Critic and Reviewer, Yogi, who is untiringly writing, editing, reading and reviewing with me for over 15 years! Nothing would be possible without his loving presence in my life.
With bunkificence and gratitude,
Aleksandra (the author)
Happy 5th Birthday, Bunky!✨️🎂🦛🌟🩷
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YouTube channel:
X: @ATryniecka
Instagram: @aleksandratryniecka
"Bunky and the Walms: The Christmas Story" (2021) and "Bunky and the Summer Wish" (2024) are available at: wipfandstock.com, on Amazon, as well as in online and onsite selected bookstores.
Discover my novels by clicking below:
I included below some quotations from "Bunky and the Summer Wish" - may they add bunkificence to your life...
