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Imaginative Story Alchemist

Inspiring Books
Biography

Inspiring Books

Inspiring Series

Strawberry Fairchild

An Illustrated Color Mermaid Fable for Adults

“A spellbinding ride through magical realism, misfit charm, and the wild hope of becoming who you’re meant to be. For anyone who’s ever dreamed in technicolor and believed in something more.”

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The Psychedelic Slacker

A Coming-of-Age Novel

“A journey through the hazy crossroads of youth, nostalgia, and the search for meaning. For anyone who’s ever felt like a slacker, a poet, or a little bit of both.”

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A Little About The Author

Alan Mark Train

I’m Alan. By day, I’ve navigated the logical worlds of programming and technical writing. By night (and on weekends), I trade code for prose, crafting tales inspired by a love for language and a nostalgia for an era I just missed. I believe there’s poetry in logic and a little bit of magic in the mundane.

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About The Illustrator

Mari Yamagiwa - Strawberry Fairchild Illustrator

Mari is a self-taught painter born in 1971 in Kyoto, Japan.

Her art comes from her experiences and is always impulsive, private and free. The big-eyed punk nymphets are her alter ego. Many junk elements collected from all over the world are mixed, and the color flood is like a chaotic contemporary society. You might find an answer in her art if you feel that you are restrained or restricted by something that you can’t see, or if you are worried about something. Her works have been shown in major exhibitions in Australia, Europe, Japan and New York.

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Reader Reviews

What Readers Are Saying

Thunderbird

The author shows a playfulness and love of language that makes one yearn for the simplicity

An enchanting and magical tale, full of whimsy and stylistic verve. The author shows a playfulness and love of language that makes one yearn for the simplicity and beauty of a true poet who lives to love language and all the wondrous images it conjures up and places it can take us to, both internal and external. Beautifully illustrated, this modern-day fable is one that peaks to and touches both heart and soul.

Amazon Customer

An imaginative tale perfect for kids and grown ups alike

An imaginative tale perfect for kids and grown ups alike with more to it than meets the eye. Delicately crafted dialogues and imagery that transports you to psychedelic mermaid land and the gorgeous illustrations complement. Nicely done.

Loretta Flamingo

A simple and not so simple sweet and bittersweet tale

Strawberry is a sweet read. On the surface it is a simple mermaid tale and fun to read in half an afternoon.
Not very far under the surface the reader finds delightful innuendo and playful language, including at least one reference to Rocky & Bullwinkle.

Strawberry has Lewis Carroll’s playfulness with a wistful tinge, and a Golden Book fairy tale style. This book is worth reading more than once. Each perusal offers another layer of meaning. There is a sweet and simple beauty to the story, very like a jewel. This book IS a jewel. 

The illustrations are playful and way out there. It is a very nice pairing of writer and illustrator. Check it out !!!

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Writing the world between code and dream.

Copyright © 2025 Alan Mark Train. All Rights Reserved.

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