COMPETITION WINNER ANNOUCED!

Obvious Photoshopped image of Sean Alexander

Candy Jar Books is pleased to announce the winner of the Lethbridge-Stewart Short Story Competition. The winning story, Boys Don’t Cry, is written by Sean Alexander from Holyhead, north Wales.

Shaun Russell, head of publishing at Candy Jar, says: “Sean has written a touching and heartfelt short story. His take on the Brig was unique amongst the entries. His story is set at Brendon School where the Brig has to uncover the truth about an awful tragedy.

Andy Frankham-Allen, range editor of the Lethbridge-Stewart series of books, agrees: “Boy’s Don’t Cry is a wonderful little tale of life in Brendon, and we picked it because it showed a great understanding of the Brigadier, as well as the author displaying a knack for writing great prose. Add to that, the setting is one we’ve wanted to further explore in the main range, so as part of the winning prize, I’ll be working with Sean Alexander on developing another tale of Brendon School which will serve as a back-door pilot for a possible new range of novellas.”

Sean Alexander says: "In true Doctor Who producer style, I'm surprised and delighted to be chosen as the winner of Candy Jar's short story competition! Opportunities like this are few and far between, so my heartfelt thanks to Shaun and Andy for selecting me. I look forward to our collaboration on a brand new Lethbridge-Stewart novella later in the year. Splendid fellows, both of them!"

The book also features eight other exclusive short stories featuring Lethbridge-Stewart at various stages in his life. This is a chance for fans to see the Brigadier like they’ve never seen him before!

The eight stories are:
The Stranger Paradox by Thomas Firth
Soldier in Time by Martin Gregory
Burning Daylight by Paul Chase
The Brigadier Rides Again by Ross Hastings
In Machina Exspiravit by Anthony Robertson
Special Responsibility by Gary Tinnams
Shadows in the Glen by Richard Brewer
The Man with the Red Case by Matthew Ball

The idea for the Lethbridge-Stewart Short Story Competition came from the company’s commitment to shedding light on fresh writing talent. Since 2015 the Lethbridge-Stewart novels have championed previously unknown authors such as Jonathan Macho and Gareth Madgwick, alongside famous writing names in the Doctor Who universe including John Peel, Nick Walters, Simon A Forward and David A McIntee.

All royalties from each book will be donated the Velindre Cancer Centre in Cardiff. Shaun, who received chemotherapy treatment at the centre, says: “In 2015 I was diagnosed with bowel cancer, just as we were launching the first Lethbridge-Stewart series. As you can imagine, undergoing six months of treatment was physically and emotionally draining. If it wasn’t for the support of the centre I wouldn’t have got through this difficult time. This is my way of giving something back.”

SOUTH WALES SHORT STORY COMPETITION RETURNS!

After the success of the South Wales Short Story Competition in 2012, Candy Jar Books is once again offering aspiring writers the chance to have their work published for the very first time. This year the publisher has teamed up with Cardiff Libraries to make the event even bigger and better!

In 2012 the winning entry was awarded to Laura Foakes for her story The Countess and the Mole Man. Since then Laura has been working closely with Candy Jar and in July Laura's debut novel for children The Liars' and Fibbers' Academy will be released.

Laura said: "I entered the South Wales Short Story Competition at the last minute (with an old story) never thinking I would win. When I was asked for further passages of my book I swear I floated home and the train had nothing to do with it. I write every day and also attend two local writing groups for inspiration, motivation and fun. I'm passionate about getting children to read for sheer enjoyment, and still pinch myself most mornings that Candy Jar has given me the opportunity to be published."

Laura Foakes with the 2012 winning entry, The Countess and the Mole Man

Shaun Russell, head of publishing at the Cardiff-based publishing company, said: "Since 2012 we've had a number of success stories at Candy Jar, with one of our books even winning the People's Book Prize. We are extremely committed to encouraging new talent and hope the public will take the time to participate."

The South Wales Short Story Competition is currently accepting submissions. Entrants are permitted to submit up to two short stories and these can be a maximum of three thousand words. The competition is open to all unpublished writers.

Hayley Cox, senior publishing coordinator at Candy Jar, believes that short stories are an excellent way for writers to perfect their craft. She said: "The discipline and imagination required for creating and structuring a good short story is excellent practice for an aspiring writer. The experience winning writers will gain will be invaluable in preparing them for future publication."

All submissions must be received by 5pm on Saturday 16th August 2014. The competition is £2 to enter. The winner will get a Kindle Fire, and all shortlisted entries will be published in an anthology.

Entries can be sent via the website: Candy Jar Short Story Competition

Alternatively, they can also be posted to: Candy Jar Books, 113-115 Bute Street, Cardiff, CF10 5EQ.

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THE COUNTESS AND THE MOLE MAN

Candy Jar are proud to present The Countess and the Mole Man, an anthology containing the winning entries from the South Wales Short Story Competition 2012.

We received over one hundred entries from around the world but sadly we could not use them all. Over six weeks, we read, re-read and re-re-read all of the entries as we slowly whittled down the list. Our initial plan was to have only twelve winning stories but, being unable to decide at the last hurdle, we found ourselves congratulating thirteen writers.

The overall winner of the competition was Laura Foakes with her story (and title of the book) The Countess and the Mole Man, a quirky and enjoyable tale told from the perspective of a mental health patient.

Three of the winning stories come highly commended; Beautifully Greek by Georgia Carys Williams, A Passing Front by Jane Fraser and The Birthday Treasure Hunt by Noelle Bryant.

The remaining seven winning stories are:
- The F Word by Ian Fisher
- Whatever Happened to the Humble Pies by Stella Wells
- The Day of the Trifles by Ross Warren
- Seven Steps, Door by Dan Crowley
- All But One by Taylor Cook
- My Beloved Monster by Carly Holmes
- A Single Drop of Rain by Rhys Bevan-Edwards
- Just Another Face in the Wall by David Byrne
- Last Day by Natalie Ann Holborow

We would like to thank everybody who entered The South Wales Short Story Competition and we hope that the competition's second outing in 2013 is as successful. Congratulations again to our winners.

The Countess and the Mole Man is available now on Kindle. If you would like to buy your copy, please click here.

You can also pre-order the paperback edition from the Candy Jar website. Please click the link below to pre-order your copy now!

The Countess and the Mole Man - Pre-order

THE SOUTH WALES SHORT STORY COMPETITION 2012

To celebrate 'National Short Story Week' Candy Jar Books and Screaming Dreams Publishing are launching a competition offering aspiring writers the chance to have their work published for the very first time.

'National Short Story Week' (12^th-18^th November) aims to get more people reading and listening to short stories. Candy Jar and Screaming Dreams will publish the winning entries as an ebook anthology.

Shaun Russell, co-founder of Candy Jar Books, said: “We are committed to inspiring and encouraging new talent, which is why we have created this competition. To make it as accessible as possible for all writers there is no age limit and no entry fee.” Many writing competitions charge a fee for entry to help cover the printing costs of the book, which is why the anthology will be available purely in ebook format.

Steve Upham, owner of Screaming Dreams Publishing, is also excited by the competition. He said: "The experience winning writers will gain will be invaluable in preparing them for future publication. If successful we would like to print the anthology in paperback form and make the competition a yearly event."

Many publishers have championed the short story format this year. Bloomsbury has declared 2012 the 'Year of the Short Story' and 'The BBC National Short Story Award' has become international just for 2012 to celebrate the Olympics.

Cardiff Bay also recently celebrated 'Roald Dahl Day', celebrating the work of a local author who was also a prolific short story writer. 

'The South Wales Short Story Competition' is currently accepting submissions. Entrants are permitted to submit up to two stories and each story can be a maximum of three thousand words. The competition is open to all unpublished writers across the UK.

All submissions must be received by 5pm on Friday 9^th November 2012 and can be sent via the Candy Jar and Screaming Dreams websites. Alternatively, entries can be posted to Candy Jar Books, 113-115 Bute Street, Cardiff, CF10 5EQ. 

Good luck and get writing!