Happy St David's Day!

Today is the 1^st of March (*pinch, punch, first of the month!*), and so we go hurtling on towards Spring. Finally!

But even more importantly, we have arrived at St David’s Day! As a Welsh company based in the capital, we take this day very seriously... which means looking at loads of pictures of cute family members/random babies/pets of acquaintances dressed up in traditional Welsh costume*, eating Welsh cakes, and maybe buying a bunch of daffodils on the way home from work.

But, to celebrate, here are some of our Welsh-iest titles: written by Welsh authors, based in Welsh settings, and inspired by Wales!

 

TheSearch For Mister Lloyd – Griff Rowland

WINNER OF THE TIR NA N-OG 2016
(Best English-language Book with an authentic Welsh background).

"My pigeon’s gone missing. Seen him waddling about? Answers to the name of Mister Lloyd. Light grey feathers, dark underbelly. No? Yes? What? You think so? In which direction?"

Where do you even begin to search for your lost pigeon? Of course you put up LOST posters, pinning them to as many tree trunks as possible and handing them out to people in the street, but it’s not like you can actually look for a pigeon... or can you? Mister Lloyd fails to return home from his first international race much to the distress of Mostyn Price, a young pigeon fancier from North Wales. His grandfather presumes he’s been devoured by a falcon but Mostyn is hell-bent on proving him wrong, determined to conquer his sense of loss, especially as his own dad also vanished a few years earlier.

A mysterious tip-off suggests Mister Lloyd has landed in London and the search shifts to the metropolis

Silent Mountain – Michelle Briscombe

NOMINATED FOR THE TIR NA N-OG AWARD 2013
(Best English-language Book with an authentic Welsh background)

Jack Jupiter is not cool, he is not brave and he is altogether unremarkable. That is, until his grandmother uses her ‘talent’ and foresees a terrible future for Jack. With this, our young hero is dragged into a world of fantastical creatures and unrelenting enemies who force Jack to muster whatever courage he can find to escape, discover the truth about his
father and reach the mythical Silent Mountain.

The House on March Lane – Michelle Briscombe

In 1836, Harriet’s papa, a ship’s officer on HMS Beagle, returns from a long journey at sea. On his arrival home, Harriet and her friend Lily become involved in a dangerous secret with tragic consequences.

Almost two centuries later, Flora’s best friend Archie experiences a ghostly encounter at her dad’s reclamation and salvage yard.

The haunting takes the two friends on a detective adventure with a difference, and leads them to an unexpected and supernatural discovery.

Flora and Archie & Harriet and Lily’s lives are soon entwined in a way that they could never have imagined possible.

 

Amulet – Alison Thomas

A magical story of cave dwellers, clowns and vegetarian dragons.

Dion has Asperger's Syndrome. He is an intelligent boy who lives in the functional ordered world.

When he is kidnapped and taken to a place beyond the imagination, Dion finds that his disciplined mind becomes strength. But little does he realise his life is now in danger.

Will his sister Megan get to him in time? Not if the evil Queen has anything to do with it.

For a boy who doesn't like change. Dion's strength and determination is the one thing he will have to rely on.

 

Tommy Parker: Destiny Will Find You! - Anthony Ormond

Whilst the idea of time travel seems like great fun, an innocent trip into the past could have devastating consequences.

When Tommy Parker goes to his grandpa's house for the summer he has no idea that his life is about to change forever. But that's exactly what happens when he uncovers a fantastic secret: a pen that lets him travel through his memories and alter the past!

This book deals with the everyday problems of time travelling teenagers. It will appeal to fans of Doctor Who, Terry Pratchett and JK Rowling.

A genuine page turner that combines historical events with a fantastic sci-adventure.

 

Book Worms - Jane Cohen

Meet Professor Wormsworth and his twin boys, Wurzel and Walter. The cleverest worms in the wormiverse! But on a holiday to China by wormaplane they discover a terrible secret. It’s the ghastly ‘Earth Dragon Soup’ made by an evil wizard. Walter and Wurzel find themselves on a mission to save a million billion earth worms. But can they do it?

 

 

 

 

 

Dydd Gwyl Dewi Sant Hapus!

 

 

Click here to check out all of our Candy Jar titles, or click any of the titles above to buy!

 

*If you have never seen a dog dressed as a leek, please take a moment to search it. We’ll wait.

TOMMY PARKER SHORTLISTED FOR PEOPLE'S BOOK PRIZE!

Candy Jar author Anthony Ormond has been shortlisted for The People’s Book Prize. Judged by the public, the competition is open to all published authors.

Anthony is incredibly passionate about children’s literature, and with his book proving popular with young readers, Anthony is thrilled to be short-listed. He said: “It's a wonderful feeling of accomplishment and I hope people vote for me again. It would be great for Tommy’s story to reach a wider audience.” 

In school, Anthony was described by his teachers as “often disruptive”, and was always told that his day-dreaming and class-clowning would never get him anywhere. As a result, much of his life so far has been devoted to proving those teachers wrong.

When asked which three words best described himself, Anthony replied “Never. Grown. Up.” which perhaps makes him the best suited to writing children’s books – he is still a child at heart!

Now, having studied Law, he is a qualified solicitor and specialises in Criminal Defence. From lawyer to children’s author seems like an odd jump to make, but Anthony often uses his job as inspiration. He said: “Not a single day is the same and the colourful characters that I meet give me inspiration for my stories!”

Despite the change in direction, Anthony took to writing like a duck to water. He continued: “The idea for the story came to me one day and then I just started writing and didn't stop until my pen ran out.”

Tommy Parker: Destiny Will Find You follows the story of a seemingly ordinary schoolboy, worried only about football and homework, until his grandfather reveals a massive secret that will change Tommy’s life forever – a pen that enables the user to time travel into their memories.

But Tommy soon learns that he has signed up for more than he expected, as there are others who will stop at nothing to get their hands on it. Tommy and his friends must rise to the challenge and fight to keep the pen out of the hands of evil – life as we know it could be at stake if they don’t.

Roald Dahl is a major influence in Anthony’s writing, and he currently lives just a few miles away from the birthplace of arguably the most iconic children’s writer of all time. He is also a massive fan of the Harry Potter series, and dreams of Tommy Parker becoming such a household name – he hopes that one day children will argue over which is better; the ‘elder wand’, or Tommy’s ‘Pen of destiny’.

To vote for Tommy Parker please visit: http://www.peoplesbookprize.com/book.php?id=1269.

BOOK REVIEW: "I AND MANY OTHERS WILL BE RACING TO THE SHOPS TO PICK UP ANY FUTURE TITLES!"

Tommy Parker: Destiny Will Find You!
Anthony Ormond
9+

"Ormond trained initially as a lawyer, but his insight into the ways of children and their interactions is sharp, fresh and most assured. In this first novel, Tommy is given a pen from his grandfather, which seems nothing out of the ordinary until Tommy is told of the history of the pen, and of what it can do. From there on, Tommy and his friends are pulled into a series of adventures involving time travel, danger and a most unpleasant organisation. Ormond's observations and ability tell an exciting yarn are very convincing; this alone, aside from the subject matter and ideas exploited in the book, will be enough to have the reader turning pages without wishing to put the book down. The end of the book appears to set the stage for at least one sequel, and if Ormond's talent at writing anything to go by, I and many others will be racing to the shops to pick up any future titles!"

Rudolf Loewenstein
The School Librarian (Winter 2014)

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HAPPY BONFIRE NIGHT

Happy bonfire night! As a special treat here's an extract from one of our latest books featuring the man of the moment: Guy Fawkes.

A dozen of the King’s Guard had chased him to the end of a long stone corridor. He was cornered now in passages deep beneath the Houses of Parliament; the building that he’d come to destroy. There was nowhere left to run.

Breathless, he turned to face his pursuers, sizing up each of them and searching for a weak link, weighing up whether there was any way that he could fight his way out. The guards, each of them protected by their leather coats and iron breastplates, stood four across and three deep, cutting off any hope of escape. They held half-pikes that were thrust menacingly towards him. He didn’t stand a chance.

He thought about his partners in this scheme and wondered whether they would have more luck. It was certainly a great shame that they’d no longer be able to see their mission through. 

And all because of that strange little old man. 

He recalled the last few moments, considering where it had all gone wrong.

Their plan had been simple, but the effect would have been devastating. A blast that would have been heard around the world. 

He’d hidden in these cellars for days with little water and even less food, but none of that had bothered him as such small sacrifices would be worth it in the end. And he’d come so close, too. Today was to be the day. He had gone through his final checks: examining each wooden barrel, each fuse, and making sure that nothing could go wrong. Through their connections they had managed to secure the ideal location: a huge disused cellar located directly beneath the House of Lords. Right where they needed to be! The planning had taken months, years even, with thousands of pounds spent and countless favours called in, all of which would have soon borne fruit. They wouldn’t have known what had hit them.

His surroundings were filthy; his dust-covered cloak shrouded his scruffy clothes, and his normally smart boots had been made dull with dirt. Scraps of food were lodged in his moustache and his bushy, reddish-brown beard.

When he checked the contents of the last barrel, his cloak had fallen from his shoulder, exposing a thick, powerful arm. On his forearm was the scar he’d been given in a knife-fight but above that scar was a more intriguing sight altogether. A mark that he always kept hidden, unless in certain and familiar company; the inky tattoo of a quill, a mark that each of his co-conspirators also boasted. The mark of the Brotherhood.

He had examined the fuse one final time, thinking with pride how it was him who had been chosen to complete this, the most important of tasks. Those thirty-six barrels, filled to the brim with gunpowder, which would change history. And it was he who had been chosen to light the fuse. A single match that would illuminate the city and bring with it a new beginning. This king hadn’t understood them. It had fallen upon his brethren to make a change.

He remembered looking at his pocket watch. The time had come. So much firepower would not just demolish Parliament but also most of Central London. The blaze would light up the night and burn for a year. People would long remember this day and sing songs about it. And him? Well, they were sure to make effigies of him and chant his name. He would have been a hero.

If only it wasn’t for that old man. 

He recalled how, in his final moments of preparation, he had been startled by a voice from the darkness. He’d thought he had been alone.

‘Penny for them, Guy?’ the voice had said.

‘Huh? Who’s there?’ He recoiled in fright, shocked that someone had been lurking in the shadows.

‘Your thoughts, Guido,’ the invisible voice replied. ‘A penny for them?’

An old face had then moved towards him out of the darkness. The face belonged to a man, a rather pleasant looking old man, who was only just taller than the wooden barrel that he’d hidden behind.

‘I don’t know who you are,’ Guy replied. He felt calmer as he realised that the stranger carried no threat. ‘But you can’t stop this. You’re too late. This is my destiny!’

He had taken a match then and, kneeling by the slow-burn fuse, had deliberately, poignantly, struck the match and watched as the bright flame threw the cellar into light. 

‘I’m afraid, Mr Fawkes,’ the old man had said, ‘that there will be no fire in the sky tonight. I cannot let you succeed again. Not this time.’ He’d then swiftly blown out the match before adding, ‘But you are right about one thing: the world will remember you.’

Dumbfounded, Guy had done nothing but stare blankly at where the wrinkled face had been, holding the spent match as it had smouldered in his fingers. Coming to his senses, he’d then reached out, snatching at nothing but a handful of darkness. The figure had vanished. 

It was then that dozens of heavy footsteps clattered on the stone outside the door. Then a loud crash as the doors had burst open and sent shards of wood flying across the room as the King’s Guard charged through. 

He’d run for all he was worth, but there was no way out. His escape route was blocked by a bolted door.

He evaluated the scene again. This isn’t how it was supposed to happen. Who was that old man? And how did he vanish into thin air?

Deciding that he’d rather go down fighting, Guy pulled a dagger from his belt and braced himself for the fight that he knew would end his life. He steeled himself to charge but stalled as the wall of soldiers parted suddenly. 

Will they really let me through? 

His optimism was short-lived. A heavy rattling was followed by the emergence of two soldiers rolling a small cannon into the gap that they had created. Clearly they were taking no chances with him. Then, reminiscent of himself only moments before, one of the guards knelt and struck a match, lighting the fuse. Seconds later there was a loud bang.

Guy Fawkes saw it all in slow motion. The dagger fell from his hand as the cannonball flew through the air towards him.

This was it.

His time had come.

Read more in Tommy Parker: Destiny Will Find You!