The House on March Lane - book launch & competition time!

Last Tuesday our author Michelle Briscombe launched her latest children's book The House on March Lane. The evening was held at Porthkerry County Park, Barry in the beatiful lodge cabin. We were lucky enough to be invited, and here are a few snaps!


Here's our head of publishing Shaun with the lovely Michelle Briscombe:

We had to have a group picture in the sunset... with the Porthkerry Miner:

 There was even a gorgeous giant book cake...

...which didn't exactly last long. Has a children's book ever looked tastier?

All in all we had a great time! Thanks to Michelle for inviting us to spend an evening with your lovely family and friends!

In celebration of the release of The House on March Lane, we've teamed up with Primary Times in a competition exclusively for Newsletter Subscribers!

Entry is through the Primary Times website. You need to answer just one little question:

In The House on March Lane, which two characters become involved in a dangerous secret?

Just click the card below and enter the competition!

Competition! Make a Visit to The House on March Lane

Newsletter Subscribers Exclusive* 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.

Primary Times are giving away 8 copies to the lucky winners, but if you miss out, The House on March Lane is out now and available to purchase from www.candyjarbooks.co.uk RRP £6.99.

Order yours today - limited signed copies available!!

 

The House on March Lane by Michelle Briscombe - Candy Jar Books

Michelle enjoys walking and often takes walking holidays with her family who all have a keen interest in the natural world. The idea for this story came from her son's interest in birds of prey when he was very young.

The House on March Lane - out now!

Happy Publication Day Michelle Briscombe!!


We're incredibly pleased to officially release Michelle's latest endeavour, The House on March Lane. 

Full to the brim with mystery and ghostly goings-on, The House on March Lane is the second children's fiction novel from Barry author Michelle, and with an beautifully created cover by the wonderfully talented illustrator Hannah Peck, we're  proud to release this book to you!

With a cover that pulls you in to the mystery that lies behind the door, you won't be able to resist opening the book and taking that first step in to the story.

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.


The House on March Lane follows Michelle's first novel Silent Mountain, also published by Candy Jar Books. The story followed the adventures of Jack Jupiter, a hero with a difference. Readers who enjoyed Silent Mountain have been waiting for Michelle's return to children's fiction, and The House on March Lane is absolutely Michelle back with a bang.

Michelle Briscombe was born in Cardiff but now lives in Barry, South Wales, with her two children and husband. For the last twelve years she has worked in a primary school in the Vale of Glamorgan and is currently undertaking her final year for a BA in Primary Education.

If you want to find out more about Michelle, you can find her on Author Hotline, or follow her Twitter @MichelleBrisc.

If you love Hannah's artwork as much as we do, you can find her on Twitter and Instagram, and check out her website.

The House on March Lane, Michelle Briscombe
Cover work by Hannah Peck
ISBN: 978-0-9933221-2-9
RRP: £6.99
The House on March Lane is available to buy directly from Candy Jar Books, Amazon and all good retailers.
This title is available from Marstons, Bertrams and Gardners, as are all of our titles.

Hannah Peck - Hannah Peck Illustration

 

Are today's children mollycoddled?

When you think about your childhood, what are the memories that stand out most? 

These days, the average child spends less than half an hour a week playing outside; a third of children have never climbed a tree and only 10% walk to school. And yet study after study has confirmed the benefits of children spending time, unsupervised, in the great outdoors.

Brian Moses' childhood was, well, somewhat different: “I would be shooed out of the house in the morning, not to be been seen again until mealtimes. Between those times, I was effectively free to do whatever I liked, whether shutting down the street with impromptu go kart races, terrorising the park keeper in pursuit of conkers, or letting freshly caught crabs run havoc across the sea front."

Brian, one of Britain's most loved poets, is hoping that his newest book Keeping Clear of Paradise Street will help parents re-examine their own childhood adventures. He believes that the great outdoors can be beneficial to young minds.

The Ramsgate writer and poet, with over 200 published works, has now written his childhood autobiography. Keeping Clear of Paradise Street is a heart-warming coming-of-age story that transports the reader back to 1950s Ramsgate, and the tail-end of the golden age of the British seaside.

As a former teacher and frequent speaker at educational conferences – with more than a million book sales to his name – Brian feels it’s time to revisit his Ramsgate childhood. His book is aimed principally at children, but nostalgic adults will find his stories of equal interest. Covering universal themes such as first days at schools, first loves, bullying and teenage mischief, Keeping Clear of Paradise Street is a timeless account of the trials and tribulations of growing up.

In the last 30 years Brian has visited more than 3000 schools and has seen fads come and go, but he believes children have stayed the same.

“The current generation gets a lot of flak for just wanting to sit inside and play video games all day. But I think this a symptom of parenting. Often, these days, parents are so wary of letting their kids out their sight. My book urges these parents to set their children free. In the 1950s and 60s, my friends and I would invent games for ourselves to play, and our success in these games would depend on our own imaginations.

“Of course, it’s important that children are always safe. However, keeping a child physically active is also important for their long-term emotional wellbeing: a child who regularly plays outside is likely to be more sociable, self-sufficient and self-disciplined than one who is instead kept inside and under supervision.”

Keeping Clear of Paradise Street is out now, available from the Candy Jar webstore and other good retailers. 

Brian Moses is available for interviews and appearances.

What are some of your favourite - and craziest! -  childhood memories? Tweet us @candy_jar

PRESS RELEASE: Lethbridge Stewart Will Return

Candy Jar Books have just released the fourth - and what was thought to be the final book - in the Lethbridge-Stewart series: Mutually Assured Domination by Nick Walters. But fans who have already received the final instalment may have noticed the very exciting revelation at the end of Walters' book: Lethbridge-Stewart will return in 2016. and, not only will the publisher be releasing another series of novels, it has been announced that the next book will be written by none other than Sadie Miller!

The fully licensed Lethbridge-Stewart series was launched in February 2015, with Andy Frankham-Allen's The Forgotten Son. Three more titles were subsequently released; each met with high praise from fans and the press. 

Sadie miller is set to return to the worlds of Doctor Who with her debut novel, Moon Blink - an exclusive preview of which is printed at the end of Mutually Assured Domination. 

Gary Russell, former script editor of The Sarah Jane Adventures and long-time family friend, said: "When I first heard that Sadie was writing a novel, my initial reaction was 'ahh, a chip off the old block' - her delightful mum was one of the most creative, sharp and incisive individuals I ever knew. But then I realised I was doing Sadie a disservice, because from the first day I met her, Sadie Miller has always been her own person, utterly talented and rapaciously gifted which, other than encouragement and support, owes nothing to either of her parents and everything to Sadie's own determination to be brilliant. And with this novel, she's proven that she is."

Sadie is no stranger to Doctor Who, of course. Her father is actor Brian Miller, who has appeared in both Doctor Who and The Sarah Jane Adventures, and her mother is Doctor Who legend Elisabeth Sladen, the actress who won the hearts of millions of Doctor Who fans in the 1970s as Sarah Jane Smith, and once again in 2005 when she brought Sarah back to the modern era of Doctor Who. Elisabeth Sladen sadly passed away in 2011, which led to Sadie distancing herself for some time from Doctor Who fandom. 

"I needed time to mourn, to be there for my dad. The constant reminders of my mum, obviously very hard to avoid, it was just too painful. But now I feel that the time is right to reconnect with Doctor Who, and the fans," said Sadie. "My dad did so last years with an appearance in Peter Capaldi's first episode, and so now it's my turn. It's exciting to be writing my first novel, and that it features the Brig adds another layer of importance. He, in the form of Nicholas Courtney, was there when Mum debuted as Sarah in 1973, and she was there for his very last onscreen appearance as the character in 2008. So in many ways this is important."

Sadie enjoyed a career as a child actress through many voice-over parts, making her screen debut when she was eight, playing Penny in the BBC film Royal Celebration. She is best-known to Doctor Who fans for her role in two series of Sarah Jane Smith audio dramas produced by Big Finish in 2002 and 2006. She won much critical acclaim for the role of the wheelchair-bound Planet 3 researcher, Natalie Redfern, particularly in the story Test of Nerve. 

"I almost worked with Sadie a good ten years ago on the second series of Sarah Jane Smith," said series editor Andy Frankham-Allen, "but alas that did not come to be. We've kept in touch since, and as soon as I learned she was switching careers I immediately asked if she wanted to write for the Lethbridge-Stewart range, feeling it may be the right time for her to reconnect with Doctor Who fandom. And bless her, she agreed without a second thought!"

Candy Jar's Publishing Co-ordinator Hayley Cox said: "It's a great honour to be here at the start of Sadie's writing career, working with her on her debut novel."

Sadie's book headlines the 2016 series of Lethbridge-Stewart novels, followed by The Showstoppers by Jonathan Cooper and The Grandfather Infestation by John Peel. A further three novels will be released in the autumn. 

The usual pre-order bundles will be on offer from Candy Jar, with a new subscription deal for those wishing to get six books for the price of five!

Lethbridge Stewart: Moon Blink by Sadie Miller is due to be released April 2016. It can now be pre-ordered (individually, or as part of a bundle or subscription) from Candy Jar Books.