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.

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

JOBS GROWTH WALES

With the Welsh economy struggling and youth unemployment rising, investment in young people has never been more important. In April 2012 the Job Growth Wales programme successfully launched, throwing a lifeline to young unemployed 16-24 year-olds.

Catering for young people that are job ready but have had difficulty securing employment, the Jobs Growth Wales programme a job opportunity for a six month period paid at national minimum wage.

Cardiff-based video production company and publisher, Candy Jar, is delighted to be part of the Jobs Growth Wales Scheme. Company director, Shaun Russell, said: “As a small business with big plans we knew that employing additional staff would be essential, but doing so required taking a huge risk. Jobs Growth Wales has enabled us to take this important step without the financial worries. The company has moved forward in leaps and bounds since we hired the new team, achieving far more than we could have envisaged six months ago.”

The Jobs Growth Wales scheme focuses on occupations as diverse as manufacturing, sales negotiation, nursery assistants, care assistants, hairdressers, marketing and publishing. To date, 300 vacancies have either been filled or are awaiting interviews by unemployed young people.

Adrian Hitt, Business Development Manager for Educ8 has expressed how beneficial the programme has been throughout Wales. He said: “The success of the programme is based on the invaluable opportunities it provides, firstly for the young recruit who not only gains relevant work experience but it also positively enhances their employability and life skills ensuring their prospects for gaining sustainable employment are fully maximised. The programme also provides an opportunity for the employer as the extra resource it provides will enable them to expand and grow at a quicker rate.”

For more information about video production or publishing visit www.candy-jar.co.uk

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!

HAVE YOU CONSIDERED SELF-PUBLISHING YOUR BOOK?



Many writers seem to shy away from this question, afraid that self-publishing is in some way admitting defeat. But the recent rise of self-publishing marks a radical change for readers, writers and publishers and shows that this is no longer the case.

Self-publishing is no longer associated with ‘Vanity Publishing’ – a process where authors are left with poor quality books and are often significantly out of pocket.

Now several companies, including Candy Jar Books, offer quality self-publishing services which deliver real results. Reputable companies offer professional support throughout the self-publishing process, from initial guidance on the first draft through to publicity and marketing of the final book.

Deciding to self-publish is becoming increasingly popular. Many who self-publish are later noticed by publishers and some have had huge success – current bestseller E.L James’ Fifty Shades trilogy being the obvious example. Self-publishing has existed as long as publishing has – Virginia Woolf, James Joyce and William Blake all printed their own work.

Authors are increasingly using alternative publishing routes to get their work noticed. Larger publishing companies are also recognising the importance of self-publishing as a source of talent. This summer Penguin acquired Author Solutions Inc, one of the world’s largest self-publishers for £74m. As Penguin CEO John Makinson said: "Self-publishing has moved into the mainstream of our industry". Similarly, HarperCollins launched the website authonomy.com several years ago, which encourages writers to share their self-published work. Their website says: “The publishing world is changing. One thing’s for sure: whether you’re a reader, writer, agent or publisher, this is an exciting time for books.”

Have you written a book which you are unable to get published? Would you consider self-publishing your work? If you have a book that you'd like to publish then please get in touch!