BOOK REVIEW: "AN EXCEPTIONAL FIRST NOVEL WHICH IS HIGHLY ENTERTAINING..."

The Liars' and Fibbers' Academy
Laura Foakes
9+ years

"When Danny Quinn truthfully tells everyone that a stray dog is the reincarnation of his older sister, his mother takes to her bed. Dany is sent to the Liars and Fibbers Academy where he meets Derek, who insists she's a mermaid. They are the only children at the school, which has no teachers.

This is a wonderfully quirky read, which has lots of humour and depth. There is a great cast of characters sich as Danny's granny, Lydia who does head standing yoga and belly dancing, and Miss Balalaika from Petersburg who lives upstairs with her Arthur (arthritis), eats Chum dog food, and looks out for Danny with her cries of 'Oi Vey'. The narrative rattles along, diving into Inigus' past as a mud lark and turd collector for a tannery in Victorian England. There is wit and originality in the writing which swooshes the reader from past to present and then into a further dimension. Underlying the fast paced action is the unfurling story of two children struggling to cope with bereavement and with the guil they carry from feeling they were responsible for their loved ones' deaths.

This is an exceptional first novel which is highly entertaining; it also addresses the burden of self blame which many children carry."

Sophie Smiley

The School Librarian (Winter 2014)

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CANDY JAR BOOK FESTIVAL COMES TO A CLOSE!

We’d like to say a big thanks to everybody who was involved in our Candy Jar Book Festival!

© Candy Jar 2014

We began the festival on Saturday (August 2^nd) with a How to Write a Winning Short Story workshop at Cardiff Central Library with Andy Frankham-Allen and Laura Foakes. This workshop was extremely interesting and was a great introduction to our South Wales Short Story Competition.

The following Saturday (August 9^th) Mark Brake, author of Space, Time, Machine, Monster and TV presenter, John Chase entertained young Doctor Who fans with The Science of Doctor Who. Jon’s Doctor Who rap had the kids dancing in the aisles.

© Candy Jar 2014

On Monday (August 11^th) Lynda Nash shared her personal experiences of creating children’s pre-school book Danny Down the Drainpipe. After reading the book aloud she encouraged the kids to create their very own book.

On Tuesday (August 12^th) Laura Foakes and Emma Taylor, author-illustrator duo of The Liars’ and Fibbers’ Academy, wowed and amazed the audience with their shocking untruths in How to be a Fibber Extraordinaire.

© Candy Jar 2014

On Wednesday (August 13^th) Manic Mondays author Michaela Weaver shared her wisdom about all things literary in her creative writing workshop. Thanks to all those who turned up!

© Candy Jar 2014

On Thursday Eileen Younghusband BEM (August 14^th), author of One Woman’s War and Men I Have Known, dazzled the crowds indulging the secrets of the WW2 Filter Room, and shared her memories of how women helped to win the war. We had a big surprise for Eileen, when Britain’s Got Talent candidate Nathan Wyburn unveiled and presented his portrait of Eileen created from a collage of images.

Also on Thursday in Monsters, Magic and Michelle Briscombe Michelle discussed the horrible monsters and mystical magic in her book Silent Mountain, and got us all thinking about our favourite magical books and monstrous characters.

© Candy Jar 2014

On Friday (August 15^th) Benjamin Burford Jones and Andy Frankham-Allen talked about how monsters and mirrors have played a role in their writing, and royal enthusiast Colin Edwards shared his exclusive, intimate photographs, memories and stories of his meeting with the Queen Mother, the Queen, and Princess Diana.

We closed our week (Saturday August 16^th) with Anthony Ormond, who talked about how the concept of time travel has inspired books, television and films over the years, and how this impacted his book Tommy Parker: Destiny Will Find You!

© Candy Jar 2014

We’ve had a fantastic week. Thank you to everybody who came down to say hello, and we hope that you enjoyed our events. We hope that the festival will have been the first of many over the years!

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

At the end of last year we launched the South Wales Short Story Competition – a platform for which new and aspiring writers could show off their skills to the Candy Jar team. After a difficult judging process, the winner was finally selected – Laura Foakes for her story The Countess and the Mole Man – congratulations Laura!

With her winning entry featuring as the title of the book, The Countess and the Mole Man short story collection features 13 other entries – including the impressive works of Noelle Bryant, Georgia Carys Williams and Jane Fraser.

Candy Jar now fully intends to make the competition an annual event, bringing in more fresh talent looking for exposure.

The book is now available in paperback and e-book form, order yours now!

candyjarbooks.co.uk/thecountessandthemoleman

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