NOW RELEASED: PENNY RICHARDS' THRILLING SHORT STORY COLLECTION!

Jelly Bean Books is pleased to announce the release of its latest book, A Cracked Imagination, by Barry-based author Penny Richards.

By using her own life as inspiration, Penny has created an anthology of ten short stories, each focused on, or relating to, an act of evil. Through her dark and gripping style, the reader is given an uncomfortable, but ultimately rewarding, lesson of insanity, evil and desperation.

The book captures perfectly the complicated nature of the mind itself, and maintains that none of our lives are as black and white as we think.

Each story teaches a valuable lesson: Who are we? What is real? What is our natural breaking point? Nothing is held back as the reader is thrust into disturbing the world of Nancy Burbank, the middle-aged wife on the verge of mental breakdown or Isabella Rashid, the subject of one girl’s brutal search for revenge. Each person lives and breathes within the pages, as part of your thrilling read.

Penny’s own imagination is undeniably crackling with ideas. Her life in itself has inspired many of the book’s own characters, with examples such as her career experience in airport service, and her deep family bonds providing an emotionally resonant, and narratively compelling book to read. Each character behaves as an extension of the reader’s own lives, perfectly encapsulating our insecurities, fears and desires.

Now released in paperback, A Cracked Imagination is a Jelly Bean Book which will have you turning pages with a smile… and maybe a scream!

Click here to buy your copy now!

LATEST TITLE COMING SOON FROM CANDY JAR BOOKS!

Candy Jar Books is pleased to announce its latest book, 'Beware of the Mirror Man', published in collaboration with Screaming Dreams.

Due for release in the new year, 'Beware of the Mirror Man' is the debut novel from Benjamin Burford-Jones and tells the story of two children who befriend the mysterious 'mimics':

"Gathering dust in Sophie’s deserted attic is an ancient black and white television set. Beyond the cobwebs and the old bits of furniture, it serves as a refuge, a home, and a studio for the strange little creatures, known as mimics, who perform live from inside the TV. Sophie quickly finds new friends among these peaceable creatures, but very soon she begins to receive mysterious notes of warning...‘Beware the Mirror Man’."

This is a fantastical and heartwarming tale of curses and mirrors, ancient foes and the fluffy little creatures living in your attic.

You can pre-order your copy of Beware of the Mirror Man, available in hardback, for the price of just £9.99 (RRP £12.99), by going here.

Candy Jar Books is a fresh, new publishing company based in South Wales. To find out more, please visit out website: www.candy-jar.co.uk

Screaming Dreams is an independent horror and fantasy publisher. Discover more by visiting www.screamingdreams.com

LOCAL HORROR AUTHOR TO MEET FANS

Listen to the songs of the spiders, if you are brave enough...

International author Mark Howard Jones, from Cardiff, will be signing copies of his latest book Songs from Spider Street at The Comic Guru, Cardiff on Saturday October 29^th from 12pm onwards.

Reading like a warped episode of ‘The Twilight Zone’, the stories in this book range from fantastical steam-punk to modern tales of the macabre.

Mark Howard Jones has had dozens of short stories published on both sides of the Atlantic. His 2007 novella, 'The Garden of Doubt On The Island Of Shadows' drew praise from respected American science fiction legend Ray Bradbury, among others.

Steve Upham, friend of Candy Jar and publisher at Screaming Dreams, said: “I got an adrenaline rush when I first read this book. The quality of Mark’s storytelling really shines through; the characters are well-drawn, and despite some of the scenarios seeming hopeless, the book is impossible to put down.”

Kristian Barry, owner of The Comic Guru, is excited to be introducing the Cardiff public to such an outstanding author. He said: “Songs from Spider Street is a cornucopia of cool creepiness. It has always been our mission to introduce new fiction to our audience. Mark has proved very popular in the past and we are excited that he will be celebrating Halloween with us on Saturday.”

Songs from Spider Street takes the audience on a disturbing journey: to an apocalyptic Paris, giant prisons made of ice, trains journeys with unexpected destinations, hospitals that cure the unknown, and a spider-haunted future, for the chilling climax.

Stephen King once wrote that every person, no matter how normal, has a dark side, and that this inherent dark side needs to be fed. The 25 short stories in this new book all draw on that attraction to the unsettling.

The Comic Guru has also announced that popular comic illustrator Simon Wyatt will be in store on November 5th to sign copies of his new graphic novel 'Unbelievable: The Man Who Ate Daffodils'.