CANDY JAR BOOKS REVIVES 1970S TV CLASSIC: NOBODY’S HOUSE
Award-winning independent Cardiff publisher Candy Jar Books is excited to announce the release of Nobody’s House: The Curse of Jack Treadful, a charming and spooky novel by Baz Greenland. Inspired by the beloved British children’s television series from the 1970s, this modern retelling breathes new life into the whimsical tale of Nobody, a mischievous ghost boy who has haunted Cornerstones House for generations.
Originally created by Doctor Who producer Derrick Sherwin and Martin Haw, Nobody’s House introduced viewers to Nobody, a spirit determined to scare off anyone daring to enter his domain. In The Curse of Jack Treadful, the story follows the Sinclair family as they move into Cornerstones House, unaware that a ghost named Nobody is determined to protect his home. The youngest of the family, Tom and Gilly Sinclair, soon see through Nobody’s ghostly façade, forging an unexpected friendship. Together, they must face the sinister Jack Treadful, portrayed in the original TV show by Brian Blessed, whose villainy remains a central threat in this new adaptation.
Keren Williams, Head of Marketing at Candy Jar Books, says:
“Baz Greenland has done a fantastic job of bringing this classic story into the twenty-first century. Fans of the original show will love the nods to its history, while new readers will be enchanted by the mix of humour, heart, and just the right amount of spookiness.”
Baz Greenland is a Cardiff-based writer whose works span novels and online publications. His recent novel, The Mystery of Lucy Wilson: Rampage of the Drop Bears, from The Lucy Wilson Mysteries, a Doctor Who spin-off series, was widely praised for its engaging narrative set in Australia.
Baz comments:
“I wanted to capture everything I used to love about the original show while adding a fresh, modern twist. I used the first two episodes as a starting point and incorporated as much of Derrick Sherwin’s dialogue as possible, especially with iconic characters like Jack Treadful. I think fans of the original series will appreciate the nods to the past, but I also hope new readers find it just as engaging.”
In Nobody’s House Greenland pays homage to the show’s origins, with special details like naming the street Cornerstones House stands on “Sherwin Street” after its creator. Derrick Sherwin’s daughter, Kate Sherwin, is particularly pleased with these thoughtful nods to her father’s work. Kate says: “It’s wonderful to see these little tributes to my father woven into the story. The fact that the street is named after him is a lovely touch, and I know he would have loved seeing Nobody’s House brought back to life in such an exciting way.”
Keren Williams adds:
“This book will appeal to fans of the BBC show Ghosts. With its blend of nostalgia, modernity, and supernatural adventure, it’s a fantastic read for all ages.”
Nobody’s House is available from the 31st of October and is being distributed by the Books Council of Wales, making it available at all good bookshops.
Blurb:
There’s no such thing as ghosts. That’s what the Sinclair family believes, but they’re about to be proven very, very wrong!
So, who is Nobody? That’s a very good question! Nobody is a ghost – a ghost who doesn’t have a name, or at least not one that he remembers.
Nobody has lived at Cornerstones House for a long time and has always managed to scare new people away. And why does Nobody do this? Well, that’s quite simple – it’s Nobody’s house! But it’s not going to be just Nobody’s house for much longer…
THE LUCY WILSON MYSTERIES: THE TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS
Candy Jar Books is thrilled to announce the release of a brand new collection of festive short stories in The Lucy Wilson Mysteries. This collection is yet another collection of Lucy’s chaotic Christmases and will be released before the holiday season kicks off!
Entitled The Twelve Days of Christmas, this anthology features twelve stories by author Steven Walton, all set just before Christmas 2021. The collection begins with “Twelve Drummers Drumming” and concludes with “A Partridge in a Pear Tree,” following the traditional English carol’s structure. While the carol spans Christmas Day to January 5th, these stories take readers on twelve merry adventures leading up to Christmas Day.
In keeping with tradition, The Twelve Days of Christmas was initially offered for free on the Candy Jar website during the lead-up to Christmas 2023 as a gesture of gratitude to fans for their continued support. Following an overwhelmingly positive response, the Candy Jar team felt it was only fitting to release the stories as a collection for Christmas 2024.
Head of publishing at Candy Jar, Shaun Russell, says:
“It’s become a bit of a tradition to release a collection of Christmas tales in time for the holidays. A number of our authors have written festive stories for us over the years, it seems to be something that they enjoy and as the whole Candy Jar team loves reading them we wanted to make them easily accessible for fans of the series as well.”
The Twelve Days of Christmas is Candy Jar’s third Lucy Wilson Christmas book, with the very first collection Christmas Crackers having been released exclusively to fans in 2019 and to retail in 2021, and the second book The Best Christmas Ever having been released exclusively to fans in 2022 and then to retail in 2023.
This year’s Christmas instalment begins with a power cut at Lucy’s house, where something mysterious lurks in the darkness in “Twelve Drummers Drumming.” It wraps up with a whimsical trip around the world with Santa Claus himself in “A Partridge in a Pear Tree.”
Author, Steven Walton, says:
“Writing these stories was an absolute joy. I wanted to capture the spirit of chaos and excitement that the holiday season brings, and I hope readers will find themselves laughing and gasping along the way.”
Earlier in 2024, Steven released his first Lucy Wilson novel, The Mystery of Lucy Wilson: Apocalypse Tomorrow, to all retail outlets. The Twelve Days of Christmas is a great way to close the year. He continues: “The festive spirit is alive in my new book! I can’t wait for readers to join Lucy on her Christmassy adventures.”
Popular Beano artist Steve Beckett continues to helm the series’ artwork, delivering one of his most vibrant covers yet, filled with festive finesse.
Blurb for The Twelve Days of Christmas:
By now, Lucy Wilson shouldn’t have expected anything less than a holiday hamper full of monster mayhem at Christmas. But Lucy didn’t really anticipate being attacked by her Christmas dinner!
In the lead-up to Christmas, Lucy must face twelve days of Christmas Chaos. From monsters lurking in the pipes to a Christmas party gone wrong, and even a trip around the world with Santa himself.
This is a collection of twelve stories set just before Christmas 2021. Will Lucy be able to save the world just in time for the holidays?
The Lucy Wilson Mysteries features licensed characters created for Doctor Who by Mervyn Haisman and Henry Lincoln.
The Twelve Days of Christmas is being distributed by the Books Council of Wales making it available from all good retailers, including your local independent bookshop.
With guaranteed delivery before Christmas from Candy Jar if ordered before the 15th December 2024!
UNIT: THE SECRET OF FOXFELL FOREST
Candy Jar is pleased to announce the third novel in its UNIT range, The Secret of Foxfell Forest, by popular writer Nick Walters.
Range Editor Tim Gambrell tells how this book came about. He says: “Nick contributed one of the early Lethbridge-Stewart novels, Mutually Assured Domination, so it adds a pleasant symmetry having him write one of the first UNIT novels, too. We talked over some initial ideas before Nick suggested he bring back the Valethske from his 2001 BBC PDA Superior Beings. When he laid out the basic premise of The Secret of Foxfell Forest, I knew we were on to a winner.”
Nick explains the background to the story:
“The story of The Secret of Foxfell Forest goes back a long way. It’s an idea I had right after writing Superior Beings, over twenty years ago. What if the Valethske crash-landed on Earth? How would they survive? Because they see humans only as prey – they do not differentiate between us and, say, pigs. They are totally inimical to humans. If you encounter them, it’s game over, man, game over! But stranded on Earth and outnumbered, a handful of Valethske would need to find new ways to adapt and survive.”
Nick continues:
“So when I was asked to do a UNIT story, this idea resurfaced. UNIT versus the Valethske – it was irresistible. But I wanted this to be more than a mere shoot-em-up, as there’s more to UNIT and the Valethske than that. I wanted to show how UNIT deals intelligently and compassionately with alien threats, and how the Valethske are not mere monsters, but people in their own right, without compromising either. UNIT are still a force to be reckoned with – and the Valethske are still something to be feared. And without giving too much away, they retain their savage integrity right to the end.”
“Nick’s passion and enthusiasm for the Valethske and the story he wanted to tell was evident from the start,” says Tim.
“We agreed the UNIT character split between Foxfell and Iain McLaughlin’s Catacombs of Seville – with the events of both books happening at the same time – and really I just had to light the blue touchpaper and sit back. Having decided that UNIT books two and three would take place simultaneously, splitting the regular cast between them, it was important to make sure both books didn’t tread similar ground. It was also important to make sure the stories they told were to the best scale. I think both Nick and Iain judged things perfectly. We have two books telling very different stories, yet both very much UNIT stories. While The Catacombs of Seville takes Major Branwell and Corporal Benton to Spain, The Secret of Foxfell Forest has the more traditional setting of an English manor house and woodland for Captain Turner and CSM Nicholls to explore. And with the Valethske it’s great to have a link to the old BBC Books range.”
Nick tells us more about Superior Beings, the BBC Fifth Doctor book which introduced the Valethske:
‘It was published over two decades ago and is long out of print. I don’t expect anyone to have read it and you certainly don’t need to have read it before reading The Secret of Foxfell Forest. In fact, it’s probably better the less you know about the Valethske. Having said that, there are ‘Easter Eggs’ for anyone who knows Superior Beings. And, as with Superior Beings, there’s a homage to the film Withnail & I. In fact, the exact same homage! All part of the fun!”
