Lethbridge-Stewart novels

Lethbridge-Stewart The Overseers Part II!

18 July 2022 admin Comments 0 Comment

The-Hiraeth-Embrace-Cover

Candy Jar Books is pleased to announce the third and final book in its Brendon Years trilogy of Lethbridge-Stewart novels.

The Hiraeth Embrace is the second novel from James Middleditch, who previously wrote short stories for several HAVOC Files volumes, and had a story in the recent UNIT short story collection. In 2021 he had his first novel published, The Overseers, and The Hiraeth Embrace is a direct sequel to that novel.

Range Editor Andy Frankham-Allen says:

“This is, unusually, one of those commissioned that wasn’t planned. At all. Normally, I have an idea of what kind of stories I’m looking for in any given year, but the first half of 2022 did not go according to plan. Sadly, as a result of real-world events (and I mean world events) we felt we had to postpone one of our novels, which led to us pulling two of our novels. The first one, which had been due out only a few weeks later, led us all to crisis stations. We needed a replacement book pretty much immediately, since the first loss was from the first batch of three. Luckily, necessity is the mother of invention, and I realised the easiest solution was to add to the already commissioned two Brendon Years novels and make it a loose trilogy.”

James Middleditch says:

“I was really thrilled to be asked to write a sequel to The Overseers, and found that the need for a quick turnaround was balanced by a really stimulating brief from Andy. Although I hadn’t foreseen a follow-up to the events of the first novel, once I had my location of Brendon School in 1990, ideas clicked into place.”

Andy says:

“Having enjoyed The Overseers greatly, and the level of skill shown in his first novel, made going to James an easy solution. I asked him to do a follow up, and include certain characters, and James sent me an outline within a day. A few tweaks later, and we both knew what we wanted. It helped that I had first drafts of the previous two Brendon novels by time he’d finished his first draft, so James was easily able to incorporate thematic elements in his revisions.”

James says:

“Luckily, the Hiraeth are a threat that mould themselves to the time and place they find themselves in, so I could quickly imagine how they would behave in the final decade of the 20th century, drawing on my own vivid childhood memories of that distinct time, on the cusp of technological revolution. I’ve always loved the way in which the Lethbridge-Stewart series and its spin-offs draw inspiration from the culture of the times, so I hope I’ve managed to bring 1990 back to life in the same way. It was a time in which promise and optimism seemed to mix with pre-millennial fears of what the next century might bring, set to an electronic soundtrack that reflected both sentiments. Unbelievably, all of this is now over thirty years old, so perfect hunting ground for a species that thrives on nostalgia! Of course, any novel is shaped as much by the present as the past in which it might be set, and this is very much true of The Hiraeth Embrace. Thirty years on, some fears and anxieties are still very real. The school setting allowed me to consider the pressures being faced by young people in this technological age, as well as the worries of those who care for them.”

Andy concludes:

“As I went through James’ book, I was busy thinking about another spin-off series. The next stage of Lethbridge-Stewart’s prose life. I’ve been umming and ahhhing for several months now, about what to do next, what to do after Lethbridge-Stewart finishes, and I’m glad to say that through the Brendon Years trilogy I now know! And with a few tweaks to the final moments of James’ novel, all is set up for a new series coming in 2024 that will be called Brendon Academy. More on that next year!”

The cover is by returning artist Paul Cooke, who has provided several covers for Lethbridge-Stewart so far.

Andy says:

“It’s always fun picking cover artists, to keep the mix fresh so we don’t (ideally) use the same artist on two consecutive novels. Paul was the obvious choice, and when I approached him, expecting his usual ‘Yes!’, I was sadly surprised to find he has been going through a very tough time lately.”

Paul Cooke says:

“It came as a complete surprise to be asked to contribute another cover for the series so quickly after my last one. A pleasant one! Like many, I’ve been struggling mentally recently and was unsure I could focus enough to produce anything, but Andy allowed me have a go and try, and it worked out a perfect tonic – I’m not one who can concentrate on drawing and do other things, I completely zone out. All my problems were forgotten during this process, which was great.”

Andy says:

“I know, for me, whenever life is hard and depression threatens to rear its ugly head, I find burying yourself in the creative process, and ignoring the world, is a wonderful way to buoy yourself back up – a perfect restorative. Of course, not everybody is the same, but I did suggest to Paul that he ought to give it a shot. If it didn’t work, we’d find another solution. Thankfully, for all involved, Paul found being creative a great help to his own mental health.”

Paul says:

“This is the first Lethbridge-Stewart cover I’ve done with the Brigadier himself on, so I hope I’ve done him justice. I chose a camel-coloured jacket, with the colour heightened a little, as a dark blazer would be too much on the black cover, especially next to the Brendon uniform of the lad. The lad is completely made up, although my son thinks he looks like my nephew, so there may have been something subconscious going on there… The Blight was a tough thing to do – there’s a danger that it could look too comical, being made of rubble with bright yellow eyes, so I did my best to render it in a way that looks solid and grounded. I spent a lot of time looking at kerbs and paths while walking the dogs. People must’ve thought I’d dropped something.”

Blurb:

It’s 1990, and Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart is struggling to find his place in a new decade and among his newly discovered family. Sinister new students are undermining him every day, while Brendon School seems to be falling apart around him.

Increasingly isolated from his job and his life, the Brigadier must track down the source of the spreading decay. Why are piles of rubble shaped like people appearing everywhere, and can they really be moving of their own accord? What is really happening at the secret raves in the woods, and how are they affecting the youth of the school?

The Hiraeth have returned, desperate for new bodies. They will do anything and promise anything in return for life. And now they’ve found the perfect army to manipulate and a promise that no one can resist.

As the world prepares for the dawn of a new era in mobile communications, another old enemy is waiting in the wings. The Brigadier must seek help from his own past, and battle demons within, to fight for the future of the human race.

The final three novels in the Lethbridge-Stewart series will be released towards the end of 2022; The Cruel Snow by Natasha Gerson, United Nations by John Peel, and Intelligence Taskforce by Jonathan Blum.

Lethbridge-Stewart: THE END BEGINS

5 April 2022 admin Comments 0 Comment

Candy Jar Books is pleased to announce the first book in its final series of Lethbridge-Stewart novels.

The final year of Lethbridge-Stewart novels is split in two halves, with the first a trilogy of novels set during Lethbridge-Stewart’s time as a teacher at Brendon School. This first of these, A Most Haunted Man, sees the return of Sarah Groenewegen to the series, with her first novel since 2017’s The Daughters of Earth, although her most recent short story featured in the UNIT: Operation Wildcat collection.

The 2022 series was put back a little when it was discovered the book planned to open the year was a little too close to the events at play in Ukraine. Thus, Spheres of Influence has been put on indefinite hold. Hopefully it will see the light of day at some point but, for now, and to make up for the delay, Candy Jar Books have also decided to reprint the very first Lethbridge-Stewart novel, The Forgotten Son: Special Edition, with a brand-new cover by Richard Young.

Forgotten Son

Head of Publishing Shaun Russell says:

“When it became apparent that the themes and events depicted in Spheres of Influence too closely echoed current events, Andy Frankham-Allen and I quickly came to the decision that to release it at this time would be, at the very least, insensitive. Putting it on hold did mean bringing forward the rest of 2022’s books, and finding a replacement. Fortunately, Andy quickly solved that problem by commissioning a third Brendon novel, turning the first three titles into a loose trilogy. For myself, I decided it would be a nice idea to reprint The Forgotten Son with a new cover, to hopefully make up a little for the delay. I must stress, however, that the content remains the same from the previous revised version.”

A Most Haunted Man Cover

A Most Haunted Man is set two years after the Brigadier’s traumatic encounter with his future self in the Doctor Who television serial, Mawdryn Undead.

Range Editor Andy Frankham-Allen says:

“This is another of those books which started an idea that came up through discussions with Shaun – a good two years ago, at least. It was a while before I realised it was the perfect fit for Sarah. I’d been wanting to do another novel with her, and she came back for a short story in The Laughing Gnome: The HAVOC Files, so it was great when she agreed to do another novel for us. The only real prerequisite, other than the core idea, was that it had to be set during the Brig’s time at Brendon when he’d lost all memory of the Doctor.”

Sarah Groenewegen says:

“I adore writing for the Brigadier, and being able to explore different facets of this much-loved character has been great fun. When I was offered another novel in the series, this one set in 1979 and during the Brig’s post-army career as a school teacher, I immediately said yes. It’s an honour to be asked to contribute a novel to the final season of Lethbridge-Stewart novels, which has proved to be a terrific series of stories.”

Sarah’s previous novel, The Daughters of Earth, dealt with the breakdown of his relationship with his then-fiancée. In this book, Sarah’s dealing with a breakdown of a different sort.

Sarah says:

“I wanted to explore how he deals with strange goings-on when he has forgotten so much, and when he doesn’t have his soldiers to call on to help. My brief was to write a psychological thriller, in which the Brig’s identity and life is stolen from him. The novel allowed me to explore the nature of identity theft, and memory loss, and the combined uneasiness of not being able to trust your own mind. I added a set of identical twins to the mix, a boy at Brendon, and a girl at a local comprehensive. They are at the cusp of their own change from creepy kids who enjoy playing tricks on people, to young adults facing choices.”

Setting the book in 1979 also freed Sarah up from the ongoing narrative, and gave her a chance to explore a different facet from the usual setting of the early-70s.

Sara continues:

“The setting was apposite because of the feeling of being on a cusp of change, but without knowing its direction. In that, it parallels much of today’s politics. I found it cathartic to explore similar themes of being seduced by the apparent certainty of authoritarianism — even with the attendant feeling it could turn on its own to destroy at a moment’s notice. 1979 proved to be a watershed year in Britain. The full assault on the unions, LGBTQIA people, and appeals to jingoism of the worst kind were all yet to come; and for a while the political turmoil that brought much of the UK to a standstill ceased. It’s hard to think that in this day and age of TV-on-demand, the stations that are now ITV were off air for much of the year. 1979 was an amazing year for British pop music. Punk began to segue into the New Romantic movement, and rap, reggae and disco attracted huge numbers of fans. It was fun delving into the music of the time through a few of the kids who are important during the story.”

The cover is by popular artist Martin Baines, returning from the success of his recent cover for UNIT: Operation Wildcat.

Martin says:

“I was partially inspired by a German poster of a classic British film. My last Candy Jar cover I did was for the UNIT anthology, Operation Wildcat. It was very flash, bang, wallop. Because of this, I enjoyed tackling a more psychological concept for this book.”

Blurb:

In 1977, Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart suffered a shock so great that he was hospitalised. Not that he can remember what happened. Teachers found him, knocked out cold beside the obelisk on the hill. No signs of an attack. No bumps on his head, and no memory of why he lay where he fell, who he’d been with, and great chunks of his past torn from his mind.

It wasn’t like any form of amnesia described in the textbooks. The clinic discharged him back to Brendon Public School and he resumed his duties as a teacher of mathematics and rugger.

Two years later and a series of nightmares send him back to the clinic. Then come the pranks played by identical twins, his own erratic behaviour and short-term memory loss leading to a breach of the Official Secrets Act. Someone else is living in his house, driving his car, and making changes to the school he loves.

It seems that the demons haunting him prove too big for him to fight on his own.

The final series of Lethbridge-Stewart will be split in two parts over 2022, the first half is the Brendon trilogy and will continue with Legacy of the Dominator by Nick Walters, and The Overseers II by James Middleditch. The second half will be the final in the road to UNIT narrative which began in 2015, with novels by Natasha Gerson, John Peel, and Jonathan Blum.

New Lethbridge-Stewart Novel A New Reality to Explore.

16 October 2019 admin Comments 0 Comment

Candy Jar Books is proud to announce the second novel in its seventh series of Lethbridge-Stewart novels, released late October 2019!

The second novel in the Bloodlines sequence of novels is The Shadowman, by returning novelist Sharon Bidwell.

The Shadowman is set in an alternative 1978, and serves as a sequel to Sharon’s previous novel, A Very Private Haunting. It picks up a thread left over from that novel, set in a world where Lethbridge-Stewart never took part in the London Event, and was never involved in the creation of UNIT. Instead it’s a world where Anne Travers became a founding member of that august taskforce. It also features a new version of her husband, Bill Bishop, as they head to France to celebrate their wedding anniversary.

Sharon Bidwell is no stranger to the world of Lethbridge-Stewart, having written a couple of short stories and one novel previously. Outside of Lethbridge-Stewart, she’s a multi-genre author with many works to her name. And in January 2020, Sharon has her first foray into Doctor Who proper released, after being introduced to Big Finish by Andy Frankham-Allen. Short Trips: The Infinite Today is available for pre-order from Big Finish productions.

Range Editor Andy Frankham-Allen said:

“I take Sharon wherever I go. She’s worked with me on many projects now, so it was inevitable when I heard that Big Finish were looking for more female authors, that I would put her name forward. I’ve read her story, had some input, and it’s going to be a lot of fun for fans of Jo Grant and the Eleventh Doctor. In terms of The Shadowman, Sharon sent it to me some time ago, at which point it wasn’t part of any particular novel sequence, but rather a continuation of the ongoing narrative began in 2015. But once the Bloodlines concept was developed, it seemed to me that Sharon’s story was a perfect fit, with a few continuity tweaks here and there to place it in an alternative reality in which the events of A Very Private Haunting still happened – more or less as featured in that novel.”

Author Sharon Bidwell said:

“Some stories feel unfinished. When I wrote A Very Private Haunting, I left a few threads I was unsure I would ever pick up again. I already had the title of the book long figured out together with my basic idea when asked to write another novel in the range. My book, to once again feature Anne Travers, couldn’t have come together more perfectly, though with consequences I never imagined at the beginning. The Shadowman features a returning character from A Very Private Haunting, which allowed me to play with someone who comes across as a thoroughly nasty character, though I see a greater depth to him. I’m a multi-genre writer, though I tend to gravitate back to what I call dark fiction, and there’s definitely darkness in The Shadowman. I’m finishing some lighter projects at present intending to work on my first horror novel in the new year after completing some preliminary notes and research, so going through The Shadowman again recently has been very useful in that regard.”

The cover is by a new artist to the Lethbridge-Stewart range, Paul Cowan.

Paul said:

“Joining the team at Candy Jar is quite literally a dream come true. I get to illustrate stories featuring much-loved characters from my childhood. I have the honour of seeing my work adorn the covers of some quite wonderful stories by a very talented team of writers, many of whose works line the bookshelves in my studio. I get to join a list of hugely talented artists I admire and who have been major influences on my life and work. But best of all, I get to finally work with my friend, something that’s been long overdue.”

Shaun Russell, head of publishing at Candy Jar, said:

“I’ve known Paul for thirty years. He’s a great artist with a flair for almost any style. He is particularly well-known for his beautifully illustrated trading cards and TV tie-in comic strips. When the opportunity for him to do a cover came up, I could think of no one better to tackle the Shadowman.”

Paul continues:

“With the cover to The Shadowman, I wanted to evoke the feeling of 1970s Doctor Who. I knew I wanted to homage the Pertwee years, so the illustration of Anne Travers was very much based on the character of Section Leader Shaw from Inferno, whilst the background should be instantly recognisable to any true Doctor Who fan. The Shadowman himself is actually straight out of one of my own nightmares and when Shaun described the character to me, I knew immediately how he should appear. I used pen and ink with a base wash of alcohol marker, embellished with coloured polychromous pencils and white ink for highlights. I then added lighting effects in Paint Shop Pro, which is my go-to software of choice. It’s a relatively new style for me and something I’m still trying to perfect.”

Paul, who has MS, is raising money for the Multiple Sclerosis Society. If you visit https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/artrelief and donate £5 your name will go into a hat and the winner, chosen at random, will get a hand-drawn A4 portrait of your chosen subject. This can be a friend, relative, child, pet, favourite animal or celebrity. If you donate £15 (or equivalent) or more, then Paul will draw you an A4 portrait of your choice.

Blurb:

A new reality has been created by the temporal disruption ripping through the causal nexus. Welcome to 1978… with a difference.

Anne Travers, co-founder of UNIT, and her husband, Bill, are celebrating their wedding anniversary in France, which is the perfect opportunity for Anne to catch-up with an old friend; Madeleine Bonnaire.

At the institute owned by Madeleine’s father, one professor is more interested in his own project than any work for which Bonnaire has hired him. His need for secrecy and his attitude irritates his assistant, Paul Larousse, who would prefer to dwell on his feelings for Madeleine. Meanwhile, Victor Bonnaire is not at all happy to hear of Anne’s visit, not least of all because he’s always viewed Anne as a bad influence on his daughter.

What seems like a simple case of familial friction takes a bleak turn when a local unknown threat makes the news. Suspicion abounds and throws Anne and Bill into an unexpected mystery. What is the strange threat, and does it present a direct danger to anybody at the institute? Or to those who ask too many questions? Unable to walk away from her friend, Anne has no option but to investigate, little knowing she’s about to face the darkest shadow of her life so far.

The Shadowman is due out at the end of October 2019, and can be pre-ordered now either on its own or as part of the Bloodlines bundle.

NB: IF YOU HAVE A SUBSCRIPTION, THE SERIES SEVEN IS COVERED BY THIS.