Candy Jar Books is pleased to announce that the latest The Lucy Wilson Mysteries novel, The Serpent’s Tongue is now up for pre-order, exclusively from the Candy Jar and Lethbridge-Stewart websites.

This information is being released to coincide with Shakespeare Week, an annual celebration giving primary school children opportunities for enriching and enjoyable early experiences of Shakespeare. Written by Jonathan Macho The Serpent’s Tongue finds Lucy and Hobo time travelling back to Stratford-upon-Avon during the Shakespeare Jubilee celebrations of 1769.”

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

“Jonathan is an exciting new talent from Cardiff. In 2014, at the age of 19, he was a runner-up in our second South Wales Short Story competition and was featured in the accompanying book Breaking the Surface. After that, in 2016, Jonathan wrote the Lethbridge-Stewart short story The Two Brigadiers. This was well-received by our fans, so I contacted him immediately and asked him to write for the Lucy Wilson series.”

Jonathan, who is currently doing a Creative Writing MA at Cardiff University, says:

“When I first submitted work to the South Wales Short Story Competition back in 2014, which feels like forever ago, I had no idea all the brilliant opportunities that would follow. Telling a story in Lucy’s world is a privilege I’ve been working towards for a while and it’s thrilling to see the book, my first published novel, come together. The whole thing is surreal in the best possible way. The Serpent’s Tongue is special to me for a lot of reasons. I was given plenty of free reign and support from Shaun and everyone at Candy Jar, so I used the world of Doctor Who to give a platform to that most underrepresented of writers: William Shakespeare.”

The Serpent’s Tongue is a Shakespearean tour-de-force and a must for fans of the Bard. However, some children (and adults) find Shakespeare difficult to get into. Jonathan feels that Shakespeare should be fun. He continues:

“School kids can struggle with Shakespeare because of the way he’s often dropped on them without context, humour or fun, and that means they miss out on some wonderful worlds. I still remember the first Shakespeare I saw, a brilliant production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream my parents dragged me to that changed my life, no doubt about it. Lucy herself isn’t the Bard’s biggest fan, so this book is me trying to get her on board, and hopefully some of the readers too.”

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Blurb for The Serpent’s Tongue:

Lucy Wilson is really getting the hang of being a hero. She’s faced alien monsters, travelled through time and saved the world more than once! So when a school trip to Stratford-upon-Avon takes a turn for the weird, throwing her and Hobo back in time hundreds of years, she’s more than ready for another adventure.

That is, until the adventure follows her home…

With alien bears on the hunt, something massive lurking in the canals and two mysterious figures watching her every move from between the curtains, Lucy needs to face up to her responsibilities and make an impossible choice.

Take your seats. The show’s about to begin.

The Lucy Wilson Mysteries is a Lethbridge-Stewart spin-off adventure inspired by characters created for Doctor Who by Mervyn Haisman and Henry Lincoln.

The Serpent’s Tongue is available from this link.