What dark secrets lie in
The House beneath the Black Hill
by Chris Green
For composer Nick Mortimer it is a dream come true when he and his sister Kate inherit a house in the tiny village of Clodock in a remote corner of Herefordshire’s Golden Valley.
But it is a dream that soon turns into a nightmare when they are confronted by a series of mysterious and frightening events.
Their search to find answers unearths a tragic tale of blighted love set against the background of the disturbing political and social divisions of the late 1920s.
After a lifetime supporting other artists, Chris has finally found time to fulfil his own creative ambitions as a writer.
His first novel The Swinging Pendulum of the Tide was published in 2018. It is a story of the loss and rediscovery of love and faith, set against the background of the wilds of Bardsey Island off the North Wales Coast.
In the The House beneath the Black Hill, he combines his fascination in the telling of a good ghost story with his interest in the turbulent politics of the late 1920’s, highlighted by the remarkable electoral victory of journalist and author Frank Owen over his Tory rival in Hereford in the 1929 General Election.
As a former Popular Events Director City of the London Festival, Director of The Poetry Society and Chief Executive of the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers & Authors (now The Ivors Academy), Chris knows all about the challenges faced by the creative community. He’s well versed in politics too having contested Hereford and South Herefordshire for the Liberal Democrats in the 1979, 1983 and 1987 Parliamentary elections where he came within a whisker of taking the seat.
He is chair of the Learning Skills Research Foundation and of the Francis W Reckitt Arts Trust, a patron and trustee of Hereford’s Courtyard Arts Centre. a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and a Freeman of the City of London. He was awarded the BASCA Gold Badge of Merit for service to the Music Industry in 2009.
He is married with two grown-up sons and lives with his wife Sheila in the village of Garway on Herefordshire’s Welsh Border.
Blackpool's Holiday Heyday
Images of resort’s golden era
Celebrated and sneered at, praised and patronised in equal measure, Blackpool remains Britain’s biggest, brashest and most vibrant holiday resort, drawing 18 million annual visits – despite the rival attractions of the Mediterranean sun. But many of these are day trips and short breaks rather than the traditional week by the sea.
In this lavishly produced pictorial history of the resort’s golden era, former Blackpool Gazette journalist Barry McLoughlin chronicles the six decades up to the mid-1960s when the town was queen of the seaside holiday and overseas stays were only just starting to take off.
The book includes chapters on the Pleasure Beach, Tower, Golden Mile, three piers, theatres, dancehalls, accommodation, railways, the famous tramway and football.
130 illustrations in colour and black-and-white, ranging from rare postcards to high-quality photojournalism and memorabilia, highlight the people and places that gave Blackpool its unique character.
Although the book presents a nostalgic view of Blackpool’s heyday, it also highlights the contradictions of the resort’s identity as the UK’s tourism capital, contrasting the neon glitz of the Golden Mile with pockets of severe social deprivation today.
It examines the dilemmas created by the town’s dual identity over the years. Should it be a genteel middleclass ‘watering place’ or a proletarian playground? Should it be a ‘family resort’ or a party town for nightclubbers? Should the interests of residents or tourism take priority?
It is not intended as a definitive history of Blackpool, more of an impressionistic snapshot – literally – of an extraordinary era.
Reviews of Blackpool..
The Journalist, magazine of the National Union of Journalists (TUC Best Union Journal of the Year)
Life member Barry McLoughlin's book recalls the glory years of working-class tourism.
In this pictorial history, the former Blackpool Gazette chief reporter chronicles the halcyon days of the world's first proletarian playground in the six decades up to the 1960s.
More than 130 illustrations in black-and-white and colour.
Wyndham Ward spent fifty-eight years in aviation: twenty-three years in the RAF and thirty-five years in civil flying. From Boy Mechanic he progressed to fighter pilot on the famous Hawker Hunter, flew low-level high-speed Buccaneers with the RAF, and with the Fleet Air Arm from HMS Ark Royal he was selected for the Red Arrows Aerobatic Team of 1979, a team that was unique in flying the last of the Gnats and the first Hawks.
Smoking Red
by Wyndham Ward
The Red Arrows and more - a life on the wing
A life-long lover of aeroplanes, Wyndham Ward spent fifty-eight years in aviation: twenty-three years in the RAF and thirty-five years in civil flying. From Boy Mechanic he progressed to fighter pilot on the famous Hawker Hunter, flew low-level high-speed Buccaneers with the RAF, and with the Fleet Air Arm from HMS Ark Royal he was selected for the Red Arrows Aerobatic Team of 1979, a team that was unique in flying the last of the Gnats and the first Hawks.
This involved an extended tour of duty with the team displaying the Hawk internationally and mixing with celebrities of many types.
After a wonderful five years with the Red Arrows, Wyndham took to civilian aviation and joined Cathay Pacific, flying the Pacific Rim on B747’s and long range Airbus A340’s out of Hong Kong airport.
An invitation to join Oman Royal Flight followed and as a Royal Flight Captain he flew the Sultan, VVIP’s and Heads of State in his B747 SP’s.
Casting aside the glitz of royalty, he took up an appointment with Airbus Toulouse training pilots and this led to training business-jet pilots with CAE a world-wide Canadian training company and manufacturer of the latest synthetic flight simulators.
Now retired from UK CAA and US FAA qualified posts, he lives in rural Mid-Wales and taken to writing to encourage young men and women to fly whatever their circumstances and to enjoy aviation as much as he has.
Mia is Lost
by Jessica Keane
A Mia the Kitten Adventure
Mia is a curious, cheeky kitten looking for adventure. Tempted by the mysterious forest behind her back garden she ventures in. Soon she is lost. Night falls, a thunderstorm strikes and hungry foxes prowl.
Will Mia’s friends find the scared kitten before it is too late? The neighbourhood cats ask a wise owl to lead the search.
Bats with superpowers, two kind deer, a forgetful squirrel and a nosy hedgehog all play their part in this big-hearted animal adventure story that will keep children and adults hooked.
Mia is Lost is Book 1 in the Mia the Kitten Adventure Series. This delightful animal adventure series about a feisty kitten and her forest friends is ideal for kids who love animals, nature and adventure. The illustrated chapter books are aimed at children above the age of six who are ready to step up from picture books to more complex stories with multiple characters. They work well as read together books for young families but can be read alone by competent young readers. I recommend reading the books in order although they work as standalone books as well.
Facts about nature and forest animals are woven into the plot that follows kitten Mia as she makes friends and keeps getting into trouble in the woods behind her house. All the books in the series focus on the value of friendship, kindness and the benefits of collaboration.
Reviews of Mia Is Lost...
Jo Leddington - 5 out of 5 stars A delightful story
This is a delightful story about a little black kitten who young readers will fall in love with. Mia’s adventures will keep them turning the pages and discovering the beautiful illustrations. The writing is evocative and conjures the atmosphere of the forest. The author weaves facts about the forest animals into an exciting tale. This book works for both the younger child being read to and the new reader. I loved it and so did my granddaughter .
Duncan Richards - 5 out of 5 stars A wonderful debut novel!
I thoroughly enjoyed this charming gem! As a child, I was fascinated with stories about animals, and this would have made it into my top five books along with my favourite collection of stories about a very talkative and imaginative hamster. I would recommend this book to any child around the age of six or above, or anyone with an interest in stories about nature and adventure. The plot was gripping throughout and the illustrations were delightful. I can't wait to read the next instalment!
Erin Britton - 5 out of 5 stars Great for reading to younger children or early readers to read
Our daughter (4 years old) avidly listens and loves asking questions about Mia and what she is going to do. An enjoyable read, highly recommend.
From Little Acorns:
A Story of Courage and Inspiration
An Autobiography by Graeme Whiting
The main thing about Graeme is this: his energy. More specifically, it’s a special kind of energy that acts as a catalyst on others. We all have great potential within us, but the difficult thing is activating it. Some people have the gift of providing the necessary spark to others – and this is at the heart of education, as something quite distinct from imparting information, and ultimately more important. Graeme is one of the rare people with that special gift.
Jeremy Wade (ex-pupil, angler, biologist, TV presenter)
Graeme Whiting’s childhood was spent in poverty. He faced hardship and later, tragedy, but came through these challenges with the courage and enthusiasm to develop a remarkable career in education based on his passion for nurturing the individual abilities and unique potential of each student.
Graeme was initially a physical training instructor in the army and then taught in public schools where a key mentor helped him adapt and refine his degree-level training skills to teach children.
A move to the Steiner system opened his eyes to a profoundly different approach to education, which along with Graeme's rich life experience – including his love of fishing, gymnastics, water sports and all manner of fun and adventure – became the foundation for his distinctively wholesome way of educating young people.
In 1991 Graeme was able to fulfil a lifelong vision of how schooling with heart and kindness can help children flourish. Together with his wife, Sarah, he took a leap of faith and created his own school – The Acorn School – now a highly original cutting-edge independent school in the Cotswolds.
After thirty years of Acorn, Graeme has written this book as an encouragement to us all to follow our hearts and take the path less travelled, no matter how humble our background.
The Ghosts of April
The life and times of the ugliest man in rock
living the dream isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be by Dave Russell
As a teenager, Dave Russell discovered the joy of listening to rock music and watching live bands, an escape from his working class roots and strict upbringing. While pounding the streets of London as a telegram boy, he had the ambition to make music, but he could never have foreseen rubbing shoulders with real-life heroes or appearing on television and national radio as the singer in a band of complete unknowns. From performing in front of axe-wielding maniacs to interrupting a couple in flagrante delicto, this book is a journey of discovery – the real life of an aspiring musician, including redundancy, eviction, relationship break-ups and too many goodbyes.
Such a musician does not have the luxury of this book being reviewed by the national press or book clubs, but here are some comments by real people:
“Not bad for an ex-scaffolder,” my mate Glenn.
“You never told me you was in a band,” my milkman. “Is that your shed on the front cover?” my neighbour Clive.
Where Will I Be? - In Search of Sokolov by Barbara Truman
The story of how one particular piano recital changed the course of the author’s life and inspired her to overcome her fear of flying and to travel to more than twenty European countries over a period of twenty-three years to listen to one very special pianist.
It describes not only the fascinating places she visited, the people she met, the friendships she cultivated, the comical and at times far less amusing things that happened to her, the kindnesses and the catastrophes, but also her impressions of the performances she attended, the diversity of venues in which those performances took place and the vagaries of audience behaviour.
It’s the story of someone approaching late middle age whose life suddenly turned into an amazing adventure, told with candour and humour.
Barbara Truman lives in Birmingham, the city of her birth, although she has lived in other parts of the country and for a while in Australia. In recent years her leisure time has been largely devoted to travelling around Europe and listening to music.
In March 2020 at the start of the pandemic she retired from a sixty-year secretarial career during which she worked in the fields of commerce, accountancy and the law. With time on her hands she decided it was the ideal moment to start writing this book.
When you have produced the final draft of your book, it is always advisable to have the text read and checked by a professional editor or proof reader.
You may have friends that are willing and competent to do this and we can advise you on the type of editing that is required.
We can offer four levels of editing as well as proof-reading.
You choose which, if any, are appropriate in your case: 1. Edit of sample pages and short report (£30)
We will edit a few pages to highlight editorial issues so that you can look for similar problems throughout the book.
This will reduce the amount of further copy-editing required when the book is finished. 2. Broad structural editing and criticism (£5 per thousand words)
A structural review is particularly relevant for works of fiction.
The structural reviewer will address the following main areas and produce a short report for the author ” Read More 3. Copy editing (£10 per thousand words)
A copy-editor takes a close look at your text, line by line, with an eye to grammatical errors, repetition, inconsistency and lack of clarity. The copy editor will make changes to the text, with suggestions for rewriting, grammar, and punctuation. When you receive the edited version, you have the final choice about accepting of rejecting the individual changes. 4. Proof Reading (£8 per thousand words)
Proof reading is a line-by-line check that the book is ready for publication. Proof readers will make small corrections for punctuation, grammar and spelling but they will not make significant changes to the text.
A proof reader will identify any significant issues and add comments to the text so that you can make those corrections yourself. 5. Consistency Scan
If you decide your book doesn’t need a full proof reading, we offer an electronic scan to search for common errors and inconsistencies. This looks at issues such as inconsistent spelling and inconsistencies of hyphenation and capitalisation.
We can also identify inconsistencies in the spelling of proper names. 6. Cover text
The quality of the text on the cover is very important as it indicates the quality of the writing in the book.
The title, sub-title and back-cover blurb are all important elements and we can work with you to make sure that these are correct and effective.
Copy Edit
Copy-editors get the raw material into shape for publication i.e they edit the copy.
When they have finished, the designer can lay out or typeset the book and produce a proof.
It is quite normal for the author to make additional changes after a book has been copy-edited.
Working through the material, the copy-editor may identify errors in spelling, punctuation, grammar, style and usage, but also very long sentences and overuse of italic, bold, capitals and exclamation marks.
They should correct or query doubtful facts, weak arguments, plot holes and gaps in numbering.
In fiction, they should also check that characters haven’t changed their name or hair colour, look for sudden changes from first to third person among other things.
The Copy-editor is not a proof reader and should not be expected to find all of the errors in the text particularly if the text is badly written to start with.
This is the job of the proof reader.
The final proof should be checked by a proof reader or an experienced reader friend before going to print.
It is almost inevitable (and acceptable) to miss a few errors which can be corrected in a later edition.
Proof Reading
Proof reading is a line-by-line check that the book is ready for publication.
Proof readers will make small corrections for punctuation, grammar and spelling but they will not make significant changes to the text.
A proof reader will identify any significant issues and add comments to the text so that you can make those corrections yourself.
If you have decided to complete this stage of the process yourself, we will send a detailed check-list to help you.
We ask you to try and ensure that the book is completely ready before we start the layout.
Once the layout has started, we expect that you might want to to make a small number of amendments but
if there are a significant number, we may need to charge for the extra time it takes to change the layout
so best to discuss this with us first.
Structural Review
In fiction, the main areas that a structural editor will address are:
Plot: Does the plot make sense? Is it believable? Is it satisfying or does it leave the reader frustrated? Themes: Are the themes effectively handled? Are there so many that the book lacks focus? Do they interfere with the plot or complement it?
Characterisation: Are your characters well developed and believable? Are they cast in a role that fits their personality? Do they sometimes behave out of character? Point of view/voice: Is the voice consistent or is it sometimes confused? Is the voice authentic? Are you using too many or too few POVs? Pace: Does the plot move forward at an appropriate pace? Should you cut that preface? Should the action happen sooner or should the tension build more slowly? Dialogue: Do your characters sound real when they speak? Is your dialogue cluttered with adverbs and beats? Do you use clunky dialogue to move the plot forward? Flow: Is the narrative interrupted by dead-ends and tangents? Is there so much back story that the main plot is dwarfed? Are there missing plot points that would give the narrative greater integrity?
In non-fiction, the principle is the same, but the specific issues are slightly different:
Thesis: Is your thesis relevant? Is it clearly defined or is it lost among marginal issues? Exposition: Are your arguments clear and cogent? Are they well researched and properly supported? Do they have a clear relationship with your thesis? Content: Are all the necessary topics sufficiently dealt with? Are the chapters weighted correctly? Is there superfluous content? Organisation: Is the information organised logically? Are tables and illustrations used appropriately? How many levels of subheads do you need and how should they be arranged? Tone: Is the tone appropriate for the audience? Do you need to eliminate jargon? Is the text accessible? Pace: Are there passages that are bogged down in detail? Do you spend too long on detail irrelevant to the main thesis? Are there areas that need further exposition lest they be skipped over?
Cover Text
The quality of the text on the cover is very important as it indicates the quality of the writing in the book.
The title, sub-title and back-cover blurb are all important elements and we work with you to make sure that these are as effective as possible.
Consistency check
If you decide your book doesn’t need a full proof reading, we can run an electronic scan to search for common errors and inconsistencies.
This looks at issues such as inconsistent spelling, hyphenation and capitalisation.
It also checks for consistent formatting of numbers and dates as well as undefined abbreviations.
Subsequent Script Edit
It is very normal and generally beneficial for the script-editing process to go through at least a couple of cycles
i.e. the rewritten draft to be worked through once again by an experienced script practitioner – though this would be entirely at the discretion and behest of the writer.
Full Script Edit
The script that you deliver to us will probably constitute what the industry would classify as the ‘Initial Rough Draft’, i.e. a full screenplay written without any other professional input or advice, and probably without a great deal of rewriting. We work through your draft, line by line, scene by scene, and come back to you with a comprehensive set of notes from which you can then work towards the official ‘1st Draft’. Some of our notes will be broad and general, dealing with such areas as the overall shape and structure, pacing, plot and character development; others will be far more specific, with corrections, clarifications and suggested cuts etc. It is of course entirely up to you whether or not to take these suggestions on board, and to what extent.
Ongoing Support
We aim to make your self-publishing venture an enjoyable and rewarding experience.
Publishing is a complex business and we treat every book as a separate project.
We explain all of the stages at the outset and we manage the project schedule for you. This will include all of the expert services you have requested for editorial, design, printing, distribution and collection of royalties, keeping in close contact with you throughout the process.
You will be allocated a project-sheet on the YouCaxton website so that you can monitor progress and ensure that all stages are properly completed.
If you would like to see an example of a Project-Sheet…
go to My project on the menu and enter…
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