‘Young Ebenezer~ Confronts the School Bully’ by Rose English
To celebrate Halloween Young Ebenezer ~ Confronts the School Bully by Rose English will be on a special Kindle Countdown Promo. Commencing Friday 28th October until Monday 31st October 2022. Only 99c/99p
Blurb
A Halloween treat, much better than sweets.
A time for candy and costumes, pumpkins and ‘Trick or Treat’. But beware of the bully lurking just down the street.
Ebenezer is really excited! It’s his first Halloween to go out ‘Trick or Treating’. Jacob Marley is excited too, but this school bully plans to steal all the kids’ sweets.Can Eb and his friends, along with the magical clock Grandfather Time teach Jacob the error of his ways? Or is the boy doomed to a life of crime, just like his wicked father?
The story of ‘Ebenezer and the Bully’ is a magical rhyming tale of behaviour matters, and the importance of being kind. It’s a treat for families to share or for reading alone, aimed at children aged 8-12 years old. With characters loosely based around the Charles Dickens classic ‘A Christmas Carol’, you’ll meet the Ghost of Christmas Past – a golden red puppy named Miss Ruby Heart – along with the Grim Reaper who will surprise Jacob by revealing his future self.
YouTube Teaser for Young Ebenezer 2
Book 1 ‘Young Ebenezer ~ A New Christmas Carol
This story is a seasonal treat, a modern, lyrical re-telling of the Charles Dickens classic – ‘A Christmas Carol.’
The book is specially designed for families to share during the Holiday Season, or for young competent readers to try for themselves. This is a beautiful ebook to treasure, with full colour images on every page.
Eb is a spoilt child who really is not one for caring, and he certainly hates sharing. He is watched over by a very special guardian – the family’s ancient longcase clock, who is bestowed with magic. His name is Grandfather Time.
On Christmas Eve Grandfather Time decides he must teach the boy a lesson. So he calls upon his friends; the Ghosts of Past, Present and Future and with lessons to learn he brings forth the first tutor – a little golden-red King Charles spaniel, called Miss Ruby Heart.
Will this unlikely pair be able to teach the boy the error of his ways? Or will he be doomed to be a scruffy, lonely teenager stuck forever in his own little world?
1660-1680 was the time the longcase clock reached near perfection. It bore a newly designed anchor escapement believed to have been designed by Gulielmus (William) Clement of London in the year 1671, thus giving the clock more accuracy.
Some believe he is also the creator of the longcase that housed the longer pendulum. The real William Clement is also credited with building ‘The Turret Clock’ for Kings College Cambridge in 1671 for which he was handsomely paid £42. The clock is now housed in the Science Museum, London.
Here is an image of the top part of one of the Clement Clocks
This is where the magic was woven from. The story of the Clement family stems fictionally from Gulielmus (William) Clement.
Quote from the book ‘The Magic of Grandfather Time.’
A big brass face, once bright and gleaming, barely shimmers as his long, black hands rotate slow…
This month, over on Instagram we are doing an August Challenge called the #WriterFriendsChallenge A lot of the challenge is to do with your writing motivation and inspiration. My current work in progress (when I can grab a spare five minutes) is Book Three in the ‘Young Ebenezer’ series. However, it all started here with ‘The Magic of Grandfather Time’ back in August 2017. Check it out and Happy Reading Rose English ~~~<<@
During a recent blog interview I was asked about what inspires me to write, and I gave the example of ‘The Magic of Grandfather Time’ which came about after I won 1st prize in a seasonal short story competition with my entry ‘The Magic of Grandfather Christmas’.
Original Inspiration
I was originally inspired to write this story when I became interested in how the ‘Grandfather Clock’ got its name.
In my local library I found a wonderful book and the quote that stands out for me is this:
‘A grandfather clock has a face and a voice. As its name suggests, it is more than a piece of furniture; it is a member of the family’
Richard C.R. Barder 1983
(The book was ‘English Country Grandfather Clocks’)
After a great deal more research both through books and websites I discovered a fascinating song. ‘Grandfather’s Clock’ written by Henry Clay Work…
E-BOOK AND PAPERBACK RELEASE DATE: SATURDAY DECEMBER 19TH 2020
Welcome E.C. Hibbs
We are so happy to welcome the very talented award-winning author, artist and ‘Santa’s’ Little Helper’. To our book blog today.
Emma is often found lost in the woods or in her own imagination. She adores nature, fantasy, and anything to do with winter. She also hosts a YouTube channel, discussing writing tips and the real-world origins of fairy tales. She lives with her family in Cheshire, England.
Emma went to university – not to read English, but to study animal behaviour. She loves nature just as much as creating, and she decided to train in a science so she would have multiple strings to her bow. Emma specialised in marine and polar ethology and ecology, has worked with over 80 species of animals – everything from rabbits to rhinos – and carried on scribbling her stories. Once she finished her degree she jumped a plane to Finland which has become her second home. Her favourite season is winter and she adores snow. One of her nicknames is Lumi: the Finnish word for snow.
GUEST POST
A Heartwarming Tale from Lapland
It’s amazing, how inspiration can sometimes strike twice from the same lightning bolt – or aurora, in this case. A huge chunk of the Foxfires Trilogy comes from the five winters I have spent in Finnish Lapland. While there, alongside experiencing the frozen north in every aspect I could, I worked as a live storyteller, bringing traditional fairy tales and arctic legends to life. Side note: some of the people I performed for included comedian Ed Byrne and actor James McAvoy! But out of all the stories and people, there is one which holds a special place in my heart, because of the circumstances which brought it about.
December, 2015: my first winter in Finland. As I did on any other morning, I got up, left my cabin and went to work. It was a bitterly cold day: there were no clouds to hold in the heat, and the mercury didn’t climb above -20°C. In order to keep warm, everyone dressed in insulated snowsuits, which essentially looked like a cross between a boiler suit and the Michelin Man. As the first coachload of guests arrived, I greeted and played with the kids in the snow, but then I was approached by the guide. He told me that a little girl named Maddie was still on board with her family, but she couldn’t come outside because she didn’t have a suit in her size. I went up to meet them and keep them company.
Maddie looked about nine or ten years old, and as soon as I saw her, I knew she had been through a lot. All her hair was gone as a consequence of treatment, and her skin was heavily marked. When she saw me coming, whether through shyness or embarrassment, she tried to hide her face.
Uh-uh, I said to myself. We can’t have this.
I thought quickly, sat down, and made up a story for her on the spot. I told her that a long time ago, a little fox had been pushed out of his burrow by his siblings, because his fur was white while theirs was red. He wandered all about the forest, looking for anyone who would accept him for who he was. He went to some reindeer, but they thought he was a ghost and ran away. Eventually, he gave up and thought he would be alone forever, until he was approached by a magical being who had been watching. To warm him, they ran a race, and the fox was so overjoyed to have a friend at last, he swept the snow with his tail. It rose above the trees, transformed all different colours, and created the northern lights.
This story came from the same common root as The Foxfires Trilogy. In Finland, legend says that the aurora borealis is created by a magical fox which sweeps snow into the sky; and the modern Finnish word for the northern lights is revontulet, literally meaning fox fires. My larger series was already beginning to form in my mind, but the myth had touched me so deeply that I knew I had to use it a second time. As I told it to Maddie, her eyes lit up and she listened to me in wonder. By the time I was finished, a suit had been brought to her, and she went out to play.
The next evening, I attended a party. All the proceedings paused when it was announced that the northern lights were beginning to appear. Everyone rushed outside, including me, and I cried with happiness. It was the first time I had ever seen the aurora with my own eyes. And as I watched it, I felt a hand tugging on my sleeve. I turned around and found Maddie next to me.
“Is that the fox running?” she asked excitedly.
I nodded. “Yes, it is,” I said.
After the lights had faded, Maddie and her parents sought me out. She gave me a massive hug, and said something to me which broke my heart.
“I just wanted to thank you for the nice story, and wish you a Merry Christmas, because I’m going to be spending next Christmas in heaven.”
To this day, I don’t know how I didn’t crumble. She spoke so nonchalantly, as though heaven was just somewhere down the road. Afterwards, I learned that a couple of months later, Maddie sadly passed away.
In the years since, I’ve performed the fox story thousands of times, to people from all over the world. I even wrote it down, under the title Talvi and the Stars, which went on to win the 2019 Fairytalez Award for Best New Fairy Tale. But to me, it is always simply called Maddie’s Story, and I can still picture her face whenever I tell it live.
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E-BOOK AND PAPERBACK RELEASE DATE: SATURDAY DECEMBER 19TH 2020
E-book pre-order is available NOW, and to celebrate the cover reveal, you can get an early look at the prologue!
Enter a frozen world of brutal beauty, where Spirits roam, nights last for months, and magic is wrought by the beat of a drum…
BLURB:
As the light returns, darkness will fall…
Spring is coming to the Northlands, but even as winter fades, an icy terror spreads. The three Worlds are on the brink of collapse, and ancient monsters rise from the earth, their wicked eyes set firmly on the mages.
Tuomas, still reeling from his defiance of the Great Bear Spirit, must finally face the reality of who he is. Mihka is furious with him, Elin refuses to speak to him, and the people do not trust him. As the villagers drive the reindeer back into the south to safety, he must set out with Lumi one final time to right his wrongs and keep the Worlds from falling apart.
But this quest shall bring the greatest test of all, for it will take him into the Deathlands: a place where no living person has ever stood…
Beginning December 19th (and including pre-orders of The Night River) 10% of royalties from the sale of each book in the Foxfires Trilogy will be donated to Adopt a Reindeer Foundation, to support the indigenous Arctic Sami people and help their traditional way of life to thrive.
“Do not fear for my safety or comfort,” said Lumi. “I will be in no immediate danger unless the Sunlight touches me.”
Tuomas sighed. “That’s another thing which is my fault, isn’t it? I put you in this body in the first place.”
“Yes, you did,” Lumi admitted, a touch of ice at the edge of her voice. “But not this time, and you know that. And I can hardly remain stoic where you are concerned. I thought that would be evident by now.”
“But you won’t fade?”
“No. Though I will ask you to allow me to keep my distance. The people must not know me as you do.”
“Why? Don’t you think it will be good for them, to see they don’t have to be terrified of you?”
“They should respect me.”
“Fear is different to respect,” Tuomas insisted. “Please don’t let pride get the better of you again.”
“Get the better of me?” she repeated pointedly. “We are both guilty of that. It is what we are: to be proud, and powerful. In all my thousands of years of existence, Tuomas, I could count on these fingers you gave me, how often I have terrorised them. The same can even be said for my mother, and for all the Spirits. Nature will be nature. Stories will do what they will with our natures. Do you not remember, when you came to me in the World Above, how the souls held no fear of me?”
Tuomas hesitated. She was right. The way they had danced around her, revelled in her Lights as she swept the aurora through the sky… it was as though they had come home.
“Until recently, when the abilities were cut off, only mages possessed the power to commune with Spirits,” Lumi said. “And out of all the mages who have ever lived, only you know the absolute truth of what we are. The people have spun their own fear and stories by themselves, and I respond in kind. Let it continue, if that is where they may draw their own power. They shall need strength, as much as you will.”
Tuomas swallowed. “I’d never thought of it like that before.”
“Well, you have had other matters to think on since this all began,” said Lumi. “And I dare say there is a limit to what a human mind is able to take, even if it is given life by a Spirit.”
He shrugged. “Fair point.”
Lumi put her hands on his shoulders. It was so light, he barely felt it through the thick fur of his coat.
“Now, go and eat. I will remain out here.”
Tuomas shot her a hopeful glance. “Won’t you come over with me? Please?”
“No.”
With that, she turned around and walked away.
Thank you for visiting. Later we will have a guest post from this talented Author E.C. Hibbs
Oh, we have exciting news for you #BookLovers. We have created a delightful #ChristmasAdventCalendar to celebrate reading children’s books #BookAdvent click on the image to visit. Just remember there is no peeking until the actual day is here.
So throughout December we will reveal a different children’s book behind each door. Many of these you may not have heard of as they are by very talented #IndieAuthors who struggle to self-promote. We are therefore here to #SpreadTheWord and show some love on their behalf.
Also behind each door, there will be a link after the image to take you to our #Facebook party page where you will be able to find out more about the author of the book on that day. There will be fun, games, Christmas carols, the odd joke and perhaps a giveaway or two.
Starting today in anticipation of the event we have…
To celebrate Halloween Young Ebenezer ~ Confronts the School Bully by Rose English will be on a special Kindle Countdown Promo. Commencing Monday 26th October 2020 until Sunday 1st November 2020. Only 99c/99p
Blurb
A Halloween treat, much better than sweets.
A time for candy and costumes, pumpkins and ‘Trick or Treat’. But beware of the bully lurking just down the street.
Ebenezer is really excited! It’s his first Halloween to go out ‘Trick or Treating’. Jacob Marley is excited too, but this school bully plans to steal all the kids’ sweets.Can Eb and his friends, along with the magical clock Grandfather Time teach Jacob the error of his ways? Or is the boy doomed to a life of crime, just like his wicked father?
The story of ‘Ebenezer and the Bully’ is a magical rhyming tale of behaviour matters, and the importance of being kind. It’s a treat for families to share or for reading alone, aimed at children aged 8-12 years old. With characters loosely based around the Charles Dickens classic ‘A Christmas Carol’, you’ll meet the Ghost of Christmas Past – a golden red puppy named Miss Ruby Heart – along with the Grim Reaper who will surprise Jacob by revealing his future self.
Are you an aspiring writer or an indie author looking for a publishing contract? If so, the Electric Eclectic Novella Fiction Prize 2020 is ‘right up your street’.
Simply write a 20K to 30K word story, in any genre and about anything you want, and enter the Novella Fiction Prize.
Entry is just £10.00 GBP, (via official entry form) and the winning authors will have their manuscripts published as Novellas.
If you sing to the Spirits, be prepared for their answer…
The Long Dark has come and the Northlands will not see daylight for two months. Silence falls with the snow, and the Spirits roam the three Worlds. It is a time of beauty, magic and danger.
When the Spirit of the Northern Lights steals his best friend’s soul, apprentice mage Tuomas is determined to find help. However, his own fledgling power gets the better of him, and he accidentally rips the Spirit out of the sky, trapping her in human form. Alongside his feared icy companion and the mysterious wandering mage Lilja, Tuomas begins a quest across frozen tundra and into ethereal Spirit realms.
But a terrible shadow lingers just out of sight, its gaze fixed on him. And behind her composed facade, the Spirit holds secrets of her own…
The Winter Spirits Book Cover
Click the image to see more detail (Opens in a new tab)
Pre-order your copy before midnight CST on 30th Jan and get your choice of a FREE e-book copy of any of E. C. Hibbs’s novels! And you’ll also be entered into the prize draw to win some swag on release day!
To enter, simply email a screenshot of your pre-order receipt to
Join the release party Friday 31st January 2020, where there will be more opportunities to win some cool stuff (Click the party logo below for more details)
To celebrate the release of The Case of The Russian Rose & Other Stories (Bow Street Society Casebook Volume 3)award-winning crime fiction author, T.G. Campbell, is giving lovers of Victorian mysteries everywhere the chance to win an exclusive Bow Street Society Bonanza. ONE lucky winner will receive ALL of the following:
1 x paperback copy of The Case of The Curious Client (Bow Street Society Mystery 1) (signed by T.G. Campbell)
1 x paperback copy of The Case of The Lonesome Lushington (Bow Street Society Mystery 2) (signed by T.G. Campbell)
1 x paperback copy of The Case of The Spectral Shot (Bow Street Society Mystery 3) (signed by T.G. Campbell)
1 x paperback copy of The Case of The Toxic Tonic(Bow Street Society Mystery 4) (signed by T.G. Campbell)
1 x paperback copy of The Case of The Shrinking Shopkeeper & Other Stories (Bow Street Society Casebook Volume 1) (signed by T.G. Campbell)
1 x paperback copy of The Case of The Peculiar Portrait & Other Stories (Bow Street Society Casebook Volume 2) (signed by T.G. Campbell)
1 x paperback copy of The Case of The Russian Rose & Other Stories (Bow Street Society Casebook Volume 3) (signed by T.G. Campbell)
A certificate of authenticity
1 x postcard of Daniel Toal as Mr Oswald Baldwin of the Gaslight Gazette from The Case of The Curious Client book trailer (signed by Mr. Toal)
1 x postcard of Sabrina Poole as Miss Rebecca Trent, clerk of the Bow Street Society from The Case of The Curious Client book trailer (signed by Miss Poole)
1 x official Bow Street Society pen
1 x EXCLUSIVE Bow Street Society porcelain latte mug.
How to Enter the Giveaway
Those wishing to enter to win this incredible prize must subscribe to the official Bow Street Society newsletter, the Gaslight Gazette, between 0100 (GMT) on Tuesday 10th December 2019) and 2300 (GMT) on Friday 10th January 2020.
Existing subscribers to the newsletter will be automatically entered into the draw unless they choose to ‘Opt-Out’ by following the instructions given in the Gaslight Gazette edition dedicated to the giveaway.
The names of all entrants will be placed into a draw* on Saturday 11th January 2020. T.G. Campbell will then pick a winner at random and notify them of the result via email. Once the winner has given their written acceptance of the prize, T.G. Campbell will announce the winner’s name ONLY in the Gaslight Gazette, on the official Bow Street Society website, and on her social media platforms. T.G. Campbell will also contact the winner for their preferred postal address. This will be used to send the prize to the winner free of charge ONLY. Once the prize has been mailed all record of the winner’s postal address will be destroyed.
*T.G. Campbell’s close friends and family are automatically disqualified from the draw.
Rose English UK 