Hope and friendship can be found in the worst of situations. Things don’t always go to plan. Sometimes things go wrong. Sometimes we get lost and we can’t find our way back. Often this leads to unexpected meetings, friends, adventures, and a brand new life.
The wonderful children’s book Oscar the Ferry Cat written by the talented Molly Arbuthnott, is heart-warming picture book that explores how we come to terms with loss and the positives that can be gained from this.
Loss is an unpleasant part of life that people don’t want to talk about, especially with children. As a primary school teacher, Molly Arbuthnott feels this is a missed opportunity. Loss is inevitable, we will all experience it.
But how we cope with it will make a difference to how it will shape the rest of our lives. She says: “I wanted my pupils to be able to read something that would help them understand the realities of life. And to teach them that hope, love, belonging, and friendship can always be found.” Her books achieve this in a masterful and light-hearted way that makes it very easy for children to understand.
Oscar is a Siamese cat with an adventurous streak. When he runs away from his family to explore, he loses his way and realises that he may never be able to get back. Although upset, he tries to make a new life for himself and meets lots of fantastic and interesting characters along the way. In the next part of Oscar’s tale, he and his new found friends explore the beautiful Hebrides and find themselves risking everything when they notice a girl in danger on a beach.
This daring book series challenges the concept of the ‘happy ending’ with a rewarding outcome. Molly Arbuthnott teaches children and adults alike that life takes some unexpected twists and turns. You may not end up where you wanted, but you will always find your way. Her exploration of loss is a beautifully crafted piece of work full of emotion, inspiration and hope.
Molly has written and published three Oscar books so far through Jelly Bean Books. These are Oscar the Ferry Cat, Oscar the Hebridean Cat and Oscar the London Cat. Molly Arbuthnott is currently working on her next book, the anticipated Angus the Robin, which will prove to have just as much depth, insight and meaning.
As of 2019 bees are currently at a higher risk of extinction than ever before. Pesticides appear to be the main culprit for this growing issue and with her new book Little Bee’s Sneeze Nerys Beattie hopes to send an important message to children and adults alike.
Nerys has taken time away from her three-year-old son, husband and small pack of dogs, to write and create her first ever short children’s fiction book. It follows the journey of a small bee with terrifyingly allergies to flowers. This means she cannot take part in day-to-day bee life, subsequently isolating her from the rest of the hive.
Having always wanted to write, but never having had the time before, Nerys was finally emboldened to start her labour of love after deciding to prioritise the idea she had been holding onto for as long as she can remember. She says: “Once I had thirty minutes to myself and I sat down at my desk, all of the ideas came spilling out. I started at 1pm and by 8pm I had written the entire book!”
Her first venture into children’s fiction is a real treat, shining light upon the trials and tribulations children may face, up against the backdrop of a walking, talking bee hive. Having always suffered from hay fever herself, Nerys wanted to incorporate this into her story. She also tackles issues such as bullying, running away from home and feeling excluded.
Nerys continues: “I wanted to include issues that were integral for parents to talk about with their children, but can often be tricky to handle. This book will hopefully help start the conversation. I also wanted to include bee poison as a representation of the pesticides that are killing bee communities, however, it needed to remain subtle and flow well within the storyline.”
Her collaborator on this project has been Inge Van Der Ham. Inge is a fellow colleague from over twenty years ago who reconnected with Nerys after the author posted her elation at finishing Little Bee’s Sneeze. Inge reached out and offered her skills as the illustrator for the book, and the pair then began to work alongside to bring the story to life.
Little Bee’s Sneeze is an adorable short rhyming story that shows children how our differences make us special. Nerys Beattie invites us to follow the story of a small bee who, by realising her potential, can achieve miraculous things. It is the perfect read for your children during this run up to Christmas.
Gemma Greening never had plans to become a published author. It wasn’t until a string of funny poems she had scribbled over birthday cards to her husband; mainly for the amusement of her two sons, Alfie and Oliver, snowballed into an idea for a children’s fiction book, and all of a sudden ‘Messy Dad’ was born.
Having always had a way with words; often writing short poems here and there when she found the time, Gemma struck gold when she started constructing and stringing together some silly and satirical rhymes all based on her frustration with her partner Ben’s lack of initiative when it came to housework.
Gemma says: “It all started as a joke to be honest, the kids and I would construct these poems to write on birthday and Christmas cards for their dad. My eldest, Olli, really likes getting involved. After showing the ideas of ‘messy dad’ to some close friends, I gained the confidence, but I needed to decide to share it with an audience.”
Messy Dad is a cheeky and brassy short rhyming story, with silly anecdotes. Illustrator Matt Prewett successfully heaps on the comedy matching each verse to an equally wacky cartoon, tying the book together as dessert for your eyes. The story follows our leading man Messy Dad who happens to have some rather questionable hygiene habits and struggles to hold down the fort whilst his wife is at work.
Swearing in writing. This is something of a taboo. None of the children’s books you read growing up will have contained any swear words; it is un-Christian (and blasphemy in any religion is
discouraged), it is socially unacceptable, it is age-inappropriate, it would plant words into the vocabulary of children which are unacceptable in school environments. As you grew older the books or magazines you chose to read would have been edited with the age of the audience in mind or they wouldn’t have been allowed on the shelf. Books selected by schools for the curriculum would have had your level of learning and appropriateness of age as well.
Swearing in speech. Now this is something which, with each passing generation, the social standards seem to be slipping on. Language fit only for the dock yard or a building site is now part and parcel of everyday speech for some people and it is not uncommon to hear it frequently in the presence of children. While I have read arguments that the use of swear words demonstrates a lack of intelligence, a poor command of vocabulary and further evidence of a degenerative society I would like to argue that is has become part of our cultural heritage. Indeed, swearing often adds impact to what we are trying to say and I believe in some parts of the country an emphatic statement can only be made in certain social environments by including such colourful language. Given the full power of the entire English dictionary, one would not make their message – and the strength of one’s sentiments – entirely clear if speaking the Queen’s English. Furthermore, if communication is only effective when a message can be transferred successfully, efficiently and cohesively from one person to another then surely it is of the utmost importance to use language that the receiver can understand and therefore decipher. Language is after all, in its simplest form, a set of codes to be communicated and understood.
‘Nobody move! That lassie got glassed and no c**t leaves here ‘til we find out who what c**t did it.’ – ‘Franco’ Begbie, Trainspotting (1996).
There are a few things to note regarding the statement above. Firstly, I have quoted it as I heard it in the film – the link is at the bottom of the blog for those interested – as Welsh’s Trainspotting is often written in the accent being put across (more information on this can be found in last week’s blog). Secondly, the line is delivered with aggression as Begbie is actually spoiling for a fight having thrown the glass which injured the girl himself; that said, it is also delivered in a humour of sorts as he is looking forward to the fight that follows knowing full well he is the perpetrator of the offending act. Thirdly, while the sentence may appear disjointed and grammatically incorrect to us it is anything but to anyone from within that social environment who has shared his cultural background. Swearing can therefore not only be socially acceptable but in some cases it may be imperative to use swearing in order to be accepted socially. Finally, while films have to be rated for the appropriate audience prior to being made public this blog is under no such obligation. It is therefore my own editorial choice to have censored the swear words for the benefit of the readers – in this instance, yourselves – as well as the publisher. If we were to have referred to blasphemy of Shakespeare’s time by quoting ‘S’blood’, which is of course short for ‘God’s blood’, I doubt I would have censored it at all whereas this particular swear word still offends large groups of people and I have no wish to unnecessarily offend anyone.
This brings us to the writing element of the use of swearing and that is the editorial process. David Lodge quotes Mikhail Bakhtin as stating that ‘For the prose artist the world is full of other people’s words, among which he must orient himself and whose speech characteristics he must be able to perceive with a very keen ear. He must introduce them into the plane of his own discourse, but in such a way that this plane is not destroyed.’ (1992, 128). So when considering your novel or short story ask yourself: does the inclusion of cursing add to the dialogue or detract from the quality of it? Perhaps there are other ways to illustrate a character’s frustration which would reduce the use of swearing as the sole vehicle of frustration and anger. It could be that perhaps a fists slams against a door, tearing at one’s own hair, kicking an object or – if swearing was used to highlight despair – the character may slump to the ground. These are of course choices for you to make and there are many others besides the few proposed here. Ultimately, what I want you to think about is that if swearing is employed to make a particular character seem angrier or a situation appear more tense then when is the best time to use it for dramatic effect. Once you have decided, use it sparingly to make your writing of these passages better and not to dilute the quality of your work.
The other scenario when swearing is used is in speech and we have already discussed a few factors which contribute towards this. John Mullan states that ‘Swearing tells us of the real world of emotions out there.’ (2006, 153) and while this is true it does not account for people who censor themselves; it is undeniable however that in some circles swearing is an everyday occurrence in language. This is one of Trainspotting’s charming factors. The novel is heavily laden with cursing and yet the characters would not be authentic without it. I made reference in last week’s blog that fiction smooths speech so maybe Irvine Welsh included more swearing than was natural for that social environment, maybe he made Begbie’s line of enquiry above more comical and maybe, just maybe, he removed language which would not have ‘travelled well’ in order for the novel to reach a wider audience. Whatever he did, the series of novels following these characters are hugely successful and it would be worth reading at least one in order to identify some of the techniques used and choices made.
Rather than invite a plethora of profanities onto Candy Jar’s website I would prefer you instead to think creatively about this topic. Therefore, if you have already produced some writing which contains a lot of swearing it may be beneficial to revisit an extract of it and revise your work to try and replace some of the phrases containing swear words with descriptive phrases which tell us of the character’s frustration or anger instead. If you haven’t yet written anything containing curses it might be an idea to document some phrases which are particular to your or your kin when you are frustrated or angry (no need to share this just yet).
Finally, if you wish to see a topic discussed which you haven’t seen yet then please let me know and I’ll include it at some point. Happy writing!
A blog by Steve Marshall
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Further reading:
Lodge, D. (1992) The Art of Fiction. London: Penguin Books.
Mullan, J. (2006) How Novels Work. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Welsh, I. (1993) Trainspotting. Secker and Warburg: London.
Know Your Product
Your book is a product – and you are hoping to find buyers for it, just like any other product. But to make sure it is the best it can be – you need to know exactly what it is; are you sci-fi? Non-fiction? What is your book about? Is it a quirky encyclopaedia of the world’s weirdest garden sheds? Or a poetry collection focusing on the struggles of motherhood? Think about the objectives of your book. Knowing your product enables you to make it the best it can be in all aspects; marketing strategy, promotion, finding niche markets, editing, cover design etc.
Where
Before publishing – think about how and where you are going to sell your book. Do you want to approach retailers and bookshops or is your book just something small you want to keep for yourself? Either or, this will dictate the kind of services you require from Jelly Bean Self Publishing. For example, if you want to try and get your books into stores and libraries you will need as ISBN. These kind of thing will all shape what kind of book and deal you want to arrange with us. As a result, we recommend putting some forethought into how you’re going to sell.
Who
Think about who will read your book. If it’s a children’s book – the answer is obvious. The steps to capturing your readers might involve going to school’s to do readings or organising a reading event for children and parents in the area. Jelly Bean Self Publishing author Molly Arbuthnott reached out to schools in the UK and ended up getting orders of her book Oscar the Ferry Cat through her reaching out! So hitting the right market is really important and can really help improve your book’s success in terms of moving copies. See here for more information about Molly’s story…
How
How will you sell? Marketing. Marketing is how you will sell. People need to know your book is out there, and they aren’t going to find you – you need to find them. Here at Jelly Bean Self Publishing we do offer small marketing support, but a lot of it lies on the author’s shoulders to self promote if you want your book to do the best it can.
Attending literary events (or events to do with what your book is about) and doing readings, getting on to social media, interacting with readers and writers who follow you online, entering yourself into competitions – all of these are ways to self promote that cost little-to-nothing. If your book has a niche – make yourself known in these circles. If your book is niche – this can be both an advantage or disadvantage. You might have lots of people in the waiting for a book like yours or your niche might not exist out there – so be aware of either or and do some research if you can.
We recommend thinking of marketing as a little business; overseeing the practicalities of what will bring sales in is so important in ensuring your book’s success.
Jelly Bean Self Publishing’s London-based author Molly Arbuthnott has been nominated as a finalist for the 2018 People’s Book Prize for her heart-warming children’s book Oscar the Ferry Cat.
Inspired by Molly Arbuthnott’s own family cat going missing back in 2014, who, curiously, managed to open the family car’s window by stepping on the controls before the lock took full effect. The family returned to their car in Oban to find paw prints on the bonnet, but no cat.
The story immortalises the author’s beloved cat, who was sadly never found. The pages follow his experiences as he navigates coming to terms with loss and forging new friendships with different creatures and learning to cope with the new environments he unexpectedly finds himself in.
Molly Arbuthnott is one of Jelly Bean’s biggest successes, with Molly selling books to school’s around the country, children falling in love with Oscar’s loveable character and relatable story.
Beautifully illustrated by Agnes Treherne, a Sussex based illustrator who studied Fine Art at the University of Edinburgh, this book appeals to children aged 5 – 8 years as it explores Oscar searching for his new home.
A primary school teacher from London, on discovering her position as a finalist, Molly stated: ‘They say if you find a job you love you will not do a day’s work in your life. Every day for the last 6 months has felt like a holiday! It has been very humbling to witness the warm reception Oscar has received. I hope he will continue to touch the hearts of children – he’s against stiff competition but where there’s a will (and a cat!) there’s a way!’
Molly has always loved writing and is thrilled to have been nominated as a finalist for Oscar the Ferry Cat. The People’s Book Prize is the only national literature award decided upon entirely by the general public – therefore carries the additional credibility of being selected by the book’s own readers. Being a country wide competition, Oscar the Ferry Cat faced off stiff competition with hundreds of book being nominated by their publishers.
The People’s Book Prize winner will be announced in May 2019 at the Stationers Hall in London, with patron of the foundation Frederick Forsyth CBE presenting the awards.
From all of us here at Jelly Bean Self Publishing – we wish Molly (and Oscar) the best of luck and are so lucky to be able to bring Oscar’s story to children everywhere.
Why not send your book to Jelly Bean Self-Publishing?
A great way to get your book off your computer and into the world, and with 10% off this Black Friday why wait?
Just send your manuscript to submissions@jellybeanselfpublishing.co.uk with the words ‘strawberry pencil’ as the subject to receive 10% off and we will be in touch.
Since the London Marathon started in 1981, thousands of competitors have taken part. Going for a run is as much about your mind forcing your body out the door as it is about physical fitness. Overcoming these psychological barriers can make a difference between finishing the event or not.
Philippa Cates is no stranger to the mental and physical challenges of running, and has written a book about this wonderfully exhausting pastime. The Marathon celebrates this fantastic achievement, but also highlights in a comedic way the potential pitfalls of taking part.
Philippa feels that runners can become very single-minded during their training, even turning down social events because “I’ve got a long run in the morning.” But sometimes temptation can get in the way. She says: “A couple of years ago, I was given one of the comedy grown-up I-Spy books and I thought that I could apply this humour to marathon running. So, while I was training for the Virgin London Marathon in 2017, and struggling to keep myself going, I thought: what if a runner was presented with a number of temptations along the way. How would they overcome them?”
Philippa was emboldened to continue when she misplaced her MP3 player. She continues: “I was bereft! Often music can be a lifeline to a marathon runner, so for a while I felt like a boat without a paddle, and then I realised that the silence was a golden opportunity. That’s when I started drafting The Marathon in my head.”
The Marathon is a cheeky, but family-friendly satirical short rhyming story accompanied by playful illustrations from the hugely talented artist come Jack Sparrow impersonator, Terry Cooper. The story follows our hero, Runner, as he takes on the gruelling business of training for and running a marathon. Not a natural athlete, and with a weakness for cake and socialising, Runner faces many distractions along the way. But will he complete his challenge?
The book has been endorsed by Leanne Davies, founder of Run Mummy Run. She says: “This book is great fun! It is what training for a marathon is really like. The Marathon strikes a chord with the Run Mummy Run community.”
Echoing the spirit of some of the most popular twenty-first century children’s picture books, this satirical spoof book is a clever hybrid between adult and children’s book, and you don’t need to be a runner to enjoy it. It’s a fun book for all the family with a slight anarchic twist.
The Marathon is available to purchase now at https://philippa-cates.my-online.store/ or via Philippa’s website at www.philippacates.com.
Here at Jelly Bean Self-Publishing, we want to start a reading revolution. Here are just a few reasons to put down your phone, turn off the TV, and for a few hours an evening enjoy an actual book…
In the modern world, where much of our interaction with words takes place on screens (mobile phones, tablets, computers, etc.), it is certainly worth reiterating the health and lifestyle benefits of reading a good book.
Not that reading off a screen is so bad – after all, it’s led you here! But it is estimated we spend up to a whopping ten hours (!) staring at screens every day.
Reading brings to life neural pathways in the brain. This in turn leads to the creation of new memories, and as such creates new synapses that strengthen our brains. So basically, reading is like taking your brain to the gym!
Reading can reduce anxiety and alleviate stress. Amidst the hustle and bustle of our everyday lives, reading offers us the magic of escapism. It frees our minds, which in turn lightens the pressures of day-to-day life.
Reading asks you to consider abstract concepts, developing critical thinking skills.
Has a friend ever bolstered you to participate in an activity you were apprehensive about? It has been proven that readers who admire a fictional character’s courage to partake in physical challenges that scare them (g. riding a horse, climbing a mountain, sailing a boat, etc.), are themselves better able to muster the bravery to try new activities in their own life.
It goes without saying that reading improves your vocabulary and communicative ability. If anyone’s going to impress their peers with a quick-witted remark, it’s an avid reader.
Reading gives us a sense of self-accomplishment, boosting self-esteem.
If you’re the sort of person to fall for fictional characters (aren’t we all?), then studies show you are a more empathetic person for it. In imagining life from another’s perspective, you yourself become a more caring, understanding person (go you!).
Reading a book in bed helps you sleep better. Conversely, the glare of a TV screen or a smart-phone makes it more difficult to drop off.
Do you know of any positive impacts of reading we’ve missed? If so, please feel free to get in touch. Thanks for reading, and keep up the good work!
It’s Roald Dahl’s birthday, and given that this year it falls on a Thursday, here’s a #TBT for you:Jelly Bean’s favourite Roald Dahl books, circa two years ago!
Shaun’s favourite: The Magic Finger
We’ve got all the Roald Dahl books in our house – my girls love them! The Magic Finger really caught my imagination when I was younger, I just thought it was quite strange. It’s the Roald Dahl book that people don’t talk about as much, and I really like the juxtaposition of the characters and how the ducks and the people swap roles.
My favourite part is when they wake up and the Gregg family first realise that they’ve swapped places; they’ve turned into tiny people with wings and the ducks have grown to people size and they have arms instead!
Favourite quote:
“Don’t shoot! Please don’t shoot!”
“Why not?” said one of the ducks. “You are always shooting at us.”
“Oh, but that’s not the same! Said Mr. Gregg. “We are allowed to shoot ducks.”
“Who allows you?”asked the duck.
“We allow each other,” said Mr. Gregg.
“Very nice,” said the duck.” And now we are going to allow each other to shoot you.”
Will’s favourite: George’s Marvellous Medicine
I think George’s Marvellous Medicine was my favourite as a kid, purely because I remember reading it so many times. I loved that it was all about wanting to one-up the grown-ups! I think my favourite part was when George blew up his nan!
Favourite quote:
“Lalalalalalalala I have nothing to say!”
(Either that or: “Never grow up – always grow down.”)
Hayley’s favourite: The Twits
The Twits is definitely my favourite Roald Dahl book. I really liked the illustrations by Quentin Blake, I remember a really gross one of the beard with all food in it!
I love that the characters were always playing tricks on one another and that they were really badly behaved – and I went to see a show of the book when I was little.
Favourite quote:
“A person who has good thoughts cannot ever be ugly. You can have a wonky nose and a crooked mouth and a double chin and stick-out teeth, but if you have good thoughts they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely.”
Lauren’s favourite: The BFG
I loved The BFG, the book and the animated film; I’m a bit nervous about the remake! I liked that the main character Sophie was a bit lonely until she meets the BFG, and they sort of find eachother even though they’re both sort of left out in their own worlds. And the snozzcumbers, I liked them too.
My favourite part is when the BFG takes Sophie to the room full of the dream jars, and I always like the idea of “witching hour” which I fully believed in as a child!
Favourite quote:
“Two rights don’t equal a left”
… and one from our author Jane Cohen who popped in to say hi!
Jane’s favourite: The Witches
Roald Dahl is one of my absolute favourites! I loved The Witches; the magic in it, the way the girl moves in the picture into different positions and grows old in the photograph, and I loved that the witches all owned sweet shops to entice the children.
Favourite quote:
“Witches of England you’re a disgrace!” (and then she brings her potion out!)
We’ve also been obsessively browsing the internet for all things Roald Dahl, and here are a few of our favourite facts about the Llandaff-born author:
His first children’s book is usually considered to be James and the Giant Peach, but actually it is The Gremlins, based on WW2 RAF folklore. The Gremlins was written when Dahl was stationed in Washington in 1942. Dahl already has a career as a WW2 fighter pilot, having flown planes in North Africa. The Gremlins takes place in southern England during the Battle of Britain in 1940. The made-up “gremlins” were commonly given the blame by the RAF personnel when anything went wrong throughout the Second World War, as Eileen Younghusband will well know.
Roald Dahl actually co-wrote the screenplay for the children’s classic Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, based on the novel of the same name by Bond writer Ian Fleming. He was, in fact, the creative mind behind the chilling and villainous character The Child Snatcher (who terrifies the best of us to this day… even if we are too old for bedtime stories!), as the character didn’t appear in the original novel. Thanks, Roald Dahl…
Sorry for the nightmares…
The Fantastic Mr Fox was, at least partly, inspired by a tree that sat outside Roald Dahl’s house in Great Missenden. He used to call it the “witching tree” and tell his children stories about the family of foxes who lived inside it.
What was your favourite Roald Dahl book? Tweet us and tell us your favourites at @Candy_Jar!
June 30, 2023Blog About Writing / Jelly Bean News / Self Publish Your Own Book / Self-Publishing Facts* In 2013 One Woman’s War won the non-fiction 2012/2013 award at the People’s Book Prize. * In 2016 and 2023 Candy Jar was shortlisted for The Cardiff Life Awards. This ceremony celebrates the best business in Cardiff, applauding what they have achieved in the past year and encouraging them to go further in the […] [...]
May 22, 2023Blog About Writing / Writing TipsIf you’ve reached the point where you’ve needed to consider how to end your piece of writing then congratulations are in order; you’ve nearly finished that labour of love which has taken hours, weeks or sometimes even years to complete. Yet this seemingly rewarding part of the process can actually cause no end of trouble […] [...]
April 1, 2023Blog About Writing / Writing Tips‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the word was God,’ or so it seems according to John 1:1 of the King James Bible. If you were to read Genesis it states: ‘In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.’ Now, I am not a religious person […] [...]
Jelly Bean Self Publishing’s London-based author Molly Arbuthnott has been nominated as a finalist for the 2018 People’s Book Prize for her heart-warming children’s book Oscar the Ferry Cat.
