Friday, May 31, 2024

Saint Ettie's Music School by Martin Varny

 

Can musical instruments talk?

Thirteen children aged between nine and sixteen, each denied the love and care of a family, are brought together to live at Saint Etheldreda’s Foundation. Exploring the building, they stumble upon some old, damaged musical instruments in a storeroom. The children are amazed when they discover that they can hear the instruments talking.

Saint Etheldreda’s Foundation was previously Saint Etheldreda’s Music School, run by Elizabeth, a young, insecure woman who suffers from devastating mood swings. She had stood before the final curtain of despair more than once.

A chance encounter with the principal of the Foundation, Miss Stratton, results in the Elizabeth returning to Saint Etheldreda’s. Through the wonders of music, lives are changed and a loving family is born.

Saint Ettie’s Music School by Martin Varny is a charming coming of age story.


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An Interview with the Author 

Thursday, May 23, 2024

The Best of CafeLit 13

 



This year contributors were asked to select stories they enjoyed the most. For each story they had published, they could select one. This produced quite a long list. There is real mixture of authors here: ones we’ve published several times and know really well, others we are just getting to know, and some who are published with us for the very first time.

Each story in this little volume is the right length and quality for enjoying as you sip the assigned drink in your favourite Creative Café. You need never feel alone again in a café. So what’s the mood today? Espresso? Earl Grey tea? Hot chocolate with marshmallows? You'll find most drinks in our drinks index.

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Contributors: 
Jim Bates, Amta Basu, Lynn  Clement, Dawn DeBraal, Tony Domaille, Jacki Donellan, Jenny Edgerley,  P. A. farrell, Maxine Flam, Lynda Flynn, Sam Hendley, Gill James, Leonie Jarrett, Dawn Knox, Bonita LeFlore, Logan Markko, Eamon O' Leary, Jenny Palmer, Mari Phillips, Paula R.C Readman, Hannah Retallick,  Penny Rogers, Judith Skilleter, Kathrin Spinnler, Jane Spirit, Alllison Symes, Philip Temples, June Webber, P. A. Westgate, Robin Wrigley,  S. Nadja Zajdman, Sally Zigmond, 
 
Some very short indeed and some much longer. Some serious and some light-hearted. My favourite was 'Tick Tick' by Jacki Donellan in which people were likened to musical time signatures - an intriguing idea.
All the stories have appeared initially on the CafeLit website. This is the latest in 'The Best of CafeLit' series, featuring regular CafeLit authors, such as Allison Symes, Jim Bates, Paula Readman and Hannah Retallick. A thoroughly good read.
 


Saturday, May 18, 2024

Offers on our Peace Child Series - while stocks last

 Buy signed copies from the author: all four £20.00, any three £18.00, any two £15.00, any one £10.00    



 

Kaleem Malkendy is different – and on Terrestra, different is no way to be.
Everything about Kaleem marks him out form the rest: the blond hair and dark skin, the uncomfortable cave where he lives and the fact that he doesn’t know his father. He’s used to unwelcome attention, but even so he’d feel better if some strange old man didn’t keep following him around.
That man introduces himself and begins to explain the Babel Prophecy – and everything in Kaleem’s life changes forever.



Babel is the second part of the Peace Child trilogy. Kaleem has found his father and soon finds the love of his life, Rozia Laurence, but he is still not comfortable with his role as Peace Child. He also has to face some of the less palatable truths about his home planet: it is blighted by the existence of the Z Zone, a place where poorer people live outside of society, and by switch-off, compulsory euthanasia for a healthy but aging population, including his mentor, Razjosh. The Babel Tower still haunts him, but it begins to make sense as he uncovers more of the truth about his past and how it is connected with the problems in the Z Zone. Kaleem knows he can and must make a difference, but at what personal cost?








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Thursday, May 16, 2024

Book Bundle: Picture books £18.00

 


A playful monkey takes a boy's hat but drops it into a river full of crocodiles. The boy offers to accompany the monkey to find another hat. The quest turns into an adventure in which they cross forests, climb mountains, visit the moon, pass through the village of cats and meet fantastic creatures.


The Lost Hat tells us, above all, about the values ​​of friendship and effort. But it also enhances the love of nature and the discovery of the diversity that travel offers.



Ride along with Santa and Rudolph, as they adapt their sleigh with gadgets to take them around the world. Learn about some of the countries on the way.

This beautifully illustrated book is full of fun and humour, when Santa tries to deliver all the presents on time.


A percentage of the royalties from Santa's Supersonic Sleigh will be donated to Whizz-Kidz - the UK's leading charity for young wheelchair users.


Brother and sister enjoy playing together. Join in the fun and see all of the interesting things they do.

Be inspired by Linda Flynn's simple text and Caroline Casali's enchanting illustrations.

In this book there are plenty of ideas for games that children can play with friends, and which get them away from phone, television and computer screens.

A percentage of the royalties from Playing Together will support Medical Detection Dogs. This is a charity that trains dogs to detect the odour from disease in the fight against cancer, Parkinson's disease and bacterial infections, as well as training Medical Alert Assistance Dogs.


Get all three together for just £18.00  




Thursday, May 9, 2024

 


Story–telling has often been associated with weaving and spinning. All is craft, cleverness and magic.

Here indeed we have a colourful mix of beautifully crafted stories. Some are sad and others bring us hope. There are tensions in relationships, fear of the unknown coupled with surprising empathy, and accidents of birth. Death wishes are reversed, sometimes but not always, and so are lives in other realties. People’s stories intersect as they wait for a bus. An old cello causes havoc. A church clock always strikes twice… or does it? Match-making goes wrong until it goes right. And so much more.


When Rafe Bunce takes over a run-down hair salon in Penge, he hopes to make a success of his life at last. Not content with improving his own fortunes, he is soon meddling in his customers’ lives, too – with bittersweet results.

The stories in Last Chance Salon touch on the hopes and dreams, big and small, which we all carry inside us.t and rich life adventures. Truly a life well-lived.

 

The stories in THE POWER OF LOVE are quite simply about LOVE of all kinds. If you like romance, then these short stories are written just for you as well. There is plenty of that! The huge clock on Waterloo station acts as catalyst for that. But the collection also shows us other sorts of love: family ties, enduring love, old love, forbidden love, mended love, children’s love for their parents, parents’ love for their children, a love for old buildings, and love between animals and humans.

Buy all three for just £17.00

 

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p>    ' Who Will Be My Friend?' is a story about friendship, aimed at children approximately three to eight years of age. It fea...