Archive for Fiction Books

CORONAVIRUS AND JELLY BEAN

Until further notice, Jelly Bean has relocated to a number of different properties across the Cardiff area!

I know I speak for all of us – Will, Keren, Andy and myself – when I say that I sincerely hope you are safe and well in these difficult and uncertain times.

Over the past few weeks, we’ve all heard a lot of ideas about how best to keep ourselves occupied in the months to come: whether online classes, box sets – even Joe Wicks workout videos on YouTube!

Of course, you may have your own ideas: maybe working through that to-read pile , putting the final touches on a new manuscript, or starting something else creative.

Sadly, we know that the next three months are not to be ones of leisure. Every one of us will have our own difficulties to face: from setting up a workplace from our bedrooms, providing for vulnerable friends and family, or simply keeping ourselves healthy in body and mind during our suddenly constricted day to day lives.

And of course, the greatest pressures will fall on those of you who are key workers, to whom we can only extend our gratitude and admiration.

To say a big thank you to our clients and customers we will be giving free books away on Kindle every Friday until isolation is over. The first freebie is the Lucy Wilson book, Avatars of the Intelligence (available from 9am Friday morning).

We are also creating a Jelly Bean ‘Book of the Month/Week’ page on our Candy Jar website. If you like your book to be considered for this please get in touch. We will be sending this information out on Twitter, Facebook and via our subscriber list. 

On the flipside, if you have any work you need doing such as editing, proofreading, website design, audiobooks or illustration work please do get in touch. If not, please pass this email on to your friends.

We are just a phone call away, and would love to discuss any new projects you may have, with no commitment on your behalf. Although for the foreseeable future, individually we are all holed away in our respective homes, we offer the same personal service as ever.   In short, everything to take your work from draft to print and into the hands of readers.

The wheels keep on turning, albeit through a strange new landscape, and soon, I am sure, we will return to familiar ground.

From all of us here at Jelly Bean, stay safe.

Shaun Russell
Head of Publishing
Jelly Bean / Candy Jar Books

WRITING ABOUT INFLUENTIAL WOMEN

Mary Edith Pechey and Marie Curie were two of the most influential women of their times. Marie Curie conducted significant research on radioactivity as well as being the only person to win a Nobel prize in two different sciences. Edith Pechey was one of the first female doctors in the United Kingdom and a promoter of women’s rights. Both women were contrapuntal to the development of the human race, but what would happen if their lives were thrown off track? 

Paul Robinson takes a small hiatus from his Charlie Holmes series to write Time Split, a new novel following the adventures of Jenny Johnson. Jenny finds herself launched into the bodies of two teenage girls in the past. She must ensure that they are set back onto the correct paths to secure their future influences, and the success of humanity!

Inspired by a writing exercise, Paul created Time Split after receiving the prompt “One day she woke up…”. He combined this with his expansive knowledge of famous women throughout history -– of which he has a list -– in order to raise more awareness of their achievements.

Paul explains: “I am a strong believer in writing about important female characters. I want to readdress the balance between the genders while teaching younger girls about amazing, influential women.”

Having taught young people for the past 40 years, including working with those hard of hearing, Paul’s main aspiration is to develop new role models in order to inspire his students. He aims to create more relatable and exceptional characters; Charlie Holmes is based on one of his deaf students, Charlotte.

Time Split encapsulates adolescence in a realistic way, with a generous serving of miscommunication, humour, love and heartbreak.

If you like to publish a YA or children’s book with us and take control visit: www.jellybeanselfpublishing.co.uk

Health Benefits of Reading

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!