Wizzy and the Seaside Adventure – book launch

On 14th July 2018, a huge crowd gathered at The Point, Eastleigh, for the launch of Wizzy and the Seaside Adventure by author, Anthony Ridgway, and artist, Suzan Houching. 

Among those attending were Sheila and David Suchet, Ros Holness and Tina Fanshawe. 

Anthony gave a speech full of humour, praising his mother, Grethe, as his ‘harshest critic’, and thanking Barbara Large for helping him hone his writing skills. 

David and Sheila Suchet read a section from Wizzy and the Seaside Adventure, and Wizzy the wheelchair, of course got a look in, making a phone call half way through the reading!

Tina Fanshawe’s horse, Nellie, was the inspiration for the plot in Anthony’s first book, Wizzy the Animal Whisperer. In Wizzy and the Seaside Adventure, Honey, the dog, shows the same empathy, helping the children bring to justice some rascally thieves.

Wizzy and the Seaside Adventure – book launch photos

02---group-listening-to-Ant

More than 90 people attended the launch of 'Wizzy and the Seaside Adventure' on July 14th 2018, at The Point, Eastleigh.

01---Ant's-speech

Anthony announces his new book 'Wizzy and the Seaside Adventure'. From left to right - Sheila and David Suchet, Ros Holness, Jane Ridgway, Anthony Ridgway, Grethe Ridgway, Suzan Houching.

03---Ant-giving-speech

Anthony praises his 'harshest critic' - Grethe Ridgway.

04---David-&-Sheila-read-to

A rapt audience as David and Sheila Suchet read a section from 'Wizzy and the Seaside Adventure'.

05---Wizzy-rings-David-S

Wizzy the irascible wheelchair! Wizzy interrupts the reading.

06---D-&-S-reading-Ant-smil

Wizzy creates an amazing diversion in 'Wizzy and the Seaside Adventure'.

07---Ant-meets-fans

Anthony Ridgway meets fans.

08---Ant-puts-sticker-in-bo

Anthony signs a book with his sticker 'EVERYWHERE WITH WIZZY'.

09---Suzan-signs-book

Suzan Houching, artist and illustrator of 'Wizzy and the Seaside Adventure', signs books.

10---Jordan-&-Tim-selling

Jordan and Tim - the fantastic volunteer book selling team.

12---boy-colouring

Suzan Houching's wonderful pictures were printed in black and white for colouring.

11---Oscar's-colouring

A young fan with his colouring of a scene from the book.

13---Ant-with-young-fan

Children love the Wizzy books. They can be read again and again and enjoyed for the adventure story, the fabulous illustrations and the funny moments created by Wizzy the hi-tech wheelchair not understanding the idiom of human speech.

14---Ddavid-signs-Ant's-boo

David Suchet signs Anthony's copy of 'Wizzy and the Seaside Adventure'.

15b---David-signing-book

David Suchet signing books for young fans.

15a---David-signing-colourin

... and David Suchet signing colouring pages too!

Sheila,-David-and-Phaedra

Time for selfies!

16---Tina,-Ant-&-Grethe

Tina Fanshawe, the owner of Nellie the horse who took Anthony for a ride when on holiday and inspired his first book, 'Wizzy the Animal Whisperer', posing with Anthony and Grethe Ridgway.

17---Oscar,-Ant-&-Oscar's-m

One of Anthony's keenest young fans poses with his mum and Anthony.

18---Suzan-shows-portfolio-

Suzan Houching shows her portfolio of original watercolour paintings for 'Wizzy and the Seaside Adventure'.

19---Suzan-shows-portfolio-

Suzan showing her portfolios of work - one for each Wizzy book, to David Suchet, Ros Holness, Sheila Suchet and Emma Scott of Calibre Audio Library. The audio book of 'Wizzy the Animal Whisperer' will be available shortly.

The beautifully illustrated large format Wizzy books can be read again and again and enjoyed at many levels – for the adventure story, for the fabulous pictures, to read out loud or to read in your head … although it’s hard not to laugh out loud at the funny moments created by Wizzy the hi-tech wheelchair, who takes everything literally and cannot understand the idiom of human speech.

Click here to buy Wizzy and the Seaside Adventure  ISBN: 9780993507878 

Click here to find out how Anthony writes.

If you are from a school or retail outlet and would like to know more, please contact Jenny on mail@littleknollpress.co.uk

Wizzy and the Seaside Adventure – book launch 14th July

 

A NEW WIZZY STORY IS ON ITS WAY!

Wizzy and the Seaside Adventure

 

Last chance to come

to the BOOK LAUNCH of this super new book

Saturday 14th July 2018, 10.30am – 12.30pm, The Point, Eastleigh.

RSVP to Jenny@LittleKnollPress.co.uk 

 

         < launch invitation 

more about the book >

 

 

 

 

You can also watch a video showing Anthony Ridgway and Suzan Houching at work:

Wizzy and the Seaside Adventure – work in progress

 

To buy the book

Palembang-and-beyond-blog

Palembang and Beyond book launch

 

Palembang and Beyond
by Mike Roussel

 

Mike Roussel brings together in this book a fascinating record of the British Pacific Fleet during the Second World War, in particular the closing years of conflict with Japan and the cruel fate meted out on the Palembang Nine after surrender on VJ Day.

 

 

 

The BOOK LAUNCH – a reunion
Saturday 14th April 2018

A rare reunion of Second World War veterans from the Fleet Air Arm took place at the book launch of Palembang and Beyond, held at The Museum of Army Flying – rare because of the great age reached by these veterans, who are now all in their late nineties.

They were young during the war, aged eighteen to twenty, and their active service took place during the early years of the RAF, which was newly formed in April 1918. Their stories are told within Palembang and Beyond, a new book by shipping and aviation author, Mike Roussel.

The book launch was supported by a large group of guests who came from as far afield as Devon.

The Rt Hon Dr Julian Lewis MP, who wrote the foreword for the book, also attended. He explained how his interest in military history and a chance conversation with Mike Roussel had triggered the writing of this book about the Pacific War.

Mike Roussel spoke at the launch about how he had ‘discovered as it were by accident, three gentlemen who were air crew with Fleet Air Arm 849 Squadron’. In writing the book, Mike travelled to interview Arthur Page, Norman ‘Dickie’ Richardson and John ‘Buster’ Brown, all of whom had all flown in the bombing raids on the Palembang oil refineries. He also heard from them about their fellow airmen who never came home from the war, among them the captured air crew known as the Palembang Nine who were cruelly executed by the Japanese after the surrender on VJ Day.

It took Mike just over a year to complete the research and writing of Palembang and Beyond. During that time he transcribed the veterans’ stories for inclusion in the book and gathered from them many of the 151 photographs that are published there for the first time. The photos give fascinating insights into the type of aircraft and the terrain over which the Fleet Air Arm fought, showing how challenging the air offensive was in the Pacific War.

Fleet-Air-Arm-Squadron-849-veterans

Attending the launch were veterans Dr Arthur Page, who was an Avenger pilot, and Norman ‘Dickie’ Richardson DSM, TAG (Telegraphist Air Gunner) who flew with Arthur. John ‘Buster’ Brown, who was also an Avenger pilot with 849 Squadron, lives in Yorkshire and was unable to come the distance. His brother, Michael Brown, represented him and brought his greetings and his wishes that he could have been there.

Julian Lewis in paying tribute to the veterans, said, It is absolutely typical of this generation that they do not brag or boast in any way. For instance, it was only from other people and not from Norman himself that I discovered he’d been awarded the Distinguished Service Medal for the Palembang raid. Mike has done terrific work in making sure that their stories live for all time, without which they would be lost to history.”

The book’s publisher, Jenny Knowles of Little Knoll Press agreed. “I believe it’s important that these stories should be told, because history easily gets rewritten and it can’t be rewritten if it is truly from a memoir. These precious gentlemen, the clarity of their memories and the importance of the things that they remember really should be there for people to know about in the future and now.”

(There are links below to other books by Mike Roussel.).

Owl at Midnight – BOOK LAUNCH at Waterstones Llandudno

Owl at Midnight
a story of Gwenllian, the lost Princess of Wales

Thursday, 16th November 2017, on the promenade at Llandudno, North Wales, was the first time that author, Patricia Lennan, held in her hand a copy of her historical novel,
Owl at Midnight – a story of Gwenllian, the lost Princess of Wales.

It was a big day . . . the culmination of six years of writing and research of the 13th century events that shaped the life of the last native Princess of Wales, Gwenllian, the only child of Llywelyn ap Gruffydd and Eleanor de Montfort.

In foreground members of the Copper Writers, Wales. http://www.literaturewales.org/writer-group/copper-writers/

The BOOK LAUNCH at Waterstones, Llandudno, brought together a large crowd to celebrate with Patricia.

 

 

 

It was a long awaited day for members of The Princess Gwenllian Society.

Members of The Princess Gwenllian Society. http://www.princessgwenllian.co.uk/

Patricia spent time talking with the guests.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Patricia gave a short speech about how she had come to write Owl at Midnight.

Her inspiration was a visit to the birthplace of Gwenllian, at Abergwyngregyn, near Llandudno.

Pen y Bryn, formerly Garth Celyn, Abergwyngregyn, the birthplace of Princess Gwenllian.

Patricia explained, “I was shown the room where it is thought Eleanor de Montfort gave birth to Gwenllian, the tunnel which led to the sea and other tunnels which once led to the mountains above.

It was here where my story was born.”

Owl at Midnight tells Gwenllian’s known story; the last native Princess of Wales, she was taken as a baby by King Edward’s men and shut away in Sempringham Priory at his command.

There, in the Lincolnshire nunnery, she grew up and took her vows, never knowing her real identity.

Patricia brings to life a young woman pushing at the boundaries and questioning the rules that confine her. But she doesn’t leave her there. Outside the Priory, hopes rise to restore the rightful Princess to the Principality of Wales . . . and here possibilities open up that could have changed the course of history.

Owl at Midnight
a story of Gwenllian, the lost Princess of Wales
ISBN: 978-0-9935078-3-0

Paperback book, 364 pages, with map, Welsh royal family tree, plus pen illustrations heading each chapter.

Purchase from bookshops and Welsh castles and tourist outlets

OR order from this website
Book price – £9.99
P&p by country. 

If your country is not listed in the postal prices, please email Jenny on mail@littleknollpress.co.uk