A former BBC radio DJ has released her “magical” debut novel Gingerbread Children – a tale of fantasy, family secrets, mystery, murder and… baking!
Centring around The University of Nature, where witches have been trained for longer than history can remember – But what is it about?
When the most senior witch dies, there’s a power vacuum at the top which can only be filled by the right person. Who will it be?
Nothing is certain until the envelope is opened – and not even then, especially when one candidate disappears and suspicion falls on another.
Add to that an ancient spell causing havoc and the building of a confectionery cottage and it’s the perfect recipe for a page-turner.
Funny and captivating, it’s a gripping story of greed and generosity, friendship and fury, cats, children and mounting odds against the most important of deadlines.
Everything comes to a head in a tense and dramatic hostage situation to save not only people’s lives but the future of witchcraft itself.
Readers are already comparing Gingerbread Children to the work of Sir Terry Pratchett, which Carol is thrilled by.
“I couldn’t be happier that people are drawing that comparison”, she said.
“When I first read his book Mort many years ago, it opened my eyes to the possibility of where a story could go.
“Having written lots of poetry and short stories, it was a challenge to see if I could sustain an idea across the much broader canvas of a full-length novel.
“Many drafts and edits later, I’m happy that I’ve done that and the feedback so far from readers is overwhelmingly positive.”
Although Gingerbread Children is her first novel, she is currently editing a second, plotting a third and working on a collection of short stories.
As if that wasn’t enough, she writes poetry and short stories for the website The Reaper (www.thereaper.rip/fiction) and edits and illustrates the Grunty Fen series of books for Christopher South.
Carol said: “Writing is second nature to me; I love the rhythms and nuances of language and there’s rarely a day goes by that I don’t write something.
“Whether it’s coming up with something completely new or re-writing an old familiar tale from a fresh perspective, I get immense satisfaction from creating a story that wasn’t there before.
“I really enjoy crafting a piece of work, finding exactly the right word to convey my meaning and produce the best story possible.
“And – being an inveterate giggler – if I can make the reader laugh or smile as well, so much the better.”
Gingerbread Children is – in the author’s own words – suitable for adults of all ages, and is available for £9.99 from Burrows Bookshop in Ely, direct from the publishers McCaw Press (www.mccawmedia.co.uk) or from Amazon.
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