Cumbrian Bookworm Corner
The Book Corner
We love to promote local folk doing remarkable things and writing a book is an achievement by any standard. These books are also a perfect Christmas gift for a history buff or a youngster with an active imagination.
John Little
John was raised in West Cumbria and while he may have moved south, his love of the area has not diminished.
He has written several historical novels including ‘The Light Over the Solway’ which recounts the struggles of a Workington family as they face up to a world war. Three of its members serve in different ways, so how will they and the rest of their family cope with a challenge they have never faced before?
‘The Collier’s Daughter’ is set in and around Dearham, Aspatria, Silloth and down to Workington. It recounts real events that took place in the 1890s and while it’s a fictional storyline the places will be familiar to local readers.
West Cumbria has a rich history that blends perfectly with a good tale but sometimes the truth is stranger and John became curious about events in Whitehaven with its chequered past as a coal port, privateer base and stage on the slave triangle.
He found that since 1749 twenty riots have taken place in the town and his book ‘Riotous Whitehaven’ contains accounts of what caused the disturbance, what happened and what the consequences were for those who took part in them. The events described bring some light to what, in some cases, were extraordinary episodes in local history and they reveal the way minds worked in the community back then.
You can find John’s books on Amazon.
Helen Haraldsen
Helen is a librarian at Keswick School, English teacher and horse rider who writes as Helen Haraldsen.
Her early loves were reading, writing, drawing and horses so it’s no surprise that Helen’s first book ‘Little Pearl’ combined so many of her passions. The character Amber Anderson is fictional but Little Pearl and the other ponies really did exist and Helen’s childhood adventures inspired the book.
Pearl was a huge influence on Helen’s life as a child. As her best friend she discovered she could always trust the pony to look after her and taught the young author that ponies, like people, are individuals with their own personalities, strengths and weaknesses.
‘Little Pearl’ came out in March and it wasn’t long before Helen published her second book ‘The Second Best Pony’, which continues ‘Amber’s Pony Tale’ series. The mixture of real-life and fictional characters blend perfectly and Amber’s Pony Tales are page-turners that youngsters will love, and more importantly, eagerly await the new books in the series.
As a librarian, Helen has always loved introducing young people to the book that turns them into a reader and her creations are charming stories that do just that. They are well-written and aimed at 7 to 13-year-olds but Helen has had a great deal of feedback from adults who enjoyed them from a nostalgic standpoint.
Amber’s Pony Tales are an ideal gift for youngsters in search of adventure or adults looking back on some wistful memories.
More information can be found at www.helenharaldsen.co.uk and ‘Amber’s Pony Tales’ on Facebook.
Share It:
