New Lucy Wilson Announced

Candy Jar Books is pleased to announce that the third The Lucy Wilson Mysteries novel, The Midnight People, is now up for pre-order, exclusively from the Candy Jar and Lethbridge-Stewart websites.

The Midnight People is written by John Peel. John Peel has a long affiliation with Doctor Who prose fiction. In the late 1980s he was personally picked by Dalek creator Terry Nation to novelise the remaining 1960s Dalek serials, including the epic twelve-part story The Daleks’ Masterplan and Patrick Troughton’s debut, The Power of the Daleks. He was also the author chosen to launch the very first original Doctor Who prose novel, Timewrym: Genesys, in 1991.

Shaun Russell, head of publishing at Candy Jar, says: “John has written two Lethbridge-Stewart books for us, The Grandfather Infestation and The Life of Evans, both of which have been very popular. I always wanted him to tackle a Lucy Wilson story. He’s very adept at focusing on character and I wanted something that was dark and moody, and John, as I expected, did not disappoint.”

The Midnight People is reminiscent of the HTV series Children of the Stones but with a modern twist. John says: “Lucy and Hobo are lovely characters to write for. They aren’t superheroes, they’re just youngsters who rely on their wits and their courage, and have to fight off fears and insecurity. Are they seeing more than is there? And, if not, can two teens save the world – again? Plus, of course, I’ve introduced another of my odd aliens.”

On November 29^th 2018 Candy Jar officially releases the second The Lucy Wilson Mysteries: Curse of the Mirror Clowns by Chris Lynch. This spin-off from Candy Jar’s Lethbridge-Stewart range (featuring the Brigadier’s granddaughter) has been available exclusively to fans of Doctor Who since May, but now it will be made available to the wider public.

Head of publishing at Candy Jar, Shaun Russell, says: “It seems that people are really embracing Lucy and Hobo. We will be launching Curse of the Mirror Clowns at the Turn Left Doctor Who Convention in Cardiff on 1^st December in Cardiff. Chris will there talking about the book, as well as Simon A Forward, Alyson Leeds, Andy Frankham-Allen and myself.”

Turn Left also features Louise Jameson, Matthew Waterhouse, film actress Sarah Douglas, illustrator and painter Chris Achilléos, former Doctor Who Script Editor Andrew Cartmel, and music composer Mark Ayres.

Blurb for The Midnight People:

Monknash was once home to a band of smugglers, but it is now dull and boring. Except to Greg Morton, who’s absolutely terrified something unimaginable has happened to everyone in the village.

He telephones his friend, Hobo, to ask for help. When Hobo and Lucy arrive, they discover that something odd is definitely going on – but what? People seem joyless and dull, showing no emotions at all.

Even Greg, who now insists that he was joking, seems very different. Why are people walking toward the cliffs at the stroke of midnight? Who is the lady in the wheelchair? What are the villagers trying to protect What are the villagers trying to protect in the caves? And why can’t the local policeman see anything strange?

Can Lucy and Hobo take on an entire village by themselves? And why can’t the local policeman see anything strange? Can Lucy and Hobo take on an entire village by themselves? And why can’t the local policeman see anything strange?
Can Lucy and Hobo take on an entire village by themselves?

Lucy and her family have been featured in two recent Lethbridge-Stewart short stories: Lucy Wilson by Sue Hampton (The HAVOC Files 3) and The Two Brigadiers by Jonathan Macho (The HAVOC Files 4). Added to this, she and her family will also make an appearance in the upcoming releases Lethbridge-Stewart: Lineage and The Laughing Gnome: Lucy Wilson and the Bledoe Cadets. 

The Life of Evans – Cover Art!

Candy Jar Books is pleased to release the cover art for the upcoming Lethbridge-Stewart spin-off novella, The Life of Evans, with artwork by Richard Young.

Shaun Russell, head of publishing, says: “We had great feedback from Richard’s Blood of Atlantis cover. His style harks back to the classic era of Doctor Who, and we wanted to showcase this talent across a number of books. As a result we have commissioned him for all three novellas.”

Richard says: “One of my favourite artists is Drew Struzan, the man responsible for some the most iconic poster designs of the 20^th century, including Back to the Future, Indiana Jones and Star Wars. I would never compare myself to him, but I do try to follow his traditional design philosophy. Shaun, who is also a fan of his work, wanted the novellas to embrace this hand-drawn style.”

Shaun, and Range Editor Andy Frankham-Allen, decided that they wanted the novellas to have their own distinct look. Andy says: “The main range evolved into a circular motif, so for the novellas we thought we could do something slightly different. Diamond shapes are a standard element of classic Doctor Who, notably the logo used from 1974 to 1979, and it seemed an obvious thing to echo here. Shaun worked with Richard to develop the overall concept, while I continued my focus on the stories.”

Richard adds: “Once we’d fixed on the idea, I started work on the individual elements for the composition. Candy Jar prefers the artwork for the covers to be submitted as separate elements, rather than a single completed piece of artwork. I’m sure Drew Struzan has never done this, but it does allow for a greater flexibility when I am creating elements individually, or as a whole. So this cover is actually made up of several illustrations; Evans, the train and explosion, the standing stones, the sunset, the old man, and finally his hand.”

New blurb: Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart never could work out what to do with Private Gwynfor Evans. He never got on with the troops, was always shirking responsibility. So a reassignment to Imber was in order, and a whole new training programme under the watchful eye of Captain Younghusband.

Things seemed to be working out, Evans even made a new friend in the shape of Private Tommy Godber, but things soon take a sinister turn when Evans finds himself the prisoner of a strange alien intelligence. The spearhead of a new invasion. But before it continues in its plan, the alien seems oddly curious about the life of Evans…

These novellas will be released throughout 2017, strictly limited to 400 copies each (Candy Jar has already sold 200 of the 400). The Life of Evans will be followed by Day of the Intelligence by Andy Frankham-Allen, and The Flaming Soldier by Christopher Bryant. Each can be pre-ordered separately, or as part of a discounted bundle.

The Life of Evans tells the untold story of Private Evans, everybody’s favourite Welsh slacker. John Peel, the author, says: “Part of the fun of writing this kind of story is inventing new menaces. This time I got to create two – only one of which was alien. Another part of the fun is doing terrible things to our favourite characters, and I certainly put poor old Evans through the wringer. I think he’ll survive it.”

Also included in this book is a bonus short story by Robert Mammone, called Time and Again. The story serves as a sequel to the 1985 Doctor Who television serial Timelash, and is a prequel to the forthcoming spin-off series, Travers & Wells, revealing more of the mystery that was first seen at the end of the novel, Times Squared. Travers & Wells will be a new novella series, echoing the novellas of HG Wells, such as The War of the Worlds.

The Life of Evans is available for pre-order now, for £12.99 (+ p&p), and will be which published in hardback, with a strict print-run of only 400 copies. You can pre-order individually or as part of the discounted novella UK bundle for only £38.40, saving £9.57, or an international bundle for only £55.59, saving £7.40. Order early to avoid disappointment. Only available directly from Candy Jar Books at: http://www.candy-jar.co.uk/books/thelifeofevans.html

New Hardback Novella Range Announced

Candy Jar Books is pleased to announce its brand new limited edition Lethbridge-Stewart novella range!

Three new hardback novellas will be released throughout 2017, strictly limited to 400 copies each. March sees the release of The Life of Evans by John Peel, with Day of the Intelligence by Andy Frankham-Allen following in May, and The Flaming Soldier by Christopher Bryant in July. Each can be pre-ordered separately, or as part of a discounted bundle.

Head of Publishing, Shaun Russell, says: “We’re very excited to announce these novellas, a way to tell stories that may not necessarily work as full-length works, giving us a chance to explore different corners of the Lethbridge-Stewart universe. We’re launching this new range with three very special releases, all with very specific goals.”

Day of the Intelligence is released to celebrate fifty years of the Great Intelligence, telling the official origin story, fully authorised by Haisman & Lincoln, with The Flaming Soldier being released to commemorate the World War II hero, Eileen Youghusband.

But first comes The Life of Evans, which tells the untold story of Driver Evans, everybody’s favourite Welsh slacker.

Range Editor Andy Frankham-Allen says: “I always had a plan to develop Evans beyond the obvious cliches of his television appearance, but it turned out to be one-too-many character arcs for the series. As such Evans disappeared after 2016’s The Grandfather Infestation. Fortunately, the idea of the novellas came along, and due to the popularity of Evans, I decided it made sense to explore Evans’ character arc in the first novella. John Peel was the obvious choice; he writes quickly, and works very well to spec, and since we’ve had a lot of readers ask for more Peel, it seemed the perfect opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. And, naturally, John nailed it.”

John Peel says: ”Part of the fun of writing this kind of story is inventing new menaces. This time I got to create two – only one of which was alien. Another part of the fun is doing terrible things to our favourite characters, and I certainly put poor old Evans through the wringer. I think he’ll survive it.”

Also included in this book is a bonus short story by Robert Mammone, called Time and Again. The story serves as a sequel to the 1985 Doctor Who television serial Timelash, and is a prequel to the forthcoming spin-off series, Travers & Wells, revealing more of the mystery that was first seen at the end of the novel, Times Squared. Travers & Wells will be a new novella series, echoing the novellas of HG Wells, such as The War of the Worlds.

Frankham-Allen says: “I contacted Glen McCoy in 2016 about using the characters from his Doctor Who adventure, and after a lovely phone call with me explaining my ideas for the series, he was more than happy with what he called ‘a wicked imagination’. Once that was settled, it was just a case of finding the right person to launch the series, so I turned to Robert as I was very impressed with his speed and level of excellence when he wrote us a Halloween story last year.”

Robert Mammone says: “When Andy and I were chatting on Skype about the upcoming novellas it suddenly dawned on him we could set up the range with a prequel short story.  I immediately said yes and then knuckled down to getting the ideas, themes and plot straight. I didn’t want the story to be a direct sequel to Timelash, but I did want to take elements from that story as a way of looking at how those who assume authority after toppling a dictatorship can end up aping some of the actions of those overthrown. And despite the melancholy tone, it was an exciting project to work on – be faithful to the source material, but broaden and deepen the themes to bring them up-to-date with 21st Century sensibilities. I hope everyone enjoys it and stays for the ride that is about to begin!”

The Life of Evans is available for pre-order now, for £12.99 (+ p&p), and will be which published in hardback, with a strict print-run of only 400 copies. You can pre-order individually or as part of the discounted novella UK bundle for only £38.40, saving £9.57, or an international bundle for only £55.59, saving £7.40. Order early to avoid disappointment. Only available directly from Candy Jar Books HERE.

Free Christmas e-book!

Candy Jar Books is pleased to announce a special release for Christmas!

The Xmas Files contains two brand new Christmas stories, plus last year’s The Fright Before Christmas.

The Feast of Evans by Simon A Forward sees the return of Private Evans in his home town of Llanfairfach. While Home for Christmas is a unique look into the lives of the regular characters, plus a few special guests, as they come together to celebrate Christmas in 1969. It is written by many of the Lethbridge-Stewart authors who previously wrote for the series in 2016, including John Peel, Andy Frankham-Allen, Sue Hampton, Adrian Sherlock, Sharon Bidwell, Iain McLaughlin, Tom Dexter, Simon A Forward and Sadie Miller.

Talking about The Feast of Evans, Range Editor Andy Frankham-Allen says: “My original plans for Evans never really took, and so he was carted off from Edinburgh to the 2^nd Battalion at Imber in England. However, his appearances this past year have proven to be quite popular with fans, so I revised my plans and set up his return for 2017. Simon’s Christmas story is a small part of that. It was also an opportunity to bring Samson to the fore, too, and teaming them together is perfect, after their initial not-so auspicious meeting in The Grandfather Infestation.”

Simon A Forward says: “When Andy asked me to do a Christmas story, I was stuck for inspiration. It was September, after all, and I refuse to feel Christmassy before December as a rule. But the idea of it featuring Evans appealed to me, as I’d revisited The Web Of Fear earlier in the year and he’s such a great character. Of course, I imagined he’d been busted out of the army after that, and I think that’s where the idea of a Christmas at home scenario arose. I sort of imagined it as a Christmas episode of his own domestic sitcom.”

Shaun Russell, head of publishing at Candy Jar, says: “It’s always fun to do our seasonal stories, and this one is even more fun as it’s set concurrent with our Christmas special from last year. This story shows us what happened elsewhere while Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart was dealing with alien spheres in London in last year’s The Fright Before Christmas.”

Talking about Home for Christmas, Andy says; “I also had an idea to write a couple of scenes to show what our other regulars were up to while the Brigadier was enjoying Christmas with Sally. And after writing a couple of scenes, a new thought came to me. Wouldn’t it be fun to get as many of our authors involved as possible? I sent out an email, asking for those free to send me a scene, and many responded. And, with a bit of editorial magic, the various offerings have been medled into a little story of Christmas, and what it means to our characters, and allows Lethbridge-Stewart a moment to relax and reflect and his crazy first year fighting aliens.”

Shaun adds: “It’s quite nice to see the many nods to this past year’s stories. We’re not saying who wrote what, but rather let the fans try and work it out. It’s a gift, within a gift.”

The Xmas Files will be available for free on the Candy Jar website over Christmas. http://www.candy-jar.co.uk/books/offers.html

Series four will begin Spring 2017 with Night of the Intelligence by Andy Frankham-Allen, celebrating fifty years since the Great Intelligence first appeared in Doctor Who with 1967’s The Abominable Snowmen. Bringing back another fan-favourite character from that debut story!

Bundles of every series can still be ordered, with subscriptions available both for UK and international customers (however, please check if you are eligible for the subscription deal at the Candy Jar website before subscribing).

Please see http://www.candy-jar.co.uk/books/subscriptions.html for more details.

Candy Jar is also offering a special Christmas promotion for its online customers: Buy Mind of Stone for £8.99 and get Blood of Atlantis for £5. Buy The Forgotten Son and Times Squared for only £8.99. Buy Beast of Fang Rock and Moon Blink for only £8.99. Please see http://www.candy-jar.co.uk/books/offers.html for more details.

Super Weekend Deals!

Candy Jar Books are offering free fantastic deals for new and old readers alike. The offers are available from today (Thursday 21st July) through to Sunday (24th July).

1: Buy THE SCHIZOID EARTH (by David A McIntee) and get BEAST OF FANG ROCK (by Andy Frankham-Allen) free!
2: Buy MOON BLINK (by Sadie Miller) and get THE SHOWSTOPPERS (by Jonathan Cooper) free!
3: Pre-order THE GRANDFATHER INFESTATION (by John Peel) and get it 50% off, plus free short story THE PLAYING DEAD (by Adrian Sherlock)!

Just click either banner to place your order!

The Playing Dead – New Free Short Story

Candy Jar Books is pleased to announce the release of their latest free digital-only short story, The Playing Dead by newcomer Adrian Sherlock.

Adrian Sherlock is an Australian author who created the popular web-set Damon Dark and the Kindle series Sherlock Holmes: Time Detective.

“It’s been a long held dream of mine to write a story about the classic era of Doctor Who and the Lethbridge-Stewart series is a hugely exciting way to do that,” said Adrian. “It was also personally very exciting to write a story which harkens back to classics like The Twilight Zone and The Last Man on Earth, but with a very Who-ish twist. I’m eternally grateful to Andy for the chance to push the brave but unsuspecting Bishop into a world of shadows and dangers.”

Range Editor Andy Frankham-Allen said: “Adrian came to my attention via John Peel. He’s one of the many new voices we’re encouraging through our short story initiative, although we kind of did it backwards with Adrian. A novel pitch (set in his native Australia) led to this short story.”

Blurb: Lieutenant Bishop has survived a dangerous mission in Australia and is looking forward to going home. But he wakes up to find the streets of Darwin are empty; he seems to be the last man on Earth. Until from the shadows come strange creatures. The dead are walking, and they want Bishop. But Bishop has more to worry about than just himself – where is Anne Travers?

Keeping with the experimental nature of the free short stories, The Playing Dead is the first story to focus on Bill Bishop, the ever-popular adjutant to Lethbridge-Stewart. Adrian Sherlock said: “I had a lot of fun getting into the mind of Bishop, a character created especially for this series. It’s telling that he is just as rounded and as interesting as Lethbridge-Stewart and Anne Travers. He is a worthy addition to the role-call of heroes we know and love from the classic era of Doctor Who. A joy to write for.”

Although set within the current narrative of the book series, The Playing Dead moves the story forward half a year. Shaun Russell, Head of Publishing, said: “It’s nice to dip in and out of Lethbridge-Stewart’s life with the short stories, and as we know where the characters will be six months later, namely Australia, we thought it would be fun to give a few hints to our readers.”

The cover art is by Richard Young. “How could I say no to creating something a little different from my usual style? It’s always nice to show people your range. Different strokes for different folks. And, of course, a chance to turn the Brig into a zombie… What’s not to love?”

The Playing Dead will be given free with every pre-order of The Grandfather Infestation by John Peel, which is due out at the end of July. All subscribers will receive the short story automatically, as will those who purchase any of the bundles for the 2016 series.

In addition Candy Jar has created a Spotify Lethbridge-Stewart playlist. http://tinyurl.com/hyynbth

The Grandfather Infestation is now available for pre-order, for £8.99, directly from www.candy-jar.co.uk.

 

Lethbridge-Stewart series 1:

• The Forgotten Son by Andy Frankham-Allen
• The Schizoid Earth by David A McIntee
• Beast of Fang Rock by Andy Frankham-Allen
• Mutually Assured Domination by Nick Walters

Lethbridge-Stewart series 2:

• Moon Blink by Sadie Miller
• The Showstoppers by Jonathan Cooper
• The Grandfather Infestation by John Peel

Lethbridge-Stewart series 3 COMING AUTUMN 2016:

• Times Squared by Rick Cross
• Blood of Atlantis by Simon A Forward
• Mind of Stone by Iain McLaughlin

John Peel Returns!

Candy Jar Books is pleased to announce the return of John Peel to the worlds of Doctor Who prose fiction, as they release the cover art and blurb of the forthcoming Lethbridge-Stewart release, The Grandfather Infestation.

John Peel has a long affiliation with Doctor Who prose fiction. In the late 1980s he was personally picked by Dalek creator Terry Nation to novelise the remaining 1960s Dalek serials, including the epic twelve-part story The Daleks’ Masterplan and Patrick Troughton’s debut, The Power of the Daleks. He was also the author chosen to launch the very first original Doctor Who prose novel, Timewrym: Genesys in 1991, and twenty-five years later he’s back!

John Peel says: “There’s always been something rather special for me when I’m writing in the worlds of Doctor Who. When I wrote Timewyrm: Genesys twenty-five years ago, I was excited the entire time – I couldn’t wait to get to work on the story each morning. And here I am, a quarter of a century later, and the same excitement is still there.”

The Grandfather Infestation is inspired somewhat by the plant horror stories made popular by the likes of John Wyndham. Author Simon Clark, who wrote the official sequel to The Day of the Triffids, says: “Plants are on the march – at least in our imaginations, they are. Doctor Who embraced the theme in The Seeds of Death and The Seeds of Doom, and, no doubt, you can identify many more. And now John Peel gives us The Grandfather Infestation, a fantastically entertaining, and horrifying novel, which suggests that everything that’s green and grows from the earth might not be as harmless as we think.”

Range Editor Andy Frankham-Allen says: “I’ve always been a huge fan of Wyndham’s work, and I knew I wanted something in a similar vein. I asked John to give us something Triffid-esque and he did exactly that. He’s created a nice blend of genres, mixing the best elements of storytelling that you’d find in the works of Robert Banks Stewart and Wyndham, giving it Peel’s own distinctive twist. And John is no stranger to twisting tales, make no mistake. He’s been writing prose fiction beyond Doctor Who continuously for over twenty-five years, and you don’t do that without being good.”

Despite his long association with Doctor Who, this is the first time John Peel has written for the character of Lethbridge-Stewart. “Being allowed to create a new adventure for that stalwart character, Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart, was both an honour and a truly great pleasure. Even writing revisions didn’t seem too much of a chore!”

The cover is by Colin Howard, who previously painted the cover art for Beast of Fang Rock.

Blurb: The late 1960s and pirate radio is at its height.

Something stirs in the depths of the North Sea, and for Radio Crossbones that means bad news.

Lethbridge-Stewart and his newly assembled Fifth Operational Corps are called in to investigate after the pirate radio station is mysteriously taken off the air, and a nuclear submarine is lost with all hands.

The usual discounted pre-order bundles will be on offer from Candy Jar, with a new subscription deal for those wishing to get six books for the price of five!

The Grandfather Infestation is now available for pre-order, for £8.99, directly from www.candyjarbooks.co.uk, due for release at the end of July. (Subscribers and pre-orders all receive a free digital-only short story — to be announced soon.)

Upcoming and Poll Results

Welcome to 2016. The guys at Candy Jar Books have got some great stuff planned for this year, including six titles from the main range and a bonus novella for those who take advantage of the bundle offers (see below for details).

The series returns in the spring with three new titles; Moon Blink by Sadie Miller (co-star of Big Finish’s Sarah Jane Smith range of audio dramas), The Showstoppers by Jonathan Cooper (author of two Space: 1889 novels) and The Grandfather Infestation by John Peel (author of many Doctor Who novelisations and four original Doctor Who novels). Three further titles will be announced in the summer.

But what of 2015? We ran a end-of-year poll in the last few weeks to see what you, the reader, thought of the 2015 titles. The results can be seen below.

For ‘Favourite Novel’ the battle was fierce, with Beast of Fang Rock and Mutually Assured Domination vying for top position, but things changed in the last few days with The Forgotten Son rising rapidly to second place with 26.92% of the votes, with Mutually Assured Domination close behind at third place with 25.96% of the votes. Making the ‘Favourite Novel 2015’ as voted by the readers, Beast of Fang Rock.

 

 

The ‘Favourite Short’ poll saw a clear winner, while the interesting stuff was happening lower in the poll. Initially it seemed that The Ambush was likely to grab second spot, but as the days and weeks passed it was rapidly taken over by both The Cult of the Grinning Man and The Fright Before Christmas, both written by newcomer Tom Dexter. Ultimately the former took second place with 19.18% of the votes, followed by the festive story, with 16.7% of the votes. This left The Dogs of War, which saw Lethbridge-Stewart team up with Counter Measures‘ Gilmore, as winner, and the readers’ ‘Favourite Short 2015’.

Order details for this years titles can be found HERE, including bundle offers (worldwide) and a subscription offer for UK residents only.

SADIE MILLER LAUNCHES LETHBRIDGE-STEWART 2016 RANGE

Candy Jar Books has just released the fourth book in the Lethbridge-Stewart series: Mutually Assured Domination by Nick Walters. Fans who have already received the final instalment may have noticed the very exciting revelation at the end of Walters’ book: Lethbridge-Stewart will return in 2016. And, not only will the publisher be releasing another series of novels, it has been announced that the next book will be written by none other than Sadie Miller!

Candy Jar Books launched the fully licensed Lethbridge-Stewart series in February 2015, with Andy Frankham-Allen’s The Forgotten Son kicking off the venture in style. Three more titles were subsequently released; each met with high praise from fans and the press.

Sadie Miller is set to return to the worlds of Doctor Who with her debut novel, Moon Blink – an exclusive preview of which is printed at the end of Mutually Assured Domination.

Sadie’s book headlines the 2016 series of Lethbridge-Stewart novels, and is published in the spring, followed by The Showstoppers by Jonathan Cooper and The Grandfather Infestation by John Peel. A further three novels will be released in the autumn.

About the books:

Moon Blink by Sadie Miller

A new drug is on the streets, and it appears to have come from the moon. Only, Apollo 11 has only just landed on the moon! Lethbridge-Stewart and Anne Travers are all set to investigate, when Anne receives a very unexpected visitor.

The Showstoppers by Jonathan Cooper

A new TV show is about to hit the airwaves, one connected to a notorious Nazi war criminal. Lethbridge-Stewart and Anne Travers investigate. (Jonathan Cooper is the author of two novels in the Space: 1889 steampunk series, and Doctor Who correspondent for The Independent.)

The Grandfather Infestation by John Peel

Something strange is happening in the North Sea, bringing Pirate Radio to its knees. The Fifth Operational Corps is called in to investigate. (John Peel is the author of countless novels, including several for Star Trek and Doctor Who. But he’s not a DJ.)

Sadie Miller Returns

Gary Russell, former script editor of The Sarah Jane Adventures and long-time family friend of the Millers, said: “When I first heard that Sadie was writing a novel, my initial reaction was ‘ahh, a chip off the old block’– her delightful mum was one of the most creative, sharp and incisive individuals I ever knew. But then I realised I was doing Sadie a disservice, because from the first day I met her, Sadie Miller has always been her own person, utterly talented and rapaciously gifted which, other than encouragement and support, owes nothing to either of her parents and everything to Sadie’s own determination to be brilliant. And with this novel, she’s proven that she is.”

Sadie enjoyed a career as a child actress through many voice-over parts, making her screen debut when she was eight, playing Penny in the BBC film, Royal Celebration. She is best-known to Doctor Who fans for her role in both series of Sarah Jane Smith audio dramas produced by Big Finish in 2002 and 2006. She won much critical acclaim for the role of the wheelchair-bound Planet 3 researcher, Natalie Redfern, particularly in the story Test of Nerve.

She completed courses with the National Youth Theatre, the Royal Court Theatre’s Young Writer’s Programme, and RADA’s Shakespeare Course. She earned a BA in English and Related Literature, and graduated with honours.

Sadie turned from acting in 2011. “After University, I went to drama school and was actually in my final term when mum died. This obviously impacted how I looked at my future and I decided to switch to writing instead so that I could have a little more control and flexibility to be around for my dad.” She is currently working on an original Young Adult novel, having already contributed to anthologies. In 2014 she was a finalist for the Glass Woman prize with Mirandolina.

Sadie is no stranger to Doctor Who, of course. Her father is actor Brian Miller, who has appeared in both Doctor Who and The Sarah Jane Adventures, and her mother is Doctor Who legend Elisabeth Sladen, the actress who won the hearts of millions of Doctor Who fans in the 1970s as Sarah Jane Smith, and once again in 2005 when she brought Sarah back to the modern era of Doctor Who. Elisabeth Sladen sadly passed away in 2011, which led to Sadie distancing herself for some time from Doctor Who fandom.

“I needed time to mourn, to be there for my dad. The constant reminders of my mum, obviously very hard to avoid, were just too painful. But now I feel that the time is right to reconnect with Doctor Who, and the fans,” said Sadie. “My dad did so last year with an appearance in Peter Capaldi’s first episode, and so now it’s my turn. It’s exciting to be writing my first novel, and that it features the Brig adds another layer of importance. He, in the form of Nicholas Courtney, was there when mum debuted as Sarah in 1973, and she was there for his very last on screen appearance as the character in 2008. So in many ways this is important.”

“I almost worked with Sadie a good ten years ago on the second series of Sarah Jane Smith,” said series editor Andy Frankham-Allen, “but alas that did not come to be. We’ve kept in touch since, and as soon as I learned she was switching careers I immediately asked if she wanted to write for the Lethbridge-Stewart range, feeling it may be the right time for her to reconnect with Doctor Who fandom. And bless her, she agreed without a second thought!”

Candy Jar’s Publishing Co-ordinator Hayley Cox said: “It’s a great honour to be here at the start of Sadie’s writing career, working with her on her debut novel. She came to us with an amazing idea and it was a case of how could we not do it.”

The usual discounted pre-order bundles will be on offer from Candy Jar, with a new subscription deal* for those wishing to get six books for the price of five!

*A minimum twelve-month subscription is required, and will be paid in two instalments: First instalment (£22.50) will be taken upon placement of the order, and the second instalment (£22.50) will be taken six months later. If you wish to cancel your subscription, you must do so one month before renewal. After which, the next instalment will be taken for the 2017 series of books. As an added bonus, those who subscribe will receive a free novella.

The Lethbridge-Stewart series of books can now be pre-ordered from Candy Jar Books: www.candyjarbooks.co.uk