Monday 30 April 2012

NEW BOOK - Eastbury Halt, Stations of the GWR series

A beguiling history of one of the long vanished stations on the Great Western Railway.

Eastbury Halt was never one of the busiest stations on the GWR, and now is no more. There were often more milk churns on the platform than passengers, but the station still had a special place in this tiny village and occupied one of the most scenic sites of any railway station.

In this book we learn when Eastbury Halt was built and why. The impact the station had on the surrounding area is explained and the type of freight and passengers that used the station are explained.

The book also takes a look at the rolling stock of the Lambourn Valley Railway (LVR) on which line this station stood.

In 1905 the LVR was taken over by the GWR and the entire branch line was upgraded and brought to GWR standards. The line remained open until 1964, but is now closed, the tracks lifted and the stations gone. How this station was affected is described.

This book is one of the Lambourn Valley Railway series that looks in detail at the stations along that now closed branch line. The Lambourn Valley Railway series is part of the Stations of the Great Western Railway collection published by Bretwalda Books.


About the AuthorCharles D’Arvelle is a railway enthusiast who has a particular fascination with closed branch lines. He has spent many happy hours tracing the locations of closed stations, abanoned sidings and lost railway tracks. He declares it is a great way to get out and explore the British countryside.


You can buy the Kindle version HERE
You can buy other ebook formats HERE

You can join the discussion the FaceBook page HERE

Thursday 26 April 2012

NEW BOOK East Garston Station, part of the Stations of the GWR series

An enjoyable history of one of the long vanished branch line stations on the Great Western Railway. 

East Garston is no more. The site remains, but there is little to show where this once bustling village railway station and its level crossing once stood. East Garston handled a wide variety of agricultural freight, as well as passengers and parcels.

In this book we learn when East Garston was built and why. The impact the station had on the surrounding area is explained and the type of freight and passengers that used the station are explained.

The book also takes a look at the history of the Lambourn Valley Railway (LVR), the little independent railway company that built the branch line and operated it for some years before selling to the GWR.

In 1905 the LVR was taken over by the GWR and the entire branch line was upgraded and brought to GWR standards. The line remained open until 1964, but is now closed, the tracks lifted and the stations gone. How this station was affected is described.

This book is one of the Lambourn Valley Railway series that looks in detail at the stations along that now closed branch line. The Lambourn Valley Railway series is part of the Stations of the Great Western Railway collection published by Bretwalda Books


Buy the Kindle edition HERE
Buy other ebook formats HERE

Join the Stations of the GWR Facebook page HERE

Tuesday 17 April 2012

Bretwalda Books at the London Book Fair

Bretwalda Books was out in force at the London Book Fair yesterday, and some of us are back again today. We had a busy day meeting with printers, IT types, foreign rights specialists and app developers. All very interesting and it will be fascinating to see what develops.

Our authors seem to have found the whole Book Fair to be fascinating. It was the first time some had been to the trade fair and some of what goes on came as a surprise, and a fascination. We managed to video interviews with the authors who were present and will be putting them up on this blog as soon as they are edited.

After all the business was concluded we repaired to a nearby Italian restaurant for a rather jolly lunch. All in all, a cracking day out.

Thursday 12 April 2012

NEW BOOK - Puss in Boots

A retelling of the classic fairy tale for 21st century youngsters by a master storyteller. 

We are all familiar with Puss in Boots, of course, but there is a lot more to him than a pair of boots. What about the hungry snake or the rabbits? The story as we usually hear it today is a very much shortened version of the original.

Fairy Stories have been told for hundreds and hundreds of years. No one really knows when they started or who first wrote them  - or told them I expect. They probably started before many people could read or write.

Anyway they have been told and retold and everyone who tells them alters them a little bit to suit themselves or to please the people listening.
So Grandma Chatterbox when she was younger (which was a long time ago) went round and about and over the hills and far away searching for the oldest versions of Fairy Tales which she could find.

So now Grandma Chatterbox is going to tell you Fairy Stories as close to the oldest versions that she can get. After all it is part of every child’s education to know all the traditional tales.

Puss in Boots was originally a French folk tale, written down by Charles Perrault in 1695.

Grandma Chatterbox just loves the old stories, and simply adores telling them to young children. The vocabularly and grammar in these stories is specially adapted to be suitable to younger children. When your children get a little bit older and start to learn to read you will find that the vocabulary contains words that they will be learning. Increase the type size on your tablet or other device and you can read along with your children.

So, are you ready for a story? Good, then I will begin...

* Dedicated FaceBook page for the Crandma Chatterbox ebooks is HERE

You can buy the Kindle version of the ebook HERE

You can buy other ebook format versions HERE

Tuesday 10 April 2012

NEW BOOK - Great Shefford Station - Stations of the GWR

An engaging history of one of the lost branch line stations on the Great Western Railway.


You can buy the ebook HERE


 Visit the Facebook Page for this series of books HERE
 
Great Shefford Station is no more. Although it was once a bustling village station with a thriving trade in timber felled in nearby woods, there is little left on the ground to show where this railway station once stood. Some of the older residents can still remember the trains rattling through the station and on up to Lambourn

In this book we learn when Great Shefford Station was built and why. The impact the station had on the surrounding area is explained and the type of freight and passengers that used the station are explained.

The book also takes a look at the timetables and operation of the Lambourn Valley Railway (LVR) on which line this station stood.

In 1905 the LVR was taken over by the GWR and the entire branch line was upgraded and brought to GWR standards. The line remained open until 1964, but is now closed, the tracks lifted and the stations gone. How this station was affected is described.

This book is one of the Lambourn Valley Railway series that looks in detail at the stations along that now closed branch line. The Lambourn Valley Railway series is part of the Stations of the Great Western Railway collection published by Bretwalda Books


About the Author
Charles D’Arvelle is a railway enthusiast who has a particular fascination with closed branch lines. He has spent many happy hours tracing the locations of closed stations, abanoned sidings and lost railway tracks. He declares it is a great way to get out and explore the British countryside.

Wednesday 4 April 2012

NEW BOOK - Sleeping Beauty, Another Grandma Chatterbox Fairy Tale

A retelling of the classic fairy tale for 21st century youngsters by a master storyteller. 

We are all familiar with Sleeping Beauty, of course, but there is a lot more to her than a good long sleep. She did not just marry the handsome prince who woke her up and live happily ever after. Dear me, no. The story as we usually hear it today is a very much shortened version of the original.

Fairy Stories have been told for hundreds and hundreds of years. No one really knows when they started or who first wrote them  - or told them I expect. They probably started before many people could read or write.

Anyway they have been told and retold and everyone who tells them alters them a little bit to suit themselves or to please the people listening.
So Grandma Chatterbox when she was younger (which was a long time ago) went round and about and over the hills and far away searching for the oldest versions of Fairy Tales which she could find.

So now Grandma Chatterbox is going to tell you Fairy Stories as close to the oldest versions that she can get. After all it is part of every child’s education to know all the traditional tales.

Grandma Chatterbox just loves the old stories, and simply adores telling them to young children. The vocabularly and grammar in these stories is specially adapted to be suitable to younger children. When your children get a little bit older and start to learn to read you will find that the vocabulary contains words that they will be learning. Increase the type size on your tablet or other device and you can read along with your children.

So, are you ready for a story? Good, then I will begin..

Join the Conversation and find out more on the dedicated FACEBOOK PAGE for the Crandma Chatterbox ebooks.

Tuesday 3 April 2012

First ebook sale of April 2012

Our first ebook sale this month was a copy of Hitler's Forgotten Secret Weapon by Leonard James, sold in the UK.

Product Description

The last great untold story of World War II, the career of Hitler’s “Super Fighter” intended to destroy the RAF in the Battle of Britain and why it never succeeded.

The super-secret Heinkel He113 fighter was designed to be a high-speed, high-altitude fighter that could outperform, outgun and outfight any other aircraft in the world when it entered service with the Luftwaffe in 1940. Hitler’s airforce commander, Hermann Goring declared that the Spitfire was “so much scrap metal”. As the Battle of Britain opened the RAF issued directives to pilots about the new Superjaegar, or Super Fighter, and squadrons of these aircraft were met in combat over the Channel.

Yet all was not what it seemed. There was a fatal flaw at the heart of the Superjaegar Projekt that meant that the aircraft would never achieve its potential and so would become Hitler’s forgotten secret weapon.

In this fascinating book the author traces the development of the He113 Wonder Fighter from the drawing board at Heinkel to the war torn skies over Britain in the fateful summer of 1940.

About the Author
Rupert Matthews has written over 150 books for different publishers, achieving significant sales in a variety of markets both in the UK and abroad. His works have been translated into 19 languages and have been shortlisted for a number of awards. Rupert has been a freelance writer for 20 years, working in-house at a major book publisher before going freelance.

About the Author

Leonard James is the son of an RAF veteran who fought in the Battle of Britain until wounded. Leonard grew up in a household dominated the RAF, and later married the daughter of an RAF squadron leader. This is his first book about the RAF, but is far from being the last.

Buy your Kindle copy HERE.
Buy your copy on other formats HERE.

RAF Hurricane fighters on patrol