We were delighted to host the launch of Steve Skinley’s debut in children’s fiction at the beginning of October. So many people joined us for a busy and fun event to mark the release of a new children’s book which reveals the hidden corners of Cirencester in a magical new adventure – visitors were queuing in the street!
The Otherlands began its life as a memoir. When artist and musician Steve Skinley sat down to write an account of his childhood adventures, his story took an unusual turn. Memories of a magical side of Cirencester rose to the surface and inspired him to write a new children’s adventure story for ages 8+.
“As a child I was very much at the mercy of my imagination, and my memories of growing up here in the 1970s have never left me. As soon as I started writing about my adventures in City Bank, at the allotments, the pig sheds and along the old railway line, the characters presented themselves. Trolls, the Oak Mother and the sinister Bowelcreep – they’d always been there.”
Steve Skinley
Images: Author Steve Skinley at the launch in the Crumps Barn Studio bookshop in Cirencester
Published on 5 October, The Otherlands is a voyage into the magical heart of the Cotswolds, in an adventure that looks set to appeal to grown up readers too.
“The locations featured in the book are real locations which as kids we would visit and explore almost everyday. Most of them are still there today; the pig sheds, the culvert, the railway arch and the mill house.
“As kids, we would walk to school every morning and try to scare each other, talking about the clown that lived in the copse, or the troll hole near the old railway arch. Grandparents seemed to delight in telling stories to their grandchildren about the ghost that haunted the Golden Farm pub.
“As a child, my imagination often got the better of me and I would be convinced that I was going to encounter one of these beings at some point.”
Steve Skinley
Images: the culvert, the pig sheds and the old railway bridge in Cirencester all feature in the book
When Steve first approached us with his manuscript, the elements which stood out for us were its originality and the warmth and charm of the main character, who is aptly called Steven. Editor Lorna Brookes says, “It has been so much fun publishing a story filled with magical realism set in the town I know so well. I think I can safely say this story is for everyone.”
We’re delighted to announce that signed copies of The Otherlands are available exclusively from Octavia’s Bookshop in Cirencester, the award winning children’s bookshop.
The book is also available in paperback and ebook from UK bookshops and online retailers, and direct from us of course!
Available now in paperback and ebook!
