I was thrilled to be invited to host a Halloween craft event at Eleven, a gorgeous craft and florist store that has everything from cheeky mugs to gorgeous soap, jewellery, key-rings, decorations, wreaths, bouquets, gift cards and so much more. Beth (the owner) and Chloe were so wonderful and welcoming, and the session was a lot of fun. I was delighted to meet a fan of the first book, Evelyn, and chat with her about all things Bella.
The families who came decorated spooky biscuits, filled out Bella puzzles, designed moths and haunted houses, and coloured sticker sheets.
Being in a florist meant lots of lovely staging!
Art by Seth
I hope you have a happy and fun Halloween. It really is the best time of year!
I was delighted to be asked to perform twice at the Wolves Halloween Ball; in their amazing theatre. The audiences were a fun mixture of parents and children from ages 2 to 12 – and they all seemed to enjoy the sessions on Bella Bright’s Creepy Creatures!
Would you eat a Goliath Tarantula? Apparently they taste like chicken…
Thank you to Wolves, and also to Mark from Waterstones Wolverhampton for supporting me.
What a wonderful day in Bewdley for this event in April 2025 – I was honoured to lead my Amazing Mazes session, inspired by a key setting in Bella Bright and The Witch Tree – Spooktwist maze!
Pictures by official event photographer Kieran Perkington.
My session was interactive, for all ages. I showed people how to create their own mazes…
Thanks to all the organisers and volunteers at the Step Into Stories festival – everything went perfectly. Look out for it next year!
I was delighted to be invited back to the Wolves Museum to celebrate World Book Day with a talk about reading and writing, and Bella Bright of course! It was lovely to meet the visiting children from two local schools who had a mini tour, and then came up to the museum auditorium to join in the bookish fun. Thank you to the Wolves team for organising everything so smoothly!
Follow @wolves.museum on Instagram
Earlier in the week I got to visit Tettenhall College to run some horror writing workshops. Brilliant fun and the children produced some amazing stories… everything from killer puppets to abandoned hospitals! Thank you very much to Vicky and Gill, who organised the visit.
‘The children absolutely loved their sessions and were inspired to write some wonderful horror stories. Thank you!’
linktr.ee/carolynward for all the links, including for my debut, Bella Bright and the Ghost Game.
Thank you to everyone that has supported me, bought the book, booked me for visits, and left a kind review. This whole experience is my dream come true.
Bella Bright and the Witch Tree –
If you go down to the woods today…
Eleven-year-old Bella Bright has invited her three best friends to visit her new cottage, which stands in the shadows of a ruined manor house. As they explore, Bella thinks she catches a glimpse of a pale face in one of the empty windows…who could it be?
Things go from spooky to scary when they get lost in a hedge maze, and find themselves hurled back in time by the mysteriously burnt willow tree growing at the centre. Now trapped in 1713, Bella must uncover the mystery of how the manor was destroyed, find out whose face she saw at the window, and try to get herself and her friends back home to their own time before they are stuck in the past forever.
What a wonderful day – Bella Bright and the Ghost Game won the children’s category – a brilliant surprise. I was so shocked! Thank you to all of the amazing readers and voters. It was lovely to meet so many of you at the signing event after the ceremony.
It was also great to meet the other authors – Tia Fisher, author of Crossing the Line, and winner of the Teen award, the brilliant Jasbinder Bilan- https://www.jasbinderbilan.co.uk/ and the magnetic Josh Silver, best-selling author of Happy Head.
We received a medal, and a piece of unique, hand-blown glass by Tyler, lead artisan at Ruskin Mill Trust, an amazing local college championing traditional skills and crafts.
I’m always being asked for horror book recommendations for readers of all ages… so here you go…
Believe nothing you hear, and only one half that you see. Edgar Allen Poe
There are many excellent horror picture books for ages 3-5 – sweet Halloween spookies. I liked HOW TO MAKE FRIENDS WITH A GHOST by Rebecca Green, which is full of funny practical tips.
Chapter books are for little readers aged around 5-8 years, and you can’t beat Emma Finlayson-Palmer’s Autumn Moonbeam books:
Some books fit into the spaces between age categories: and a brilliantly chilling example is the wonderful The Skull, by Jon Klassen. Customers on Amazon rate it suitable for 4-9 year olds, and it’s both gorgeous and macabre. Great fun to read out loud!
Next comes the MG (Middle Grade) zone, and this age group is full of spooky, scary stories. Parents – in horror terms these stories are like film ratings U/PG/12. They can be quite scary, but usually have a happy ending. My Bella Bright books are also in this category.
YA (Young Adult) is a feast of horror… and reader beware, as these books can contain terrifying stories, and much more adult content. These can include references to (for example) drugs, alcohol, and more visceral deaths. Think film ratings 15/18.
And finally… Adult! (18s) Read with caution… these are some of the books that have terrified me over the years.
Happy reading. Don’t give yourself nightmares…!
It’s your turn to tell me… What are your unmissable horror books?
I was delighted to be invited to this event, and to give a talk about how I developed my writing from GCSE student at Summerhill in the ’90s, to published children’s author.
The school hosted a fantastic book swap, and showcased inspirational art and drama projects. Fellow author RM Francis also did some readings from his books: and gave us a brilliant talk about the unusual and often spooky Black Country.
Look out for this event next World Book Day – and join in the fun.
I offer an interactive powerpoint assembly of approximately 40 minutes; followed by a Q & A session, and then a book signing. The whole event takes around an hour, and works best with up to 200 pupils.
My fee is £60, OR the school/parents purchasing at least 10 books. At the moment I am focusing on local schools (@5 miles from Wolverhampton) so travel fees will be minimal.
Copies of BELLA BRIGHT AND THE GHOST GAME and BELLA BRIGHT AND THE WITCH TREE (out 29th August 2024) are available to buy/pre-order from the usual retailers: linktr.ee/carolynward
The content is suitable for years 4, 5 and 6, with a mild horror theme, including discussion around insects/arachnids.
Recent visit quotes:
“Thank you so much for coming into school and meeting our students. They have loved their time with you and are happily telling their teachers all about you!”
“Thank you again for giving up your time to come in and see our lovely kids about your book and your time as an author. We have had nothing but great feedback about you…”
carolynwardwrites 