Candy Jar Books is proud to announce their first crossover event, as the worlds of Lethbridge-Stewart and The Lucy Wilson Mysteries collide!

Following on from The Laughing Gnome: Rise of the Dominator, book five sees the Brigadier team-up with his granddaughter, Lucy Wilson, in an adventure through time!

In a two-book special, Lucy Wilson & The Bledoe Cadets finally solves a mystery that has been two years in the making, since 2017 and the novels Night of the Intelligence and Avatars of the Intelligence (the very first Lucy Wilson Mysteries). How did Lucy and Hobo end up in 1937 to have a picture taken with young Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart and his brother James?

Range Editor Andy Frankham-Allen sets the scene: ”Ever since The Lucy Wilson Mysteries was devised, Shaun (Russell) and I had in a mind an adventure that would see Lucy team up with the Bledoe Cadets. We knew there was much fun to be had in having a mixed-race teenage girl interacting with children from 1937. We sowed the seeds in the very first novel in The Lucy Mysteries range by having her see a photograph of herself and her grandfather as a child, this was built upon in my own novel, Night of the Intelligence, in which it is revealed that James has memories of Lucy and Hobo. So, it’s been a lot of fun exploring those plot points and finally revealing the truth behind them.”

And the author chosen for that exciting story is first-time novelist Tim Gambrell. Tim’s association with the Lethbridge-Stewart series began when he won a competition to have a character named after him, this was followed by him writing a short story for The HAVOC Files 3. This story, The Bledoe Cadets and the Bald Man of Pengriffen, is what led him to being considered for Lucy Wilson & The Bledoe Cadets.

Andy explains: “From the moment I first read that short story, I knew Tim would get it right. He has a great handle on the Bledoe Cadets, who I created for my novel, The Forgotten Son, and I’m rather protective of them. But Tim ‘got’ them. Of course, the only risk was trusting a first-time novelist with this story. I’m happy to say, it’s a risk that paid off!”

Tim explains something of how it came to pass: “After my short story was published, I pitched another story idea which Andy asked me to develop into a novel proposal. I very much felt, from that point on, that Andy was keeping me on his reserve bench, waiting for the right position to ‘play’ me in. The creative process has been pretty fluid ever since the first writers’ meeting in Cardiff, with a strong sense of collaboration and mutual support between Andy and all of the writers. That’s certainly been appreciated by me, with this being my first published novel. Each of our slots came with a character to focus on, but otherwise we were pretty free to tell the sort of story we wanted to tell. However, my slot came with a shopping list. I was given the title, Lucy Wilson & The Bledoe Cadets, so I knew from the start it would be a cross-franchise book. Some of the book needed to take place in 2018 to mark the 50th anniversary of Lethbridge-Stewart. Added to that, the story would have to feature time travel so that Lucy, Hobo and the Bledoe Cadets could meet. And it couldn’t contradict anything already established regarding the Bledoe Cadets and alien encounters. Finally, it had to be set before the events of 1938 in The Forgotten Son, so that Sir Alistair could spend time with his brother James. That might sound like a whole lot of limitations, but I found it really liberating. It focuses the mind, being given restrictions like that.”

Another unique aspect of the story was that it could be told twice!

Head of Publishing Shaun Russell says: “Once the story was decided, Andy and I bounced back and forth the idea of having the story told from both the Brigadier’s point of view, and Lucy’s. Telling the adventure for the more mature readers in the Lethbridge-Stewart range, and then retelling it for a younger reader as part of The Lucy Wilson Mysteries. We had hoped to release both books simultaneously, but the logistics didn’t make that feasible, especially as, for Tim, it would essentially mean writing one and a half novels at the same time! So, it was decided that Tim would write the Lethbridge-Stewart version first, and then we would sit down to discuss how to approach The Lucy Wilson Mysteries version. Lucy’s own perspective brings with it some unique things, not least a different opening before the Brigadier turns up. Although it’s essentially the same story, both books can be read independently, however reading both version will provide a more fuller take on the story.”

Both books feature artwork by The Beano and Commando artist Steve Beckett, who is responsible for all The Lucy Wilson Mysteries covers (including the logo!).

Blurb:

Sir Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart is still lost in time, cast through his own time stream by the mysterious Gnome.

Answers are presented to him when he meets the architect of his travels, and is told he has one adventure ahead of him. A chance to make sure his legacy is secure. He will be sent to 2018, and a meeting with his granddaughter, the protector of Ogmore-by-Sea, Lucy Wilson.

In 1937, young Ali Lethbridge-Stewart and his brother James find themselves face to face with smugglers, while in 2018 Lucy and Hobo are preparing for a trip to Cornwall.

What connects 1937 and 2018? The Brigadier and Lucy Wilson are about to find out, when they are cast back in time and join the Bledoe Cadets in solving the mystery at Redgate Smithy. The price will be high for at least one of the Cadets. But for the Brigadier and Lucy, it is a chance to understand what truly binds them together, what it is to be a Lethbridge-Stewart!

The Laughing Gnome series will conclude in May with book six, On His Majesty’s National Service by David A McIntee.

The Laughing Gnome: Lucy Wilson & The Bledoe Cadets is available for pre-order for £8.99 (+p&p) and will be released late April.

The Lucy Wilson Mysteries: The Brigadier & The Bledoe Cadets is available for pre-order for £7.99 (+ p&p), and will be released during the summer.

NB: IF YOU HAVE A SUBSCRIPTION, THE LAUGHING GNOME SERIES IS COVERED BY THIS. LUCY WILSON AND THE BLEDOE CADETS IS ALSO INCLUDED IN THE LAUGHING GNOME SIX-BOOK BUNDLE.