EILEEN APPEARS IN THE SOUTH WALES ECHO!

Hot off her success at The People's Book Prize awards ceremony and her British Empire Medal (BEM), Eileen finds herself getting some well-deserved recognition for her achievments in today's edition of the South Wales Echo:

Eileen Younghusband with her award-winning book 'One Woman's War'.

EILEEN WINS PEOPLE'S BOOK PRIZE!

Candy Jar Books is pleased to announce that author Eileen Younghusband has been named winner of The People’s Book Prize in the non-fiction 2012/2013 category.

From left to right: TPBP Winners: Griselda Heppel (Ante’s Inferno), Tatiana Wilson (TPBP Founder),
Eileen Younghusband (One Woman’s War), Frederick Forsyth CBE (TPBP Patron), Tony Humpreys
(TPBP Director), Amy Elliott-Smith (A Guide to Becoming Distinctly Average), William Ayot (E-Mail
From the Soul)

Beating the competition of twelve other entries, it marks a proud moment in Eileen’s extraordinary life, as well as being a significant development in Candy Jar’s publishing career. The national literary prize, The People’s Book Prize had been accepting votes since reopening on May 21st. Candy Jar Books had two finalists shortlisted for the prize, Terry Cooper and Eileen Younghusband. Both published by Cardiff-based Candy Jar Books, 91-year-old Eileen Younghusband’s book One Woman’s War had been shortlisted in the non-fiction category while Terry Cooper’s Kangazang!: Star Stuff beat other titles to become a nominated finalist in the fiction category of the competition.

 

With this proud victory comes another day of celebration. Tomorrow (Thursday) Eileen is attending a Buckingham Palace garden party to receive her British Empire Medal (BEM). The British Empire Medal is awarded to individuals for civil or military service worthy of recognition by the Crown.

Eileen was overjoyed in getting the prize. She said: “I would like to thank everybody for voting for me. I am delighted. However, I do feel some of the recognition must go to the small band of women who went to war and contributed to victory in the Filter Rooms of RAF Fighter Command in the defence of Britain. I dedicate this award to all of them.”

The People’s Book Prize is a literary competition open to all published authors and judged solely by the general public. The annual event presented its first awards in 2010 following the death of its founding patron Dame Beryl Bainbridge DBE. Eileen wrote her book to help raise the awareness of the fundamental work of the Filter Room during the Second World War.

One Woman’s War is a personal account of war as a member of the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF). She often conducts talks within the community and has recently appeared on the BBC’s The One Show in a short film discussing V2 rockets. Her book has even been endorsed by the likes of John Barrowman and Carwyn Jones.

Kangazang! Star Stuff is the second book of the hilarious Kangazang! Sci-Fi trilogy. The books have received rave reviews from the likes of former Doctor Who, Colin Baker and Starburst magazine who described his writing as “better than [Douglas] Adams”.

Although both Eileen and Terry are indeed pleased to have made it to the finalists, Eileen’s victory as winner of the non-fiction category serves as a fine example of a thrilling and unique perspective on one of Britain’s ‘darkest hours’, giving readers access to a previously secretive operation. Eileen and Candy Jar Books are both very grateful for all votes received, resulting in a momentous and proud moment for both parties involved.

Eileen wins the TPBP for Non-Fiction

For her next project, Eileen will release a book entitled Men I have Known – a chronicling of her various encounters in 91 years with many men of the world including Dylan Thomas, Idi Amin and Rex Harrison. Beyond the format of autobiography, it will instead focus on the difference and range of all the men that Eileen has met, providing an insightful perspective on the 20th Century and its key moments. Voting reopened on the 21st May and continued until the awards ceremony on 29th May.

One Woman's War by Eileen Younghusband is available as a paperback priced £8.99.

www.onewomanswar.co.uk

www.candyjarbooks.co.uk

PEOPLE'S BOOK PRIZE TONIGHT

A final word of encouragement to those that haven't voted yet for the People's Book Prize: with mere hours away before the winners are announced later on tonight, now is your final chance to have your say in who should be the victor!

With Eileen Younghusband's One Woman's War as part of the line-up (alongside Terry Cooper's Kangazang! Star Stuff) we are officially excited about tonight's event!

We have all worked to create something we are immensely proud of here at Candy Jar, and wish good luck to both Eileen and Terry in what is surely an exciting time for them as well!

Click on the link and cast your vote. You can find Eileen's One Woman's War under the 'non-fiction' category, and Terry Cooper's Kangazang under 'ficton'.

Get on it!:www.peoplesbookprize.com/finalist.php

THE TOUR CONTINUES...

Eileen will be appearing at (or attending) these venues in the next few months:

September 12th
The Official Opening of the Battle of Britain Memorial Museum in Bentley Priory, the Wartime HQ of Fighter Command, under Air Chief Marshal Dowding, where she once served, to be opened by a member of the Royal family and where Pat Robins, the writer, and Eileen will be demonstrating how they worked in the Filter Room tracking the aircraft picked up by Radar and identifying them as friend or foe, in order to initiate fighter interception. 

August 3rd - 4th 
Eileen will be spending two days at Llancalach Fawr, the Manor House. This is a World War II reenactment weekend (where Hugh Turnbull is acting as commentator). Eileen is giving a talk each day on the Filter Room and will also be available for people to talk with her.

September 15th
Special service for the RAF at St. Paul’s Cathedral to commemorate the Battle of Britain

September 26th
Talk in Barry to All Saint’s Mothers! Union on the Filter room

October 3rd
Talk on Education during my Life – Teaching and Learning for the Retired Head Teachers Association in a Cardiff Hotel

FAIRWATER LIBRARY CELEBRATES WORLD BOOK NIGHT

Candy Jar has joined forces with Fairwater Library to celebrate ‘World Book Night’ on 23rd April with a special author signing at Fairwater Library. The event, which features two of Candy Jar’s top authors, Eileen Younghusband and Barbara Pontin, is expected to be popular with local residents.

First to appear will be former WAAF, Eileen Younghusband, who has written her memoirs of WW2, entitled One Woman’s War.

The book reveals the truth about the forgotten wartime women, barely out of their teens, who were employed for this critical job because they were quicker than men. It also has contributions from Dame Vera Lynn and Emma Soames. Emma Soames, who is Winston Churchill’s granddaughter and editor-at-large at Saga Magazine, believes that this story must be heard. She says: “It is excellent to be reminded what a great debt we owe to this group of brave, dedicated young women who, in a highly charged and stressful situation, where time was of the essence, did so much to save our country from destruction.

Now in her 91st year, Eileen has appeared on BBC Radio Wales, BBC Breakfast, and has contributed to a documentary series "WW2: The Last Heroes”. She has also been in talks with a production company about turning aspects of her life into a drama series.

For 83-year-old Barbara Pontin it is almost like coming home. She worked in the Fairwater Library for twenty years and is excited to be returning as a published author. Barbara began writing her book, Merlys, in her early forties. She says: “With a family to look after it became increasingly difficult to devote my time to the book, and although I did have some interest from Hollywood, I put the manuscript away and forgot about it.”

Early in 2011 Barbara came across the 40-year-old manuscript and decided to breathe new life into the 18th century story of murder, anguish and love across the Welsh valleys. She continues: “I wanted my story to reach as many people as possible, so I contacted Candy Jar Books in Cardiff. They were very supportive, but did encourage me to start the book with a shock. I don’t think they expected it to be so blood-curdling though.”

Barbara is quietly pleased by the reaction to the pre-release of Merlys. Mischievously she says: “My friends have been very shocked by this book. They didn’t know that I had it in me. Most thought butter would not melt in my mouth. It has been fun to prove them wrong!”

Shaun Russell, director at Candy Jar Books, is very proud of Eileen and Barbara. He says: “At Candy Jar we like to support new talent. Barbara Pontin’s Merlys is quite a brave book. It takes romantic fiction into a slightly gruesome world of wreckers and highwaymen. On the other hand, Eileen Younghusband’s One Woman’s War describes WW2 in considerable detail. It is an important account of women’s contribution to the Allied victory in 1945. Eileen's story is an inspiration to us all.”
Eileen Younghusband will be at Fairwater Library between 11am-1pm, with Barbara Pontin there between 2pm- 4pm.

One Woman's War is out now. Merlys is available in August.