Children’s author Stephanie Varah from north Nottinghamshire celebrated the launch of her first book by hosting a family event and encouraging budding authors to take part in her writing competition.

The Woodsman, which went on sale on Saturday (23^rd
November), tells the tale of Amos, Keeper of the Forest for King Charles I, who by some strange alchemy finds himself stranded in the 21^st century.

Amos’ fate depends entirely on a motley band of animal companions who have a simple and unique view of the world. Folklore and legend entwine with the here and now to create a heart-warming tale of magic and adventure as Amos tries to get back to his own time.

The Woodsman is heavily influenced by Stephanie’s love of animals, her in-depth knowledge of 17^th
century Langhald (now known as Langold) and local folklore. She brings mediaeval Langhald and Letwell to life in this heart-warming, delightful and at times laugh-out-loud story.

Last weekend, along with publisher JJ Moffs, Stephanie hosted her first book launch at Letwell Village Hall near Worksop. Keen readers of all ages attended the family fun event, taking part in creative activities and purchasing copies of The Woodsman for Stephanie to sign.

To coincide with the launch of the book, Stephanie challenged local primary school children to take part in a creative writing competition.

To enter, children up to 11 years old were invited to write a short story based in a woodland or forest that includes at least one enchanted character that takes the form of an animal.

Children from surrounding villages in the Bassetlaw region attended the launch to submit the first round of creative entries in the hope of being awarded the overall winner’s prize – a year’s family membership at the Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust.

One winner from each of the four age groups will also be selected to receive a signed certificate of achievement from Stephanie when the winners are announced in the new year.

More than 30 creative entries were received at last weekend’s launch event for judging.

Stephanie said: “I can’t quite believe that after all these years The Woodsman is finally in print and now on sale! It’s an incredibly exciting time.”

The Woodsman is set for general release, alongside its national launch, on Saturday 30^th
November, which also happens to be Tree Charter Day, a national movement established to protect trees.

“I think it’s very important to give back to nature what we use,” Stephanie explained, “so I, and JJ Moffs, will plant 200 trees through the Woodland Trust, one for each of the first 200 books sold.

“The national launch this weekend coincidently runs parallel to a Chris Packham documentary named ‘Plant a Tree to Save the World’ that airs this week on Channel 5. I am delighted to think that we are contributing towards restoring our environment and the trees, like those that feature in the imagery of my story, will be here long into the future.”

Jane Moffett, Director of JJ Moffs, said: “The Woodsman is such a special book. It’s a heart-warming tale of how a free-spirited hound, a food-obsessed cat and his bossy, opinionated sister set out to find a window through time and send Amos back 400 years to Langhald, often with hilarious consequences.

“The author has drawn these endearing animals beautifully and their banter is so funny. If you love animals, you will adore The Woodsman.”

The national launch of The Woodsman will take place this Saturday (30^th November) from 11am onwards at Idle Valley Nature Reserve, near Retford.

Further entries for the children’s short story writing competition can be submitted at this event for judging, where an overall winner and runners up for each age group will be decided.

To order a copy of The Woodsman, or to see other titles, visit www.jjmoffs.co.uk/shop