A boy dreams of sleeping on the antlers of a great stag in Christmas story 'Footprints in the Snow'

'Create something fictional. Make sure it's fantasy. Put yourself in the story.' These are the three rules Alice Johnson insists on, when she sets up a writing club at a local care home. To her surprise, the group of six elderly friends need no assistance from her. They jump straight into the task, and what's more, they want to keep their stories hidden as they work, but why the secrecy? And why do they find it so easy to rise to the challenge? After all the stories have been shared at the grand reveal, will Alice ever be able to look at the real world in the same way again? 

Paperback & e-book available at Amazon amzn.to/3dj3YRN & amzn.to/2NxMx56

Read extracts from this book at my read-for-free page  https://www.maggieholman.com/read-for-free/

"So cleverly written, it captured me all the way through. I could not stop reading. I loved Daisy's story the best but I found them all equally moving." (Loes van Willigen)

Four hundred years after the Great Flood of 1607, student Megan Wallace spends the summer in the Forest of Dean to investigate  attitudes to the disaster, but as she begins her research, her rented cottage seems to be giving up some Great Flood secrets of its own. Why is there a reappearing puddle at the front door? Whose footsteps wake her in the night? As Megan searches for answers, the tragedy of the past entwines itself in the present, in a way which Megan will never forget.  

"Great story, read it in one go. History blended with suspense. The story is supplied with the right amount of fear of the unknown and it all comes together at the end. I wanted to keep on reading. Beautifully written and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Looking forward to more from Maggie Holman!" 

(Lisette Veth)

Paperback & e-book available @ Amazon. amzn.to/2yQt4CG & amzn.to/2YQoUHI. Paperback copies are also available at Taurus Crafts & the Dean Heritage Centre, in the Forest of Dean.

In this paranormal short story collection, each of the five stories is set against the backdrop of the Forest of Dean, a beautiful rural landscape in Gloucestershire. Read about why a young widow needed help from a mysterious visitor, how a deer culler got his comeuppance,  why a young mother ran away to write names on trees, why a little girl used her healing powers and who was able to set a ghost child free. Each story uses the atmospheric forest like an emotional mirror, where landscape and feelings are intertwined.

Paperback & e-book available @ Amazon. amzn.to/2sTx1T5 & amzon.to/2JrOAof. Paperback copies are also available at Taurus Crafts & the Dean Heritage Centre, in the Forest of Dean.

This funny picture book for children aged 3-5 is based on the true story of the time my husband took a bat home when he found it in a cave. He hid it in the bathroom cupboard, from where it flew out and gave his Mum a fright. The rhyming text tells the tale and is accompanied by Kirsty Boar's beautiful illustrations in a loud, bold style. 

Here's the opening text to give you a flavour:

'Billy was a bat who wasn't very strong. He was just a little baby, and his toes, they weren't too long.

He flew with his Mum to the top of the cave, to stay there for the winter, their energy to save, 

But the neighbour-bats, they wriggled as they settled down to sleep,

And he dropped to the floor in a little batty heap.' 

This book can be used as a resource to teach young children about the seasons, hibernation, animal habitats and animal welfare - or it can just be read for fun! 

'A delightfully playful adventure that is cleverly rhyming and an appealing story to all genders. My class of 8/9-year-olds enjoyed reading this book and we created various scenarios of the adventures the bat had on its way back to the cave. Thank you Maggie Holman for sharing this lovely story with us.' (Ingrid Sirkin)

'What a great story about a little bat who is unintentionally on an adventure. Many exciting moments for Billy, but luckily all that is well ends well. Maggie wrote the story in clear language and in rhyme! The beautiful and funny illustrations match perfectly to the text. It's a book which children would want to read again and again, and parents and teachers will love to do so!'  (Ellen Weesie)

Paperback available @ Amazon.  amzn.to/3MOcqsC   

In this second children's story set in the Forest of Dean, Caro is walking home, when she comes across a mysterious sheen along the edge of a fir tree branch. She's excited when she finds out that the shining indicates a visit from the magic white stag, which is rarely seen in the forest. By chance, Caro finds out that the stag is in danger and she feels it's up to her to save it. When her family and friends join in her rescue plan, how will the mystical 'old ways' of the forest help them? And what is the special gift that the white stag wants Caro to have? If you enjoyed 'Footprints in the Snow' (see below), find out how the same group of children work together in this challenging new adventure. This story is ideal for young readers of fantasy fiction and fiction which shows there's a little bit of magic in the real world. If you want a taster of the story, you can read Chapters 1 & 2 for free at this internal link to the 'Read for Free' page:  bit.ly/3ovEFxW

Paperback & e-book available @ Amazon. amzn.to/3ATgXmn & amzn.to/36wFiAG  

In this Christmas adventure for Middle Grade children, ten-year-old Jamie goes to stay with his grandfather - his 'Grancher Pete' - in the Forest of Dean. Here he discovers that people are searching for a legendary panther. He also meets Caro, Finn and Molly, three traveller children who talk to animals. The forest is their playground and Jamie is amazed by their different outlook on life. When a heavy snowfall turns the landscape into a magical kingdom, Jamie sets off to find his new friends. He thinks he knows the forest well, but he soon becomes lost and wanders into danger.

No-one knows where he is. How will he get back?

Paperback & e-book available @ Amazon. amzn.to/2jJOWL3 & amzon.to/2zOwAww. Paperback copies are also available at Taurus Crafts & the Dean Heritage Centre, in the Forest of Dean.