A Caerleon resident has written a book to “honour” the memory of her twin brother and raise money for the Wales Air Ambulance charity.
Jane Carter set her book, ‘Tommy Blue and Rex in Gigantic Danger’, in Abergavenny and describes it as a “hilarious adventure for young readers”.
Her story follows the adventurous Tommy Blue; a wheelchair user who is fully enabled with his various forms of magical transport from chariots to dragons.
Up high on the side of the Skirrid mountain, where a puff of smoke in the sky might just be the breath of a sleeping dragon, Tommy Blue lives with his mum and dad and his best friend Rex – a very special dog indeed.
Tommy Blue and Rex in Gigantic Danger
Tommy Blue and Rex are hoping for a quiet, peaceful summer with no monsters in sight, but then they smell a familiar stink. There are giants about, and they’re heading for the village, where there are lots of tasty children for them to eat!
It’s up to Tommy Blue and Rex to save the day, with plenty of magic on their side, of course.
Tommy Blue and Rex in Gigantic Danger is a thrilling and hilarious adventure for young readers, full of memorable characters, horrible monsters – and maybe even a dragon!
Jane said: “I am passionate about enabling people and showing that they can do whatever they want.”
This inspiring story stems from Jane’s need to stay close to her twin brother, who sadly passed away in 2020.
“After Jonathan (Jake) died suddenly a few years ago I wanted to honour his memory; to create something meaningful for both mine and my younger brother’s family. ‘Tommy Blue and Rex in Gigantic Danger’ is a story packed with family references and jokes, designed as a memento; a way for us to remember my twin.
“Initially, I didn’t consider publishing the story. I’d just retired from a 30-year career in the civil service and had no experience of storytelling. Then, on March 1 2020 I learnt that an independent publisher in Cardiff – Firefly Press – was running a children’s book competition, and applied.”
Later that year Jane learnt that her story has been shortlisted in the 7–9-year category.
“It was at this point I knew that I wanted to get the story published and use it to generate funds for the Wales Air Ambulance charity. After my brother died, knowing that the air ambulance crew had fought so hard to save him was a great comfort.
“Then, when I started researching the organisation I realised that they are funded solely from donations. This made me even more determined to help, and I decided to donate all proceeds from the sale of the book to the charity.
“In the story, a little girl gets injured on the Skirrid mountain and Tommy Blue and Rex (now a dragon) fly her to hospital.
“The book ends with the following passage – ’…all hospitals in Wales and the rest of the United Kingdom now have special air ambulance helicopters. They’re not as exciting as Rex in his dragon form, but like him they get ill people to hospital very quickly.
“So next time you hear something flying high above you, look up. It might be one of these helicopters – or it could be a magnificent Welsh dragon called Rex.”
For information on upcoming readings and book signings you can follow Tommy Blue and Rex on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
Buy your copy of ‘Tommy Blue and Rex in Gigantic Danger’
To buy your copy of ‘Tommy Blue and Rex in Gigantic Danger’ go to Amazon.
The book has been published by Rowanvale Books.