When a young girl goes missing, Watson puts his mid-life crisis to one side and helps Holmes try to find her. Dealing with the sceptical police, a bunch of teenagers and a grumpy step-father all add to the challenges of the case. Can Holmes find her before it is too late? And before Detective Chief Inspector Gregson makes the mistake of his career? And will Watson achieve that illusive book-deal he's dreaming of? A modern re-working of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's original Sherlock Holmes adventure, A Case of Identity. The fourth story in a series of five.

A lost chapter in the Holmes canon finally appears, as Dr. Watson recounts the mystery behind the tragic death of his beloved Mary Morstan. Join him as he attempts to bring a murderer to justice. Along the way, readers will encounter old friends and enemies from several of the other stories, leading to a startling conclusion that may baffle even Sherlock Holmes.

Sherlock Holmes, the world's "e;only unofficial consulting detective"e;, was first introduced to readers in A Study in Scarlet published by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in 1887. It was with the publication of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, however, that the master sleuth grew tremendously in popularity, later to become one of the most beloved literary characters of all time.In this book series, the short stories comprising The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes have been amusingly illustrated using only Lego(R) brand minifigures and bricks. The illustrations recreate, through custom designed Lego models, the composition of the black and white drawings by Sidney Paget that accompanied the original publication of these adventures appearing in The Strand Magazine from July 1891 to June 1892. Paget's iconic illustrations are largely responsible for the popular image of Sherlock Holmes, including his deerstalker cap and Inverness cape, details never mentioned in the writings of Conan Doyle.This uniquely illustrated collection, which features some of the most famous and enjoyable cases investigated by Sherlock Holmes and his devoted friend and biographer Dr. John H. Watson, including A Sandal in Bohemia and The Red-Headed League, is sure to delight Lego enthusiasts, as well as fans of the Great Detective, both old and new.A CASE OF IDENTITY: Miss Mary Sutherland, a woman with a substantial income, visits Sherlock Holmes to request his assistance regarding the mysterious disappearance of her fiance, Hosmer Angel, from the carriage that was conveying him to their wedding. Holmes effortlessly deduces what has really happened from his residence on Baker Street, but chooses not to inform his client as he fears she will not believe him.

Europe 1911. The Great Powers vie for influence and are divided by political quarrels. War is in the air. For retired detective Sherlock Holmes, who has just suffered a coronary, these distant matters are of little concern. But politics are about to turn his quiet country life upside down. Mycroft, the detective's politician brother, has asked Holmes to investigate the murder of a powerful industrialist and the mysterious kidnapping of the King's nephew. Could these two cases be connected? Thus the legendary detective and his old friend Watson set out on an all-new adventure, one that will take them from the canals of Venice to an ancient castle in the Scottish plains. It's an adventure they could hardly have expected as they near the ripe old age of sixty. Will Holmes lose a lifelong friend? And which villain from Holmes's past might want to start a world war...?

In 1893, Dr. Watson and Conan Doyle published what they believed was the last Sherlock Holmes story, "e;The Final Problem"e;. The world was stunned, and The Strand Magazine rushed to fill the vacuum. Readers were soon introduced to a new detective, Martin Hewitt, as presented by Arthur Morrison. Although initially different than Holmes, Hewitt also showed a number of interesting similarities as well...For many years, Martin Hewitt has been mostly forgotten, except in some Sherlockian circles, where it has long been theorized that he was a young Mycroft Holmes. However, recent evidence has come to light that Hewitt's adventures were - in fact - cases undertaken by a young Sherlock Holmes when he lived in Montague Street, several years before he would take up his legendary rooms in Baker Street with Watson.These volumes are the Complete Martin Hewitt Stories, taking Arthur Morrison's original publications and presenting them as Sherlock Holmes adventures. If you are a fan of Holmes, enjoy! And by all means, seek out the original Hewitt stories and enjoy them as well. The Game is afoot!

"e;Merlin predicted you would say that."e;When a knight from the Round Table of Camelot bursts into 221-B Baker Street demanding the help of Sherlock Holmes, there begins the oddest, most mystical adventure Holmes and Watson have ever experienced. Merlin himself, has called the great detective and his scribe back through time, to solve a vexing problem. England's greatest Poet Laureate is missing!A Unicorn leads the way through the portal in the standing stones, and waiting for them are a series of challenges unlike anything they have ever encountered before, as well as Pixies, Gnomes, Hobgoblins, a dragon, an enchanted mirror, a very odd chess match, an underground labyrinth, King Arthur, and his Round Table, and the most infamous sorceress of history and myth, Morgan le Fey!Plot twists abound, as logic and rational thinking collide head on with myth and magic, resulting in Sherlock crafting a masterful scheme that echoes all the way down through history. Brace your selves for a most fascinating and enjoyable tale.

Sorry, Holmes fans, not a snake in the entire book. The Spotted Band is a rock group of jungle cats: an Ocelot, Jaguar, Himalayan Snow Leopard and the irrepressible Cheetah, Chita. (She left Arch Villain Imperius Drake in a hurry in Book One.) The story begins in Reno, Nevada where Imperius and Bigg Baboon (recovering from their near misses with death in Book One) are searching for a replacement for Chita. They think they may have found him in an absolutely terrible magician appearing in, or being fired from, the show lounges in Reno casinos. Hairy Otter, soon to be renamed Otto the Magnificent becomes a pawn in the claws of Imperius but Otto turns out to be much more than Imperius can handle with some special talents all his own. Meanwhile, in Rio attending Carnaval for some well deserved R&R, Maury, Inspector Wallaroo and Howard Watt encounter the Spotted Band in a Brazilian bistro and the story further unfolds. They end up battling Pontius Puma, a gangster who controls all entertainment in Brazil and does substantial trading in stolen military and industrial secrets. They destroy his vast computer network with the help of L.Condor, a cyber net genius with a 12 foot wingspan and no voice. Back in the States, Imperius plans to use Otto as his Weapon of Bear Destruction. But Otto escapes and through a series of deucedly clever twists, ends up along with Chita, assisting Octavius in his simultaneous defense against Imperius and an enraged Pontius Puma who has come to Cincinnati to avenge the destruction of his empire of crime. The Puma and Bigg are arrested. Imperius Drake is believed killed in a mid-air collision with the Condor over the Ohio River. Wanna Bet?

This, the final book in the Twist of Lyme series, takes another comic look at the Hamilton family's life in Lyme Regis. Michael attempts to get to grips with local politics and the fact his daughters have grown up too quickly in his view, Judy gets to grips with bringing the curtain down on her writing career. Katy and Annabelle get to grips with Jake and Stefan? Will it be for keeps though? Is progressive rock really progressive? Are croquet matches really that much fun? How will Michael and Judy cope with growing old?

John Watson and his girlfriend plan to go skiing in the German Alps, but because Sherlock Holmes is bored, he comes along with them. Instead of a relaxing holiday, a series of mysterious skiing accidents awaits them. Sherlock and John soon discover that those accidents apparently did not happen accidentally.

After a two volume absence, the mad duck, Imperius Drake, and his dumb heavy subordinate, Bigg Baboon return with a vengeance (literally.) Set on conquest of the cosmos, the duck has hatched (sorry) a plot to revivify a savage ancient Egyptian Pharaoh, Tsk VI and his ghost armies of crocodiles and lions. He plans to clone them and use them to overcome his enemies, real and imagined. Many new characters appear but most important are Octavius' and Belinda's twin cubs, Arabella and McTavish. (Yes, a Polar and Kodiak can have offspring.) You may remember that the "e;on again-off again"e; lovers were married offstage in Book Two. The kids start to receive signals over their Egyptian internet video game from a Uraeus, a cobra sacred to the gods and charged with protecting the tombs and mummies of the great kings of Egypt. She tells them of Imperius' plan and enlists the Great Bear's assistance. Octavius, Belinda, Maury Meerkat, the cubs, plus the usual and some new team members are called into action once again against the infamous Imperius. Chita still wants an opportunity to kill off the duck after his attempts to do her in. Who knows?

London, 1924: When Alfie Barrington is stabbed to death outside his club, suspicion quickly falls on his widow, the lovely Sarah - and on her former beau, Enoch Hale. The American journalist has an alibi, but he doesn't know her name and Scotland Yard can't find her.Determined to solve this case without the help of his friend Sherlock Holmes, Hale launches and investigation that brings him into contact with Leonard and Virginia Woolf, bohemian writers and publishers; P.G. Wodehouse, creator of Jeeves and Bertie Wooster; Howard Carter, discoverer of King Tut's tomb; and one of the greatest mystery writers of all time.A second murder sparks journalistic speculation of a curse related to Alfie's time in Egypt as a competitor of Carter and his patron, Lord Carnarvon. Hale doesn't buy that, but he doesn't come up with a better solution until it is almost too late. And in the end, it is once again Sherlock Holmes who puts it all together.This exciting historical mystery concludes the Enoch Hale - Sherlock Holmes trilogy that began with The Amateur Executioner and continued with The Poisoned Penman.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson feature in three brand new and exciting adventures that you won't want to miss.The Scarlet Thread of Murder: Three seemingly separate crimes, three detectives. A mysterious stalker is on the loose in London known only as the Goblin Man and his sights are set on a wealthy businessman, David Daniels. A horrific explosion rips through Whitechapel Underground Station and the prime suspect is a Jewish anarchist. And a Mrs Clara Edwards is searching for her missing lover, Philias Jackson. What connects these three? It's a dangerous and complex game that links Sherlock Holmes, Investigator Martin Hewitt, and former Ripper investigator and head of H Division Edmund Reid.A Scandal in America: In 1888 Mr Sherlock Holmes was beat by Irene Adler aka the Woman. After her marriage to Godfrey Norton she left London. Two years later her husband is found dead in his New York office, apparently having committed suicide. Irene Adler believes it to be staged, unable to accept Norton capable of such an end. There is one person, if any, who she can turned to: Sherlock Holmes. Holmes and Watson are headed to America where they must dive into the mysterious life of Godfrey Norton to learn how and why he died. No one is ready for what they learn.The Allegro Mystery: Someone lurks in the shadows and is sending mysterious and haunting letters to the beautiful ballerina, Mademoiselle Dipin. Believing her life to be endangered by a ghost from her past, she bursts into the study of 221b to plead with Sherlock Holmes for aid. Can Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson find and expose her ghost before something terrible happens to their client?The game is afoot.

Sherlock Holmes, the world's "e;only unofficial consulting detective"e;, was first introduced to readers in A Study in Scarlet published by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in 1887. It was with the publication of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, however, that the master sleuth grew tremendously in popularity, later to become one of the most beloved literary characters of all time.In this book series, the short stories comprising The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes have been amusingly illustrated using only Lego(R) brand minifigures and bricks. The illustrations recreate, through custom designed Lego models, the composition of the black and white drawings by Sidney Paget that accompanied the original publication of these adventures appearing in The Strand Magazine from July 1891 to June 1892. Paget's iconic illustrations are largely responsible for the popular image of Sherlock Holmes, including his deerstalker cap and Inverness cape, details never mentioned in the writings of Conan Doyle.This uniquely illustrated collection, which features some of the most famous and enjoyable cases investigated by Sherlock Holmes and his devoted friend and biographer Dr. John H. Watson, including A Sandal in Bohemia and The Red-Headed League, is sure to delight Lego enthusiasts, as well as fans of the Great Detective, both old and new.In this story Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson investigate the curious discovery of a blue carbuncle in the crop of a Christmas goose abandoned by a man during a scuffle with some street ruffians. Holmes makes a series of deductions concerning the owner of a tattered old hat recovered along with the goose and thus sets out on the trail of the audacious thief who stole the precious stone five days previously.

"e;Mr. Holmes is an amateur, Hopkins."e; Lestrade was smiling around the stem of his pipe as he spoke. Hopkins could hear it. "e;Not a man who works well in teams, he. He still trusts Dr. Watson not to lie to him... and Dr. Watson's pulled some whoppers to save his skinny neck in the past."e; Lestrade was still smiling. "e;Not that that's not the most interesting thing about those fellows. I could tell you some stories about them, Stanley... oh, I could tell you stories...'"e;. Meet Sherlock Holmes through the eyes of his fellow lodger once again... and meet both through the eyes of the Yard - especially those who saw them the most: Inspectors Lestrade, Gregson, and Bradstreet. From Montague Street to a supposedly straightforward case of smuggling in Cornwall, Scotland Yard saw more than the disconcerting and dazzling private detective; it also saw an admirable and steadfast British soldier who shared their need for justice. Doctor John Watson may call himself unremarkable, but the Yard would disagree...

Part One of a record breaking three-volume collection, bringing together over sixty of the world's leading Sherlock Holmes authors. All the stories are traditional Sherlock Holmes pastiches. This volume covers the years from 1881 to 1889, including contributions from:John Hall, Hugh Ashton, Adrian Middleton, David Marcum, Jayantika Ganguly, Denis O. Smith, Amy Thomas, Kevin David Barratt, Luke Benjamen Kuhns, Summer Perkins, Deanna Baran, Shane Simmons, C.H. Dye, Mark Mower, Derrick Belanger , Daniel D. Victor, Steve Mountain, Stephen Wade, John Heywood, Will Thomas, Daniel McGachey, Martin Rosenstock, Craig Janacek, (and a poem from Michael Kurland). The authors are donating all the royalties from the collection to preservation projects at Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's former home, Undershaw.

Part Two of a record breaking three-volume collection, bringing together over sixty of the world's leading Sherlock Holmes authors. All the stories are traditional Sherlock Holmes pastiches. This volume covers the years from 1890 to 1895, including contributions from: Ann Margaret Lewis, Vincent W. Wright, William Patrick Maynard, Matthew Booth, J.R. Campbell, Robert V. Stapleton, Sam Wiebe, Jeremy Branton Holstein, Bill Crider, Peter Calamai, Lyndsay Faye, Marcia Wilson, Jack Grochot, Bert Coules. Christopher Redmond, Mike Hogan, Carl Heifetz, Wendy C. Fries, Dick Gillman (and a poem from Carole Nelson Douglas).

SOMETHING IS INSANELY WRONG IN THE ZOO. Born from the fertile imagination of bestselling author Michael Anderle… BUT WHAT ELSE IS NEW? Wallace is not unstoppable, and the ZOO is more than willing to demonstrate that to him personally. Hall has information about Kemp, and he wants Wallace to bring her back alive. Given his leftover doubts from his conversation with the German ambassador, will Wallace follow orders? Dr. Christopher Lin has his own data about Kemp, and he is coming back without permission. There are plans within plans for the ZOO. Can Hall accomplish his secret goals while getting rid of Wallace, who has become a problem? Inside the ZOO, it feels like the calm before the storm. In the Sahara, one should be worried. Inside the ZOO, one should be curled into a fetal ball, whimpering in fear. ARE YOU READY TO ENTER THE ZOO? ---- Join?Wallace?as he enters the ZOO, learning how to stay alive as he protects others from the alien entity known as the ZOO. The future is looking interesting and humorous,?except for the death?part?

In the aftermath of The Troubles, two brothers near the border to the North, harbour a guilty secret... “Look, there’s no rules of the road out there. Not any more. So how do ya live? Ya use the only thing ya can. Best compass a man has. Only compass a man has. His own heart.” Set in a rural hamlet in Ireland, the isolated lives of two brothers are disturbed by the arrival of a mysterious young woman. This is a story about secrets, atonement, and how, through the forces of love and nature, damaged lives are redeemed. Reviews? “The Pond Theatre Company’s latest production, a world premiere of?The Naturalists?by Jaki McCarrick, promises naturalistic contemporary drama. It delivers on that promise with a well-crafted family drama defined by the 1979 Massacre at Narrow Water.”?Adrienne Sowers,?The Reviews Hub “Lovers of Irish theater and down-to-earth naturalism should like this one.” Diana Barth,?The Epoch Times “Perhaps unsurprising given the title, the play is striking for its naturalism.? Ms. McCarrick’s characters, especially as performed by this outstanding, all-Irish born leading trio, are painfully real and captivating to observe.” Robert Russo,?Stage Left “The Naturalists?introduces us to?Jaki McCarrick, whom we will surely be hearing from again, such is her gift for singular,?sharply drawn characters and dialogue with a touch of the lyric about it.” David Barbour,?Lighting and Sound America “This is fresh and authentic theater. The direction is deft. The characters capture you quickly; you never doubt them.??The script is a glimpse of a moment fraught with all the breakage engendered in the Troubles before, all the specific damage visited on these four people, and all the slim hopes of redemption.” Kathleen Campion,?Front Row Center? “McCarrick puts all the poetry of the play into Francis. He’s bursting with knowledge about the natural world and has the love of teaching others this as well.” Nicole Serratore,?Exeunt NYC “The Naturalists is a compelling look at how one’s “secret” past can suddenly and unexpectedly encroach on the present and delay one’s progress into the future.” David Roberts,?Theatre Reviews Limited ? Jaki McCarrick Jaki McCarrick is an award-winning writer of plays, poetry and fiction. She won the 2010 Papatango New Writing Prize for her play LEOPOLDVILLE, and her play BELFAST GIRLS, developed at the National Theatre London, was shortlisted for the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize and the 2014 BBC Tony Doyle Award. BELFAST GIRLS premiered in Chicago in May 2015 to much critical acclaim (Windy City Times Critics’ Pick) and opened this spring in Vancouver. The West Coast Premiere of the play opens on November 17th in Portland Oregon. Jaki has also recently been selected for the Irish Film Board’s Talent Development Initiative to adapt BELFAST GIRLS for the screen. ?In 2015, her plays BELFAST GIRLS, LEOPOLDVILLE and THE MUSHROOM PICKERS (staged at the Southwark Playhouse in 2006 to several 4 Star reviews), were published by Samuel French. Her play BOHEMIANS was read at RADA on January 18th 2017, starring Imogen Stubbs and Rob Jarvis, directed by Tilly Vosburgh. In 2016 Jaki was shortlisted for the St. John’s College, Cambridge’s Harper-Wood Studentship for her short play TUSSY about Eleanor Marx, a piece she is currently developing. ? Jaki also won the 2010 Wasafiri prize for short fiction and followed this with the publication of her debut story collection, The Scattering, published by Seren Books. The book was shortlisted for the 2014 Edge Hill Prize. Winner of the inaugural John Lennon Poetry Competition, she has also had numerous poems published in literary journals including Ambit, Poetry Ireland Review, Irish Pages, Blackbox Manifold etc. ? Recently longlisted for the inaugural Irish Fiction Laureate, Jaki is currently editing her first novel and a second collection of short stories called Night of the Frogs. Screenplay projects also include adaptations of her short story Hellebores and her first play, THE MUSHROOM PICKERS. ? She has held numerous residencies including Writer-in-Residence at the Centre Culturel Irlandais in Paris & also regularly writes arts pieces for the Times Literary Supplement (TLS), The Irish Examiner and other publications

Winner of the Virginia Prize for Fiction A young American on a vacation trip around India with her boyfriend, steps down off the train for a bottle of water at Shambala Junction, only to find herself stranded at the town with no phone or money, she has to rely on the kindness of strangers... A journey into the heart of India, Iris is forced to question her beliefs and values and to learn what really counts.? "... a refreshingly original viewpoint on the traditional ‘coming of age’ story, brimming with powerful women, a complex society and fundamental human truths laid out in all its gritty beauty.”? -SkyLightRain “An enlightening and enjoyable read. As much a cultural exploration as it is a love story, the book is a remarkable webbing of different viewpoints. Mukherjee is able to translate captivating realities to a wide audience through pulsing characters, with a natural story-telling ability that is inviting and enlightening.”? -Windy City Review “My hat is off to you for making Shambala Junction a compelling, suspenseful novel that illuminates the personal and social consequences of corrupt adoptions.” - Umberto Tosi author of Ophelia Rising and contributing editor of Chicago Quarterly Review “… fluid prose that takes firm hold of the plot to produce an invigorating, engaging, and dynamic story.”? -World Literature Today “A truly engaging and lovely read, Shambala Junction is a book that tugs at the reader’s morality while at the same time telling a truly inspiring coming-of-age story.”? -9/10 – Star2.com ?“Shambala Junction takes hold of you and leads you with absolute confidence into one of the most extraordinary journeys any of us ever embark on: the discovery of India.”? -- Barney Norris, author of Five Rivers Met On A Wooded Plain ? About the author Dipika Mukherjee made her debut as a novelist with Thunder Demons (Gyaana Books, 2011), long-listed for the Man Asian Literary Prize. She won the Platform Flash Fiction competition in April 2009. She has edited two anthologies of Southeast Asian short stories: Silverfish New Writing 6 (Silverfish, 2006) and The Merlion and Hibiscus (Penguin, 2002). Her first poetry collection, The Palimpsest of Exile, was published by Rubicon Press in 2009. Her short stories and poems have appeared in publications around the world, including World Literature Today, Asia Literary Review, The South Asia Review, Del Sol Review and Postcolonial Text among others, and have been widely anthologised. She curates an Asian/American Reading Series for the Guild Literary Complex, Chicago. Dipika holds a doctorate in English (Sociolinguistics) from Texas A&M University. She has taught language and linguistic courses in China, India, the Netherlands, United States, Malaysia, and Singapore and now teaches Sociolinguistics at Northwestern University and is Faculty Affiliate at the Equality Development and Globalisation Studies (EDGS), Roberta Buffett Centre for International and Comparative Studies. She lives in Chicago with her husband and they have two sons. ? Reviews “This vividly written, courageous book… a refreshingly original viewpoint on the traditional ‘coming of age’ story, brimming with powerful women, a complex society and fundamental human truths laid out in all its gritty beauty.” --SkyLightRain “An enlightening and enjoyable read. As much a cultural exploration as it is a love story, the book is a remarkable webbing of different viewpoints. Mukherjee is able to translate captivating realities to a wide audience through pulsing characters, with a natural story-telling ability that is inviting and enlightening.” --Windy City Review “My hat is off to you for making Shambala Junction a compelling, suspenseful novel that illuminates the personal and social consequences of corrupt adoptions.” --Umberto Tosi author of Ophelia Rising and contributing editor of Chicago Quarterly Review “… fluid prose that takes firm hold of the plot to produce an invigorating, engaging, and dynamic story.”? --World Literature Today “A truly engaging and lovely read, Shambala Junction is a book that tugs at the reader’s morality while at the same time telling a truly inspiring coming-of-age story.”? --9/10 – Star2.com About previous books: “Dipika Mukherjee uses vibrant imagery and brutally honest observation to create a humanistic portrait of a modern nation still coming to grips with its past.” --City Weekend (Shanghai) “Longlisted for the Man Asian Prize in 2009, Mukherjee’s novel is not unlike Miguel Syjuco’s IIustrado, which won the prize in 2008. Both are grim state-of-the-nation novels based in East Asia, written by peripatetic authors. Both have lead characters who leave relatively comfortable lives in the United States of America to travel back to the troubled East and tragic pasts.” Paperback Pickings, The Telegraph

SHORTLISTED FOR THE POLARI FIRST BOOK PRIZE Next Lesson is a new play by Chris Woodley, about the challenges of growing up gay.? In 1988, 14-year-old Michael comes out as gay. Later he returns to the same school as a teacher. In the background: the notorious Section 28 of Thatcher’s Local Government Act, which prohibited schools from “promoting homosexuality” and divided teachers and parents. The narrative of the play spans from 1988 to 2003. Ideal for drama students, colleges, amateur theatre groups, local theatres. Publishing to coincide with LGBTQ History Month, February 2019. Reviews 'How has being queer in the classroom changed over the pastthirty years? This informative play is your revision guide.Next Lesson is one school play that you won’t want to miss.'***** ‘A Masterpiece’ – Gay Times 'Section 28 was one of the most hateful pieces of legislationbrought in by Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s. Next Lesson byChris Woodley looks at the knock-on effects of this legislationin the same school between 1988 and 2006. It’s funny, movingand heartwarming stuff. This excellent play is a great reminderof how fear and oppression can cause untold damage amongstvulnerable teenagers and that with love, honesty and unity wecan overcome the curveballs life throws at us.'***** ‘Incredible’ – attitude 'Definitely worth going back to school for.'**** – DIVA 'The first thing to say about Chris Woodley’s play NextLesson is that it is very good. An A+, 10 out of 10, top marks,gold star and any other educational phrase that can beapplied to 75 minutes of how relationships work: motherto son, teacher to pupil, friend to friend and lover to lover.'**** ‘A+’ –Boyz 'What Woodley has achieved in his debut play is remarkable…Next Lesson is informative without being didactic, telling avery personal story as well as having clarity of the world atlarge, all the while wearing its heart on its sleeve.'**** ‘Remarkable’ –Female Arts 'Brought in by the Thatcher regime, Section 28 of the 1988 Local Government Act forbade local authorities from promoting homosexual relationships as equal to heterosexual ones. This hated piece of legislation created confusion and caution in schools, undoubtedly prevented teachers from addressing homophobic bullying, denying lesbian and gay pupils appropriate sex and social education. Chris Woodley’s excellent play charts the education system through those years, creating lesbian, gay and bi characters from both sides of the classroom and staff room.'**** ‘Highly entertaining’ –British Theatre 'This short production touches on a number of key issues that affected countless people within the LGBT+ community (and their loved ones), not just in the wake of Section 28 but throughout history. ‘Next Lesson’ is an educational piece devoted to the examination of this vital part in legal discrimination’s history, and will be eye- opening to many who perhaps did not know about this law and its damaging legacy.'**** ‘Impressive’ –West End Wilma About the author Chris Woodley is an actor, writer, teacher and co-founder of Hyphen Theatre Company. Chris trained as an actor at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts.As a writer, his credits include: The Soft Subject (A Love Story) (Assembly Hall), Bedtime Story (Theatre Royal Stratford East), Next Lesson (The Pleasance) and co-writer for My Boyfriend Jesus Christ (Karamel Klub) and When The Lights Went Out At Christmas (The BRIT School).His recent theatre credits include: KATE (Greenwich Theatre), You Should Be So Lucky (Above The Stag), Walking: Holding (The Yard), From Russia, For Love (Theatre Deli), An Enemy of the People (New Diorama), The Gay Naked Play (Above The Stag), This Child (The Bridewell Theatre) and Rainman (Karamel Klub).Television credits include: Extras.

Cinderella, A new stage adaptation of the popular fairytale by Matt Beames with Lyrics by Kayleigh Benham.? A witty updating of the classic Cinderella story for our times. As the feast of Midwinter approaches, the King wishes to find a suitable partner for his eldest son and heir to the throne, Prince Arren.He decrees a Midwinter Ball and all across the land his excited people prepare for the big celebration. But in a small shoe shop close to the palace, one young woman sits at her workbench,?carefully making shoe after shoe after shoe… Poor Cinderella has so much work to do, she can’t hope to go to the Ball, however much she might wish to… but sometimes dreams really do come true! "No matter how difficult the journey, the right pair of?shoes will get you where you need to be.” ABOUT THE AUTHOR Matt Beames?is a writer based in the Southampton area. He loves stories of all kinds and has been writing and telling his own since childhood. His work is often inspired by and draws on folklore and mythology from around the world. Matt writes for the theatre as well as long and short fiction, poetry, comics and he is also developing an original board game. His writing for theatre includes more than ten plays and adaptations that have been performed in various professional and youth theatre productions in the UK and even as far as Seattle, USA. Aurora Metro has also published Matt’s adaptations of?Sleeping Beauty?(2017) and his other recent projects include adaptations of Jules Verne’s?Journey to the Centre of the Earth?and?The Signal-Man?by Charles Dickens. PRAISE FOR PREVIOUS WORK “A heart-warming tale of friendship and the power of?storytelling. Matt Beames has taken the traditional story?of Sleeping Beauty and adapted it for a modern audience.”– Review 2017