It’s only 7 days until the charity book for the year is released, yes, the 12 Days of Stickleback Hollow is coming out on 30th September and all the royalties are going to charity!

“The whole concept of the book started out as simply being 12 blogs that I could do in the run up to Christmas,” said C.S. Woolley, “I got through 8 of the 12 days and ran out of time with all the other Christmas stories I was doing for the other book series. So when it came to deciding what I was going to do as my charity book for the year, finishing this collection off seemed the logical choice.”

If you haven’t read any of the Mysteries of Stickleback Hollow yet (or even if you have), you might not know that most of the characters in the series are named after cricketers.

“I love cricket and as well as following the national side, I am also a member of Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club. Trent Bridge really is my Disneyland and I spend as much time as I can there. I’ve done some fundraising over the last year for their charity, the Trent Bridge Community Sports Trust, and I thought it was only fitting that the book benefit them in some way.”

But then why the Broad Appeal?

“The Broad Appeal is a charity that was set up by Chris Broad (former cricketer), Stuart Broad (current cricketer and publican) and Gemma Broad (who used to work for the England Cricket Board). As I was fundraising for the TBCST it seemed a good idea to include the Broad Appeal as well – especially considering how much time I spend writing in Stuart’s pub.”

The 12 Days of Christmas in Stickleback Hollow is based on the song, the 12 Days of Christmas and features 12 short stories that are each set around the 12 verses of the song in some way, shape or form. There are different characters followed in the different stories, it doesn’t keep to a strict timeline and the stories slot in at different points in the series narrative but you don’t need to have read the series to enjoy them. C.S. Woolley has also written them so that they avoid as many spoilers as possible, so you can read them without worrying that you’re going to discover any major plot points.

The 12 Days of Christmas in Stickleback Hollow is currently available for pre-order for £1.99 from Amazon, Smashwords, iBooks, Kobo and Nook in digital format and will be available in paperback from 30th September.

Below is some more information about the two charities that the book is supporting. To find out more, please follow the links.

The Trent Bridge Community Sports Trust:

Chaired by Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club Chief Executive Lisa Pursehouse, the Trent Bridge Community Trust delivers projects that have a profound and meaningful impact on communities across our county.

This impact is highlighted by statistics, but equally by the personal stories of young people who have prospered having been given the one thing they need, a sporting chance.

The Trust is the charitable arm of Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club and our fortunes are intrinsically linked. All Trust staff are directly employed by the Club, allowing commercial partners and grant aiding bodies to have confidence that every penny they provide has an impact on frontline community initiatives.

The Broad Appeal for the MND Association:

Few disorders are as devastating as motor neurone disease (MND). Imagine a healthy and alert mind trapped inside a body that can’t move, that’s the devastating reality of MND.

MND attacks the nerve cells (motor neurones) that send messages from the brain to the muscles. As these motor neurones gradually die, the muscles stop working. If affects people in different ways, so no two people will have exactly the same symptoms or experience of MND.

In the majority of cases MND is a rapidly progressive, fatal disease that can affect any adult at any time. The cause of MND is unknown and with NO cure half die within 14 months of diagnosis.

It is impossible to convey in words the overwhelming and devastating nature of a disease which in as little as a year can turn a potent, able parent, partner and employee into someone totally dependent on others for the simplest and most private actions we all take for granted.