FIRST BOOK SUCCESS FOR SHROPSHIRE AUTHOR

(24/10/10)

Former county schoolteacher Catherine Cooper has chosen The Wroxeter Hotel, midway between Telford and Shrewsbury, to host the party on Sunday after her  resounding success in winning the Best Children’s Story 2010. The hotel overlooks The Wrekin and is next to Wroxeter Roman City which feature heavily in the storyline.

The Golden Acorn: The Adventures of Jack Brenin Book 1 -  is also due to be made into a film by Fellowship Features, a UK film company which made the special effects for Harry Potter and The Chronicles of Narnia.

“This book is a hidden gem and will be the first of many in a series. It is a lot like Harry Potter and Catherine Cooper has also got a movie deal. She is going to be at the same level as J.K.Rowling and we are delighted to help make her a best seller so quickly,” said Zareen Roohi Ahmed, of the Brit Writers Awards.

Catherine scooped the £10,000 first prize when she was crowned by the BWA as their first ever Unpublished Writer of the Year this Summer. The Brit Writers Award is the X Factor for the publishing industry in which writing hopefuls get the chance to have their books published.

“This is where ordinary people away from the elitist London crowd of publishers can break into the publishing world and become stars,” said Zareen.

The red carpet is being prepared at The Wroxeter Hotel where staff are getting ready for Sunday afternoon’s big celebration. Characters which appear in the book include three Roman centurions who will meet and greet up to 150 guests as they walk down the carpet and into the hotel foyer with music from harpist Chris Knowles. 

An owl called Noodles will also make a guest appearance with trainer Bob Morley and golden acorns will be on each table for diners who will enjoy a hog roast and a glass of Wroxeter wine after a tour of the nearby Roman ruins and the Wroxeter church next door. 

Catherine, from Wellington, taught in primary schools for 29 years and loves history, myths, legends and the Shropshire countryside which gave her the ideal grounding to write the magical fantasy adventure for children aged between 8 and 12.

Book 2 in the Jack Brenin series, Glasruhen Gate, is due out soon.