John Clewarth
JOHN CLEWARTH
John writes mainly, but not exclusively, for children and young adults, and has published five novels and two anthologies of spooky stories.
His middle-grade thriller,
Jack Devlin and The Roman Curse, was released in June 2023 and his latest two books were released in October 2024.
13 Tales of Tinselly Terror is an anthology of Christmas-themed stories for readers aged 9 to 99! He dares you to dip your toe into the icy waters of this collection of festive frights!
John’s latest book, for readers aged 6 to 10 years old, is
The Incredible Quest of Charlie Oddie, beautifully illustrated by artist and author David Hailwood, and this story brings heroes of monsters from Ancient Greece into the lives of a group of modern-day children, with thrilling and hilarious results.
John can be contacted on X/Twitter (@johnclewarth), or via his Facebook page (John Clewarth – Author), and his website, (www.johnclewarthauthor.com)
for updates on future projects.
A brand new story from John Clewarth is out now! Available in paperback and eBook versions from Amazon.
THE INCREDIBLE QUEST OF CHARLIE ODDIE
Charlie Oddie is an ordinary boy with an ordinary life and ordinary friends. But that is about to change in a very extraordinary way!
When Charlie’s Nanna Dawn is taken to hospital, a series of events begin, bringing monsters from Ancient Greece right into the present day
With Eric and Kelly at his side, Charlie must use his wits and courage to outsmart legendary beasts and send them back where they belong. Along the way, he discovers surprising allies, hidden strengths, and the true meaning of bravery. Just who is the mysterious Mr O’Clare? Why do the Rinse triplets sing so badly? Why is Polly McPhee so grumpy? And why do boys start sprouting tails and snouts?
Packed with action, humour, and heart, The Incredible Quest of Charlie Oddie is an unforgettable adventure for young readers who believe that even the smallest heroes can make the biggest difference.
THE WAIT IS OVER...
Just in time for Halloween, The Teardrop of Ice, the thrilling sequel to Firestorm Rising is now available to buy from Amazon:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Firestorm-2-Teardrop-John-Clewarth/dp/1912513714
It is almost a year since the terrifying ordeal in the Old Crematorium. Almost a year since Jazz had unwittingly taken a strange pendant from a ruined tomb in Raingate Cemetery, and it is almost a year to the day since the fearsome Zeduza attempted to add three more heads to her gruesome collection.
Now, an old-fashioned circus rolls into town, a circus filled with strange and unusual people led by the captivating Baron Mysto.
The circus is in town for one performance only, and for the local children, the tickets are free. But who is the enigmatic man in black? Whose is the ghostly voice in the darkness, and what is the Teardrop of Ice?
As Tom, Doc and Jazz face down the evil of Zeduza once more, friendship and courage will be put to the test in a battle that will decide the fate of the world!
FIRESTORM RISING
When eleven-year-olds Tom, Jazz and Doc invite their friends to the graveyard for a Halloween prank, things turn out far from as planned…
As lightning strikes, a mouldering tomb is blown apart, and an evil that is older than time itself is unleashed on an unsuspecting world. Deep in the heart of the wreckage lies a strange pendant: unearthly, ancient and mesmerising. Jazz cannot resist its hypnotic pull and she takes it as her own.
The owner of the pendant has been awakened. She is never far away, and she wants it back! But there is a higher price to be paid - a price that threatens the lives of the children and the very future of the Earth itself.
The Firestorm is rising…
NEW REVIEW FOR
FIRESTORM RISING
APRIL 2018
Click on the link below to read a fabulous new review for this book on Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books
http://www.mrripleysenchantedbooks.com/#!/2018/04/john-clewarth-firestorm-rising-book.html
Alternatively, you can read it at the bottom of this page
FIRESTORM RISING
APRIL 2018
Click on the link below to read a fabulous new review for this book on Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books
http://www.mrripleysenchantedbooks.com/#!/2018/04/john-clewarth-firestorm-rising-book.html
Alternatively, you can read it at the bottom of this page
DEMONS IN THE DARK
Zach Applewood is an ordinary schoolboy, being raised by his father, with whom he enjoys a good relationship. His teacher, Mr. Wolfe, helps him to regain self-esteem, following a terrible previous year at school, with the spiteful Mrs. Swann.
Events begin to take a sinister turn, upon the arrival at his school of a strikingly unusual girl, with a distinct air of mystery about her – Emma Vallance.
Zach must learn very quickly that there are far more things in this world than he ever learned at school. He encounters species that feed upon the living, without them even being aware of it: these are the shadows in the corner of the bedroom at night, the sound beneath the bed, the stranger lurking around the corner… the Unseen.
Zach finds himself thrown into a showdown, in the very bowels of the Earth, in a disused under-sea mine; a showdown that will test the limits of his new-found power, and unlock the mystery to the recurrent nightmare that has haunted him since before he could remember.
Events begin to take a sinister turn, upon the arrival at his school of a strikingly unusual girl, with a distinct air of mystery about her – Emma Vallance.
Zach must learn very quickly that there are far more things in this world than he ever learned at school. He encounters species that feed upon the living, without them even being aware of it: these are the shadows in the corner of the bedroom at night, the sound beneath the bed, the stranger lurking around the corner… the Unseen.
Zach finds himself thrown into a showdown, in the very bowels of the Earth, in a disused under-sea mine; a showdown that will test the limits of his new-found power, and unlock the mystery to the recurrent nightmare that has haunted him since before he could remember.
NIGHTMARES FROM THE GRAVEYARD
Blacklow Cemetery shimmered in the evening mist of October; Halloween, the night when restless spirits, witches, ghosts and all manner of unearthly things roam abroad. Jake and Danny had been out trick-or-treating and were laden with bags full of sweets and chocolate. They should have been home by now, but for the bet…
Nightmares from the Graveyard is a collection of short stories, available from both Amazon and Smashwords, aimed at readers aged 10+. All linked together by a strange man in a cemetery, who just loves to tell spooky tales, this collection is designed to make you shiver beneath the bedclothes!
John has written a guest blog post for Halloween 2017, on Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books! So, grab a torch, get underneath the bed covers and give it a read - IF YOU DARE!
http://www.mrripleysenchantedbooks.com/2017/10/guest-post-by-john-clewarth-dripping.html
http://www.mrripleysenchantedbooks.com/2017/10/guest-post-by-john-clewarth-dripping.html
AMELIA'S LABYRINTH
John Clewarth makes his Wicked Library debut with this darkly mysterious tale.
You can listen to this podcast by clicking on the link below:
http://thewickedlibrary.com/723/
STORY:
George Paddison is sent to boarding school, deep in the North Yorkshire countryside. His wealthy father, the owner of a national newspaper, says it will be ‘the making of him’. At first, George is lonely and bewildered in the vastness of the Manor School, but is befriended by a captivating young boy, named Joseph Longmire. George is fascinated by Joseph’s prized possession, a toy Victorian theatre, through which he makes up his own stories. By means of distraction, Joseph takes George exploring in the huge grounds, to a mysterious woodland that is home to a strange natural phenomenon.
You can listen to this podcast by clicking on the link below:
http://thewickedlibrary.com/723/
STORY:
George Paddison is sent to boarding school, deep in the North Yorkshire countryside. His wealthy father, the owner of a national newspaper, says it will be ‘the making of him’. At first, George is lonely and bewildered in the vastness of the Manor School, but is befriended by a captivating young boy, named Joseph Longmire. George is fascinated by Joseph’s prized possession, a toy Victorian theatre, through which he makes up his own stories. By means of distraction, Joseph takes George exploring in the huge grounds, to a mysterious woodland that is home to a strange natural phenomenon.
Zeroflash.org specialise in publishing a wide range of flash fiction stories. They talked to John Clewarth about how he got into writing and what it is that keeps him going! 'Writing in the Dark', an interview with John, was posted today. To read the full interview, just follow the link below:
Raingate Cemetery is the spooky playground of Tom Allerton, Daniel 'Doc' Studd and Jasmine 'Jazz' Baxter, and provides a great opportunity for them to play a practical Halloween joke on their schoolmates. Events take an unexpected turn when a freak storm occurs and lightning strikes an ancient and crumbling tomb. The children flee in terror, all except for Jazz who decides to investigate. Peering into the smoking rubble of the sepulchre, she is strangely drawn towards a weird pendant which unleashes a chain of terrifying and supernatural events. As the unearthly owner of the pendant endeavours to get it back, the friendship of the central characters is put to the toughest test, and they discover the true meanings of friendship, loyalty, truthfulness and fear. The children learn that there are far more things in the universe than they ever learned at school, as a terrifying monster is awakened from a long hot sleep. . .
When I was a child, I loved being scared. I'm not quite sure why? But I did. I loved to watch old creepy movies late at night and hide behind my pillows. One of my favourite places to go was the local graveyard. I pretended that there were monsters, ghosts and zombies roaming about in the dark, ready to jump out and grab me! Reading 'Firestorm Rising' by John Clewarth definitely took me back to my childhood. The atmospheric tale kept me reading late into the night and searching for a secure cover.
The book has an interesting and intriguing open sentence "The meteor sizzles through the vastness of space like a giant, blazing phoenix". This certainly grabs and pulls you into a dark vortex of mystery. The story captures your imaganation but without revealing too much in the way of infomation. It helps each fantasy brain to fill in the gaps and provides every reader with their own interpretation and perspective of the story. Nevertheless, you'll find yourself hurtling along a roller-coaster of an adventure into a plot of spookiness, friendship and a terrifying monster. The story gains power and momentum, feeding off the fear from the characters and readers alike.
This is a great story for the Halloween-period as it is fast-paced, easy to read and very relatable. The author has written a great story distilling the dark elements of the story and contrasting these with the friendships and playfulness in which the story is told. The individual character personalities shine through and enable the reader to develop an emotional attachment with at least one or more of the characters.
A great recommended read that has its feet set in reality. It slowly sucks the reading into an unconventional and absorbing spooky fantasy that you will want to read quickly. This should be a great hit with every age - young and old, but especially reluctant readers. If this sounds like your type of book then you might want to read an extract of the book or visit the author's website to buy a copy now. Equally, I understand you can purchase this from Silver Quill Publishing/Amazon very shortly. In the meantime, why not pop over and say hello at http://www.johnclewarth.com
When I was a child, I loved being scared. I'm not quite sure why? But I did. I loved to watch old creepy movies late at night and hide behind my pillows. One of my favourite places to go was the local graveyard. I pretended that there were monsters, ghosts and zombies roaming about in the dark, ready to jump out and grab me! Reading 'Firestorm Rising' by John Clewarth definitely took me back to my childhood. The atmospheric tale kept me reading late into the night and searching for a secure cover.
The book has an interesting and intriguing open sentence "The meteor sizzles through the vastness of space like a giant, blazing phoenix". This certainly grabs and pulls you into a dark vortex of mystery. The story captures your imaganation but without revealing too much in the way of infomation. It helps each fantasy brain to fill in the gaps and provides every reader with their own interpretation and perspective of the story. Nevertheless, you'll find yourself hurtling along a roller-coaster of an adventure into a plot of spookiness, friendship and a terrifying monster. The story gains power and momentum, feeding off the fear from the characters and readers alike.
This is a great story for the Halloween-period as it is fast-paced, easy to read and very relatable. The author has written a great story distilling the dark elements of the story and contrasting these with the friendships and playfulness in which the story is told. The individual character personalities shine through and enable the reader to develop an emotional attachment with at least one or more of the characters.
A great recommended read that has its feet set in reality. It slowly sucks the reading into an unconventional and absorbing spooky fantasy that you will want to read quickly. This should be a great hit with every age - young and old, but especially reluctant readers. If this sounds like your type of book then you might want to read an extract of the book or visit the author's website to buy a copy now. Equally, I understand you can purchase this from Silver Quill Publishing/Amazon very shortly. In the meantime, why not pop over and say hello at http://www.johnclewarth.com
John believes that horror should be scary but fun, and loves to lace his stories with humour. For further details and sneaky previews of these books, along with John’s future projects, please visit his personal website: www.johnclewarth.com
Also, check in on Twitter (@johnclewarth): https://twitter.com/johnclewarth and his Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/John-Clewarth-Author-137028726408416 (John Clewarth – Author) for updates on future projects. Just click on the social media icons below.
