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SHORT STORIES
Helen Laycock's stories appear in a variety of anthologies and magazines as well as in her own collections, and have been successful in many competitions. Her first attempt at play-writing secured her a shortlisting in Pint-Sized Plays in 2016.
FLASH FICTION
In 2018, she was commissioned as a lead writer at Visual Verse and her flash has featured in several editions of The Best of CafeLit. Recently, pieces have been showcased in the Cabinet of Heed, Reflex Fiction and Lucent Dreaming – whose inaugural flash competition she won. She was longlisted in Mslexia’s 2019 flash competition and her work was selected to appear in the 2019 Flash Flood Journal as part of National Flash Fiction Day.
CHILDREN'S FICTION
She has penned nine children's books for 8-12-year-olds and is employed as a writer by an educational publisher.
POETRY
Helen Laycock's poetry has recently appeared in Popshot, Poems for Grenfell (Onslaught) and Full Moon and Foxglove (Three Drops Press), and her children's poetry has been twice published in The Caterpillar Magazine. Poems appear in several further anthologies. She won the David St. John Writing Awards for Novice Poetry in 2006.
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/helenlaycockauthor/
Twitter:
@helen_laycock
Blog:
https://catchingcottonclouds.wordpress.com/
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I had a mental image of a ramshackle caravan and knew it was the nugget of a story idea. As soon as I had worked out who was using it and why, I had the plot of Glass Dreams.
Please click on the YouTube trailer for a teaser.
Reviewed by Mamta Madhavan for Readers' Favorite
Young Jake has no known relatives and he is heartbroken at the death of his grandmother in Glass Dreams by Helen Laycock. Jake knows it is time for him to grow up. Grandma leaves a box for him without telling him where the key is. He is taken by Social Services and put in a Care Facility, but Jake is too smart to live there for a long time. As he runs away, he meets Khala, a young circus performer who invites Jake to join the circus. She wants him to help her deal with the evil ringmaster there who has spoiled the ambiance inside the circus. Jake’s mysterious box, Khala’s secrets, and the deceit around them take young readers on a trip of suspense, intrigue, action, adventure, and wit.
I like the portrayal of Jake and Khala and their intertwining destinies that make them uncover the deceit hidden inside Fantazi’s Circus. There is an element of whimsy with the inclusion of magic crystal balls, a traveling circus, the ringmaster, and the other interesting characters and paraphernalia a circus usually offers. The story is fast paced and exciting, and all the action and adventure that happens in the lives of Khala and Jake will leave young readers curious and glued to the book till the very end. The story is scary at times and has wit and kindness running through it. The author’s imagination and creativity when it comes to writing for children is evident in this book and her other titles.
