I’m Nick Jones, an award-winning children’s author originally from Bristol but now living in Congleton, Cheshire.

In December 2017, I published my first children’s picture book, Sarah’s Shadow, which is about a girl who wishes away her shadow but then regrets it when the wish comes true. Illustrated by the super-talented Si Clark, the book proved to be  popular with kids and parents, who loved its strong messages about self-confidence and positive body image. In 2018 it won Best Children’s Picture Book in the 2018 Book Awards on international book review site Readers’ Favorite. My claim to fame is that the same award was previously won by none other than Jim Carrey, the Hollywood actor-cum-children’s author! Sarah’s Shadow also won Runner-Up in the Book Excellence Awards and received a Purple Dragonfly Book Award as one of the best picture ebooks for children aged 6+.

In 2020 I ran a Kickstarter campaign during lockdown to fund my next book, One Night in Beartown. It was inspired by the Bearmania event that took place in 2011. Thanks to amazing support from businesses and individuals in Congleton and beyond, I raised over £4,000 to illustrate and print the book. It was published on 1 December 2020 and you can buy it on my online shop, on my publisher’s website or as an ebook on Amazon.

In 2021 I published a sequel to One Night in Beartown called One Christmas in Beartown. It was described by leading book reviewer Linda Hill as “ a wonderful story of how friendship can help us face our fears.” 

I was also recently commissioned to write a children’s book for local company Franklyn Financial Management. Illustrated by Ant Harding, Franklyn – No Ordinary Fox will be published in March 2022. I plan to publish two more books later in the year too: Halloween in Beartown illustrated once again by Si Clark, and Snailish, illustrated by Leo Brown. Check out the blog for updates!