THE BEGINNING – HOW IT ALL STARTED

“There is a book in everybody, yearning to get out.” That is the well known adage and I felt this was so true in my life, even though I was in my early 50’s at this point in time.  My partner’s grandchildren were growing up fast (ages of 5 and 3) and reading stories to them was a big part of looking after them and helping them to become strong learners. However, the elder of them enjoyed learning – even craved for it, whilst the younger one forever wanted to play and perhaps disjoint the elder’s learning. But that’s what being young children is all about. We are not all the same. Some are strong effective learners whilst others were the complete opposite.

During this time of reading quite a lot of children’s stories I felt that maybe there was a book within me, or even two perhaps. I discovered that I had quite a Creative mind, but it needed more than that - could this creativeness be translated into a story that had a beginning a middle and an ending – but importantly have real meaning and be a really good story.

Well, you the readers and listeners will be the judge of that but I believe that if you honestly believe that what you have written is pretty good – then maybe it is just that and the professional critic element of book publishing is something that we are all frightened of but nevertheless must battle through. It is fairly common knowledge now that J.K. Rowling was turned down on nearly a dozen occasions with her Harry Potter books – and in the music publishing industry Mike Oldfield’s “Tubular Bells” was turned down even more times before Richard Branson saw massive potential in the product. Both artists from their different corners of creativity have sold millions upon millions of books and recordings, but still the critics will condemn something that they don’t like, especially with personal reasoning behind their critique reporting.

 Anyway, the stories were put down on paper, read over, sweated over, re-written - at least 10 times - until we were finally happy with the characters, content and overall feel of the story.

The one point that my Co-editor and Proof reader made was that my stories were strongly ‘Boy orientated’ but I must agree with that comment – perhaps it’s because I was writing from my boy’s childhood feelings actions and upbringing!

WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT?

I like to refer to the campaign of my stories as being one of trying to bring back the niceness into children’s stories. I’m not here to criticise those writers who write ‘for the children’ in a very much-so idiom of ‘the children must know’ or ‘the children must be told’.

I say, let the children have a childhood. Help them to learn, yes, but not to the detriment of their natural childhood playing years. Take them away from the world of news – that’s for adults, don’t talk in ear-shot of children when discussing financial matters, illnesses and family problems. That’s for the adults to cope with not for putting old heads on young shoulders.

Sorry I have digressed – but in short, my stories try to take the children out of themselves and I try to get the children to use their own imagination and explore their own minds. The alternative in these ultra-modern and fast moving times is where we enter the age of the video and video-gaming. Now comes all the visual implanting of forces that I believe, a young child should, ideally, not really be exposed to. So much of the video-gaming is based upon violence, so are you sure you want your children to be exposed to this – so young? Hopefully not.

THE BASIS OF THE ‘CHARLIE’ STORIES

In my stories there are two main characters:  Charlie, the Hobby Horse Hero and ‘Eager’ Edward his 7-year old rider.

Charlie is a hobby horse and lives in Edward’s playroom with his other toys.

Edward is quite a bright young boy who is always eager to learn new things and his nickname is ‘Eager’ Edward. He is 7 years old and lives in a big old house in the country with his parents and younger sister Katie. His favourite subjects of learning are stories of adventure and exploration.

When Edward decides to have an adventure he will pick Charlie up and ride him down the long hallway towards a tall mirror that was made in China many years ago – and which has magical powers.

When Charlie sees his reflection, his two white diamond markings on his forehead trigger a magical reaction and they leap through the mirror and into a brand new adventure. This could take them anywhere and to any place in time.

INTRODUCING FRED AND GINGER, TWO SUFFOLK HORSES

The Fred and Ginger stories with Fred the Heavy Horse Hero

These are stories of a Suffolk Horse, named Fred, who lives and works on a working farm in Suffolk in the late 1950’s. Technology has taken a grip on the farm, but Farmer Girling is determined to hold on to a little bit of tradition if he possibly can. He decides that instead of selling his working horses he will keep them.

These horses are big and strong, but have an amazing calm and docile temperament which is ideal for Farmer Girling’s family, with their four young children around.

Their names are James, often called ‘Little Jimmy’, Jessica, George and Annie.

Honeydale Farm has been in the Girling family for the past 200 years. You will meet the farmer’s wife, their children and the housekeeper, plus all the different animals and workers on the farm in the different stories. Fred, a handsome Suffolk Horse later meets and falls in love with a beautiful Suffolk Mare whose name is Ginger and they have two foals, Billy Boy and Francesca.

The farmyard animals, the family pets, the tractor and other farm machinery, the local windmill, haystacks and wagons will all be ‘lively people’ and you will find that they all have their own character. Much of the time they will bicker and argue about who is the best, but deep down they are friends.

The stories are based upon modern technology of the time (1950’s) such as cars, lorries, farm appliances and mechanical engines that generally break down at some time or other and it is left to the old trusted, faithful servants of the land, the working horses Fred, Ginger and others, to get things going again.

The main theme running through the stories will be one of an uncomplicated vision of village and farm life. A further explanation of the stories would be to class them as Horse versus Machine, or be written with a moral issue that protects the weak from the strong, or the good from the bad.

But, can we expect Good to always get the better of Bad and evil? We will have to wait and see!

You will meet the different trades-people from the village and all the different people that will be found in a village including the vicar, policeman, doctor, and the vet etc.

All the stories are designed to be listened to by children from 6 years up to 9 years of age, although there could be a much wider listening audience depending on each young individual’s learning and concentration skills. They are also carefully designed with Blind and partially sighted young boys and girls in mind. They are also great for parents and grandparents who can put their feet up whilst helping to stimulate a child's own listening and imagination prowess.

Throughout the series they will also teach young children to identify objects such as potatoes, apples, carrots and other produce from the land. Future ideas will teach them how to start basic cooking, and growing their own produce in a kitchen garden.

These books will also teach children about how things were produced in previous generations, such as knitting, making butter, sowing crops and growing herbs. The list is seemingly endless.

THE MUSIC

Music ideas will come and go to a songwriter, and I suspect just like a lot of writers, painters, sculptors etc, if that precise moment in time is left to float away – then float away it will.

Any form of creative idea must be nurtured from its infancy …… i.e. the first note, the first word, the first thoughts, the first actions must be put down on paper, or on a recording tape – put down in any form that is possible to be recalled – leaving as little as possible simply to memory.

Most people will ask what comes first, the music or the words, and my immediate answer would be music first – always.  But then, when I think a while, there are  times when the words have been written first – not maybe in their entirety but certainly a good few verses or so. Thus there are always different ways to get started. One thing’s for sure though – there’s no secret formula about how you might write it. However it must have structure for whatever area of creativity you are writing for.

I like writing songs for Charlie the Hobby Horse Hero. Hero is such a good word to end a line with.

There is so much that the singer can do with a strong meaning two-syllable word like ‘Hero’.

You will see from our product list [link] that we have listed the songs into four main categories. I must admit I do like working to a themed idea – such as Charlie, and Christmas, and animals too – such as Suffolk Horses, Bats, Sparrows. One recently started theme is about the famous ship, Titanic, whose centenary of her loss shall be recorded in 2012. The interest world wide is enormous and I am sure will grow and grow at fantastic speed up to April 2012.

Another children’s story idea is an off-shoot of the “Charlie’s Christmas Adventure” story and involves a new race of spaceship dwellers. So there will be plenty of ‘spacey’ ideas floating around in my head – I just hope some of them are eager to get out, so that I can write them down!

THE SOUNDS AND SOUND EFFECTS

We capture, formulate and produce our own sound effects for use in our Children’s Musical Story Audiobooks. We can often be seen working in various high streets situations trying to capture the scenes and sounds of an urban environment. The urban ambience is recorded which often takes in road and transport sounds, street traders calling out, police, fire and ambulance sirens, refuse lorries working, buses stopping and starting off. Also sounds such as pedestrian crossings and pelican crossings sounds, street buskers and the general hustle and bustle of a busy shopping high street.

We work in the calmer environs such as woodlands for the sounds of the birds, the wind rustling the leaves on the trees, general hedgerow and woodland ambience, waterside and canal ambience, children playing and splashing, horses trotting past, village life, church bells, farmyard sounds and all and sundry.

Then when more specialised sounds are required such as aeroplanes, steam trains, locomotives, racing cars and motorbikes, the team are always very pleased to make their way for these special assignments. Call it a day out if you like – but it is always very much a working day out – always on the look-out (or listen-out!) for those elusive sounds such as traction engines trundling along a tarmac road, or simpler things such as manhole covers being lifted for inspection and workman drilling etc.

On rare occasions when a distinctive sound is required that we do not hold as a stock sound, then we may have to resort to buying-in a licence to use a pre-recorded sound effect. In the last year we have only had to resort to other pre-recorded sound effects once, that when requiring the sounds of a dozen or so race horses galloping past but with no grandstand ambience.  This was quite difficult to find so no doubt our crew will be expecting a visit to Aintree fairly soon!

WHAT OF THE FUTURE?

Answer: ANIMATION OF OUR STORIES

Exciting times ahead ….. keep up to datew with everything that is going on at Charlie Horse Publoshing, Sapphire Audiobooks, Sapphire Music UK and our newest adventure Wow Creative Arts Directory and Wow Performing Arts Directory.

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We also produce music that is targeted at the general music, advertising and media industries.  Much of this work is made available in sample form on this website and on Sapphire Audiobook & Music Productions for spoken work, music and musical story audiobooks. We also compile and produce photographic slideshows for companies and individuals – [see Sapphireslides]

At the end of September each year we compile an up to date publication of “Lyrics, Music, Poems & Short Stories” written by Tony Brown and CD’s of samples from all of our audiobook titles plus many of the music titles and music.

Over the past 30 years Tony has written many stories and articles for periodicals, researched local and family history projects and has seen much of his photographic work published, some as ‘stand-alone’ and many as ‘image-to-article’ featured work. Much of the work in those early days were real labours of love. The experience gained from the variety of work undertaken has proved to be most valuable and together with the contacts that have been built up over those years these are now paying dividends, especially in the current market place and amid stiff competition.

Here is a variety of just some of the non-league football publications that Tony has been involved in over the years, culminating in the 400 + page definitive history of the Dartford Football Club that was produced in 1994 in collaboration with co-authors John Anthony and Michael Brett-Smith.

Above Pictures from left to right - An A4 Self Publication by Tony Brown, Tony Brown with Mike Brett-Smith and on the right John Anthony

DVD CASE FRONT AND BACK COVER, 2006

Produced by Janet Capon-Brown and Tony Brown as a

ProShow Presentation with Sapphire Slide Productions

All Self-Publication Book front cover designs have been produced by

3H Design, Games & Developments, Copyright © 2004-2009

an associate company of Charlie Horse Publishing, Dartford, U.K.

In a recent interview Tony was asked:  “What keeps you going and pushing on with new projects?”

His reply:  “ Ah, new projects - If I had a £1 for every project and idea that has gone through my head I would probably be retired and living the life of luxury. However …… those projects and ideas need to be good, worthwhile, and moreover they need to reach the right people and be liked by the right people - I’ve had much fewer of those! ”

“ The good, or at least the promising sounding projects have to be sieved from the rest of the bulk.

There is also the argument for hanging on to ideas, as very often, out of the rubbish can spark some form of new energetic life. ”

PROJECTS IN THE PIPELINE

Some projects and private commissions currently being undertaken by Tony Brown

for Charlie Horse Publishing are:-

‘Titanic 1912-2012 Centenary Event Project’

“Blow away” children’s disco-dance Video

‘The Life and Times of Richard Elliott, tram modeller, photographer and historian’

‘Photographers of Dartford’

‘Watling Street and The Brent, Dartford - A history of it’s times’

‘The Brent Question’ an inquiry into the piece of land known as The Brent or ‘Brimpt’

‘The Curse of the Recording Studio’

Children’s stories and scripts into audiobook production:

The following are from the series created by Tony Brown, “Charlie the Hobby Horse Hero”

‘Charlie’s Christmas Adventure’ (due for release 2010)

‘Charlie and the Riding School Pony Robbers’

‘Charlie and the Sick Reindeer - A Christmas Tale”

‘Charlie and the Ghost in the Attic’

The following are from the forthcoming series to be launched called “Fred and Ginger the Heavy Horse Heroes”

Story 1,  ‘The Suffolk that grew feathers’

Story 2,  ‘Fred & Ginger and Wendy the Windmill’

Story 3,  ‘Fred & Ginger and the Ice Cream Van’

Story 4,  ‘Fred & Ginger and the Lost Trombone - A Christmas story’

Story 5,  ‘Fred & Ginger meet Figaro the Elephant’

A pilot series called ‘Hullaballoona’ is a family of Hot Air Balloons who have very mischievous children - and Dad likes a bit of fun too!

Miscellaneous children’s stories:-

‘The Bird who didn’t like heights’

‘The Bats who fought for their home’

‘The Old farm wagon with a secret’

More information can be seen [here]: http://www.sapphireaudiobooks.co.uk/index.php?page=songwriters

All songs, music and lyrics on this website are
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2006 - 2010

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