Andersen Press signs Schauer's 'wickedly spooky' book

Andersen Press has signed world rights to author-illustrator Loretta Schauer’s “wonderfully atmospheric and wickedly spooky” book, The Legend of Ghastly Jack Crowheart.

Charlie Sheppard, publishing director, secured rights from Claire Cartey of Holroyde Cartey Limited. It will publish in time for Halloween in October 2023.

The synopsis reads: “For Lil, life at the Squawking Mackerel Inn couldn’t be more miserable. She’s tasked with the sloppiest, grottiest jobs and picked on at every turn. Her only friend is Augustus Scratchy, a cantankerous crow with a habit of stealing. When the dread villain Rotten Bob Hatchet and his gang of cut-throat highwaymen begin attacking travellers on the road, things get really dire.

“Joining forces with a new servant boy, Ned, and armed with the contents of the inn’s lost property cupboard, a pocket full of revolting dumplings and some knicker elastic, Lil comes up with a plot to scare off Rotten Bob. And so the legend of Ghastly Jack Crowheart the Demon Highwayman is born.”

Sheppard said: “In Loretta we have found that rare quality of a great storyteller who is also a fabulous illustrator. Her tale leaps off the page visually and is a real treat for kids. She’s packed the book with pictures and maps and wonderful little extras, and we’re so excited to be able to share it this Halloween.”

Schauer added: “I’ve had such fun bringing The Legend of Ghastly Jack Crowheart to life, from the initial idea of a plucky young girl in her highwayman’s disguise, to creating the legend of the demon highwayman within the story itself.”