This post was originally published on here
Jixie Shakespeare – who goes by the pen name Jixie Dye – grew up in the Bury area and has fond memories of walking up Holcombe Hill.
When she was writing her first children’s book, The Welsh Witch, two years ago, she based the fictional backdrop of Greycott Hill on the Ramsbottom landmark.
The 41-year-old said: “I have been local to Ramsbottom my whole life.
“I went to Woodhey High School and Holcombe Primary and have so many memories of Holcombe Hill that I knew I wanted to set a story around the area.”
Her new book, The Welsh Witch and the Queen’s Curse, was released on March 27 and continues the adventures she began in her debut novel.
This new instalment takes place around Halloween and explores how witches celebrate, with plenty of magical chaos along the way.
Jixie said: “In my world, the witches fly on feather dusters, make the wind blow and sing and howl and shout so loudly they set all the dogs barking.
“It’s all about that sense of fun and merry chaos.”
In the story, the characters uncover the tale of a knight on horseback who was killed by a dragon while on a special quest.
Author Jixie Dye (Image: supplied)
From the beginning, Jixie mapped out The Welsh Witch as a four‑book series and is already hard at work on the third volume.
Jixie was born with septo-optic dysplasia, which means that she is blind in one eye and partially sighted in the other but says that this has helped hone her imagination and style of creative writing.
She said: “A lot of people say that I have a very descriptive way of writing. I think that it’s not just about what you see. I write about things like the air, drafts and things that other senses may experience.
“My main passion in life is telling stories and I have always been very independent. I left home at 16 and have lived alone ever since. I use a white cane and go about my daily life.
“I don’t see any boundaries, even though I’m visually impaired. I was raised to believe that as long as you work hard and put in the effort, nothing is impossible.”
She works closely with Bury Blind Society and wants to ensure audiobooks are produced alongside the print editions of her books.
She added: “I remember after Harry Potter came out, it took so long it took for the audiobooks to follow, sometimes a year after the print books.”
The series is set across Manchester and Lancashire and includes a dramatic sequence in which the young heroes steal an Avro plane – known as the ‘Lancaster Bomber – as part of their mission, reflecting Jixie’s love of the 1940s era.
She said: “I absolutely loved researching for this book. The Lancaster Bomber really stood out because it looks so noticeable and, importantly, it’s a seven‑seater, so there’s enough room for the whole gang to go on the adventure together.”
The Welsh Witch and the Queen’s Curse is available now through Waterstones, WH Smith and Amazon online, as well as directly from publisher Austin Macauley’s website.
