A brand new children's book with a moving origin story, is set to hit the shelves this September, in aid of Wales Air Ambulance.

Set in Abergavenny, ‘Tommy Blue and Rex in Gigantic Danger’ follows the adventurous Tommy Blue; a wheelchair user who is fully enabled with his various forms of magical transport from chariots to dragons.

Accompanied by his magical dog, Rex; this is a tale of friendship, bravery, and kindness, emphasising the importance of enabling people to do whatever they want, regardless of physical limitations.

Author Jane Carter, shared: “Although there is growing representation of wheelchair users in literature, I wanted to contribute and create a protagonist that is a wheelchair user but also fulled enabled.

“A fairy gifts Tommy Blue with Rex on his first birthday after she learns that he will never be able to walk. Rex has magical abilities that allows Tommy Blue to utilise other methods of transport so he is not fully confined to his wheelchair. If he wants go somewhere — he can! If he wants to move faster — he can!

“I am passionate about enabling people and showing that they can do whatever they want.”

This inspiring story stems from Jane’s need to stay close to her twin brother, who sadly passed away in 2020.

“My twin brother passed away suddenly a few years ago, and I wanted to honour his memory; to create something meaningful for both my family and our youngest brother’s.

“At this point I had already joined a local writers’ group. I had been working in a statistics office for thirty years and had no prior experience in writing or creating fiction. Through the class, I gained some success with poetry, which did boost my confidence in writing.

“That was how ‘Tommy Blue and Rex in Gigantic Danger’ was born. It’s a story with family references, designed as a memento; a way for my little brother, our family and I to remember my twin.”

Jane was later encouraged to publish her story, after seeing a competition set by Firefly Publishing, which sought stories with a Welsh theme.

Choosing Abergavenny as the setting was a natural decision for Jane.

“Abergavenny is where we grew up, and my younger brother still lives there,” she explained. “It’s such a magical, fairy-like place — what better setting for a story about magic and adventure?

“I later added the Skirrid Mountain, which I regrettably admit that I had never visited until after I wrote the story.

“In the story, a little girl gets injured on the Mountain and Tommy, with the help of Rex who has morphed into a dragon, help take her to hospital.

“When I was writing that it was like a lightbulb moment - it reminded me of when my own brother was helped by complete strangers in Wales Air Ambulance and taken to hospital. The Wales Air Ambulance played a crucial role when my brother needed help. I was already raising money for them in his memory, so it made sense to continue supporting this vital service through my book,” she noted.

After a long process, Jane was longlisted and asked to develop the first 1,000 words of her story... even though she was on a Norwegian cruise!

“My husband and I were not expecting to hear from them!” Jane laughed, “It was all a mad blur... all I had was my phone so it was a panic but we managed it! After that it was a waiting game, until I was shortlisted. Although I did not win, the whole experience gave me the confidence to go forward and try to get the book published. It was picked up by Rowanvale Books and here we are!”

The book launch on September, 28 at Abergavenny’s Wales Air Ambulance store, promises to be a fun-filled event, featuring a reading from Jane, children’s activities including colouring and toys, and a chance to meet the author.

The store will also showcase new soft toys that will be available to purchase, including a helicopter that transforms into a dragon and a little boy—a delightful coincidence that ties in with the book’s storyline.

“The kind ladies at the store, Liz Price and Dawn Lloyd, have been so incredibly helpful throughout this whole thing... honestly I think they may even be more excited than I am for the launch!”

With 100 copies of ‘Tommy Blue and Rex in Gigantic Danger’ available for £9.99 each, Jane hopes to raise £1,000 for the Wales Air Ambulance.

The next few months look to be extremely busy for Jane as she plans to extend her efforts across Wales, with future events in shops, libraries, and schools, sharing her story and supporting the charity, “I’m excited to see where this journey takes me next! While this may be just the beginning for Tommy Blue and Rex, I am focussed on sharing this story first and seeing where that takes me.”

The community response to Jane’s book and her charitable efforts has been overwhelmingly positive, with residents of Caerleon (Jane’s current hometown) and Abergavenny eager to support her mission. Jane is hopeful that her story will inspire others and bring a little magic into the lives of her readers.