Jacquii John &
Paul Blake
~ Authors

Events

Reviews

Books

Matilda's Magical Tails: Marathon Mayhem

Embark on a whimsical journey with Matilda, Meg,

Gemima, and their friends through the streets of London!

As the sisters eagerly anticipate the upcoming London

Marathon, where their beloved hooman daddy will be

running, they leap through their magical portal to meet

the dogs belonging to Daddy’s running buddies.

However, their adventure takes a thrilling turn when they

uncover the devious schemes of the mischievous Lady

Elizabeth Willington Smyth and her crafty cat army, who

are determined to wreak havoc on the big day.

Will Matilda and her sisters outsmart Lady Elizabeth and

save the London Marathon from chaos?

Packed with laughter, friendship, and delightful puppy

antics, this latest instalment of Matilda’s Magical Tails

promises to be a charming read for young adventurers.

For three months from launch, all profits from the sale of this book will be donated to the Samaritans (Charity number 219432)

Coming Soon ...

Exciting news for book lovers!

We have something new and thrilling - the first book in our cosy mystery series,

The Louisa Brown Mysteries.

Stay tuned for more updates!

Louisa Brown Mysteries:
A Marrow of Deceit

Cafe owner Louisa Brown stumbles upon a murder scene at her local allotment. As she navigates a web of clues and quirky suspects, Louisa must unravel the mystery to uncover the truth behind the man's death, proving that even the cosiest of corner's can hide dark secrets.

Oxford Independent Authors
Helping independent authors in Oxfordshire

The Oxford Independent Authors are a mutually supportive group of writers who meet to share expertise, preserving independence and joining together at collaborative events. The focus of the group is on marketing, promoting, selling and raising the profile of the writers.

The group meets once a month on Saturday afternoons at Headington Library in Bury Knowle Park, starting at 1.30pm.

If you are a self-published author or working towards becoming one and would like more information, please visit Oxford Independent Authors.

Meetings in 2025 are on the following dates, all starting at 1.30pm:

8 March
5 April (AGM)
17 May
7 June
12 July
9 August
6 September
11 October
15 November
13 December

Evie the Brave & her Sidekick Cleo

Evie the Brave & her Sidekick Cleo was inspired by the bravest little girl we know, Evie-Mae Crawford.

The cover for this book was created by Evie-Mae's very talented sister, Amber Crawford.

Being a superhero is a challenging and dangerous hobby but 12-year-old Evie the Brave and her sidekick, Cleo, wouldn’t change a thing.

This is a story of bravery, friendship, perseverance and imagination, and a young girl with her labrador, who go out for a countryside stroll and end up saving the world from an unexpected invasion, meeting royalty, and receiving the ultimate honour from the King of the United Kingdom.

All profits from the sale of this book will be donated to Down's Syndrome Oxford (DSO).

We were really proud to have our own Christmas Number One, when Evie the Brave & her sidekick Cleo reached Number One, in Amazon's Hot New Releases Charts over Christmas 2023.

All of our books are available from Waterstones, Amazon & Barnes & Noble.

Gemima's Best Christmas Ever

Gemima's Best Christmas Ever was inspired by our rescue spaniel, Gemima. 50% of all proceeds from this book will be donated to Spaniel Aid UK, in gratitude for all of the work they do to help dogs like Gemima.

This is the story of how a little girl, abandoned on the doorstep of Lullaby Orphanage on Christmas Eve, drew herself an adventure that would change her life forever.

Gemima’s Best Christmas Ever sees 9-year-old Gemima making new friends, saving Christmas, partying at the North Pole, getting a new family and uniting her community in the spirit of Christmas.

Gemma's Best Christmas Ever is available from Amazon, Waterstones, and Barnes & Noble .

Matilda's Magical Tails

Matilda's Magical Tails is a series of Children's books inspired by our dogs, Matilda-Mae, Meg and Gemima, and our late dogs, Charlie, Jazz and Bailey.

Matilda leads her brothers and sisters, and their friends on adventures all around the world, traveling through their magical water bowl portal.

The first book in the series, Tinsel's Christmas Wish, sees their golden retriever friend, Tinsel, call on the trio to help him with a very Christmassy problem. With an exciting trip to the North Pole, a meeting with Santa and a sleigh ride to remember - will the friends be home in time for Christmas morning? Not if Lady Elizabeth Willington Smythe and her cat army have anything to do with it.

The Mystery Bus Tour takes the friends to the City of London for some sight-seeing – what could possibly go wrong?

The friends have an exciting bus ride through the streets of London, a meeting with a very famous bear and expose a Royal secret. But will Lady Elizabeth Willington Smythe and her army of cats succeed in ruining another adventure for the doggy friends?

The Search for Nessy is one of their most exciting journeys yet as the friends travel through the magical portal to Scotland in search of the Loch Ness monster. They make many new friends along the way - but can they all be trusted?

Lost in New York, sees Meg and Matilda as they venture through their magical portal to New York City, to help find the lost Hollywood actor dog, Brinkley. Their new American friends rally round to help them in their search - but are their new friends all that they seem?

Mystery in the Mountains, sees Matilda and Meg travel through their magical portal to Austria to help their friend Posti solve a local mystery and find a stolen painting. Along the way Meg and Matilda make many new friends. Will Lady Elizabeth Willington-Smyth and her cat army ruin another adventure for Matilda and her friends?

Pumpkin Soup in Paris. Join Meg, Matilda, Gemima and their friends on a magical adventure in Paris. When the famous Mona Lisa is vandalised, the dogs must team up with French Police Dog Bleu to restore the masterpiece. Along the way, the friends explore the Louvre Museum and the glittering Eiffel Tower, and even bump into Matilda's nemesis, Lady Elizabeth Willington-Smyth, and her army of naughty cats. Join the dogs on a journey which may change how you see the Mona Lisa for ever!

Marathon Mayhem. Join Matilda, Meg & Gemima on a whimsical journey through the streets of London on the eve of London Marathon 2025. Their adventure takes a thrilling turn when they discover the devious schemes of the naughty army of cats who attempt to wreak havoc on the big day.

All of our books are available from Waterstones, Amazon & Barnes & Noble.

Matildas Zauberschweif: Tinsel’s Weihnachtswunsch

Willkommen bei Matildas zauberhaftes Schwänzchen. Matilda ist ein 3-jähriger Cockerspaniel, der in lavendel Landhaus zusammen mit ihren 9-jährigen schokoladenfarbenen Labrador-Geschwistern Bailey und Meg und ihren Besitzern Mami und Papi. Begleite das Trio, wenn sie durch ihr magisches Portal zu den tollsten erstaunlichen Abenteuern mit ihren Hundefreunden. Im ersten Buch der Reihe wird ihr Golden Retriever-Freund Tinsel, das Trio um Hilfe bei einem sehr weihnachtlichen Problem bitten. Mit einer aufregenden Reise zum Nordpol, einem Treffen mit dem Weihnachtsmann und einer Schlittenfahrt - werden die Freunde rechtzeitig zum Weihnachtsmorgen zu Hause sein? Nicht, wenn Lady Elizabeth Willington Smythe und ihre Katzenarmee etwas damit zu tun haben.

Available from Waterstones, Amazon & Barnes & Noble.

Gemima & Matilda-Mae

Photo of authors Jacquii John and Paul Blake

About the Authors

Paul and Jacquii live in a charming village on the outskirts of Oxford, with their beloved dogs, Matilda-Mae and Gemima. When they’re not immersed in writing, Paul works as an Electrical Engineer, while Jacquii works as a Business Planner. Both are passionate supporters of Spaniel Aid UK, The Epilepsy Society, Down's Syndrome Oxford, and the Samaritans. In 2025, Paul completed his second London Marathon, raising over £3,000 for the Samaritans.

The couple have always dreamed of writing children's books, drawing inspiration from the joy and antics of their furry companions. Matilda-Mae and Gemima continue to bring excitement to their storytelling, just as their late dogs, Bailey, Charlie, Jazz, and Meg did.

Their sixth children's book, Gemima’s Best Christmas Ever, was inspired by their rescue dog Gemima, with 50% of the profits donated to Spaniel Aid UK. Their eighth book, Evie the Brave & her Sidekick Cleo, takes inspiration from their courageous friend Evie-Mae Crawford, with all profits donated to Down's Syndrome Oxford (DSO).

Paul and Jacquii are particularly proud of achieving a Christmas Number One, as Evie the Brave & her Sidekick Cleo reached the top of Amazon's Hot New Releases Charts at Christmas 2023. They were also thrilled to receive the Golden Wizard Book Prize for Children's Literature in 2024 for the same book.

In addition to their works in English, Paul and Jacquii have published books in German, expanding their reach and connecting with readers across languages.

In Loving Memory ...

Jazz - 2000 - 2011

Charlie - 2000 - 2015

Bailey - 2012 - 2022

Izzy - 2013 - 2023

Rocket - 2018 - 2023

Toby-Jack 2012 - 2024

Meg 2012 - 2025

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