One of Wales’ most well known actors has revealed the brave battle fought by his wife against cancer in his new autobiography published this week.

In  Hunangofiant Dyn Lwcus (A Lucky Man’s Autobiography) the actor Hywel Emrys opens up about the death of his wife Liz to cancer last year, and portrays his own experience of losing someone so close to the cruel illness.

‘Liz was a unique woman’ says Hywel, ‘She was strong, she was brave and full of healthy humour – even towards the end.’

‘I hope talking about my experiences in such an open way will help those who are going through the same thing’ says Hywel.

Hywel is known primarily for playing the role of Derek, the garage owner on popular Welsh soap Pobol y Cwm, and is a familiar face throughout Wales. He has also acted in many other programmes and films. In this intimate autobiography, the lovable actor tells numerous stories and mishaps along the way’.

The death of his wife is what led him to write his story.

‘It was a form of catharsis that morphed into a book’ says Hywel, ‘I lost my own father at a young age and I only have faded memories of him now so I hope that by writing this book it will act as a memory for my children when I leave’.

Praise has already been given to the book by one of his friends and the world famous actor, Ioan Gruffudd, who sais, ‘This is a witty and wonderful autobiography – Hywel is one of the most loved actors in Wales’.

Hywel was born in Carmarthen but now lives in Cardiff with his children, Ffion and Sam.

The book will be launched at the caffi bar at yr Hen Lyfrgell in Cardiff on Tuesday the 29 ^th of November at 7pm with Ieuan Rhys and entertainment by Lisa Angharad.

The second launch will be held the following week at Cwins rugby club in Carmarthen on Tuesday the 6 ^th of December at 7pm with actor Gwyn Elfyn.

Hunangofiant Dyn Lwcus by Hywel Emrys (£9.99, Y Lolfa) is available now.

A new biography presents new and revealing revelations about Carwyn James, one of the most iconic and popular characters in recent Welsh history.

The two sides to the life of Carwyn James are revealed in the book, Carwyn – Yn Erbyn y Gwynt by Alun Gibbard, published this week, the public figure and the private man. As well as new information and photographs never seen before, in depth research conducted by the author reveals new information about his personal life, including his sexuality, his drinking problem and his time in Italy. There's also details on the problems between his relationship with the BBC and the Welsh Rugby Union.

‘The Welsh Rugby Union belittled him, and the BBC did the same.’ said Alun Gibbard, ‘Both organisations failed to use Carwyn’s genius in a responsible way and benefit from his experience and talent.’

Detailed is his life as a student in Abersytwyth, a young man in the Navy during the Cold War, then his period as a teacher. All of which happened before Carwyn James became famous and a familiar household name at the age of forty. ‘Carwyn James was a genius. He was also a trouble soul’ said Alun Gibbard.

‘Conversations came from what can be described as the four pillars in Carwyn’s life - rugby, literature, patriotism and broadcasting.’ says Alun, ‘It is the sign of a great man that his contribution extends over all these different fields. Who can he be compared to today, I wonder? There is no obvious answer’.

Said the Professor Gareth Wililams, ‘This is a Grand Slam of a biography that breaks new ground in Welsh sport literature and beyond. One of the books of the year, there is no doubt.’

‘A moving and comprehensive portrait of a Welshman who lived two lives in one – a politican, a teacher, a broadcaster and author as well as one of the world’s greatest rugby strategist. Carwyn continues to inspire’ added Jon Gower.

The biography is the result of extensive research including over a hundred conversations with Carwyn’s family and the greats in his areas of interest including Colin Meads, Lord Elystan Morgan and Huw Llywelyn Davies.

Alun Gibbard is a full time author from Llanelli who has published almost thirty non-fiction titles and one novel. He contributes weekly to the Welsh magazine Golwg. A broadcaster for over 25 years before he began his writing career, he still contributes to radio and television.

‘Carwyn as a popular man but it was just him, on his own, at the end in Amsterdam. This is an attempt to understand the life of ‘...a man that everyone knew his name but nobody knew him’ according to his friend, the author Alun Richards’ explained Alun.

Two launches will be held in the company of Carwyn James’ family and the author Alnu Gibbard to celebrate the life and contribution of Carwyn James.

The first launch will be held at Ysgol Maes y Gwendraeth, Cefneithin on Wednesday 23 ^rd November at 7pm.

The second launch will be held at Aberystwyth rugby club on Thursday the 24 ^th of November at 7pm .

Carwyn – Yn Erbyn y Gwynt by Alun Gibbard (£14.99, Y Lolfa) is available now.

The infamous Dai Jones of Llanilar publishes his autobiography this week which will tell his story over the past twenty years.

Tra Bo Dai will follow the twists and turns of Dai Jones’ career over the last two decades as a farmer, presenter, and one of Wales’ most popular broadcaster. The book was co-written with his close friend, Lyn Ebenezer.

A farmer, television and radio presenter on programmes such as Cefn Gwlad and the Royal Welsh Show, Dai Jones is one of the most well known and most poular figure in rural Wales. His first book was one of the most popular books to be published in the last decade selling over 10,000 copies and his programmes continue to be very popular.

Because of his work and contribution to the agricultural world over the years, Dai has been awarded many honours including a BAFTA Cymru Wales fellowship, and being appointed Professor in the Arts by the University of Wales. But his greatest honour was to be made the President of Sioe’r Cardis in 2010.

‘I’ve enjoyed almost every second of my life. But I am a farmer and I’m glad that I have a little more time these days to enjoy the things close to my heart,’ says Dai, ‘But then again performing on stage or on the screen is nothing but an extension of what I did when I was a child’.

But despite all the fame and adoration, his feet rest firmly on the ground.

‘People are what’s always been important to me. I may have travelled the world but spiritually I never left my home’ says Dai, ‘Wherever I went and wherever I will go, I will always come back. This is where my heart is’.

But there is no end to Dai’s activites,

‘I don’t think I will ever be in want of more things to do. The things I do tend to change but they never disappear or dwindle’ he says.

‘I’m now 73 years old and still going’ says Dai, ‘God has been very kind to me! One, he gave me good health. I’m as healthy now as I have ever been’

‘I believe that to be in good health in this world and have a chance to enjoy life is more important than being a millionaire’ says Dai, ‘Truly, if enjoyment was a form of money, I would be a millionaire myself’

Tra bo Dai will be launched on Thursday the 17 ^th of November at Marine Hotel in Aberystwyth at 7pm in the company of Dai Jones and Lyn Ebenezer. There will be entertainment by Nest Jenkins and Aled Wyn Davies with Menna Griffith conducting.

Tra bo Dai by Dai Jones Llanilar (£9.99, Y Lolfa) is available now.

Players from the Wales football team have sung the praises of a new book that details the incredible success story of the team during the summer of 2016.

Published this week, When Dragons Dare to Dream is the follow-up to Jamie Thomas’ successful The Dragon Roars Again and starts where that left off, charting the amazing progress of the Welsh football team through the Euro 2016 finals.

‘Qualification for Euro 2016 meant absolutely everything to us, as a team, as a nation of people who have waited our whole lives to see Wales competing at a a major tournament,’ said Joe Ledley. ‘That feeling of qualifying was just amazing, and we couldn’t wait to get to France to put our country on the map and make a nation proud of us once more.’

‘We players had the time of our lives – every single day was a pleasure, and I like to think the fans enjoyed it just as much as we did; we just didn’t want it to end!’ said Joe, ‘To try and tell our nation’s incredible story over the summer is no easy task, but Jamie’s done a brilliant job of it with this new book. It’s a must-read for any football fan!’ he added.

Euro 2016 was the first major tournament for the national team since 1958. The success of the team was a dream come true for many fans and culminated with the team reaching the Euro 2016 semi-finals.

The book includes in-depth analysis of and insight into the journey taken during the summer of 2016, including an exclusive interview with Mark Evans of the FAW which offers a glimpse into the preparations for and events in the team base during the tournament. Players and team staff also offer their exclusive comments, including Joe Ledley and Chris Gunter.

‘I’m very pleased to say that this is another very good book that tells Wales’ incredible story from the perspective of so many people who were involved: players, coaches, fans, journalists, everyone!’ said Chris Gunter.

Raised on Anglesey, author Jamie Thomas is a 23-year-old Media Masters graduate and lifelong Wales fan who writes on many aspects of Welsh football for various media outlets.

‘I was ecstatic with the reception my first book received from everyone – whether that be people involved with the Wales squad on a day-to-day basis, fellow Wales fans or other journalists,’ said Jamie.

When Dragons Dare to Dream by Jamie Thomas (£9.99, Y Lolfa) is published on November 1 ^st .

One of Wales’ most beloved bears will be joining the Wales football team in his latest adventure.

In Alun the Bear and the Football Match by Morgan Tomos Alun has the opportunity to train with the Wales football team. But he can't play very well so he decides to be a referee instead. But what kind of referee will Alun be?

‘I was inspired by the Wales football team’s recent success during the Euros this summer’ explained the author Morgan Tomos on what inspired the latest Alun adventure.

‘But I can’t kick a ball to save my life!’ he addedd, ‘Alun and I have that in common!’

Morgan Tomos is from Caernarfon originally but now lives in Birmingham. He is a trained animator and enjoys travelling around schools in Wales discussing books and hosting workshops with the pupils.

This is the third story in the Alun yr Arth series to be translated into English. Over 50,000 Alun yr Arth books have been sold to date and recently a new website, apps and Twitter account were launched. The series has long established its place as one of the most popular series in Wales for children under 7 years of age.

‘I look forward to seeing what the Wales team do next and Alun and myself wish them the best of luck as they look to qualify for the World Cup!’ added Morgan.

Alun the Bear and the Football Match by Morgan Tomos (£2.99, Y Lolfa) is available now.

The first book in a new trilogy which tells the compelling story of the early years of Glyndŵr’s uprising is published this week.

Glyndŵr: Son of Prophecy  by the late Moelwyn Jones is an imaginary novel based on the real life and battles of Owain Glyndŵr.

The year is 1401, Owain Glyndŵr and his growing forces are still no more than a thorn in the side of the English crown. But when a force of some forty men succeed in taking the prestigious castle of Conwy from under the nose of King Henry IV, it marks a dramatic shift in the fortunes of Glyndŵr’s great Welsh rebellion.

The book follows a cast of vivid characters – from Rhys ap Tudur on the Welsh side to Hotspur on the English – as they dream of securing glory for their masters.

Author Moelwyn Jones was raised in Bancffosfelen, Carmarthenshire, and had a career as a Welsh teacher in Cardiff before joining the BBC as an Information Officer. He then became Head of Public Relations for Wales and the Marches Postal Board and following his retirement worked in the Welsh Assembly.

Glyndŵr: Son of Prophecy is the first in a trilogy and was completed before the author’s death in 2015.

‘Moelwyn had a great interest in the history of Owain Glyndŵr,’ says Delyth Jones, Moelwyn’s wife ‘He conducted extended research into Owain’s story. He was quite the hero to Moelwyn’.

The cover art was illustrated by Machynlleth based artist Teresa Jenellen.

The book will be launched at the Salem Chapel vestry on Market Road in Canton, Cardiff on the 24 ^th of October at 7pm.

Glyndŵr: Son of Prophecy by Moelwyn Jones (£6.99, Y Lolfa) is available now.

One of the first superstars of rugby union, Terry Davies, reveals the truth about his life in rugby in the 1950s as well as the loss of his talented brother to leukaemia at a young age in his long awaited autobiography this week.

He also reveals all about what happened to that crossbar that was stolen from Twickenham in 1958.

Terry Davies - Wales’s First Superstar Fullback  by Terry Davies with Geraint Thomas is a tale of a typical working-class upbringing and coming of age before finding glory on the rugby field – is as much a social commentary as a fascinating insight into the heydays of amateurism.

The post-war period saw top rugby players in Wales achieve the kind of fame once associated with Hollywood movie stars and few captured the headlines more often than Terry Davies. The boy from Bynea, who combined the good looks of a young Robert Redford with silky skills and tough as teak tackling, went on to wow crowds across the rugby playing world through his displays for Wales and the British and Irish Lions.

The book tells of the remarkable life story of the Lions star, encompassing his childhood in Llanelli, learning rugby in Strade School, making his debut as a schoolboy for Swansea, entering the Royal Marines and winning his first cap before going on to become a household name.

From the highs of touring New Zealand and beating the All Blacks in their own back yard to the lows of a career-threatening shoulder injury, his rugby journey, which began as a nervous 17 year old one rainy day up in Ebbw Vale and ended with universal acclaim, is real Roy of the Rovers stuff .

Terry also remains one of the few living Welshmen to have won a test match in New Zealand.

‘Terry is a natural storyteller,’ said co-writer Geraint Thomas, ‘His book is packed with humour. He typifies the Welsh humour once so prevalent amongst the working class,’

‘His tale is both a social commentary and cultural account of Welsh life pre and post war as well as a priceless account of a bygone age of rugby union’ added Geraint.

‘As a young inspiring player he left a huge impression on me due to the way he stood out from the rest.’ added Sir Gareth Edwards, who wrote the introduction to the book.

The book is presented in memory of Terry’s brother Len, who was caped for Wales before Terry, but died in his 20s of leukaemia.

Geraint Thomas is a Swansea Valley based journalist, writer and playwright. After graduating from Cardiff University's School of Journalism he secured a position as a news reporter on the South Wales Evening Post where he is currently still employed. He also writes the occasional feature for Swansea Life magazine.

His play, the comedy Roofless, which is set around the Welsh rugby Grand Slam of 2005, played in the Grand Theatre Swansea in March 2008.

The book will be launched officially at Parc y Scarlets, Llanelli at 7pm on Thursday the 20 ^th of October.

Terry Davies: Wales’s first superstar fullback by Geraint Thomas (£9.99, Y Lolfa) is available now.

A Plaid Cymru candidate, who travelled to Libya with a delegation from the party in 1976 reveals that the party received £25,000 from the Libyan government. Carl Clowes, a well known anti-nuclear activist and candidate for Plaid Cymru in many elections, reveals this information in his autobiography published this week.

In the book, called Super Furries, Prins Seeiso, Miss Siberia – a Fi , Carl Clowes recalls the research trip in 1976 to Libya with Dr Phil Williams, Brian Morgan Edwards and John Lewis. After watching Gaddafi speak a representative asked how could they contribute towards their cause for independence. Carl explains how he understood through Brian Morgan Edwards “that £25,000 had come through to Plaid Cymru”.

This is one of many revelations in Carl’s honest autobiography – a lifelong campaigner for the Welsh language and also the father of two members of the Super Furry Animals.

Carl Clowes moved from his specialist occupation in Manchester to a one man practice in Pen Llŷn in 1970 to raise the family in a rural and Welsh community. There he saw the community and its populace deteriorating and the health of the area suffering.

‘It was a new vision and personal awakening in regards to the relationshop between people’s living conditions and people’s health that led me to change my career and specialise in social healthcare’ said Carl.

There was a threat that the Llanaelhaearn village school would close and a great need for for employment opportunities if the area was to survive. This led to the creation of several initiatives include establishing Nant Gwrtheyrn language centre in 1982 which has since seen over 30,000 experience the unique atmosphere of the Welsh learning centre.

Carl Clowes found himself embroiled in several Welsh language campaigns including unifying several organisations and forums in the campaign for a new language act and developing the first comprehensive strategy for the future of the Welsh language.

He was also the election candidate for Plaid Cymru in Montgomeryshire in 1979, 1983 and 1987.

‘After I realised that politicans are in the best place to influence the health of a society, I ventured to the political work of Westminster three times in Montgomeryshire,’ says Carl, ‘I had remarkable experiences but without election success.’

He is also a firm campaigner against Wylfa B and drew a manifesto for Anglesey outlining a proposed plan for sustainable employment and energy on the island.

He led the twinning between Wales and Lesotho in 1985 and established Dolen Cymru – the first of its kind in the world. He is now the Honorary Vice Consul for Lesotho in Wales. Carl has also worked in the third sector in countries such as Siberia , Cambodia, and Mizoram in India.

He has also been honoured by the White Robe by the National Eisteddfod for his local, national and international contributions. He is married to Dorothi and they have four children - Dafydd, Rhiannon, Angharad and Cian.

Super Furries, Prins Seeiso, Miss Siberia a Fi by Carl Clowes (£12.99, Y Lolfa) is out on October 1 ^st .

A telephone once belonging to the KGB is the inspiration for a new thriller which tells of a struggle for survival against prejudice and fanaticism..

Centered in Brittany,  Last Rites by John Humphries begins with a ringing telephone, once belonging to the KGB, with a woman pleading for help at the other end of the line. But how can the telephone ring if it is not connected?

The ringing telephone becomes an obsession investigative journalist Jack Flynt carries with him in a plastic bag from Paris to Wales, then to Île d’Iroise, an island off the French coast, a refuge for a community of Breton-language speakers hiding a dark secret. Flynt’s only hope is to do what he does best. If he finds the mystery caller he’ll find the person trying to kill her - unless he’s too late.

‘The idea for the novel came from a real event,’ explains John Humphries.

‘The KGB telephone in Last Rites does exist. I bought it for $5 from a second-hand shop in Tallinn in Estonia where I was lecturing to journalists how newspapers ran in a free society.’ he said.

‘Estonia had only recently broken free from the Soviet Bloc and the shop owner swore the telephone had been looted from the former KGB headquarters in Tallinn.’ said John.

‘It has since been connected to the landline in my study but crackles awfully! Although, I’m not sure whether that’s KGB or B.T!’ he added.

Last Rites has already receieved critical praise, with author Terry Breverton praising the novel as ‘a razor-sharp thriller that leaves the reader off balance throughout’.

John Humphries is a former national newspaper editor , investigative journalist and Foreign Correspondent. As European Bureau Chief for a large newspaper group, he has travelled widely covering major international news stories. Since retiring Humphries has written a number of non-fiction books relating to Wales including ‘Spying for Hitler’ published by University of Wales Press and translated into Portuguese by a Brazilian publisher. This is his first novel. He lives in Gwent.

Last Rites by John Humphries (£8.99, Y Lolfa) is available now.

Post Brexit the political turmoil continues to cast shadows and uncertainty across Wales. None more so than in our farming and rural communities previously supported by subsidies, grants and loans via the EU’s Rural Development Programme.

Hill farmer Tia Jones ’s new novel which launches at the Royal Welsh Show on the FUW stand on Thursday, 21 July, vividly depicts how the agricultural industry is inextricably linked to, and affected by, global and political developments beyond their control.

The Curlew’s Cry is Tia’s third novel in a trilogy centred around Tŷ Coch, a mid-Wales farm, where three generations of domestic drama is played out in a world of economic, and environmental turmoil.

The farming community faces constant threats to their livelihood and the timely novel, set against a backdrop of war in the Middle-East, highlights how the impact of globalisation and the effects of climate change affects rural life on a hill farm.

Bethan and her daughter are clinging on to the life they know in Llanfeni, surviving on the margins. At Tŷ Coch farm, Bethan’s family home, the enduring and constant struggle has become the way of life. The author doesn’t shy away from contentious issues that often divide rural communities such as Richard and Penny’s fight against the foot-and-mouth outbreak, which has left the neighbours wondering whether wind farming, not livestock, is the way ahead.

Passionate about sustainable farming, Tia Jones is a strong advocate of small, family-run businesses and the need for the hill farming community and its contribution to have greater visibility beyond the rural locale.

“The small farming unit is more important than ever, working in the margins as a way of life, not just enduring but prevailing against the odds, to help offset the imbalance. That also by default enables and secures the wild life a habitat and food source against the ever increasing larger indoor factory farming methods of the modern world.”

In a political climate of uncertainty and change, farming families such as the residents of Tŷ Coch continue their forebears traditions of caring for their livestock and cultivating the land. The political divide between neighbours may run deep, the tensions highlighted by the choices facing the agricultural industry highlight more than ever the deep need for Hill farmers to work together to sustain and protect this industry and its heritage in Wales.

' The Curlew's Cry is contemporary fiction at its best: deeply rooted in its place and yet engaging with the global events that affect us all.' Katie Gramich.

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Tia Jones will be launching her new novel on the FUW stand at the RWAS on Thursday, 21 July at 12pm and will be available for interviews.

The author will hold a book signing event on the Welsh Books Council stand at the RWAS at 11am on Thursday, 21 July.

The Curlew’s Cry will be available from

all good bookshops and online retailers.

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An enthusiast of all things country, Tia Jones has become an established author within the rural genre. She lives and works in mid Wales with her husband on their family run organic hill farm. She has written across various media about her passion for Wales. Originally a freelance journalist she cut her teeth as a features writer for newspapers and magazines including The Field, Window on Wales and Country Living . Tia then wrote a bilingual television drama, ‘ Llety Piod ’ , depicting the tensions between urban and rural perceptions, using the Welsh countryside as a backdrop. Originally a production broadcast on S4C, the film subsequently sold internationally. In 2008, Tia’s first novel On Open Ground was published by Gomer followed by the sequel The Moss Gatherers in 2013. The Curlew’s Cry completes the trilogy.