usbuk

21/08/2026

News update:
Scott ArtusCartoons and Andrew from The Plough Hotel & Restaurant met up for an early breakfast meeting. Superb breakfast by the way.

They discussed the launch of the new book ‘Stephie’s Halloween Candle’ and our next events and school visits. Watch this space for dates and announcements. We will be selling the book to raise money for Tenovus and the Rotary club.

The book arrives early September with a Halloween launch. If you love a scary book with lots of dark humour, then you’ll love this book. Beautifully illustrated by Scott with lots of hidden surprises from each chapter.

Andrew is reading the book and will choose his favourite illustration as a gift from Scott. Paul will receive the rest for the archives.

www.usbuk.com

20/07/2026

As we await the printed copies of the book to be delivered, enjoy a few of the illustrations from the book. We will update you of the book launch venue in October later this year.
Art by Scott at ArtusCartoons

15/07/2026

The new book has been printed and will arrive in time for our Halloween book launch. Thank you to Andrew at the The Plough Hotel & Restaurant and Scott at ArtusCartoons and Diane Inglis for their hard work producing the book with Paul

11/07/2026

Best dressed stall:
Pop along and have a chat with the author. We’re at the Newark book fair tenth anniversary this weekend. Stall 13 in the town hall on Saturday and stall 50 in the open market on Sunday.

I will have my current books and LED candles relating to the story, we will also have details about the new Halloween book follow up.

10/07/2026

News update from Paul:

Just a quick update. I’m not doing the MBS show at Mansfield any more. I’m only doing book promotions now.

We’re at Newark book fair tenth anniversary this weekend. Stall 13 in the town hall on Saturday and stall 50 in the open market on Sunday.

I will have my current books and LED candles relating to the story, we will also have details about the new Halloween book follow up.

Here are pictures of the front cover depicting Stephie junior with Jim Gween the magician and a mustard snake.

The rear cover shows Frank Orange a hero in the story I modelled on the BBC’s Frank Gardener who’s also paralysed from the waist down.

A list of the new book characters are shown in the picture belo, representing some of my friends from the past.

The new book is being printed this week in China and should be here in 6-8 weeks.

29/06/2026

It's starting to get exciting at USBUK! Scott has created the first design draft, next stage proofreading and then it's off to print. Stage two will be ebook creation.
Thanks to Scott ArtusCartoons

24/06/2026

Black and white…
When Paul the author, gave Scott the new book text and brief they agreed a few things to make this book different.

The cover had to have the lettering handrawn like a melting candle. The inside chapter illustrations were to be black and white like the Roald Dahl books.

Scott added an extra element to the illustrations. As the story builds you feel that the ‘Black Cloud’ dream master was always in the background manipulating the story and outcome for Stephie. Always trying to trap and trip her up quest to escape the nightmare.

Can you spot the black cloud in the images shown here.

Because the dream candle is black and white, the pictures are black and white.

The book will be released at the end of October.

Thank you to Scott ArtusCartoons and Andrew at the The Plough Hotel & Restaurant for help in the production of this new book.

23/06/2026

Scott at ArtusCartoons is busy this week sweating in his art studio finishing our new book. Illustrations for the inside are done. As a creative team we decided as Stephie was in the black and white dream world of the Black Cloud that we'd do the inside illustrations in black and white. Like a traditional children's paperback! Enjoy a sneak peak of Scott’s ink art.

08/06/2026

We are busy working on the next book - Stephie’s Halloween Candle’. Scott gas typeset and is now illustrating the book. It's aimed at 9-13. The book will be 200 page book. Each chapter will feature a black and white descriptive illustration. Here are a few of Scotts pencil drafts to give you a flavour of the book.
ArtusCartoons

05/06/2026