Vivi Conway and the Sword of Legend is inspired by Lizzie Huxley-Jones’ own upbringing in North Wales, surrounded by the old castles, windswept coastline, awe-inspiring mountains and deep lakes of the Welsh landscape. Join us at Penarth library as Lizzie guides you through their Welsh-myth inspired adventure story and shows you how you can put your own twist on ancient tales.

About Vivi Conway:
On the day twelve-year-old Vivi and her Mams are due to move from Wales to London, she sneaks out in the dead of night to investigate a mysterious call from the lake. Instead of a quiet swim, she is confronted with a terrifying monster, who she only manages to escape with the help of Excalibur (much smaller than expected), a ghostly talking dog named Gelert, and Dara, a new friend.

After arriving at her new school in London, Vivi is surprised to see a familiar face – and even more surprised to learn about her magical destiny. Gelert insists that Vivi is a Calon; part of a magical group of children who share the soul of witches from legend. Armed with a new ability to control water and surrounded by people she must learn to trust, will Vivi be brave enough to embrace true friendship and harness her abilities to protect the world from evil?

LIZZIE HUXLEY-JONES (they/them) is an autistic author and editor based in South London. They grew up in Rhuddlan, North Wales, and spent their childhood romping around the old castles, windswept coastline and awe-inspiring mountains of the Welsh landscape. They are the editor of Stim, an anthology of autistic authors and artists, published in 2020 to coincide with World Autism Awareness Week. Previous books include: the children’s biography Sir David Attenborough: A Life Story (2020), and the queer holiday rom-com Make You Mine This Christmas (2022). Vivi Conway and the Sword of Legend is their debut middle-grade novel. Lizzie is a vocal advocate of the importance of representative stories for all young readers and writes joyful stories that centre queerness and disability.