I am as shocked as anyone else that I am an author. It is not something that I expected would happen, at least not further than writing text books which was part and parcel of my previous career. It is fantastic but terrifying to use this name "author" and to allow my writings to be available to the wider world. Somehow it's much more than blogging; which I know makes no sense since anyone can read my blog for free, but hey, since when did logic come into emotional reactions?
Below you'll find summaries and links to my books as they're released. If you'd like to know anything else about them then please get in contact. In the meantime; here are my author pages at Amazon and Lulu.
This is my story; this is my song
Background
This
book is both my story and my song.
It is the story of my babies who died before they were born; it is my song of healing and hope in grief, given as a gift to others.
We are many in number;
We are never alone.
It is the story of my babies who died before they were born; it is my song of healing and hope in grief, given as a gift to others.
We are many in number;
We are never alone.
It is
not a diary or an autobiography of my experience; rather it is a
collection of poems and prose which I have written over the years in memory
of my four baby boys and in the journey of grief which I have
travelled. They were written as a form of healing and they are given now in the
hope that they might help the healing of those who read them.
I am a
mum of angels;
All proceeds from the sale of this book will be donated to The Miscarriage Association.
The book was released on Amazon Kindle as an e-book on 27th January 2013.
Following some really positive feedback it was released in paperback on 1st February 2013.
Click this book cover below to be taken to Amazon for more information about the kindle version.
Click this book cover for the Amazon paperback version.
Click this book cover for the Lulu paperback version if you would prefer that (easier in the USA.)
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Divine Routes
BackgroundOver the last year I've been working away on an idea to write christian stories for young children. From my initial thoughts and prayers came Divine Routes. The first five stories all flowed onto paper in a few months in the summer of 2010, but I had no way of illustrating the stories so put them on a back burner. A friend read a few for me and provided some great comments and ideas, thanks JP, but still I was held back from taking them forward.
Then in the first week of 2011 I was pushed into getting the books out in the world. I realised that they could be made digitally accessible on Kindle and would not need, or be able to support, illustrations.
Bingo, all I needed was a front cover which could be adapted to each book. And somehow, God given I know, that made it's way onto paper.
What is Divine Routes?
Divine Routes is a series of short books explaining the Christian faith to pre-school and Key Stage 1 children. The series uses buses and their journeys on their bus routes to convey the biblical messages. The text is perfect for being read aloud and also easy to read for first readers.
God is the Bus Controller in the stories, with Jesus the bus conductor. There are six bus routes; red, yellow, green, blue, orange and purple. These routes are illustrations of some of the routes we may take to know God, to get to the divine. Each route's buses are "us" with a “driver” associated; this is the Holy Spirit.
Why re-write the best stories ever told?
Jesus was a great storyteller, he knew exactly how to explain his message to his listeners. He used imagery which they understood and involved situations they lived. This was the power of his parables, the reality of them. Some people believe that they should never be adapted, that they are perfect as they are; and in many ways I agree, but I also know how hard they are to understand without some historical knowledge. Children, especially boys, find it hard to put themselves back 2000 years to a place, time and society they can't possibly imagine; there is a need to bring the parables and Word of God to them in a way they can connect with and be interested in.
There are many books on the shelves of christian bookshops that are rewrites of Biblical stories for kids, almost anything you could ever want is available, especially if you're a girl. There are animals, children and even vegetables as the characters telling the stories. But the market has a huge great gap for boys; especially for boys who like the excitement and speed of cars, trains and planes. DVDs have been made with cars which are quite popular, but many parents of boys have told me they'd like to find bible story books which they could really connect with. That is why I wrote Divine Routes; that and a major shove from God!
The Books
Jump Aboard the Bus - Book 1 of the Divine Routes Series
The Good Samaritan - Book 2 of the Divine Routes Series
The Lost Sheep - Book 3 of the Divine Routes Series
The Prodigal Son - Book 4 of the Divine Routes Series
The Sower - Book 5 of the Divine Routes Series
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Dandelions and Bad Hair Days
I am one of the authors of this book about depression and how different people live with depression in their lives. The book was compiled and edited by Susie Grogan and is sold to raise awareness and money for the charity Sane. The chapter I wrote is entitled "How does depression look to you?" which takes you through a series of images to illustrate my experiences of depression.
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Smiling through Depression (working title)
I am currently working on a book of poetry about depression. The aim is to provide an insight into what it is like to live with depression; warts and all through tears and laughter. I'm not expecting it to be comedic in any way shape or form, but I hope that it raises a smile and possibly a chuckle from those who know what it's like living with depression.Watch this space as the project develops.
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Bible Stories for Bemba Families (working title)
When I was in Zambia in July 2012 I wrote ten short bible stories for kids; each story is just ten lines long, providing an abridged but accurate version of the story in question. The ten stories whiz through the bible from creation through Noah, Jesus's birth and parable and Easter. The aim of this was to have the stories translated into Bemba (the dominant Zambian language) and produce a book in both English and Bemba. These would be sold in the UK and USA as a form of fundraising for the work of the Jubilee Centre in Zambia. And given as gifts to the children with whom the charity works. A win-win situation.We are currently looking for an illustrator for this project.
Watch this space.
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