A new career in my mid-70s!

In my mid 70s, on those wild, wet, windy winter evenings in Rye, I put pen to paper to write lots of silly nonsense verses, inspired by having a beloved granddaughter Pip, who so loved being read to.

They came quite easily, and became compulsive writing in the end … searching for silly rhymes, and reasons why this child should want to fly away to various destinations on ridiculous and unlikely methods of transport. In fact, since Fly Me to the Moon has been finished, I lie in bed at night and think of more and more. Be still my daft imagination, and let me sleep, for heaven’s sake.

I wasn’t nearly talented enough to do the illustrations, so I put an advert for an illustrator on the pin-board at the ever helpful Artwrite shop in Tower Street, and within an hour I had two responses. One was from a young girl who was actually in the shop as I pinned up my card. She was wanting to go further with her art, and agreed to try and take on the task. Take a bow Ella Warner-King.

The pictures were fabulous, so I got a girlfriend (Sarah Jempson) with stunning handwriting to copy out the verses actually on to the paintings…very scary for her. I wasn’t adept enough to send it out electronically all in the right order etc., so I packaged up the whole 40 pages with their corresponding piccies and dumped it on nice Ian and son James at Adams in the High Street, and they published 100 books for me to send to would-be publishers. I then found lots of publishers’ names and addresses on line, (some of which said they were not accepting submissions at the moment). And I also found lots on the backs or fly-leaves of various children’s books that I already have here in my possession for the grandchildren.

I had bought 20 large A4 envelopes and corresponding heavyweight stamps for this job, so imagine my utter astonishment, when after sending out just seven, I had two publishers who were interested! This ridiculously happy news was just before Christmas 2023, along with a win of £1,250 on Premium Bonds to help with the printing costs. It was a rather blissful moment when I told my disbelieving children, who along with their offspring and a million dogs, all came for Christmas. I think they all thought I was a silly old mare, which of course I am.

The publishers, Austin Macauley, then farm out the editing to a person who works from home and whose telephone number you never have. He transfers it to printing type (very sadly not using Sarah’s lovely writing) and so it becomes steadily less and less exciting because you read and re-read and correct and re-correct until the whole book is as near perfect as possible. Takes time and patience and all irritatingly done on line. A phone call would be so much quicker and easier, but that is not how things are done these days. Maddening, I call it.

The publisher also sends you on-line forms to fill out with questions like “What was your inspiration for the book?”, “What are your hobbies?” and “Please send of photograph of your hideous self”, all very difficult. I had to have a lot of help, but at last the publication day has arrived.

Great excitement, tempered by apparently having to manufacture an online social media presence for myself, so the learning curve continues with the help of children and savvie chums.

So, just to reiterate, have a go yourself if the idea appeals to you, because I swear that if I can do it you can too. And I’m very very happy to help in any way I can. And if you would like to buy a book (signed by us both) you would be a chum for life!

“Fly Me to the Moon” is written by me with illustrations by Ella Warner-King.

Image Credits: Caroline Everett .