SUBSCRIBER SPOTLIGHT
46 MARCH 2020 http://www.writers-online.co.ukShare your writing success stories. If you subscribe to Writing Magazine and
would like to feature here, email Tina Jackson, [email protected]SUBSCRIBER
SPOTLIGHT
AS
HAREY
O
U
R STORY‘I have overcome a great deal to achieve my dream of publishing a
children’s book,’ writes subscriber Catherine Brown.
‘At school I was identified as dyslexic. This condition was poorly
understood and left me struggling to keep up. I was assessed as having a
phonological processing deficit, a difficulty in both hearing and seeing
phonics. With no assistive technology available back then I just had to
get on with it.
‘Despite my creativity and love of art my teachers said academically
I would not be able to attain the qualifications to go to art school. My
careers advice was something along the lines that they saw me at best as
a checkout operator.
‘I couldn’t wait to leave school as I hated it so much. At age sixteen,
with few qualifications to my name, I became a hairdresser. A recession in
the eighties saw this choice short lived, leaving me drifting between jobs.
‘An opportunity arose to become a Special Police Constable which
later led to me taking the entrance exam, albeit several times, for the
regular Police. I later took a six-hour exam that they told me I would
never pass to become a Sergeant, spending over two decades in that
rank. However, in 2011 I was forced to retire after 25 years after
receiving an injury in the line of my duty leaving me with a permanent
foot disability.
‘Defying my lifelong dyslexia, I employed my childhood love of art to
both write and illustrate The Adventures of Roobie and Radley And The
Christmas Campervan Rescue, a dyslexia-friendly book for children, which
has sold worldwide over 750 copies to date.
‘I chose blue pages in my book as white paper is a problem for most
dyslexics and a dyslexia-friendly font, making my book accessible to all.
I greatly admire Beatrix Potter who accomplished her dream to publish
her books in the face of adversity. One hundred years on her books are still
loved. Like me she refused to give up.
‘I am currently working on my second book in the series.’
Website: http://www.catherinebrownauthor.com
Determination and a dream
‘My writer’s journey began as a small child when I wrote an
earnest story about Santa Claws,’ writes subscriber Claire Buss.
‘I couldn’t understand why my parents found it so amusing.
Thankfully, my spelling and grammar have improved somewhat
since then.
‘In 2015 I was a new mum without much self-confidence
who saw a poster in her local library offering free writing
workshops as part of an initiative called Pen to Print. Intrigued,
I signed up and somehow ended up entering their writing
competition. I submitted an opening chapter and was thrilled
to bits to make it through as a finalist, but I had neglected to
read the fine print. I was expected to submit the completed
book in the next three months. It did not yet exist. With the
help of my writing mentor, author Ian Ayris, I wrote my debut
novel, The Gaia Effect.
‘Fast forward four years and I have just released The Gaia
Solution, the final book in my hopeful dystopian series set 200
years in our future. I have also self-published a further ten
titles, had work accepted for six anthologies and won several
indie writer accolades.
‘The wonderful people at Pen to Print continue to encourage
and support me on my writing journey. I am a features editor
for their writing magazine Write On! co-funded by the Arts
Council, which is dedicated to helping future authors realise
their writing dreams and find their own confidence to share
their work.
Website: https://cbvisions.weebly.com/A four-year journey