The Beginning of it All

How did it all begin, the desire to write?

I didn't even think about writing until my father died. 

And then I just wanted to write about him. I began to remember the stories he used to tell us when we were kids and I tried to write them down, using his voice. 

Storytelling : that's what it's all about. The basic human desire to listen to a tale. Whether it be round a camp fire or snuggled up in bed. 

For me, nothing can match the joy of a child sitting in my lap, snuggling into the warmth, listening to the sound of my voice and wondering ... what will happen next? 

So, the first proper story I wrote was about a little boy living in the 1930's, recovering from a bad bout of measles.  His large family are poor, with little in the way of luxuries but his mother loves him. And when all the other kids go off on a Sunday School picnic he's left at home to recover his strength and his mother shares with him a little treat of a fancy cake and it's the best thing ever, to have his mother all to himself, for a little while at least until the others come home. 

A Wee Treat

I was working as a community nurse at the time and our local NHS ran a short story competition for the staff. I entered my little tale and it won first prize!