An Accidental Journey

We always sat, patiently awaiting our turn. ‘Who’s next for the Starship Enterprise?’ Every day, without fail, the girl summoned each of us with a similar, cheerful jest.
 As we watched an elderly man shuffle towards the door, my neighbour - a lively, fifty-something - spoke,
’ There are two bunkers here but they can only afford to equip one of them.’ I got to know her well during the five weeks of radiotherapy. She looked around the group and, as if rallying the troops, added, ‘ Who would like to join me in a spot of fundraising?’


The rest, as they say, is history.


I didn’t fancy running, and a sponsored silence would have been a bridge too far, so I collected some of my short stories and published them. Macmillan Cancer Support had provided a large part of the funding for the unit where l had received my treatment, so I decided to donate my royalties to the charity.
 Many friends and family helped me on my journey and as a thank you to one of them, I wrote a short, children’s book featuring the Salty Sea Cat. I was invited to schools, fundraising events, was interviewed on BBC radio and was the guest speaker at literary conventions . The books proved to be so popular, that before long, the series of four was being sold around the world.
  While waiting for inspiration, one night, I watched my cat hunting below my window. The first poem, ‘Hunter’s Moon’ led to many more. Later, they were collected as ‘A Book of Accidental Cats’, my most successful title to date.


Although the pandemic years have reduced the number of fundraising opportunities, I have been able to concentrate on other projects. These have included reading some of my poems on BBC Radio, having short stories published in several magazines and the collection, ‘The Parracombe Prize 2022’. I was also long-listed for the Historical Writers’ Association Short Story Prize 2022.
This year, I aim to finish a novel about the last days of the English Commonwealth.


The journey continues.