Possum’s Heart

I don’t normally post a work-in-progress on here, but considering the circumstances, I thought it was only appropriate to share my new picture book, Possum’s Heart. Possum, is of course my almost 4-year-old son who will be having open heart surgery in the next 3-8 weeks. We didn’t know there was anything wrong with his heart up until a week ago, so it’s all happened very quickly! The prognosis for him is excellent, however we still have to go through the trauma of open heart surgery. He’s old enough to know something is happening. My concern is for his emotional state; I figure the surgeons have the physical stuff covered. This book is my way of preparing him for what lies ahead. (For full details of the situation, please visit my parenting blog, Big and Brave.) 

Big and Brave

I know I usually keep “The Unutterable Phrase” for talking about all things to do with writing, but we’ve just discovered our oldest son, Possum (he’s 4 on 14th July) has to have open heart surgery to repair a leaking heart valve. He has a congenital heart defect that was undiagnosed until Thursday. We had no clue!! Anyway, if you want to read the story thus far, you can find it on my parenting blog, Big and Brave. My career as a writer suddenly seems insignificant, except I suppose that I’m writing a picture book about open heart surgery to help prepare him for what lies ahead… Maybe I’ll get to write those therapeutic picture books sooner than I thought!

A generous spirit

At the moment I’m exploring a range of possible avenues for my writing. As I’ve mentioned here before, I’m very passionate about getting into the therapeutic side of books. I love the concept that my books could be part of a resilience program or an anti-bullying program or a fundraiser for a charity, for example. I am also one who believes that experiences, be they good or bad, are never a waste if we learn from them. I’m at a bit of a crossroads, however, and have to think carefully about a particular avenue that has opened up for me.