The Bookshelf: The Book That Inspired a Six-Year-Old to Write

The Book That Inspired a Six-Year-Old to Write

Sometimes we don't realise the ripple effect our actions can have. 

In this episode of The Bookshelf, I'm joined by author, editor and writing coach Cara A'Court to talk about two very special books. Cara shares the story behind her own novel, Three People, Three Countries, One Path, and how publishing it inspired her six-year-old niece to write and publish her very first book, Matt the Mole and the Stormy Day.

We also talk about writing as a way of processing life's experiences, why perfection shouldn't stop creativity, and how finding your own way of telling a story matters far more than getting every word right.

As someone who is dyslexic, writing has never come naturally to me, so this was a conversation that challenged some of my own beliefs about what it means to be a writer.

Whether you love books, have always dreamed of writing one, or simply enjoy hearing the stories behind them, I hope you enjoy this conversation.

You can find the books Cara spoke about here:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Three-People-Countries-One-Path/dp/1639888527

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Matt-mole-stormy-Billie-Rose-Lamb/dp/B0D4J91T5C

And if you'd like to connect with Cara, you can do that here:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/cara-a-court-335878143/

Transcript

Why We Built The Bookshelf

SPEAKER_00 0:01

Hello and welcome back to the Untypical Parent Podcast. We have our slightly different set of episodes this time round, and they are going to be called the Bookshelf. And if you've been following along, you will know that I am dyslexic and that I find reading particularly difficult, and I have suddenly found the world of audiobooks. But I really, really struggle to know what books are out there to read. And we decided, along with another author that I was in contact with, that I would start to do some episodes talking about books. Now that could be authors coming on, it could be parents coming on, anybody that reads a book and thinks actually this could be a really good book that people would be interested in. And so I have with me today the lovely Cara Accord, and I'm so pleased to have Cara with me today. So welcome to the podcast, Cara. Thank you for having me. Well you're very welcome. So Cara's come on to talk about two very special books. So which one should we kick off with, Cara? Your one or your niece's one? Uh my niece's one. Okay, let's do that then.

A Six-Year-Old Writes A Story

SPEAKER_00 1:09

So your niece's book is called Matt the Mole and the Stormy Day. So will you tell us who what's the what's the name of your niece so people can find the book?

SPEAKER_02 1:20

Um so my niece is called Billy Rose Lamb. Um and she was only six when she wrote it.

SPEAKER_00 1:30

Wow. Okay, so what is her book about? Give us a little synopsis. Don't give away the plot. We're gonna keep just as teasers. Um, but what's the book about?

SPEAKER_02 1:42

Um, so it's basically about how if you are kind and helpful, then you you make friends and um the you don't basically how you don't have to be alone.

SPEAKER_01 2:02

Okay, nice. And did she write this from a particular reason, Cora? Uh yeah, because Andy Carra had wrote a book. But it's you were her inspiration. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 2:17

This is that, okay. So she'd written a book, ins the inspiration came from you. But how did she choose the topic of the book? How does she how does she know what she wants to write about?

SPEAKER_02 2:28

Just because of who she is, she's very much like if anyone needs anything, if anyone needs help, she's always there to support people. She's always been like that, quite outgoing, quite strong in that type of area of being there for people.

SPEAKER_01 2:44

Um Yeah, yeah. And I think she just like I said, she just started writing.

SPEAKER_02 2:52

Cause I sent 'cause her m mum proofread the book for me before anyone else saw it. Okay. So I'll obviously I sent her a spe like special copy. And then as soon as Billy saw it, it was like, Anti Kara's wrote a book. And then that apparently was all that happened that weekend was writing constantly different things.

SPEAKER_00 3:15

And then you helped her to go on to publish that book.

SPEAKER_02 3:18

Um, yeah, so um her mum, my sister-in-law, messaged and said, Look, I think that Billy's really excited about this. Can you just look through it and see see if there's anything that needs doing? So I did the editing part. Her mum figured out how to publish it on Amazon. She sat through a however many hour long course. Oh wow. And um all the illustrations were done by um local uh kids art club that she goes well, she went to at the time, um, in Brandsville. So um yeah, it's very much although the story's really important, just the general putting together of kids realise like a kid, children can say, Well my my art works in a published book or my words.

SPEAKER_01 4:14

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 4:15

Um important how important is that that kids at that age at six got to develop a love of reading or writing or whatever it is, and a form of expression and have got their book out, their first published book at the age of six.

SPEAKER_02 4:30

Yeah, exactly. I mean that's that's one of the big things I love as um uh like writing coach and editor and things like that is helping people who wouldn't necessarily think they could do it and prove to um everyone that everyone does have a book in them, it's just whether they have the right support to do it.

SPEAKER_00 4:52

Yeah, and I love that. Do you particularly work, Carl, with neurodivergent people or just anybody that wants to write a book?

SPEAKER_02 5:00

Um anyone that wants to write a book but I um seem to attract neurodivergent people as um uh undiagnosed neurodivergent, all my friends that are neurodivergent have basically labelled me. Um because that's the only way I um like that's the only way they say I I must be able to keep up with them and understand their ideas and keep yeah, yeah. Um for example, my wife, if she comes into a chat with me and one of my um friends that's an author, she just like looks like what the heck? I I I don't even know where I am. Whereas I'm like, why can't you keep up with it?

SPEAKER_00 5:45

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay. So anybody you help and support through your uh writing, coaching and through your editing. But as you say, you tend to attract the neurodivergence of us out there. Uh I know I've had a chat with Cara about books and stuff like that, so um it was really great to talk it through with Cara actually. So that was really good. But so on top of this, you've helped you did your ni, you helped your niece, but you have also got a book.

Three Countries And One Inner Path

SPEAKER_00 6:14

So your book is I'm gonna read it, not even pretend to remember because being dyslexic, the words won't stay in my head, no, ran the wrong way. So your book is called Three People, Three Three Countries, One Path. Now, Cora, can you give us a little kind of synopsis about what your book is about? It sounds interesting.

SPEAKER_02 6:35

So it's about um obviously three people, um, a monk and two children. It's based over in so like across the three countries, India, Tibet, and China. Um, and it's about the how all have become one with certain people at certain times, but that doesn't mean they can't split off or change. Um, and it's very much about people feel like they have a set of fate or a set destiny from what they're told about themselves or led to believe, and it's about showing that you can take that back. Um so although it's got spiritual aspects to it, it's very much like a story of I suppose self-discovery.

SPEAKER_01 7:24

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 7:24

Um which I didn't realise until I'd published it, and one of my friends went, You do realise, although it's based somewhere totally different, you basically spoke about yourself.

SPEAKER_00 7:35

I was like, hmm. Well, fun if I was gonna say to you, where do you think that kind of story came from? Do you think a lot of that's come from elliptic? Yeah, okay. So it wasn't something that you planned and thought, I've had this experience in my life, I'm gonna write a book about it. It's just something that came out of you. Yeah. Okay. And have you always enjoyed writing? Has that always been a a real kind of outlet for you?

SPEAKER_02 8:00

Yeah, writing and reading's always been like my safe space, I suppose. Um like books have just been that escape when life's been tricky, or yeah, um, and if I've been struggling like I use writing therapeutically as well, so if things that I've been struggling with, like I write them down because I feel like then I'm sort of releasing it, it's not just all stored

Writing To Process Feelings

SPEAKER_02 8:30

up here.

SPEAKER_01 8:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 8:31

This fascinates me because of course being dyslexic, writing has always been my nemesis. I hate writing. But I have a son who, a bit like you're talking about, he he's a prolific writer and will write about he's he's got a particular style of writing, so he writes a lot of reviews for movies, he's a really good film critic. Um, but also he I think it's the way he processes stuff. Yeah, don't worry. So he's autistic. Um, and I think writing for him helps him process emotions and feelings and thoughts and experiences and things that have happened that he possibly finds more difficult in the moment, but by writing through it, it seems to take him through a path, and it just fascinates me how we all deal with things differently. Because of course, I'm that's not my preferred style, that would stress the hell out of me. But it fascinates with people that do write because it's obviously an outlet for them. And I know you and I have started to talk a little bit about a book that I've had in my head, and Cara did inspire me to get writing again, so I've gone away and I've written a bit more, Cara. Um brilliant. And actually, I've considering I'm dyslexic, I've started to feel it to be quite therapeutic, actually. Yeah. So stop worrying about being dyslexic and just to start writing.

Forget Grammar Start Creating

SPEAKER_02 9:55

Yeah. Um strangely, that is one thing I mentioned when like I do some writing coaching for a local charity. Um like um like to do with mental health. So it's that and I say I always say when you're first writing something, I don't care about your spelling, I don't care about your grammar, I don't care about anything like that, which might sound weird for an editor or a writing coach, but I just want your creativity, what's in your head, on the paper, the rest we can figure out after.

SPEAKER_01 10:31

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 10:32

And that's such a nice way, because I think, you know, unless you've been kind of typically good at writing, often experiences are if people get quite frozen when it comes to writing. I know I have this really strong internal dialogue that I was rubbish at writing, I couldn't write stories, I couldn't write this, I couldn't write that, and there's lots of couldn't, so I just got stuck. Um but actually once I've started to settle in and think I found a style that works for me, and I've stopped trying to be an author, yeah, um, it's made a massive difference. Got some more work. Yes. Yeah, and that's really important.

Where To Find The Books

SPEAKER_00 11:11

So if so we've got two books, both are available where, Cara? Where can people get your books? Probably Amazon would be the best bet.

unknown 11:21

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 11:22

So we can great. So we can put those links in the show notes for people. I'll also put Kara's note um links in the show notes because it might be that after listening today it's inspired you to go and write a book. And it may be that you suddenly thought, well, if if Liz could do it, if it was dyslexic, and Kara's Cara's niece, who's six, has done it, then actually maybe there is an in-road for me. And if that's the case, Cara, obviously you do your writing coaching, but you also edit as well. Um, so people can find you on that those links and can can make contact with you if they would like to, but also there are two books out there that you haven't possibly heard of today. It might be new into your uh knowledge about these books, so they will be out there there on Amazon, and we will make sure the links are there. Clara, all that leaves me to say is thank you ever so much for joining me. I really appreciate it. Thanks for talking about the books. Um thanks for talking about writing, and um yeah, I look forward to talking to you soon.

SPEAKER_01 12:23

Yeah, I look forward to talking to you soon. And remembering anyone can write. Love it. Thanks, Clara. Thank you, bye.