JET
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Jet is the story of a little boy who becomes really scared of the world because of all the stories he has been told. Once he finds the courage to step outside to see for himself he discovers a world of magic, possibility and friends to help him every step of the way.
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In 2014 our family took a big decision to return to our homeland after 12 years away. This life altering decision culminated in me having a panic attack on the stairs of our beloved home in West Sussex.
As I worked hard to slow my breath, the first paragraph of Jet landed in my mind amid the anxious state I found myself in . It startled me and made no sense given I was having what I thought was an emotional crisis - so I scrambled upstairs to jot it down. The first page of Jet is as I received it in that scary moment.
Every morning after that day I woke up with the next verse fully written in my head and I would quickly write it down in the journal on my bedside table.
I didn’t quite know what to do with the story that emerged . Even though the words had created a vivid image of Jet and his world in my mind’s eye , I CANNOT draw.
But Jet has always come with a bit of magic and the perfect illustrator was lined up in the way of artist Jane Delaford Taylor who I had recently commissioned a painting from .
I love Jane’s work so when she agreed to illustrate Jet and her intuitive first sketches revealed his world as I imagined it, I was thrilled.
The words and images created a beautiful picture book that I had printed for my 3 sons and placed on their bookshelf. There Jet stayed and remained a family favourite until the world changed in 2020.
I watched the world reel in fear in response to Covid and I noticed the impact of the news stories and fear on my children . It was while reading Jet to my youngest during lockdown that it became clear to me that this story needed to be shared… if Jet could help one child or grown up address their fear , the way he had helped me on those stairs years ago, it would be worth the effort to self-publish the book.
So I did.
Jet is now available on amazon.
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