What a wonderful experience to see Wellworth printed on a cover and the words I laboured over for more than five years printed inside.

This book means so much to me—not only because it is a debut adult novel—but because in many ways it saved me.

I finished the first draft back in 2018

If you have followed my patchy writing career here, you will know I finished the first draft back in 2018. In 2019 I suffered a workplace injury and by 2020 I was ready to end everything. It was on the advice of my therapist I replaced my longing to return to work with editing Wellworth.

At first, this felt ‘naughty’. Writing, at that point, had been a hobby. An enjoyable hobby. I didn’t see it as work. But each morning by 9 am when I felt the usual flood of tears I sat with the manuscript and slowly began the edit.

Today writing is work—enjoyable, yes—but now I have the same professional distance as I did when I went out to work.

I never imagined anyone would believe in my writing or Wellworth would be published.

Since the workplace injury, I’ve been given a diagnosis of PTSD. I was so fortunate that Carolyn at Hawkeye Books had other ideas. And here it is.

Thank you, Carolyn and the team at Hawkeye, for believing in Wellworth. And for restoring my faith in humanity.