Women and Words

Everyone knows us women like a good gossip and most of us are pretty good at talking to our friends and family about important issues in our lives, but what about if we were asked to put those experiences down in writing?

Well that was the task set out in the Kindle Book Publishing Challenge, to get women who have never written before to publish a book.

The idea came from Cheryl Bass, who runs the I Am Woman network in Cardiff, bringing together female entrepreneurs and business women.  Whilst on holiday in America she met a lady called Ariana Ayu and the pair started talking about how many people say they’d like to write a book but very few actually do it, so when Cheryl returned to Wales she decided she needed to put that right.

Cheryl enlisted the help of two friends in publishing, Jaqui Malpass and Cathy Presland, and together they enlisted 12 women to take up the challenge and write a book which would then be published for the kindle.

I’m pleased to say that I was invited to launch of those books on Tuesday night in Cardiff, and it really was an inspirational evening. The new authors have literally found their voice through the challenge and spoke of the difference it had made.

Angharad Brown, who wrote ‘You are the Answer’ told the room how she had left school with just 3 O Levels and her careers teacher told her she would never go far. “I’d love him to be here to say to him I’m now a published author” she said. While author of ‘Changed by a Cherry’, Amanda Richards said “I was amazed that I did it in the first place, and I feel amazing that I achieved it”

But Cathy Presland believes anyone can do it. “There’s nothing different about any of us who have written our books other than we have made the commitment to do it”.

It is a commitment that intrigues me – when I set up this blog in January I didn’t know if anyone would read it, but I’m having over 100 hits a week, which isn’t bad for a girl who was told in year 10 of school that she’d never pass her English GCSE (thankfully I had a different English teacher the following year and with her help I got an A grades in English literature and language) so writing a book does sound an exciting prospect.

At the moment though I think I’ve probably got too much else going on to find the time to write one, but never say never….     Perhaps that should be the title of my autobiography!

Kindle Book Publishing Challenge Books include:

 An Expert in My Field – Marianne Pettifor

You are the Answer – Angharad Brown

Mindset for Business – Dr Bridget Kirsop

Believe in You, Believe in Your Strategy – Sue Maggott

Changed by a Cherry – Amanda Richards

Seven Steps to Living your Mission Successfully – Gill Potter

Walking in My Shoes – Cheryl Bass