I count myself blessed to have four step-grandchildren, ranging in age from 11 to 6, two boys and two girls. Until recently, because of Covid restrictions, I hadn't seen them for a long time, but it is difficult to see them anyway as they all live many miles away and have working parents and busy lives. At the beginning of the first UK lockdown in March 2020 children were away from school and learning at home, and one of my stepdaughters suggested that the children and I had an online video session from time to time so that the children could read to me. It was a great way of keeping in touch. The six year old soon ran out of books and had other fish to fry, but his 8 year old sister, a keen reader, kept up the contact even after she went back to school, and it is (certainly for me, and I hope also for her) a really lovely way to keep connected. So far she has read a favourite book to me, and I have read three of the Chronicles of Narnia to her. Now we have started on another book of hers, but the reading is interspersed with chat about all manner of things. Even allowing for bias, she is a bright, articulate child, interested in everything, and often wise beyond her years. Recently it came out that part of her school homework was to write the blurb for a book she had been reading, and as I have some experience in this I offered to help. We duly composed, between us, a succinct and tantalising script, and she announced triumphantly, ' I will tell my teacher that I had help from a relative who's an author!' (I quote verbatim.) As many an author will tell you, publicity and marketing is the toughest part of writing a book, but maybe now, thanks to this delightful youngster, the word is out!
