Throughout my life I have worked at what could reasonably called ‘responsible jobs’. Whether that was teaching, IBM, CEO, or self-employed consultant, they all had an air of respectability and were hardly remarked upon. Even my business books, whilst generating royalties, did little in the form of accolades.
But suddenly, in my seventies, whilst still doing some of the responsible things, I also embarked upon writing a children’s book to fill in time during lockdown. Once it was published with a contract that wanted first refusal of further books, the second launched last year and a third one launched last month.
Whether it was because consultants and CEOs don’t write children’s books and so I was an anomaly I don’t know, but the books have attracted much more attention. For example, the third book was launched by one of the Malaysian Governors in a spectacular launch involving revolving screens, smoke, lasers, and the book emerging automatically from a box.
Also, this year my old university used the books as a live project for the final year Digital Animation students. Also, an LA producers is interested in making a TV series based on the main characters. www.augustmoon-books.com
It has also generated work to produce book four based on an idea from the Governor, as well as my own plan write a book of short stories. There has been a further request to write the scenarios for a book of critical thinking exercises.
But, getting back to my first paragraph, the response to books about a fictious Malaysian Squirrel is very surprising. People want their books signed and parents and children want their photo taken with ‘the author’!
I am not complaining, but it has taken over fifty years of working to find a job with such a visible and positive response. It has been so pleasing to have found another career in my seventies. It is also great to be able to do something that gives me so much pleasure.
So, for those people out there that think they are too old to try something new, I would say that doing something in later life that you enjoy is a great improvement on sitting in your shed or growing tomatoes!
