Our Rebekah A story of love from our NHS

SATURDAY 25th APRIL 2020:

I am wondering if I can write two books at the same time.

When  lock down started I took to occupying my time writing.  I have been writing since I was a teenager but with my days so full of other activities I simply did not have time to write. However, I applied a bit of self-discipline and published THE RAMBLINGS OF A SILLY OLD MAN  on Saturday 22nd February.  I then picked up THE FANTASIES OF A GERIATRIC DJ something I started more then three years ago but set aside. I picked up writing and published that on Sunday 22nd March. With time on my hand and needing to occupy my mind I published THE LOTTERY OF EVIL on Tuesday 31st March. Next came THE LONELY GHOST on Sunday 19th April. Four books in less than two months, not bad going.

Problem !  Nobody reads them !  Not quite true, not enough people read them !  When Rebekah died on Friday 19th May 2017 her friends set up OurRebekah to support her favourite charity.  Tuesday 19th May 2020 will be the third anniversary of her death. OurRebekah became the Sunshine Smile Crew which has been reaching out into many good causes seeking to make people smile and be happy. Rebekah spent most of her life in and out of hospital, that life was cut short after a period of illness at the age of thirty-four. Beck had a cheeky and highly infectious smile, nowhere exits a photograph where she is not smiling.

I began writing my next book on Monday 20th April ALIENS IN TIME I have now written 7,489 words. I think this is going to turn into a short story rather than a a full novel.

Since May 2017 not a single penny has been taken as costs within the projects Rebekah's Smile works with, every penny goers direct to the good cause. I fund everything from my own pockets but my pockets just are not deep enough. Many writers on Amazon made big money from their books, there are many Amazon millionaires. I am not one of them but I would like to make money to deepen my pockets and send many, many more smiles to the

areas we support. But people are not buying my books, I just make a few pounds a week. The difference between my books and the wealthy authors is not the content. it is promotion and I am useless at promoting my books.  When I get angry it is not so much with the people who do not buy my books although I do think I deserve their support, but fundamentally with myself for failing to inspire people to read my scribbling.

I want to continue working on ALIENS IN TIME but plan to start a second book OUR REBEKAH and to publish that on Tuesday 19th May 2020, the third anniversary of Rebekah's death.

In this pandemic and lock down people are celebrating the love of our NHS, I have been shouting my mouth off about our WONDERFUL, AMAZING, LOVING HNS since 1983 !  An eminent renal consultant once said to me that he DID NOT TREAT HIS PATIENTS - HE CARED FOR THEM.  Throughout Rebekah's life her smile was only possible because of the love of our NHS.

When I write a story like ALIENS IN TIME it has to come from my mind.  If I were to write Rebekah's story and the love of our NHS which gave her such a wonderful life I would not be writing from my mind but from my heart.

Most of my books are in e-book format with just a few in paperback.  A paperback book on Amazon needs to be between 60,000 and 80,000 words.  If I want to have Our Rebekah published on 19th May 2020 I will need to submit the text on Sunday 17th May, that will mean I need to finish writing the draft by Friday 15th May.  Discount today, Sunday 26th April to Friday 15th May is just twenty days. That means I need to write three thousand words a day, I can do that.

Illustrating a book on Amazon significantly increases the price. My book THE BRIDGE HOUSE is illustrated and costs £18.72 in paperback.  I am proposing to offer both illustrated and non illustrated versions.

Now this book has to sell !  Let's assume royalties are £1 per book, how many can we sell ? One has to be the minimum and one million the maximum, a target has to be somewhere within it.  As I write the text I need to share it and find some names who will write short reviews. Can I find people from within the National Health Service who knew Rebekah ? With the incredible work load the NHS is under right now that would be asking a very big favour. I knew Elizabeth Ward who founded The British Kidney Patients group and began the original organ donor card. Elizabeth knew Rebekah.

Many of our projects have NHS links from Smile cards for hospitals to supporting families with a child sick in hospital, from promoting blood and organ donation to helping drug addicts build new lives.  If I write the book and have a team round me as I write then perhaps we can see this piece of writing to make some good money for our Smiles.

I am now going to publish this blog, take a break for a few hours then start to write.  I will share this blog on Facebook and see how many words of support it generates.