Saratoga local, Melita Lovett-Sisson, has given up the corporate life to pursue her passion for writing children books, publishing her second book on January 29.
The 32-page picture book, called My Puppy Kev, is the sequel to her first book, I Really Want a Puppy Mum!
Both are inspired by watching her children as they grow up playing in the backyard.
“We were living in Matcham, and I was watching my son and his puppy playing out on the farm, so I wrote that (second book) for him,” Lovett-Sisson said.
“They build forts and moats, there is a really cranky billy goat who bleats, and they are muddy and exhausted by the end of the day.
“It follows on from my first book.
“I have always written poetry and stories my whole life, and when my kids were growing up, instead of buying books, I used to write little stories for them on parts of their lives.
“Even back in my teenage days I would write; if I broke up with a boy back then, I would write about it.
“But I have written a lot of children’s books, so it is exciting to get two of them published.”
Lovett-Sisson spent 30 years working in demanding corporate jobs, but said she left that life behind two years ago when she retired.
“When I had all the time in the world, I could sit there and give my writing my full and complete focus,” she said.
“I Really Want a Puppy Mum! was for children in preschool, My Puppy Kev has a lot more words.”
Lovett-Sisson said with Austin Macauley Publishers being based in London, the process of writing a children’s book can be hard.
“Trying to verbally express what they have to have to create visually was a really challenging experience,” she said.
“But it was also super fun and it made me a lot more vigilant to get the story right and the imagery.”
Now her kids are older, Lovett-Sisson is looking to finish her Psychology Degree.
“I think writing and psychology go hand and hand, especially when you are writing non-fiction,” she said.
“You really have to look into people’s personas and how they operate, and yourself, so the readers are captivated.
“I am halfway through writing a fiction novel about a real-life experience where 10 of us got together over several years and completed each other’s bucket wish challenges.
“I want to continue to pursue my more creative side.”
Jacinta Counihan