I am a rather proud son now. My Mum has had her first book published today (31st March 2021).
It has been a work in progress for about 30 years now... a collection of short children's stories based in and around my childhood growing up in the Middle East (Oman, and the UAE). These were written a long time ago, but only over the last few years have they been compiled into a book.
The style is a cross between Enid Blyton and Richmal Crompton ("Just William" stories). And forget political correctness. The first page says that the kids Mum would smack them if she saw them stomping on her flower bed!
I definately remember the Gecko incident though. I mean, who knew that gecko's can shed their tails. Watching it wriggling around on the floor scared the life out of me!!!
It was certainly hard work for my Mum getting anything published due to Covid over the last year. Meeting publishers, illustrators, etc.. all had to be done remotely. But the effort paid off - and I am very proud of her.
The below extract is taken from Amazon about the book and about my Mum (Linda Benbow). I am sure she won't mind me sharing these with you! You can purchase the paperback and ebook on amazon.co.uk ; or for residents of other countries you can use your local amazon website and purchase the ebook only at this stage.
Overview
"A Tale of a Tail is a collection of ten short childrens stories with characters such as Ghasan the gecko, Fatima the desert dancing rat, Ashrif the donkey who just likes wandering around and Waleed the whale who nearly gets himself stranded in shallow waters. There is also Charlie the ugly cockroach who makes friends with other ugly creatures and saves their lives. Plus Karim the goat who ends up very smelly in a nice kind of way! Each adventure brings to life the animals and creatures who live in the hot climate of desert regions and shows just how life means so much more when there is a friend there for you."
About the Author
Born in India to British parents, Linda Benbow came to UK when she was five and was educated in England. She left London in her mid-thirties with her husband and son and spent much of her working life in the Middle East, working in media and as a journalist in Dubai, as well as working in private schools in Oman and UAE. This opened up recreational opportunities for her such as camping amongst sand dunes, sailing on her boat and snorkelling with dolphins. Linda now lives in Wiltshire, England. She is married with one son who, she says, was the inspiration for this, her first book.
Amazon UK Link - https://amzn.to/3cESbwe
