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carolineboxall
Mar 8, 20213 min read

Reaching Out

In a moment of inspiration, I decided it would be friendly to reach out to other authors and ask if they would like to tell their story on my blog.


First up is Sam Wilson, fellow self-published author. Here is Sam's story:


Well, where to start? I would say I have had a fascination with writing ever since my schoolteacher Mr. Perry inspired me with stories by Roald Dahl, Enid Blyton, and Terry Pratchett in primary school. And my own mum who put the importance of books ahead of all else. In my house we never bent a books spine or a corner of a page, that was sacrilegious.

At 18 I decided that writing was in my future and read creative writing through 4 years of Kingston Uni including a Masters. But then life came at me hard and fast, and I shelved my seriousness in writing, only dabbling when the mood took me. But then COVID-19 happened and suddenly I was furloughed. I had the time. I had the chance. So, I took it and every day I worked on my first novel, “Moon & The Hat”.


The biggest challenge I have ever had is in completing a story (short stories yes, but novels not so much). I am an ideas guy. Every day I get new ideas and they are not always connected; some are brand new; some are short and some just not usable yet make me chuckle to myself like a loony. Which means I get distracted by the new shiny idea and shelve half concocted novels for later. Ones of penguin eco-terrorists, prison guards which are flying cabbages in a virtual prison, magic carpets (there are not enough magic carpet stories in my opinion around) and various other fantastical ideas.


My first novel, “Moon & The Hat” flowed partially as I forced myself to do it. I find adventure stories are far easier to write as they flow in a linear sequence, and therefore it became about perseverance to the story rather than winding a web of narratives together.

Moon, transports both her and her Uncle, Benjamin into the world of Hat by accident.

They land into a marvellous world of canals, Steglamon, full size Badgers and humans. Bubble waterfalls, floating towns over canals and Steglamon Tea Parties become the norm in this world, but when her Uncle is taken by the Blue Brigade in the woods, will Moon be able to find him and get them home to her dad? Get ready for an adventure filled with an inquisitive girl with best intentions whose plans don't always work out as they should.


Once the first one was done, the second, “Moon & Back” just happened within 4 weeks. A third is planned out, but I decided to deviate to a new idea for the time being (which I hope to finish in the next few months).

I did the usual and offered my manuscripts out to various agents and did not get very far. It turns out I was not the only one using Lockdown to finish that novel you have always wanted to. In a competitive market I decided to self-publish on amazon while I waited for that email from an agent.

To really push sales, it takes investment. The amount of Facebook groups I originally joined to get tips was vast. Yet they have all been infiltrated by various spam groups and suddenly I was looking at “pay me $10 and you’ll reach 40k readers with this easy guide”. So, I jacked that in and instead set up my Instagram page and currently tick along as I can for the time being before I work out a new affordable marketing strategy.


Both my books are set in THE WORLD OF HAT SERIES for 8+ readers! Perfect for readers who love adventure, new worlds, fantasy, and magic. Fans of Alice in Wonderland, The Strangeworlds Travel Agency, Wonderscape and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe will enjoy my series. Feedback from the readers so far has been really positive with many 5-star ratings on amazon. I love telling stories and hope that I can inspire someone to read just a little bit more.










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