For years, I told my daughters spontaneous stories while on nature or river adventures, on the drive home from school and at night when I tucked them in. They never let me off! They were demanding as well as quite persuasive. (Even when Manchester United was playing Liverpool or Chelsea, my daughters had no mercy; thank God for replays!) My stories championed women and children and values to which we all aspire, e.g., sharing and helping others. I am passionate about telling children stories; they are fun and stimulate my brain.

I lost the love of my life to breast cancer. While she was sick, I told her the stories I told my girls. She laughed as they brought her comfort, joy and peace. Although children stories, she loved them and insisted I publish them. After years of secret depression, I am now enthusiastic to take on the promise I made to my Love and my girls of turning my stories into books to share with children worldwide.

Like so many others, covid crippled me. The tourism industry, on which I heavily depended as a professional wildlife photographer/instructor, collapsed, and for three years, my income suffered. Some of my colleagues closed down altogether. With far less overhead, I managed to crawl out of the muddy waters, battered but not beaten.

However, I have no liquidity to begin publishing my four books. ‘The Lost Ducking’, my daughters’ favourite, is edited with an ISBN number and at the illustration stage. An eager audience already awaits! Families and children who have read the story have been smitten by the characters and moved by the book’s powerful messages. The other stories are equally powerful and engaging and all children deserve the chance to enjoy them as well.

My funding page’s target goal is US$9,000 = TT$61,024 approx... for illustration, editing, and translation fees. Illustrations are key in children’s books, and these funds will secure these services, especially an experienced and talented illustrator who will preserve, enhance, and convey the mood, characters, setting and messages in my endearing, fun-loving children’s adventures.

With your kind generosity and faith in my good character, we can together bring my girls’ favourite stories to life for posterity for my girls and all children whose minds my books will excite and enlighten.

‘The Lost Ducking’ is an endearing story of a newly hatched duckling left behind by its mummy who thinks the egg will not hatch because her other five eggs hatched much earlier. Having no idea what its mummy looks like, the fighter duckling bravely sets off through a predator-infested habitat to find her, meeting friends and foe along the way.

The duckling’s character will grab readers as the drama unfolds and children can hardly wait to turn the pages. The powerful and gripping lessons are presented with humour, compassion and valour, that serve as good role modelling examples for everyone.