At 52, John McIntyre has written ‘How Witches Get Their Broomsticks,’ which tells the story of struggling witch Val who has dedicated her life to becoming Witch of the year. The idea behind the book came from his love of telling stories to his foster children. Just as Val faced her own struggles to achieve something rewarding in her life, so too has John. From childhood he has suffered from dyslexia but he saw it as not “an obstacle” to achieve his first children’s book.
Says John: “I’m really dyslexic so I sit there for ages spelling things. If I sent you the book from the very start and the book it is now, you’d go ‘wow, he’s dyslexic’. You would look at the paragraphs and things are all a wee bit mixed up, the way words are spelt and I don’t know why but it will look alright to me until I come back to it. It is what it is though, I just get on with it. I’ve been a manager for Auto Windscreens, I’ve managed a pub in London. It’s not an obstacle. I don’t think dyslexia could ever be an obstacle. It’s a hindrance, that’s all it really is. It just means that you have to maybe come back to it in a couple of days and read it again, that’s all.”
Philosophically he adds: “I wouldn’t recommend that anybody listen to any kind of schools or university telling you what you cannot do. If you’ve got it in your head and it takes a little more effort to get out there, it’s still worth doing.”
John wrote the bones of the story in 2014 before it got put on the backburner. But a trip to Poland with some friends a few years later gave him the confidence to continue. After trying various publishing houses to get his book published John eventually decided to publish his book himself and it is now available worldwide on Amazon Kindle.
He explains: “When I used to foster with my ex-wife, and when I was telling the kids stories, I was trying to read them out of actual books, the kids were going ‘I prefer your story, tell us a story’. So I was telling them stories about bears and goodness knows what else, and they were preferring them to the books I was actually trying to read them. We had a little five year old, I made a wee story up about a brown bear, and then I made other stories up for other kids. I kind of thought to myself, why don’t I see if I can actually write something. I wrote the whole of ‘How Witches Get Their Broomsticks’ on my phone.
The author founded John McIntyre Publishing earlier this year with the aim of promoting and encouraging a new philosophy within the publishing industry. “We here believe in the value of child development through stories and inspiring self-confidence and self-belief,” he concludes.
John has already donated copies of his book to the Archie Foundation - a Scottish charity that exists to make the difference in healthcare and bereavement for local children and their families.
Synopsis of ‘How Witches Get Their Broomsticks’ by John McIntyre:
An enchanting story that has been brought to life through loveable characters and funny moments. It relates the tale of a struggling witch called Val who has dedicated her life to becoming the Witch of the Year. She tries very hard to achieve this. Many surprises and much fun later as a tree and her cat inspire her.
The book is designed for children 7-12but will be enjoyed by adults because of its wonderful presentation of Val the Witches character, being both hilarious and joyfully playful with all the other characters around her, including Bert the Brave, a tree bug, and her ever loyal cat, Magnificent, and the tree, Dave, who’s described as being pure Gold.
This is the first book John McIntyre has published and he is currently working on two follow-ups. There is an Italian version of ‘How Witches Get Their Broomsticks’ as well as being available as an audiobook. A French language version is also to be made available soon .
About the author:
John McIntyre is based in Dundee, Scotland. He says he was inspired to write this children's story as “I wanted to show new generations that no matter the challenges you face you can achieve a dream.”
John, 52, is the founder of John McIntyre Publishing and the author of ‘How Witches Get Their Broomsticks'. The artwork for his debut book is by autistic Dundee artist Lauren Clementine Tinsley, whilst John himself designed the front cover. Says John: “She’s quite a wee talented artist. She’s done a good job.”
His first work is a charming children's story full of adventure, heartbreak and comedy. John was inspired to write for children as he used to create stories for his foster children that he fostered with his ex-wife. He was also motivated to highlight that no matter your struggles you can achieve your dream. John suffers from dyslexia and wants to prove his previous teachers wrong that assumed he wouldn't be able to write or publish a novel. Well he has shown them so why should it stop anyone else?
John’s website is at: www.johnmcintyrepublishing.co.
For details see: https://www.waterstones.com/
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