Meet Our Latest Debut Author

Francis Smith is a wonderfully gifted storyteller, yet an unexpected writer having little formal education.  After leaving school he spent five years as a gravedigger, and many more years working on construction sites as a labourer.  He tried his hand at several other jobs but eventually settled as a window cleaner.  Now, with 30 years’ experience of cleaning windows in and around Plymouth, and approaching the ripe old age of 60, Francis decided to write a book!  ‘Why did he leave it so long?’ you may ask yourself. Dyslexia!  The barrier to his education rather than the consequential lack of it.  Being a lifetime sufferer of that socially debilitating neurological condition, the idea of writing a book seemed as impossible as going to the moon.  It was something that had embarrassed him enormously all of his life; he would get someone else to fill out job application forms for him, saying he wanted someone with neat handwriting to fill them in to make a good impression; any excuse rather than telling people the truth.

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Then, one fine summer's day, a technological revolution changed his life; 'Speech Recognition'!  Suddenly, he was able to express himself in written language in the same way that he had always been able to engage people verbally.  Seeing his own words appear on the screen as he spoke them was truly wonderful and liberating, like an instant remedy for his condition.  ‘Why has no one ever told me about this before’ he said to himself.  He developed a love for writing, culminating in the brilliant yet thought-provoking children's rhyming adventure 'Crazy Kipper And The Magic Hat', the first in a series of Crazy Kipper books.  With the follow-up book already in development along with several other projects in various stages of completion, this will surely be the start of a new and successful career for Francis.