Milton Keynes resident becomes published children's author

Her first children's picture book Mrs Bripp: The Cat Who Doesn't Meow published last weekend and is available to purchase from amazon.co.uk

From as far back as she can remember, Trudy has always loved reading and creative writing. Growing up, she always dreamt of writing books for children. However, her lack of confidence and self-esteem, from a very young age, always prevented her from doing this.

Two years ago, she had a moment of clarity. Having brought her children up to believe they could achieve anything if they put their minds to it, Trudy realised that she couldn't be telling her children this if she did not at least try and live by the same rule.

The inspiration for her first book was the family cat who, when she arrived, didn't meow at all. This made Trudy think about the expectations placed on people (and animals) about what they should be. Combining this idea with an abundance of cat mischief experiences, a story was born.

With the help of illustrator Ella Hobbis and graphic designers Matt and Claire Berry, from Stony Stratford, Trudy was able to bring her ideas to life. Of this Trudy said, "I had a lot of rejection and knock backs from the traditional publishing route.

"When I decided to self publish I had no idea what I was doing and had to learn as I went. Working with Ella, Matt and Claire has been amazing. They believed in me, shared my vision, supported me throughout and ultimately worked hard to make the book the very best it could be."

Mrs Bripp: The Cat Who Doesn't Meow is aimed at preschool and primary aged children, but will charm young and old alike. Written in rhyme, the story follows Nessa the cat through a myriad of comical cat capers. It culminates with a lovely message celebrating the importance of being different. It is currently available to purchase on amazon.co.uk where it is receiving five star reviews.

Working in the primary education setting, Trudy strives to encourage, enable and inspire a love of reading in children of all ages. She believes books can be used to teach children important values, whilst engaging them in magical worlds where their imaginations can run wild.

She has already written another two stories and hopes to publish these, as part of a series, in the near future. You can follow her journey on instagram (@trudywestauthor).