I was always good with words and was told that one day, I should write a book. Christie Brown’s “My left foot” inspired me to tell my own story of living with cerebral palsy and being a disabled parent.

Aideen blackborough – 13 September 2015

The Back Flap

Does it wet the bed? tells the honest and encouraging story of my life, living with Cerebral Palsy. The story details my struggles and triumphs, my hopes and fears, offering the reader a totally unique and personal insight into what it’s like to be disabled. The story highlights some of the many everyday problems that I’ve faced and how I’ve overcome them, as well as highlighting the negative attitudes and discrimination which disabled people are still facing.

About the book

When did you start writing the book?

2009

How long did it take you to write it?

6 years, in between working full time and having my little boy

Where did you get the idea from?

I was always good with words and was told that one day, I should write a book. Christie Brown’s My left foot inspired me to tell my own story of living with cerebral palsy and being a disabled parent.

Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?

I sometimes struggled with the early part of my childhood, knowing when and why certain events happened. My parents helped to fill in some of the gaps where my memory was shaky. Writing the book was emotional, as I relived a lot of events, both good and bad, and at times it was difficult to convey the strength of my emotions in a way that my readers would be able to relate to.

What came easily?

Writing about my little boy and how I am managing as a disabled parent – as this is all fresh in my mind, it was the easiest part of the book to write.

Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?

As my book is a memoir, all of the “characters” are real!

Do you have a target reader?

Disabled people and their families; women 30-60; professionals with an interest in disability

About Writing

Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?

I use scrivener as my note pad – writing down everything that I think I want to include and then organising these into the various chapter. I found trying to link everything together and make it flow quite difficult so I used to take each point and just write about it, without worrying about where it would fit in the finished story. When I had written something around each point (which took some time!) I focused on ordering all these “mini stories” into chapters and then linked everything together.

Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter headings and a couple of sentences?

I just outlined roughly what I wanted to include in each chapter and I didn’t actually come up with the chapter titles until I’d finished writing.

Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?

I edited myself as I went but I didn’t hire a professional editor until the book was finished. We did one major edit and after reading that through, I did a further mini-edit.

Did you hire a professional editor?

Yes – best thing I invested in. my editor went above and beyond and held my hand throughout the whole self-publishing process and I owe him so much!

Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?

I can’t write very well without music (747 by Lady Antebellum is playing now) and I love anything similar – easy going and relaxed

About Publishing

Did you submit your work to Agents?

Yes – I made about 40-50 submissions over a six month period

What made you decide to go Indie, whether self-publishing or with an indie publisher? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?

I knew it could take months or even years to find an agent and then a publisher so I made a pact with myself: I’d spend 6 months looking for an agent and if I didn’t get one, I’d “go it alone”. I knew it would be hard work but I was and am prepared for that – at least all the rewards are mine!

Did you get your book cover professionally done or did you do it yourself?’

I ran a contest on 99designs.com and with help from my best friend, we briefed the designers and eventually, I got just what I wanted.

Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?

I’ve hired Literally PR to handle my PR – I’ve worked so hard on the book, I didn’t want to just wing it

Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?

Go for it! It means you’re in control, all decisions are yours and that’s so satisfying. It’s hard work but I don’t regret it, I have a finished book and that’s completely down to me.

About You

Where did you grow up?

I was born in county Sligo, Ireland but moved over to Birmingham at the age of one, where I grew up

Where do you live now?

After moving around a lot, I now live back in Birmingham with my husband and 2 year old son

What would you like readers to know about you?

I have cerebral palsy but it doesn’t hold me back – in fact, it makes me even more determined to follow my dreams, no matter how difficult.

What are you working on now?

Researching for my next book – a disability etiquette guide which will accompany my equality and diversity training.

End of Interview:

For more from Aideen, visit her blog.

Get your copy of Does It Wet the Bed? from Amazon US or Amazon UK.