From Carlisle to Australia: Wendy Pattinson's Journey to Writing 'If Wishes Were Horses'

Wendy Pattinson grew up in Carlisle before emigrating to Australia in 1999 with her husband and young children. Wendy’s mum was a successful business owner in the 70s and 80s, owning Carlisle Office Services, a printing business using Gestetner machines. As a child, Wendy remembers Melvyn Bragg visiting the office of her mother, who typed one of his early novels. Wendy told him that she liked reading, and he said perhaps she would write a book one day... which has proved prophetic The book is entitled ‘If Wishes Were Horses’ and follows the main character, Sam, who must escape his abusive father for any hope of a future, but living on the street pushes him to the brink as he's forced to make difficult choices to survive. Writing her debut novel came suddenly for Wendy. “I once started writing a book in my 20s, but it never came to fruition,” said Wendy. “Then life happened, and you get married, and you have kids, and then it just gets put on the back burner. “The catalyst for starting this book was that I downloaded an e-book, and when I finished it I thought: ‘I think I could write a better book than that’, and then I started typing, and it started flowing out.” Wendy and her husband owned a guest house in St Aidan’s Road for six years before emigrating out to Perth Australia. “Life is great in Australia, but I definitely miss Marks and Spencer's food hall,” said Wendy. “The book is left with a cliffhanger, and there's a lot of storylines and characters that have plenty more to give. The conclusion is far from over, so there’s definitely another book there.” The book is being released in mid-August and can be purchased on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Thriftbooks & other online platforms, as well as Waterstones & other good bookstores.

Post Views : 36