A MEXBOROUGH dad has turned the scary bedtime stories he told to his four children into a prize-winning novel... about a talking CROW.
John Hudspith, 47, has won a Children's Book of the Year Award on Arts Council-funded website, YouWriteOn.com with his debut, Kimi's Secret.
Written from the perspective of 14-year-old Kimi Nichols, Kimi's Secret tells how the teenager gets a visit from a talking crow, and what should be a happy day spent birthday shopping, turns into a nightmare race against time.
John told the Times: "I have four children and they loved the scary
stories I used to tell them.
"Then about three years ago, when I took semi-retirement, Andrea, my wife said: 'Why don't you write a book?'
"When I looked into it I found it wasn't as easy as I had thought. I had to learn the planning process and the mechanics of writing.
"I didn't understand it is a craft and you have to take an apprenticeship".
John said he took inspiration from his children, who are all now grown up. His eldest twins are girls aged 25, his son is 22 and his youngest daughter is 18.
He added: "I got a lot of feedback from my daughters and nieces until the 'voice' of Kimi was acceptable. When you have four children and nine nieces, you get to know how they act and react".
He said he was planning to turn the novel into a series.
"I spent a long time researching the world of the book and its inhabitants, the creatures and the beasts."
YouWriteOn manager Edward Smith, said: "The judging panel and YouWriteOn readers alike agreed that Kimi's Secret is a really imaginative and extremely enjoyable read, carrying the reader along with the unique world that John has created.
"It was voted one of YouWriteOn's very highest-rated stories, and the opening chapters can be viewed on YouWriteOn. We really believe that John has the potential to follow in the footsteps of other YouWriteOn book award winners and achieve mainstream publishing success."
