Page 5 - February 2016 Issue 301

FEBRUARY 2016
LOCAL STORY BOOK FROM FAR
AWAY
My family moved to Countesthorpe in 1964. We lived on Station road and later moved to Gwendoline Drive. Two years prior to this the railway station there closed forever. My sister Kim and I spent many an hour playing along these old rail lines and inside some of the buildings which at that time were still standing. We would pull the levers that changed the tracks from one side to the other and let our imaginations run wild. This was also a very good area for blackberry picking! Another favourite place we played was the paddock which is still in the village today. My cousin Lesley Garner lived right beside it. Both of these places are mentioned in my book which was recently published.
Thirty five years ago I made Canada my home, married a Canadian and had a family but of course my roots and heart will always be in England and I very much enjoy every trip I make back here. There are many things in the village that have never changed but of course it has grown a lot since I left. In 1989 I graduated with a Bachelors Degree in Human Ecology specialising in clothing & textiles. This enabled me to go on and do many things such as working as a fashion merchandiser, costume designer, photographer, government inspector in the textile area and a jewellery designer. I have always been a creative person and currently enjoy making and selling crafts. The past four years I have been working as an educational assistant for children with special needs. I love being around children. Their young spirits are uplifting and I enjoy their openness and way they express themselves. Story telling was something I loved to do with my children. Melanie, my daughter always preferred me making up a story rather than reading a book to her. She often told me to write down my stories.
I’ve been asked how I came up with the idea for this book. It came to me in a dream! I wrote it down and put it in a drawer. Now and then I would come across it, and add a little more to the story. This went on for ten years!
It was something I couldn’t let go of until I finished the book. The winter in Nova Scotia last year was the worst in history and this paved the way for me to finally sit down and reach my goal. It was my mum, Yvonne Laker, who encouraged me to have it published because she enjoyed it so much. She talked a lot about the characters and her favourite was Whoo Whoo. I found
THE NEW COUNTESTHORPE HERALD 5
an amazing local artist who brought all the characters to life and the rest is now history. I am finding that adults are enjoying this story as well as children!
In a way this has been a journey back to my childhood and a very uplifting experience for me and I do hope that everyone will enjoy reading and sharing it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I already have some ideas for the sequel as some people have already requested! If you are interested in purchasing a copy of my book “The Railway Mice of Countesthorpe” this can be done direct via the publisher at www.friesenpress.com and at Amazon. I do hope in the near future to have some copies available in various places in and around Countesthorpe. Updates will be available on my website www. sharonlakerauthor.com and Facebook.com/RailwayMice.