Once Upon a Time...

Immerse yourself in the magic world of monsters and dragons created by now worldwide Published Author Becky Driscoll

Teacher and published author Becky Driscoll’s imaginative book of adventures “The Tale of Dif the Dragon” is one full of life and colour for little minds to explore! We here at Publishing Push love creating stories for all ages, and we especially love to publish works that will go on to inspire children, as they are our future creators.

Author Becky Driscoll

We spoke with Becky about her inspiration for her tales, and her experience of becoming a self-published author.

What inspired you to write and publish your book?

I discovered the wacky characters for this book under my bed when I headed off to university. The characters are a creation of the madness and weirdness of a 7 year olds mind. It is a story about discovering your inner fire with a lot of nonsense thrown in. I have been writing it for the past ten years; it has offered me escapism when I needed it and loving characters when times have been tough. I can’t believe the story is finally being shared with the world!

What advice would you give to aspiring authors?

Keep your childhood creations - nothing beats a kids imagination. I learn that every day as a teacher now!

Do you have a top tip, or number one thing that helped you the most in your journey to be a published author?

A lot of inspiration can be gathered writing in cafes and airport lounges… take your writing out and about!

Making Sure Your Book Reaches Thousands of Readers!

A book with wonderful illustrations like Becky’s deserves equally brilliant marketing. A great way to do this is by utilising social media, such as creating Twitter content for her book. However, we know that this can become extremely time-consuming and tedious for authors who are desperate to spend time writing their next novel rather than posts, which is where Tweet Hunter comes in!

Tweet Hunter helps authors to create posts that are dynamic and eye-catching with the help of their automated service, so you can be posting about your book in no time at all! This is a great way to reach parents and teachers online who are looking for resources for children, and it’s a fantastic way to get the attention of a much wider audience! Check them out at their website below, and start creating your content today.

Find Out What Our Team Loves to Read!

In celebration of our wonderful children’s authors, we asked some of our lovely (and very well read!) team here Publishing Push what their favourite children’s tale is and why!

Holly- Publishing Consultant:

Roald Dahl and Quentin Blake’s Matilda

My all-time favourite has to be Roald Dahl’s Matilda. I spent hours as a child with my head in a book, and so when I discovered the magic of Dahl’s worlds and words, I was mesmerised. With the addition of Quentin Blake’s remarkable and whimsical illustrations, this tale taught me that my love for literature was a gift, and kept me inspired enough for years to become a writer and creative myself!

Domizia- Junior Publishing Consultant:

Elisabetta Dami’s Geronimo Stilton Book Series

My tribute goes to Geronimo Stilton's book series. Going back to when I was a child, I can still recall the adventures of this little mouse in the Kingdom of Fantasy. Each page provided a number of different smells, good or bad depending on the Kingdom Geronimo was exploring. What I particularly enjoy about it is the “laugh until you make it” principle applied. I learned from him to never give up and to not let your failures define you as a person, but instead overcome them by focusing on the positive aspects of life such as family, friendship, love, and the importance to believe in yourself and fight your fears.

Abby- Reviewing Team:

Owl Babies by Martin Waddell and Patrick Benson

Owl Babies by Martin Waddell was my favourite book as a child! I loved the heartwarming story of the three little owls waiting for their mum to come back, portraying the love between a mother and her children. The illustrations perfectly captured the beauty and magic of the nighttime forest, and the whole book had such a comforting feel to it. This book is still a crowd favourite to this day with my niece and nephew; I can’t recommend it enough!

Tarn- Receptionist

Seal Morning by Rowena Farre

Seal Morning by Rowena Farre. First published in 1957, this book tells the story of a young girl who, with her Aunt Miriam, leaves the south of England to live in a small croft in a remote part of Sutherland, Scotland. There is no telephone, no modern conveniences, and the nearest village is nine miles away. I think what I loved the most about this book was the close association Rowena and her aunt had with the natural world around them and all the wild animals they adopted, including otters, deer, and squirrels, and of course, Lora, the seal, who becomes part of the family.

Ivee- Project Manager

The Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney

We also love Becky’s advice to take your writing to different places for inspiration, so why not try her top tip for yourself? Head down to your favourite local coffee spot or sit in the park on a sunny day, and see what appears on the page!

An incredible place to do so will be the brand the Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration, which is currently being transformed at a heritage site in Clerkenwell, London. Sadly the site will not be open until 2025, but until then they have an amazing line up of online courses and workshops, and in person events across the UK that you can check out to cultivate your own innovative illustrations, and spark your creativity!

You can find out more at: https://www.qbcentre.org.uk/

We are really excited about having this centre at our fingertips for our extremely talented in-house illustrators and our authors who are keen to cultivate stories to inspire the next generation.