Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Having retired from the corporate world, I spend half of my time in Australia and other half in England if I can. With more time on my hands, I have just written my first book, and with the help of my good friend, Sam Clarke, we recently launched it on Amazon. We sold over 250 copies and received some fabulous reviews in a short amount of time, so a promising start we believe.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My book is called “The Illustrated Book of Funny Old Sayings.”
Growing up in the small town of Blandford Forum, Dorset, I used to hear funny old sayings all the time:- “Don’t let the cat out of the bag”, “It’s raining cats and dogs” and “Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth”. We often know what they mean, but do we know their origins and where do they come from?
As a small child, I was intrigued by them, probably because the thought of it actually raining cats and dogs seemed so ridiculous! Over the last few years, I have been writing these sayings down and researching the history behind them. It’s been both fun and fascinating to say the least. I still visualise a playful image of the saying itself which makes me chuckle and the origins are truly intriguing. I don’t know about you, but I think it would be very sad if these odd little sayings were ever to be forgotten.
So for this reason, I decided to finish the book and get it published. Amazon has been a great tool for achieving this!
As I mentioned, the book is called “The Illustrated Book of Funny Old Sayings” and it includes a number of well known sayings and phrases. Each saying is matched with a beautiful, fun and original water colour painting, together with a couple of paragraphs explaining both the meaning and the origin of the saying.
This book is written for people of all ages and is designed to entertain, inform and enlighten. It will appeal to lovers of trivia, history and language. It makes the perfect gift for someone that has everything, they can keep it on the coffee table and provide a little bit of entertainment for all.
It’s been really fun project to work on.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I keep a note book and pen next to my bed as I often get all of my best ideas in the middle of the night. If I don’t write things down as they come to mind, I might forget about them.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Whilst I love reading all sorts of books, I really enjoy writing short stories, silly little poems and children’s books. So I have to say, I think I have been inspired by authors like Roald Dahl and Julie Robinson – they write fabulous children’s books.
What are you working on now?
I have just finished a children’s rhyming book for ages 3-6 year olds. It is due to be published at the end of this month. It is called “Chicken Chook – A Greedy Bird that likes to Cook.” It’s a funny little book about learning to share and eating well.
The next Chicken Chook book is already beginning to take shape in my mind.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Too early to tell at the moment. Let’s hope I can say Awesome Gang!
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t procrastinate, just do it! Like most things, we learn as we go, so the best thing it to just make a start and don’t give up.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
No doesn’t mean No – it just means “Not Now!”
So don’t be disheartened and don’t give up.
What are you reading now?
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I would like to keep writing books for children. What ever I do, it needs to be fun and enjoyable.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
That’s a hard one, but here are my 3 book choices for 3 different reasons.
The hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien
Where the crawdads sing by Delia Owens
A short history of everything by Bill Bryson
Author Websites and Profiles
Sally Mooney Amazon Profile
Sally Mooney’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Twitter Account