The 2011 CREATION of Marmalade the Mouse : a series of LIGHTBULB MOMENTS …

It was Autumn 2011 when Lucy Magicmaker sat under a plum tree and said, "I know I will have a new life. I know I will be self-employed. I know I will set-up a small biz, but what will it be ?" If only I had a sign !" Then, a little purple plum fell from the tree and landed in her hair. She was too busy thinking to notice the plum. Then, sad that no sign for her fresh beginnings had appeared, she went back indoors and carried on with her chores.

Lucy Magicmaker hoovered the house and did the laundry, and two hours later, went upstairs to put her socks away in the drawer. As she leaned forwards to close the drawer, the little purple plum rolled off her head and landed in the socks ! Lucy stood in amazement gazing at the ceiling wondering where the plum had come from. It was baffling ! Then, she realised the plum was the sign, and it had been sitting on her head all along !

Lucy quicky returned to the plum tree, and let her imagination wander. It wasn't long before a little mouse entered her mind who said his name was Marm-a-lada. But what did Marm-a-lada have to do with the fallen plum ? Lucy thought about it some more and quickly realised 'Marm-a-lada' is French for jam. "But what does jam have to do with the plum ? Oh, of corse, you can turn the plums into jam !" she sighed. "But, what does jam have to do with a mouse ?" It all seemed a BIT BIZARRE.

"What if I pick all the purple plums from this tree ? Maybe then, I'll understand more ?" she thought, and rushed indoors to research online jam jars !  A few days later the plums were picked, and a pallett of 2,000 jam jars had arrived in her kitchen ! For six long weeks, Lucy set about washing, chopping, boiling and bottling the fruit. Her entire world was consumed with stickiness, as the bizarre Marm-a-lada thoughts flashed through her mind. "Please don't let jam making be my life?" she said. "I can't bear this endless mess any longer ! I don't want to make jam !"

And with that, a light flicked on in her head, as Lucy realised that it was not HER job to make the jam ... the jam could be VIRTUAL JAM ... and in a VIRTUAL JAMMY WORLD ... and furthermore, the jam could EVEN be made by a mouse ! "Oh, my goodness ! A mouse called Marmalade !"

"But, where does a mouse called Marmalade live in this virtual world ? Is he online ? Does he have a website ? But, if the mouse is virtual, and the jam is virtual, and there is NO REAL JAM TO SELL, how can this be my new self-employed life ? she puzzled. "I don't understand what this mouse has to do with me ? WHERE DO I FIT IN ? The mouse is NOT REAL. The mouse is JUST A STORY !"

"Oh, my goodness !" gasped Lucy, as ANOTHER TWO LIGHTBULBS flicked on inside her head ... "A STORY ! Where do you find stories?" she asked. "Why, IN BOOKS of course ! So, if Marmalade is in a book, and he is virtual, then he is A CHARACTER ... and if I am to create him and TELL HIS STORY, THEN that makes me the STORYTELLER ... and if the books are to be PUBLISHED, that makes me A CHILDREN'S AUTHOR !" she gasped again. "Oh, my goodness ! This is my NEW LIFE !"

And, IN THAT MOMENT, as all the BIZARRE THOUGHTS COLLIDED TOGETHER, it all became SO VERY CLEAR ... it felt like her entire life made PERFECT SENSE ... it was all SO OBVIOUS. "All I needed was ONE LITTLE MOUSE !", she laughed, and with HAPPY TEARS rolling down her face, Lucy Magicmaker knew her world had changed forever.

Disclaimer : Lucy sat under a plum tree for inspiration. She found a quiet space, emptied her mind and watched for the signs to appear. Note : there are many ways to decide to become a writer and to publish or self-publish your first book. There are many printers, publishing houses, or online self-publishing tools to get you started. Please search online to discover more about the world of publishing.