[00:00:00] Speaker A: Hello authors. I'm Joanne Morrell, children's and young adult fiction writer and author of short nonfiction for authors. Thanks for joining me for the Hybrid Author Podcast, sharing interviews from industry professionals to help you forge a career as a hybrid author both independently and traditionally publishing your books. You can get the show notes for each episode and sign up for your free Author pass over at the Hybrid Author website to discover your writing process, get tips on how to publish productively, and get comfortable promoting your books at.
Let's crack on with the episode.
[00:00:42] Speaker B: Hello authors. I hope you're all keeping well in whatever part of the world you reside and listen to the podcast in. Today's interview is with John W. Pattison on Overcoming the Shadows, Triumph, Vulnerability and Inspiring through Memoir, and we chat about his writing career. In particular Me and My Shadow, a deeply personal and emotional journey of John's battle with cancer, the inspiration to write this memoir, and how the writing process helped John reflect on and process his experiences, balancing being open and honest about struggles while crafting narrative. John's advice to authors looking to write and share personal hardships in a way that both heals and inspires and much more. So the interview with John and coming up and his story, honestly, it's such an inspiring retelling of hope, courage and humor humanity. And it's truly quite unbelievable. In John's case, life truly is too short to wait. So I hope you enjoy and are inspired to push forth with your writerly dreams after listening to John's story.
So in my author adventure this week, school holidays is still a buzz. Me and my children have been utilizing our local library school holiday programs. They're just fantastic. They are so filled with different things. You know, there's cooking, art, craft. One we went to the other day was an upcycling DIY upcycling workshop for kids and that was for all ages and it was a free event. And so I took my kids along and my nephews and yeah, they had little stations set up. It was actually a really gorgeous day in Perth, Western Australia. We're in the peak of summer and we've had some real hot days, but some real nice days too. So it's been a great summer so far. This was perfect weather. And some of the stations they had was so these little succulents they could there was buckets full of old jars and beautiful teapots and teacups and the kids got to use the soil and plant the succulents and then use ribbon to, you know, make little gifts. And so it was just showing kids that, you know, old homewares and things that you can. You can make them into something else, like something really pretty. They also had another stand that just had all used things that you can kind of recycle and use again. So, you know, old cork wine bottles. Can't remember the last time I uncorked a bottle of wine. It's usually everything screw top these days. Although I do know that corks apparently make the taste of wine better.
[00:03:06] Speaker A: I' so that.
[00:03:08] Speaker B: And, you know, they were hammering nails into it and making sort of little animals and snails and really just letting their creative imaginations go. So it was really, really cool to see that. And they had like, you know, tattoo airbrushing for the kids and first hundred ice creams free. And yeah, it was just a really fun game. They had like a little train thing that again, fitted in well with the upcycling because it was actually just like a guy. I don't know if it was like a little tractor or like a quad bike. And he'd created like train carriages out of old barrels that he was just taking the kids around the car park in, which was, you know, they loved. And we were there for a few hours and they absolutely enjoyed it. And another one for the older kids was a bubble tea and bath bomb workshop, which was really cool. They had such fun making like the. The bath bombs. And for the older kids, it's always a little bit awkward, you know, especially for girls. They're just all sort of like, if they go with a friend, they kind of stick to the friend. Although I know that they did icebreakers to try and get them to talk to each other.
[00:04:01] Speaker A: It's always so awkward being.
[00:04:03] Speaker B: If you remember being a teenager or a kid growing the way and just the thought of having to talk to other people, it's just like, awkward. So now they've just had some fabulous, fabulous art workshops shout out Cindy Lane, cool artist in my neck of the woods. And she's been running some beautiful glow in the dark paint workshops through the libraries. Unfortunately, we haven't been able to get to her sessions. They've absolutely been sold out. So, yeah, it's just been really fun. Not a whole lot of writing has been getting done while the kids are at home. I have had to plan out these activities and then, you know, actually score out days where they have to just see to themselves and chill out and so I can get some work done too. That's being a mother, being a single parent.
[00:04:43] Speaker A: That's.
[00:04:44] Speaker B: That's the way it is. So I have some workshops and talks coming up myself this week. I am at the Claremont Artisian market this Saturday, January 18, 3 till 8pm that's at Claremont Oval in Perth, Western Australia. If you are around, come and see me. I. If you listen to the podcast, you'll know that I tried markets for the first time last year in November, I did Perth Upmarket, which was a huge market. You know, they get about 3,000 people come and it was a really big one, big day, big fee for the stall as well. I didn't really find it beneficial. So I've, I've come. I'm doing this one because it's kind of, you know, you've got to go out and test the waters and, and see what works. But this is a smaller market. Claremont's quite artsy, I think, so you've got to think about who are the people that you're kind of targeting. And again, it's three to eight, it's smaller. So I'll let you know how I go and see. See if it's any good. Markets is not something I've always said I wouldn't do, but I have ventured out to see if it was beneficial and it also just felt like it was proactive. You know, sometimes you're at home on the computer all the time, writing, doing the stuff, and this feels like you're actively, obviously as a self publisher, you're out there selling your work and doing it. But are you selling? Is it worth your time that you're putting in? Because these things can take time. Are you selling to the right people? Is it worth it? Because maybe being at home and not being out there is more beneficial to earning an income. So I'm also speaking in February at Netherlands Library. That's Wednesday 12th February, 10:30 to 11:30. Discover the power of podcasting with me, Joanne Morrell. So you will learn how to use podcasting to expand your reach, connect with readers and build a loyal audience. And we'll explore everything from starting your own show to being a guest on others, and how this platform can boost your brand sales and visibility, whether you're a seasoned author or just starting out. This session will show you how to harness the potential of podcasting to grow your writing career. So that is. Yeah. Netherlands Library, 60 Stirling Highway, Netherlands. If you're around. And also in March, I'm running a short course through the Romance Writers of Australia, rwa. That's an online short course and that is leverage podcast appearances to grow your career as a romance author. Pitching yourself as a podcast guest, a guide for romance writers and there's more to come on that. Sure, if it's just open to RWA members or not, so I'll find that out. Also, if you didn't manage to catch the last podcast episode, lessons learned in 2024 and how to thrive in 2025, you can go back and listen. I shared that the Hybrid Author Podcast I'm currently looking for GU for the next batching of the podcast, which will be the third week of February 2025. So if you're an author or an industry professional in the publishing and writing world, reach out and pitch me Joanny hybridauthor.com Make sure you're familiar with the podcast content. Episodes are topic based and proactive in encouraging writers to have a hybrid author career which is all inclusive, not just one way of doing things. So look forward to hearing from you soon and sharing further information with you about how the podcast works upon acceptance of your p Love the Hybrid Author Podcast. You can give back by sponsoring the show by buying my books Short Nonfiction for Authors, Author Fears and How to Overcome Them, which can be read in two hours and helps you overcome roadblocks in writing. Because life is too short to wait here at the Hybrid Author. So don't let 2025 be another year where you make excuses not to write your book. Read up on various author fears which could be holding you back, such as self doubt, fear of rejection, criticism, calling yourself an author, unsupportive people, money, time and much or freelance. Quick tips for fast success. You can read this in one hour 60 plus quick tips to help you with business setup, mindsets, rights of pay and this is all relevant to any creative business and not just in writing or escape for many more hours in my contemporary women's fiction book the Writer, the Hairdresser and the Nurse. Fast paced, emotionally charged, feel good escapism. It's an easy read for working women juggling it all, family, love, life and finding themselves. Ebooks can be purchased direct from
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[00:09:41] Speaker A: John Walker Pattison, a cancer survivor and award winning author, calls himself a dreamer. After a tumultuous early life, he defied doctors expectations by surviving cancer and later pursued a successful nursing career. His memoir, Me and My Memoirs of a Cancer Survivor has won multiple awards. Despite facing new health battles, John continues to write, travel and enjoy the peace of fly fishing and photography, all while cherishing family as his greatest treasure. Welcome to the Hybrid Author Podcast, John.
[00:10:12] Speaker C: Delighted to be here. Thank you.
[00:10:14] Speaker A: We're honored to have you. Thanks for joining us. Please tell our listeners how you came to be a writer.
[00:10:20] Speaker C: Yeah, well as I say, I'm delighted to be with you and your listeners today. Joanne Regarding my writing. Well, it kind of started by accident to be honest. When I retired from my nursing post due to some chronic health issues, each one as a consequence of the salubrious cancer treatments I received in the early 70s, felt that my story could inspire people, particularly people who had been diagnosed with cancer themselves. So I decided in the first instance to write my memoir. But it had to be meaningful, it had to deliver inspiration throughout its pages. And importantly, I would never consider myself to be special in any way, nor am I any different from anyone else that's been touched by the scourge of society, cancer. So unique point is that today I am one of the longest cancer survivors in the UK at almost 50 years since my parents were told that I would not survive after years of failed chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatments.
[00:11:24] Speaker A: Wow.
[00:11:25] Speaker C: However, eight years after my unexpected recovery, my four year old daughter Donna was diagnosed with terminal leukemia and after eight months of treatment for her, I was told that the treatment wasn't working and there was no other treatment options for her and she was not expected to survive. She did and she went on to become an international swimmer.
[00:11:48] Speaker A: Wow.
[00:11:48] Speaker C: I subsequently went on to become a senior cancer nurse consultant at the very hospital that made my cancer diagnosis 50 years earlier, what I consider a very, very strange twist of fate. And so I decided to write Me and My Shadow Memoirs of a Cancer Survivor with the intention of delivering hope and inspiration to anyone touched by the most feared diagnosis known to society. And as you said at the beginning, it's now a triple award winning chronicle that I'm very proud of. But that aside, I've always been what my wife calls an elasticated grandpa, telling the grandchildren my exaggerated stories. Like the time I climbed Mount Everest barefoot and captured the abominable snowman before letting him go again. Or the time I built a sherbet fueled rocket and shot off to Jupiter. Time I ran faster than the bullet train and I could go on and on and on. So after my memoirs were published, I started to write children's fiction. And my latest release, the Fastest Water Pistol in Splodge City was released last week. So that's my mainstay of occupation at the moment, children's fiction.
[00:12:59] Speaker A: Ah, fantastic. Well, huge congrats on that. And obviously the success of me and my shadow, although it comes from, you know, quite turbulent experiences and things, it sounds like, you know, you're using what's your experiences and you know, your daughters for inspiring other people as well. Can you, can you share what cancer it was you had?
[00:13:18] Speaker C: Yes, I had lymphoma.
[00:13:20] Speaker A: Right.
[00:13:20] Speaker C: And then again, ironically, eight years after my unexpected recovery, my daughter was also diagnosed with lymphoma. That diagnosis did change a little later on.
[00:13:31] Speaker A: Yeah. So was it connected then like the cancer between you and.
[00:13:34] Speaker C: No, not at all. Because of the treatment that I received, I couldn't have any family. So Donna was adopted. Right.
Again, it's kind of ironic, but again, another strange quirk of fate, I believe.
[00:13:47] Speaker A: Yeah, lessons in life and everything's got a meaning and all that sort of stuff. So. And obviously, you know, you've used your experiences to go into nursing and helping those of others, which is incredible. So, you know, you know me and my shadow, deeply personal, emotional journey of your battle with cancer. And so we know what inspired you to write it. But how did the actual process of writing. Didn't have any background in writing before you've sat down and wrote in this, you know, and a lot of people think writing is sort of quite cathartic. I know I find it that way. And so how did that kind of help you reflect and process what you went through?
[00:14:19] Speaker C: Well, I did and I didn't. As I said earlier, I wanted to deliver that all important message of inspiration that people really do need when they're facing any kind of life threatening illness. To know others have walked me the same path is kind of not only cathartic in its own right, but hopefully would help other people or you have to Acknowledge that, you know, clearly it's not easy, but the message I wanted to get across is that, you know, you can win that battle. The ethos of the book was about, by my own admission, a very immature young adolescent. And the principles were threefold, really. Firstly, as I say, to offer hope and inspiration. But the second was to educate healthcare professionals about the psychological aspect of cancer. Right. The unseen psychological burden of a cancer diagnosis is absolutely immense. A roller coaster ride to where you don't want to go. A kaleidoscope of emotional turbulence. But through my nursing career, I realized, although in the minority, I did realize that there were doctors and particularly nurses, who didn't understand or appreciate the psychological burden of a cancer diagnosis. And in my humble opinion, if we don't treat the psychological burden of a cancer diagnosis, then you could almost argue, is it worth treating the physical aspect of the cancer itself? Thankfully, healthcare systems worldwide are now certainly embracing and acknowledging that the psychological burden is a very, very important component. Because as there were more and more cancer survivors, then clearly there is an ongoing psychological burden. So it was something that I'd seen with my own eyes. And thirdly, writing Me and My Shadow was meant to address the many demons that lurked in the canyons of my mind. Again, as a consequence of being a young adolescent with a cancer diagnosis. The dark side of that is that those ugly demons still raise their ugly heads even today. Fortunately, my wife is always on hand to top up my glass and remind me how fortunate I am. So the problem for me was trying to deal with those demons because the treatment that I received in the 70s, many of the drugs that I was having were carcinogenic. I have another cancer as we speak due to the salubrious effects of the treatment, but obviously the carcinogenic effects. I've got problems with my lungs because of the radiotherapy. My pituitary gland doesn't work because of some of the drugs. So all of these health issues, and let me straightaway say that, you know, life is sweet, I love life. That really is an important message to get across. But because of all these health issues, there are always one or two dark moments. So the book was intended to address those. And as I say, it didn't really address them. They are still there. But, you know, there is nothing more important than family. And my wife is the fundamental, pivotal role in my life.
[00:17:24] Speaker A: Oh, lovely. No, that's a really strong message and especially about, like, exactly what you're saying. The psychological aspects back then, did they have if. I guess if they weren't thinking about it, treating it with the patients, the things for families as well, was there anything to help them get through too? Probably nothing in the psychological sense.
[00:17:45] Speaker C: Yeah, in some respects I guess there was, because one of the real sticking points of my diagnosis was the fact that at that moment in time, me being a very immature 18 year old, I had very little in the way of life experiences and my parents were taken to one side and they were told that I had a cancer diagnosis and they colluded with the medical fraternity to try and keep that from me. And I always disagreed with that very, very strongly.
[00:18:15] Speaker A: Definitely.
[00:18:16] Speaker C: And years and years afterwards, my mum in particularly, and I had many, many heated debates about the ethos of collusion and I never, ever agreed with it, although clearly I could understand why my mum in particular wanted to do that, because there's no worse feeling in the world than being told that your child has a cancer diagnosis. So whilst I understand what they were trying to do, how on earth they thought they were going to keep keep a cancer diagnosis from me when I was facing years of chemotherapy and other treatments as well is completely beyond me.
[00:18:50] Speaker A: Oh, no, I wonder how they would try and pass it off. Why, why am I feeling this way? Oh, you just ate something dodgy.
[00:18:56] Speaker C: Surprisingly, Joanne, surprisingly, you know, even today you still get, although I've been retired now two years, you still get the occasional family who say, oh, we don't want, you know, our loved one, whether they are husband, wife, brother, sister, son, daughter, whoever, we don't want them to know because they won't be able to cope with it. And of course you can never, ever enter into any kind of collusion or partnership with family. You've got to be totally transparent and honest with patients.
[00:19:27] Speaker A: Yeah, no, I've heard that as well from someone I know and somebody in their life kind of kept it to themselves and I think it kind of hurt them in the end. I think so. Well, memoirs, especially, you know, ones sharing story like yourself and dealing with some such, you know, big topics, illness, things like that. It's, it's a very vulnerable topic. How did you go balancing, you know, being open and honest like your, you know, opinions while also, you know, crafting a narrative that would inspire people and obviously, like you said, teach the nursing staff a lesson on like psychologists, psychology and things.
[00:20:01] Speaker C: Yeah, I think my wife would wholeheartedly agree that, you know, I am a vulnerable person.
[00:20:07] Speaker A: Aren't we all?
[00:20:08] Speaker C: Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. I do feel that vulnerability from time to time. Undoubtedly that's as a consequence of my cancer experience. No getting away from that. That said, not a day goes by when, you know, I don't appreciate how fortunate I am. And I thank whoever you know, whatever your religious beliefs are or not. I think, therefore, the grace of whoever you know go I. And as I say, I'm always grateful. As we know only too well, not everyone survives cancer diagnosis. And Statistically, 1 or 2 of the population will get a cancer diagnosis at some point in their lives, which is a very scary statistic indeed. However, I decided during the planning stages of the book that if it was going to be meaningful and achieve its aim of delivering that inspiration, then it had to be wart and all the truth and nothing but the truth. Yet at the same time, although it had to be an honest and transparent chronicle, I had to accept that, you know, there were times when I struggled mentally. There were times, and I have no shame in admitting that there were multiple times when I considered suicide. However, I didn't have the courage to accept that or what would have been an irreversible handshake, thankfully. So I had to incorporate that dark side into the. The story as well. But admittedly, it's a memoir not not only filled with pain, it's also filled with a story of resilience, but. And very importantly, it had to have humor in there as well. But it also had to underscore the fragility of human life. The vulnerability that you asked about at the beginning there found Journey, if you like, against all the odds. And I think in writing the memoir, there were certainly times when confronting those dark days was just too much for my own personal vulnerability. When I couldn't cope with the memories, I had to put the writing down and leave it. Sometimes for days, sometimes for weeks. But then there were other times in the middle of the night when I would suddenly wake up and think, oh, yes, this happened. And I would get up and I'd write it down and then, you know, rewrite it again the next day. Because I worked in the healthcare system, I was fortunate enough to get access to my medical records. I should quickly add there. I legally got access to my medical records. So I asked the administrators if I could see both my records and Donna's records, just so that I knew the chronological order of all the treatments that I received all those years back.
[00:22:43] Speaker A: Wow. And you had no problem getting them? It's something that you. You're allowed.
[00:22:47] Speaker C: I didn't. They did charge me a fee for looking at them, but, yeah, they did allow me to see those.
[00:22:54] Speaker A: Yeah. Wow. Well, you know, it sounds like you've done an exceptional job with the work. How after it was finished and obvious you went to publication, did you feel. I mean, you're never ever gonna forget that experience, but did you feel any sort of shift from having gotten it all down on paper, you know, into a publishable manuscript?
[00:23:15] Speaker C: I think when you see a shift. Are you talking about something different I could have added or should have added?
[00:23:19] Speaker A: No, just. Just your own person, I suppose. Like, I know. So the first long length piece of work that I ever worked on was a young adult fiction book. And apart from some names being changed, it was like a. It was like a retelling of my adolescence. And I had a bit of a. Well, in my opinion, nothing compared to your experiences, but a bit of a turbulent growing up. And after writing that, I just, I feel like it's, you know, I feel like I had something to say there. It's never going to be published. I'll never ever put it out there. But I felt after a relief, I guess, actually from having, having released something from me in that way.
[00:23:56] Speaker C: Yeah, yeah, yeah, I get that. And I think the catharsis was there because of the fact that I actually wrote it down and getting it published was more about, you know, inspiring other people. I guess. The biggest challenge in writing the memoir was recalling the unimaginable news that all parents fear being told that your child has a cancer diagnosis. So writing down about Donna's tragic story was the hardest part. Knowing that. That what she was facing was a difficult scenario for an adult, but for a child, an innocent four year old, knowing me personally, I could do nothing but watch helplessly. She started chemotherapy in 1985. But despite that being on an oncology pediatric ward with dozens of other children, most of whom had lost their hair, clearly an identifiable reason as to why they were all there. A humbling experience to watch. It really was. Yes, there were tears, but at the same time, their stoicism and bravery, their resolve, was praiseworthy. And in many respects, the children were supporting the parents. For me, though, as a young man who had struggled physically and mentally with the torturous chemotherapy of only 10 years earlier, I could not sit here long enough to exaggerate how I struggled mentally and psychologically. However, even knowing that if it had been possible for me to take the chemotherapy instead of Donna, then I would happily have done that. But of course, clearly, you know, that wasn't. That wasn't possible. So Donna had chemotherapy for around about six, seven months, but she was becoming weaker and weaker. Could see she was losing Weight. She was getting infection after infection. So they decide to do some investigations, including a lumber puncture, a bone marrow test. And I vividly remember sitting in the oncologist's office, and when he said, I'm afraid that the lymphoma that they thought Donna had has mimicked a leukemia, a rare form of adult leukemia. And as I say, I vividly remember sitting there face to face, a lovely, lovely man he was. And I said to him, so what's the treatment? And he said, afraid, John, There is no treatment. There's nothing more we can do for Donna. That was like a cricket bat in the face. Just. No. There is no narrative that can explain that scenario. So Donna stayed in Hospital for 10 days having blood and platelet transfusions until she was strong enough to come home. Still, obviously, the uncertain future. But eventually, after 10 weeks of backing forwards to the hospital, we'd gone in to see the. The consultant, Dr. Kraft, and he sat there beaming smile. And he said, we just cannot explain Donna's. Donna's blood counts. And the conclusion was that she'd gone into a spontaneous remission.
[00:26:59] Speaker A: That's amazing.
[00:26:59] Speaker C: And again, I'm sure you'll appreciate there were lots and lots of tears.
[00:27:04] Speaker A: I bet.
[00:27:05] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:27:05] Speaker A: Happy tears.
[00:27:06] Speaker C: Yes. For a different reason. Yes. So, yeah, that was a real difficult issue to write down and put into some kind of narrative.
[00:27:16] Speaker A: Yeah. I can't imagine. John, honestly, I know a parent myself, to have that news of your child would just be absolutely beyond devastation. But you have had personal experience and know the struggles and going through, but I guess as well, did you have hope because of, you know, your parents were told almost the same thing about your daughter. You know, did you. Did you hold hope that she would get through that?
[00:27:40] Speaker C: After that, I think, clearly, being on a pediatric oncology ward and you become friends with other parents, and I think without exception, you can never, ever lose that element of hope. Yes, you will have seeds of doubt from time to time, but you can never. You must never lose that element of hope. Otherwise you will go under.
[00:28:03] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:28:04] Speaker C: And again, you know, sadly, we saw many children who weren't as fortunate as Donna and did sadly pass away. And it's. It's just. It's not awful.
[00:28:13] Speaker A: No, that's it. And so has that. That, you know, that message of hope and resilience. That's. That's in the book, isn't it? That's your message and what you wanted to shine through as well.
[00:28:21] Speaker C: It absolutely is. Yeah. And I was. I was so honored when me, My Shadow won its first award, a third place in the New York Book Festival Awards in 2023 and. But even more Speechless, which is unusual for me. But it also got a third place at the new, sorry, the London Book Fair Awards in 2024. Yeah. And then a few months later it won a literary gold five star award from literary titans who are a publishing company in America, their highest accolade. And of course writing a serious memoir is very, very different from writing. Writing children's fiction. Yes, children, my children's books are pure escapism and intrigue. Each one has its fair share of magic spells in there as well. But more importantly, writing these books allows me to return to my childhood. And I think in all of us, all adults, you know, there is a child there just desperate to get back out again and relive your youth and your childhood.
[00:29:23] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah, it's a big contrast, but I can definitely see why you're doing it and the book sound fantastic or writing, you know, yourself, writing books is just one sort of part of it and then the publishing side is a whole other ball game. So how, tell us about your publishing journey. How have you found that?
[00:29:40] Speaker C: Yeah, there's been some good elements and poor elements. I mean, certainly not mentioning any names, but my memoirs was published and of course from my own personal perspective, As a young 16 year old lady school, I completely wasted my school years. I left with a handful of completely worthless qualifications, much prefer to play the practical joker. So from that perspective, my command of English grammar punctuation is not the best. So when me and my shadow was ready to publish or when I got a hybrid contract, they were supposed to proofread it. But you know, even two years later there are still errors in there. So long story short, I've just added another chapter and the publisher has agreed that at no additional cost they are going to republish a second edition. So I've added a second, another chapter and made some amendments to that. My first two children's books were with the same publisher and again it was fraught with problems. My third children's book, Fastest Water Pistol in Splodge City, that was published through Pegasus Publication, again a hybrid publisher and that's been a joy to do.
[00:30:56] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:30:57] Speaker C: But I continued to try and get a traditional publishing deal and I have a new title coming out in 2025 called the Kingdom of Huckleberry Jam and that is with a traditional publisher. So I now have a traditional publishing deal and I've got another three stories completed and ready to go for 2025 and 2023.
[00:31:19] Speaker A: Amazing. Well, congratulations. Look at you go. 100% hybrid author.
Honestly, I think we just put, we put so much pressure on ourselves for everything to be perfect and, you know, grammar at the end of the day, fair enough if it's absolutely unreadable because of grammatical errors. But I think the odd bit here and now is by the by, I mean, I read a book, a fiction book probably by, I can't remember the publisher, a big, big publisher named big massive author. And you find I found a typo in there and it's sort of like, aha, the best of us. And I mean out of all those words, one little, you know, I feel your pain because, you know, I've come up against the same thing sometimes. And again, the same at school left when I was 15 and really struggled with imposter syndrome coming through uni because again, who the hell am I? I didn't even finish Finnish school to come out and be a writer, which is associated with like intelligence and all sorts of things. And again, my grammar is questionable but because I write how I speak and that's not grammatically correct but you know, like at bloody over in Welsh and the people that write in slang and there's all sorts and as long as people love the story and you're winning awards and I mean, yeah, don't, don't be too hard on yourself.
[00:32:36] Speaker C: My mum always said that I was a late decade developer. I wasn't destined to leave school with a handful of worthwhile qualifications.
So obviously, you know, when I wanted to go into nursing, having started my employment in a shipyard, I had to go back to college and do some O levels and A levels and got my degree while I was working as a nurse. So, you know, I enjoyed very much a meteoric rise to the top of the nursing ladder and I'm very proud of making a difference with other cancer patients. And that's not meant to sound holier than now, not at all.
[00:33:13] Speaker A: No, it doesn't honor in a privilege.
[00:33:14] Speaker C: To do that job. Yeah, a lot of people do say to me, I'm sure they say the same to you, Joanne, you know, what advice can you give to an aspiring writer? Well, I don't think I'm the best person or the best qualified person to give that advice, other than all I say is always right from your heart. But don't be afraid, put it down. Don't think you've got to do so many words per day, per week. If you're not in the mood, then you're not in the Mood, just put it down and come back to it in a few days or a few weeks.
[00:33:45] Speaker A: Yeah, absolutely. No, that is, that is. So would you give any other advice for. To other authors looking to write about specifically kind of personal hardships and things and they want to, they maybe want to heal from doing that as we were talking about catharsis or inspire others. Do you have any other tips for doing that as well? Obviously, writing from the heart is.
[00:34:04] Speaker C: Yeah, well, I think, without a doubt, you know, right from the heart. But I think you're right. There is, there is. Despite me saying that, you know, there are still dark thoughts in the back of my. The canyons of my mind. Admittedly, yes. But I think there definitely is a catharticism writing about illness. And I think very importantly, there must be so many people out there with, you know, other life threatening illnesses, not just cancer, who could do a real old host of good and help others in the same predicament as well. So, you know, you're one of those people. Then get, get your pen and paper out and start writing. It's not as difficult a pathway as people, you know, think it is writing.
[00:34:47] Speaker A: No, no, I agree. And we're lucky. We've got so much tools these days and help and advice and things to get us through. I saw a post the other day online and it was, it was just a. Someone has said writing's not therapy. Therapy is therapy, which I disagree. I mean, it could be for other people, but I still think the way that. Well, it depends per person, but the way you think and you feel about something, when it's all up here for me, when it comes out and it's on the page and it's sort of staring at me, I suppose it's kind of like, oh, that's how I felt about this, or I have something visual to change. I don't know, it just. It certainly has been therapy for me, I find.
[00:35:23] Speaker C: No, I would agree wholeheartedly. Write it down. Even if you not intending to have it published, you know. Yeah, write your thoughts down and, you know, reflect on them. That's so important.
[00:35:34] Speaker A: Yeah, I agree. Absolutely. Well, huge congrats on all your success, John, with the books and.
[00:35:40] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:35:40] Speaker A: And incredible, incredible story and, you know, I'm so happy that it's doing its job and it's inspiring and your daughter as well, and, you know, your health too. Yeah. Well, can you tell us, you know, where can our listeners discover me and my shadow, all your children's books and everything you do on and off.
[00:35:57] Speaker C: Yeah. So My website has direct links to different sales platforms and that's www.john W patterson.co.uk and very importantly, Patterson is P E A T T I S O N. And of course if you visit my website then there is access not just to me and my shadow, but my children's books as well. I would love also to hear from any listener. It's always great, particularly people in different parts of the world, but essentially the book is available worldwide. So you know, if it's not on the shelves of your local store, the store will be able to order it in for you. But I think very importantly these days when everybody is looking to save a few dollars, the quickest and the cheapest way to get me my Shadow is from Amazon. So can I say, Joanne, it's been a pleasure chatting with you and obviously speaking with your listeners. I'd love to come back at some point and talk about my elasticated stories, my children's books which feature my grandson Daniel and his best friend Papa Truly.
And finally, I'd just like to wish all of your listeners health and happiness in everything you and they do. And remember, life is not a rehearsal, it's there to be enjoyed.
[00:37:17] Speaker A: Yeah, no, I love that. Very strong messages. Well, thanks again John. That was fantastic.
[00:37:21] Speaker C: Pleasure, Pleasure. Thank you.
[00:37:30] Speaker B: So there you have it folks, the truly inspiring John Walker Pattison. I urge you to go check out John's books and his website for more next time. On the Hybrid Author podcast we have prolific million copy best selling author Jacqueline Harvey chatting on creating a thriving career in children's fiction and navigating a change change in the publishing landscape. I wish you well in your Hybrid Author adventure this next week. That's it from me. Bye for now.
[00:37:53] Speaker A: That's the end for now authors. I hope you're further forward in your author adventure after listening and I hope you'll listen next time. Remember to head on over to the Hybrid Author website at www.hybridauthor.com to get your free author pass. It's bye for now.
