Many moons ago, or I suppose 8 years actually, I was published for the first time at the ripe old age of 21. The publisher, Penryn Press, asked for submissions to a children’s anthology and – having just finished a university module on children’s literature and working with a local school – I was in the perfect place to work on something.

I wrote that baby in an afternoon after I had just submitted my dissertation, and sent it off without even thinking of it. I had no idea what I was doing, and I was so burnt out after writing my dissertation that I honestly didn’t even pause at any point in the process to worry about what I was doing.

But it worked! I was published in the anthology, featured on the local news and asked to speak at the launch event! It was a surreal experience, to be certain.

The story was called ‘Dragons in Cornwall’ and they also took a line from my short as the name for the whole anthology! So I was pretty chuffed about that.

Looking back on it all now, I’m honestly so happy that all of the stars aligned for that to happen for me, but, honestly, it also feels like the whole experience happened to someone else entirely. I was barely a person back then, still so shy and awkward and… well, maybe I am still awkward and weird, but I think I own it now.

It’s only this year, after all, that I’ve actually started to see success in writing again. Granted, I only picked writing back up in 2021 but it still feels wild that so much time has passed.

However! It has officially been so long since publication that Penryn Press no longer even has mention of it on their website! How crazy is that? Like it never happened.

What a weird way to begin my career as an author, eh?