Local author visits Telford College to share her inspiration

Emma Cooper gave up a morning of her time to talk to A level English students at Telford College about her career and what it takes to become a professional author.

Emma’s latest novel, The Songs of Us, has already been translated into seven different languages, and her next romantic story, The Last Time I Saw You, is due to be published in the summer.

The mother-of four studied art and design at Telford College before taking a job as a teaching assistant at Wrockwardine Wood Junior School.

Emma talked students through the process of taking a book from an initial idea, through various setbacks and rejections, before finally securing a publishing deal.

She said: “I was reminded of why I loved working in education for so many years; I was bowled over by their clear work ethic, enthusiasm and welcoming nature, and any pre-talk nerves I had were instantly dismissed.

“It was a wonderful experience to be able to share with them my writing journey, which hasn’t been easy to say the least.

“As soon as I arrived, I was reminded of my own experiences at the college. I remembered the first day I arrived on campus, unsure of myself, and desperate to make friends.

“As it happened, I made friends with a girl who would become my sister-in-law. It was through this friendship that I then met my partner of 24 years, Russell, who still makes me smile every day.

“I have such great memories of my time at Telford College. I did a BTEC in art and design, and always remember my time fondly, even the charcoal deep in my fingernails and clothes covered in paint.

“Of course, my life is very different that that teenager studying art could have ever predicted; I swapped my canvas for a notepad and my charcoal for a keyboard.”

Emma added: “Telford is a vibrant town filled with opportunities for all walks of life; you only have to take a step into the Telford College campus to know that we are heading into a very exciting future - and I for one can’t wait to see what it has in store.”

Former Charlton School student Faye Oliver, who was part of the workshop, said: “I’m trying to get a book published myself, so this was perfect. Finding out about publishing was the most useful part, and hearing it from Emma’s experience was great.”

Amelia Lambie, another former Charlton School student, added: “The workshop was very inspiring and motivational and added to my understanding of what sort of career I want.”

Emma, 42, explained to the Telford College group how she started out fitting her writing around her part-time job, while at the same time bringing up four children.

“The idea for The Songs of Us came while I was working in the dining hall. I wanted to include music within my novel, and was toying with lots of ideas for a novel but couldn’t quite put my finger on what was missing, until one day, I bent down and kissed my son’s head," she said.

“He was about 10 at the time – I’ll never forget the look of horror that crossed his face. I had embarrassed him in front of his friends. What if I could write about a mother who had no control over embarrassing her children? So, that is what I did.

“I wrote The Songs of Us in my lunchtimes. It was with much trepidation that I then began submitting it to literary agents and publishers. Rejection letters came in thick and fast - I received over 50 in the end, and started to believe I wasn’t good enough.

“But, in March 2017, I had an email from a literary agent, Amanda Preston, telling me she loved my novel. By July, I had received publication offers from all over the world."

And her message to the students was: “Never give up on your dreams, because dreams can come true; it can happen to you.”