Church inspired Sheila's children's novel
As a child, Sheila Powell would run home from school to read the next chapter of one of Enid Blyton's Famous Five books.
And now she has joined the ranks of children's writers herself, with her latest work titled The Secret of Fiddler's Wood.
"The idea for the story came from Malpas church," said Sheila, who lives in Malpas, and writes under the name of Sheila Tyrer Hughes.
"Above the door are two stone dragons, and the church itself, like the motte and bailey that preceded it, was built on a ‘dragon line,’ a line of ‘magic and power.' The characters came next, after much thought was given to the invention of their names – and, with their help, the story was born."
The Secret of Fiddler's Wood is her second novel-length children's story in print, the first being The Bridge Makers published in 2016.
Both books are available from Bookshrop in Whitchurch, where Sheila says Dinah Anderson of the shop has been very supportive.
On leaving school Sheila had trained as a pathology laboratory technician at the Maelor Hospital, Wrexham. Four years later, in search of an adventure, she travelled to California where she stayed for two and a half years, looking after children and horses – an experience she says she would not have missed for the world.
While there, she took a writing course, and on her return to Britain she trained as a teacher, married, moved to Malpas, taught for three years and had two sons.
"That's when writing took over," she said.
Before The Bridge Makers was accepted for publication she enjoyed modest success, selling short stories for picture papers and winning prizes in literary competitions.
In 2005 she was joint runner-up in The High Sheriff’s Cheshire Prize for Literature and in the following year she read a winning story at The Barbican.
