Alison J Wainwright

I live on a windswept hill in West Yorkshire with my "part-time pet", Bingo, who is the inspiration for Coco the Cat.

I've loved creative writing in all forms since I was a child, and have had poems and a short story published, and competition-winning plays produced.

When the Covid pandemic restrictions started in March 2020 I was living alone and out of work, although awaiting a start date for a new job. I wanted to get involved in community Covid efforts but didn’t know how long I had before starting my new job. I settled on a solution of finally self-publishing the children’s book I finished writing 19 years ago and donating the profits to charity.

Whilst awaiting proofreading and feedback on The Exchange Trip, I wrote and illustrated a new book for 5-8-year olds. Coco the Cat is based on the true story of the black cat who decided to stay in his old house (now mine) rather than move with his owners. I also decided to donate profits for this book to charity.