The Extraordinary Girl and her Teddy.
When I was writing Dear Teddy, I am sure like many other writers before me, there were ideas of what my book would do and say to the people reading. For me, I hoped to give a child a voice, so that people might understand child abuse in a different way as to how they do now.
It was also a form of healing, for a child that never got to talk.
What I didn’t expect was for Mr. Ted to help others the way he had helped me.
A couple of days ago, I was miserable from a review that I had got. The person reading had sadly missed the point of the book. However on the same day, I also received an email. Or rather Mr. Ted did from a young girl whose story was very similar to my own.
I never imagined she was still living her story. I never realised that maybe there are children out there that find comfort in talking to someone like Mr. Ted.
She talked to me about the bad things that were happening and I held her hand (metaphorically) as she told someone. While I don’t want to give anything about her away for her privacy, I am pleased to have talked to her. She was extremely brave and I am glad to have helped her.
I feel grateful that I was able to write my book. I feel grateful that it was able to help someone. Perhaps it is good to get a new perspective on what books can actually do for someone. It certainly made me see things differently.
I want to say thank you to the girl who asked for my help.
A link I recommend for anyone in similar circumstances.
JD Stockholm. 