A TADLEY writer inspired by her battle with breast cancer has written a children’s book to say ‘thank you for my life’.

Kerry McIntosh was inspired to write a children’s book following her cancer battles and her struggles to focus as a child.

Kerry’s book, Rory Green Secret Agent to the Queen, follows a nine-year-old boy who cares about the planet but is anxious about going out into nature.

Basingstoke Gazette: Author Kerry McIntosh

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The book was published in a dyslexia-friendly font to allow children who may struggle with reading to enjoy the book.

The 44-year-old got the inspiration for the book after her first run following her cancer treatment. She said: “The trees enveloped me; I cried giddy buckets of tears.

"I felt super grateful to the trees for giving me oxygen to breathe the air of another new day – something that, like most people, isn’t your first thought as you look at a tree.

“I’d written a note in my phone years prior about something my nephew had said to his grandma when he was four-years-old about bees being important, that his grandad had taught him in the garden when he was alive.

“And I loved the idea that his grandad was still cheering him on through life; through his anxieties in school and helping him push through his own limiting beliefs.”

Since publishing the book on November 22, 2022, Kerry has toured schools all over the UK, as well as doing Zoom readings internationally to Canada and Jamaica.

Speaking about writing the book, Kerry said: “During my treatment, I decided that the best way of my coping was to sit and write a diary entry with pen and paper, but with a twist.

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“I was writing the day as if I was standing in my dreams and goals, and it helped me stay positive, grateful, and excited for my future. It was in that sort of meditative state that I wrote about my successful children’s book.”

She added: “The book has been well received, and it’s the best job ever because I get to be face-to-face with the children as they engage and get immersed in the story.

“It makes me feel like I’m making a difference. After breast cancer, it’s all I want. To give back to say thank you for my life. Sounds dramatic but the experience is altering.

"I’m keen to spread the word of Rory Green as far and as fast as I can.”

Kerry has been writing for the last 15 years, screenwriting for television and film. She has two twin boys under the age of five.

Rory Green Secret Agent to the Queen is available online at all major retailers, including Amazon and Waterstones.

Five pence from every book sold is donated to Rewilding Britain, a charity that aims to tackle the climate emergency and extinction crisis.