Two friends who began producing a children's book 20 years ago have used the pandemic to finally complete it.
Debbie Nyman and illustrator, Elena Guzinska, have released the first edition of A-M Wizz (The Absent-Minded Wizard) and have two more books on the way.
This Saturday (April 3) the pair will be signing copies from the front garden of 30 Goldsmith Lane, in Roe Green Village, from 1pm to 3pm.
The partly educational book is aimed at six to nine-year-olds but may also appeal to adults "depending on their sense of humour".
The books look at forgetfulness from a wizard's point of view, his adventures in his time travel machine, and experiments that go wrong.
In this first book readers get to meet the family and the story quickly leads to the wizard's first misadventure of shrinking the town.
A-M--Wizz---The-Book-20-Years-in-the-Making
Debbie and Elena, who lives in Brent Cross, met in the 90s through a mutual friend.
"I never thought it would take a pandemic for me to get round to completing stories that I wrote 20 years ago," said Debbie.
"However, it was obviously the right time to complete what I had started in 1998 and as my friend Elena, the original illustrator, was also in the mood to see the finished book, we got going remotely."
The result is 40 pages of stories with the illustrations drawn by Elena who sells art through her company ElenaZinskiArt.
Debbie added: "I used to tell various bedtime stories to my nieces and nephew who would stay overnight at a weekend.
"They are now in their early 30s and reminded me that I should get them published.
"As these stories were thought out well before Harry Potter, and the craze in 1998 for children were Robots, I left A-M WIzz to gather dust."
In the intervening years she campaigned to save Roe Green Village from Powerleague's commercial football pitches and organised the village Centenary celebrations, which included producing a book and film.
"I think that gave me the ‘kick’ to update the Wizard stories and fortunately, Elena was then spurred onto create a better wizard and the most amazing illustrations on every page."
The book can be bought at silvervixen.bigcartel.com for £9.99 (plus £2 p&p)
Alternatively call 07950 023695.
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