Christine Hamill on ABCtales, Breast Cancer and Getting Published

So, ABCers – as of today I am a published author! My book B is for Breast Cancer is actually in the shops today and it started right here…

I wrote the book when I was undergoing treatment for breast cancer. Five years ago, aged 45, I found myself diagnosed with the disease and my first thought was for my ten-year-old son. Then I worried about how my poor old mother would cope with the news. And then, and I’m not kidding, I thought –  what about that book I’d been planning to write all my life! And so I started. I took a notebook into hospital with me for the surgery and carried it with me everyday, everywhere I went.

But mostly, I wrote in bed – in between treatment and some extreme sleeping. Nothing made sense anymore and the book was my way of trying to make some sense. It kept me going – like a daily pep talk. 

I started writing in mid-December and finished a few months later, just before Easter, but I had no idea what to do with it. Somehow it never occurred to me to send it to a conventional publisher or agent. I reckoned they’d just say ‘Christine Hamill, who’s she?’ and discard it. Then I saw an entry for ABC tales in the Writers’ and Artists’ Year Book and I thought maybe that is the place for me. I sent Tony Cook (then editor) a sample and he emailed right back and said he loved my book and asked me to post sections of it here. Which, as some of you will remember, I did. I wasn’t prepared for the response I got. I would come home to emails and cherries everyday and it was wonderful. You were all so encouraging. But especially Tony. 

He wanted me to get the book published for real and so we set about planning that. Sadly, during that time both my parents died within six months of each other and I kind of went to pieces -  I put the book away and abandoned publishing it. Even then, Tony was brilliant. He understood.

Meanwhile, I’d written another book – The Harry Hill Appreciation Society – a comic novel about a child dealing with a sick parent. Again everyone here was really encouraging – the emails and the cherries kept coming. Then it was done. I put it away. Until one day my son said to me, ‘Mum, are you just going to write books and put them in a drawer? Come on, let’s email a hundred agents.’

I only got as far as emailing two – it is seriously exhausting business selling yourself. I sent the email on a Friday and got a response that weekend - at Sunday teatime. I couldn’t believe it.

Eventually, I settled with Eve White Literary Agency and when I showed her B is for Breast Cancer she knew what to do. She quickly showed it to Anne Lawrance – non fiction editor at Little, Brown/Pitakus and within a month of that I had an offer to publish!

Little, Brown/Piatkus are amazing to work with and you should see my book ‘in the flesh’ – it is GORGEOUS! They have done such an amazing job. When my advance copy of the book came through the post I picked it up and thought - I did it. I’m an author - then I thought, Heck, I did that when I was sick – not bad going!

Thank you to ABCtales. Keep on writing and encouraging each other. It made all the difference to me.

Christine Hamill

Get a copy of Christine's book, B is for Breast Cancer, here.