A MOTHER of three in Timperley has followed her dream and battled her anxiety to publish her first book.

Through her hard and long-drawn out pregnancy, Adele Bate, 41, found a creative interest and as a way of escapism and peace from her noisy reality started to write a children’s novel.

She said: “I started writing during the second trimester of my first pregnancy, before my shackles were set and my three young children were hanging off my hips, literally. Nevertheless, once my creative journey had begun, my writing became my release and a way of retaining my sanity, during the daunting first weeks of being a new mum."

Adele left Wellington School in 1992 with minimal qualifications. She suffered from anxiety and due to the prospect of having to forge new friends all over again was too scared to go to College.

She said: “I would never have thought it possible to publish a book - Strangely, it helped restrain my anxiety and provided the tonic I needed, to escape away to peaceful place away from tortuous noisy reality.

“I became borderline obsessed trying to squeeze a few minutes of writing in every day, as it meant that I was in control. I loved the feeling of my little achievements, especially every time I came up with a new storyline, or the epic feeling of writing those famous words to complete a story, particularly the last two ‘The End’ – that’s the best feeling ever."

After several knock-backs in attempt to secure an agent, Adele decided to go alone and self-publish her book Tall and Clumsy.

Eleven months on and 37 illustrations later she set up a website and her debut book arrived.

She said: “In Tall & Clumsy, Gerard is having a sad and lonely time, as nobody wants to hang out with a clumsy giraffe. He goes in search of happiness, but guess what happens when mishaps, marvel and mayhem, led him to an unexpected place.”

The story is the first release from Adele's Molly & Mustard’s Story Pad series, that aims to engage with its audience to learn in a fun and interactive way.

The book has so far been a massive success and has had readers not only from England but from across Europe and America.

For more information visit www.adelebate.com. Tall and Clumsy can be bought from Amazon.