Magic Lantern Books

An independent publisher in Inverness shining light on autistic authors & illustrators, building pathways to employment in publishing for autistic people.

I began my career in the world of children's publishing, working at Dial Books for Young Readers. I was desperate to make books for children because, for most of my life, books had been my only friends. I had always been different, always struggled to understand others, but with books - well, in books, anything was possible. I could runaway with Meg and Calvin and learn all about what was causing the wrinkle in time and save the world, I could face down bullies and be big and brave with Scout, I could be as clever as Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot, I could fall in love with Gilbert Blythe even if Anne resisted for a lot longer than did I, and I always had friends. I was never alone. Books were simply miraculous.

So I went off to Manhattan, full of idealism about what it would mean to work in publishing and how I was going to make the word better for children like me. What I realized when I got there was that publishing wasn't much different from any of the rest of the world - the popular kids got the attention, and pretty people did better than those who had something important to say. The world of publishing was no longer what it once was; quality writing was less important than if something could sell a million copies and an author's ability to sell his /her manuscript resided an awful lot in his /her ability to sell him /herself. It didn't matter how well-written was your manuscript, it mattered if the sales team thought they could get possibly get it faced out in a chain bookstore and if the publicity people thought the author would do well on interviews.

Needless to say, that was not what I had pictured. That wasn't what books were to me. Despite the fact that I loved that I was making actual books and having an impact in that way, working with authors and illustrators and building really positive relationships, I had to leave. This was just after September 11th and I knew I wanted my life to be about more.

And life has given me just that. I married and moved to Scotland in 2004, where I have lived since then. My eldest son (now 8. 5 years) was diagnosed with autism just after his 3rd birthday and much of our lives has been centered around learning about supporting him now and in the future. Our second son (now 4 years) also has additional needs, and though an official diagnosis is still forthcoming, he shares many of the traits of autism. When I was recently made redundant from my job as a content editor, I tried to think of a way I could focus my energy in a way that improved the world for my boys while also giving me the kind of satisfaction I always wanted from my career. It was at this time that I attended Xpo North and a seminar on Writing and Publishing in Scotland and the world was changed forever. As the presenters there spoke about how authors and illustrators have to have "the right package, " all the same old irritations flooded me, but this time they were accompanied by the righteous indignation of a parent who realizes her children would also not have "the right package" because of their social communication deficits, and the inherent unfairness in that. And the idea for Magic Lantern Books was born.

A great deal of thanks goes to Anne Glennie of Cranachan Publishing for her encouragement, as well as Xpo North for being in the right place at the right time to provide the inspiration. I am looking forward to creating amazing books for the right reasons. I can't wait to get started.