Rachael’s Story

Hi, I’m Rachael. I always wanted to be an author and was working my way towards that when I was suddenly a single parent and my world was turned upside down.

I have had a very successful IT career and had travelled abroad for work, experienced very challenging CIO’s and senior stakeholders in huge blue-chip organisations and so I can state the fact that nothing is as hard as raising kids alone.

No work or grueling day in the office compares in any way. It is why so many men hide behind work, over time and long hours.I did the same myself to au pairs, I must confess! 

No matter how hard a job was, being with the kids was by far harder. Or interviewing and training up help who then, just let you down. 

I managed large scale global IT Projects, full of politics, emotions, egos and office tantrums with senior stakeholders all trying to manipulate what they wanted. 

Still, they were nothing compared to motherhood. Being a mum is hard. Being a single mum is even harder. When I was pregnant, I finished a book I had been working on for 20 years. 

When my twins were 13 months old my husband shocked me and left for another woman who didn’t have children and had all the time in the world for him. 

I did not see it coming. 

More so, I did not see this coming either: all my friends vanished in that same week. 

For over a year me and several mums spent Tuesday mornings at a local pub having cake and coffee. 

The week my husband left me they all changed pubs. I was the only one who didn’t know. 

I threw myself into my writing while working as a child-minder.

I finished 5 science fiction young adult novels. I avoided the present by focusing on the future. 

Then the kids started school and I started work and chaos commenced. 

The years sped past. March 2020, when we first locked down, I read the first chapter of book 1 to my twin son and daughter. 

The fact that it is set in a post-apocalyptic era on Earth after a pandemic has amazed everyone. 

We had an amazing time editing and reading this together during lockdown. 

Exactly 2 years later, March 2022, we held the book in our hands and couldn’t believe it was our creation.

There is nothing special about me. I had a choice; escape the hardship of divorce and single parenting in a healthy or a non-healthy way. 

I focused on me, my spirituality and my writing. I created a vision board. I didn’t focus on today, this month or this week. I focused on where I wanted to be in a year, in two years and in five years. Just like I would with a big global project. 

My kids were now 11 and trapped in a pandemic and not allowed to socialise with their friends. I needed to support them more. They were home schooling and I was hosting meetings with a CIO with a potty mouth who bellowed F and C words at other senior stakeholders while telling me not to be emotional. 

I, who was silently listening to his childish and emotional rants along with everyone else. I didn’t have time for this nonsense. In lockdown, I completed much training and went into well-being and publishing my books. Everything on my vision board came through one by one. 

It has been a horrible few years for everyone and it is far too slow to improve. It is important to have long term goals at this time and not focus on the chaos around us and get caught up in it. If I can do this then you can too. 

I’m nothing special. I am not more able than you are. No one has the time. You just have to make it happen. 

So, if I can raise twins alone, have an ex constantly cause time consuming dramas that eat into an already pressured day, run successful large projects, write novels and have 5 dogs, 8 cats, chickens and several other pets then do I have the time that you do not? 

What I have is determination and drive. The only things you need to be successful. Do not let the kids or the ex, take away your dreams. 

I know that each and every woman is special and has something amazing to offer. 

I hope this inspires you to do a vision board and focus on making your life what you want it to be. 

I may be publishing my books 12 years later than I had planned but they are more special now – my twins had the fun of contributing to them and that is very special. 

It is never too late. Be the woman you are meant to be and live the life you are meant to live. 

I hope you find some inspiration that even with all my obstacles I was able to follow my passion. You can too. I wish you luck and good fortune and, since my book is filling the hole that Star Wars left for me, may I say to you all, “May the force be with you.” 

And that force is female strength and energy. 

Go Girl!

You can find links to my books on my website

My book is best suited for year 6 up and adults.