Stay-at-home mum writes a book encouraging her little girl to “dream big” during lockdown – and 30 stories later hopes to be a full-time author

A stay-at-home mum who wrote a book about a giraffe for her young daughter to encourage her to “dream big” and stay confident during lockdown has gone on to pen 30 tales and become a published author.

And Rebecca Stack, 44, who overcame a rare form of breast cancer but worries it could return, has followed her first story’s advice and is now filled with big ambitions herself.

Rebecca of Newport, Wales worked as an assistant accountant before giving up her job to look after her daughter, and has self-published two tales from her collection about fun animals learning valuable life lessons.

She said: “I’ve always loved writing, but lockdown really helped me to focus and working on the books to entertain my girl was a massive motivation.

She added: “I want to leave a legacy for my kids.”

Rebecca’s first book, Gordon the Giraffe Dreams Big, was written in November 2020, during the second Covid lockdown.

She added: “I could see it was affecting her and knocking her confidence.

“That’s when the idea of Gordon – a giraffe that wants to fly – popped into my head and I wrote the story to remind her to dream big and to not be afraid to put yourself out there.

But it was not until March 2021 when inspiration struck again.

Rebecca said: “I’d joined Goldster, an online platform which hosts over 450 different classes over Zoom, which is ideal for me as I’m a busy mum.

She added: “The book, where Addy learns to combat his anxiety, was taking shape before my eyes and I had to get my phone out and quickly type out some notes while it was fresh in my mind.”

Over the next year, Rebecca estimated she has written over 30 stories, many about animals with an inspiring life lesson to share, for the amusement of her five-year-old, who she prefers not to name.

She added: “I tried for six months to get a literary agent but it’s a tough market so, towards the end of 2021, I made the leap to self-publish.”

Rebecca said she got in touch with Jelly Bean Self-Publishing, who agreed to help her publish her first book for around £1,350.

She added: “It was very exciting to see the finished result.”

But there was one important critic who was keen to get her hands on Rebecca’s story.

She added: “A typical five-year-old though, she saw my byline on the cover and told me that they’d printed the wrong name, that it should have said ‘By Mummy’.”

And when Rebecca’s second book was published, she paid tribute to the yoga class where her idea was formed.

She added: “I’ve actually become obsessed with their classes now. I do art classes, tai chi, and have also written more books with the help of their creative writing classes.”

Now, Rebecca’s books are available to buy online or at market stalls where she sells them.

She added: “It’s not so much about the money for me – it’s also a legacy that I’m creating for my children and to help children with their wellness.”

Rebecca said: “After getting the all-clear, I was told that it’s common for women aged 45 to 55 to see it return.

“I turn 45 next year so that worry is in the back of my mind. I know that, through these books, I’m creating something that my children can look back on in years to come and be proud of me for.”

She said: “I intend to publish more of my books over the next few years. I’ve also written a chapter book for older children about nature which I’m going to pitch to publications.

“Who would have thought a few books I’d written for my daughter in lockdown would spark a new career for me?

“I cannot wait to see where it leads.”