“There’s life in the old dog yet!” – Kerry’s book-writing journey
Kerry Carter, 53, is a writer living with secondary progressive MS. She recently finished writing her first book, Decisions, using voice-activated software. Read about Kerry’s journey and the start of her career as an author.
I had my first suspicions something wasn’t quite right back in the late 1990s. First, the numb fingertips which were investigated at York Hospital – nothing to report. Next, there was the flickering eyesight that was so vague it wasn’t worth bothering with. Then I had my first child. Doing forward rolls with her in the garden made me feel so dizzy and disorientated like I’d never felt before. The easiest solution was “don’t do any more forward rolls”. Sorted. I was in denial.
Read more about MS symptoms and signs
Then came my second child and, not long after that, the breakup of my marriage. I met my current husband, John, in 2001. And after a walk up a mountain in the Lake District, I ended the walk dragging and tripping over my feet. I knew things weren’t right, so I went back to my GP. And not long after, a trip to the hospital confirmed my worst fears. I had MS.
Getting help along the way
I was diagnosed with MS in 2001 and it wasn’t much of a surprise. I’d pretty much reached my own conclusions thanks to the power of the internet (good old Google). I was grateful John decided to stand by me.
I’d worked at York University for over 30 years. And they’d furnished me with a never-ending supply of adaptations and equipment to help me work. They even installed an automatic entrance door and a disabled toilet (thank you, University of York, for being a fantastic employer).
One of the items they bought for me was Dragon voice activated software. Over the years, I used this software to help me in my day-to-day work – emails, letters, reports. I could even use it for Excel spreadsheets. It made everything accessible for me to use, just by using my voice.
When I left work, I bought my own licence for Dragon software. Writing my book started here.
I’ve just signed a contract and my book is going into full production as we speak.
Turning my creative dream into reality
I always felt, even from a young age, that there was a book hidden inside me. I’ve always been a big reader, starting with frequent trips to York library as a young girl.
Slowly but surely, my book developed. It took a lot of hard work and determination over a period of 18 months. Correcting what my voice said was not always what I got on paper. For example, “York” was often transcribed as “yak” (thanks to my Yorkshire accent, I think).
It took a lot of time to correct the text until my manuscript was ready and I submitted it to a handful of publishers. I always thought most submissions were returned with a “thanks, but no thanks” conclusion. My mum read it and gave me glowing reviews (but then she would, wouldn’t she? She’s my mum). However, imagine my delight when I was offered a book contract from four of the publishers. Wow, I must be doing something right!
As it stands, I’ve just signed a contract and my book is going into full production as we speak.
Not bad for someone with secondary progressive MS. I’ve been using a wheelchair full-time for the past five years. It just goes to show, there’s life in the old dog yet!
