Announcement of Jill Saudek's new book: The Mind's Eye

Jill Saudek

The Mind's Eye 

Back in September 2023, the seventh writer showcase I posted on this blog focused the spotlight on Jill Saudek, a poet, prose-writer and, like so many other brilliant writers, a retired teacher. Jill is a fabulous poet and has published two volumes of poetry, both packed with clever, beautiful and thought-provoking poems inspired by other poets. 

        Her first book of children's fiction is published on 23 May 2025, and is an original collection of three long tales each designed to be read aloud to children. Jill began by writing these stories for the younger members of her own family and produced illustrations too, but she noticed that the listening children created their own pictures in their heads. She decided that the book would work better without the illustrations, hence its title The Mind's Eye. These are stories that are rich and complex in their verbal imagery, and they help children use their own imagination rather than constantly being distracted by the contents of social media sites and electronic screens. I am promoting the book here as I think Jill is a fine writer and the book deserves to be read.

Short interview with Jill:

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1. When did you start writing?

These stories were written when my various small relatives (nine, in total) reached the age of three and a half - that's now about twenty years ago! I wanted to come back to the stories after the poems were published, as I had a publisher who was prepared to support my work. I used to love creative writing at school, but had composed nothing during most of my adult life as a teacher.

2. You have previously written lots of excellent poetry. What made you decide to write a children’s book? 

It was the joy of reading aloud, watching the children's response as they gazed into the middle distance -  a sign, as I interpreted it, that they were indeed using their mind's eye.

3. Do you think you will ever write prose for adults – a novel or memoir or whatever? 

I have written my autobiography as well as memoirs of both my parents, but these would not be for publication. I wanted to be as honest as I could be in my account of my life and relationships so, from the start, the writing was designed to help me assess my character truthfully and to chart patterns in my life; readers would impede these aims! I have shared my parents' memoirs with my siblings. I find the idea of writing a novel for adults daunting - I haven't found an original subject or approach...but I shall keep thinking of one...

4. What is different about The Mind’s Eye from all the other children’s books on the market?  Why do you think it is worth buying? 

My belief is that the unusual lack of illustrations allows children to develop their own imagination (their image-creation power) - too often this is pre-empted by the ubiquity of pre-packaged images on screen (for example, in the way Disney has taken over the traditional fairy stories) or indeed in most children's books, where glorious pictures dwarf a slim text.  I also found that young children could easily follow lengthy texts - each of my three stories is about thirty thousand words, divided into short chapters - with vocabulary and sentence structure that are more ambitious than I had originally thought possible. Soon, to my delight, I found that the children used the characters and ideas in their own imaginative play.  I also believe that the relative sophistication of the language provides a strong foundation for children's later independent reading.

5. How many books have you had published so far? What has the experience been like? 

I have had two books of poems published. I very much enjoyed introducing the poems to small groups in local libraries or U3A groups, but otherwise I find the business of marketing and self-promotion very difficult!

6. How much time do you spend writing? 

I write quickly so it seems as if very little time has passed, as the words seem to flow easily.

7. What is your next writing project and have you started work on it yet? 

I am waiting for a new idea to strike me! 

Copies of The Mind's Eye can be bought from mainstream bookshops or from the publisher:       orders@austinmacauley.com

Jill's new website address is www.saudek-poems-and-stories.co.uk

Watch the following YouTube video for more information:

https://youtu.be/Ovs12e2UbeY?si=Q2ipfhcn2jg78Y_s 

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