Ballet has been my life

Ever since a small child I have loved ballet and my first memory is in a lilac dress ready for my RAD primary examination, I was told I suited lilac, so lilac it was. I must have had a gift for ballet as I sailed through all my exams with Honours. Jump ahead 60 odd years and I have been teaching dance for 53 of those! Although I love all subjects, ballet remains my favourite and teaching mainly vocational students and adults ballet always remains fresh as my first day of teaching.
During my teaching years my youngest daughter Sam Raine gained a place at The Royal Ballet School and in her first year appeared in The Royal ballet's production of The Nutcracker as a little mouse, she was the one who jumps on the back of one of the male dancers. That year was the start of my many visits to the Royal Opera House as Sam was lucky enough to be accepted into the company and is now Senior repetiteur. You can imagine the enjoyment both myself and late husband had going to watch the ballets Sam was performing in and the productions she was in charge of the Corps de Ballet. Therefore being back stage waiting for Sam and recently baby sitting my grandson Frank while Sam had rehearsals, I feel quite at home. Not to mention granddaughter Nell four years older than Frank .Which brings me to my book title Rosie O'Hara ( ROH) The Theatre Cat of which many years ago I wrote the book and put it away for a rainy day. My late husband John did encourage me to seek publication but I never got round to it and I only let couple of close friends at the time read my manuscript.
A week after John's funeral we went into the UK's first lockdown and being at home wondering what to do, and how to get through this double whammy of grief and covid, did I think of the book. I found it out and tweaked it a little and started looking for publishers, as Austin Macauley started with A, I sent it off.
Working with Children for so many years, I was happy with my story, knowing parents would read the book to younger children and those who could read would look at it themselves. I soon forgot about the book as Covid worries and grieving took over, however much to my surprise I received an email saying Rosie O'Hara had been accepted. As a dear friend was considering doing the illustrations, she thought it too much responsibility and to my delight I could pay the publishers for them to do the illustrations.
Over time I sent off my illustration ideas for each page and received drawings that either I asked for extra detail or I agreed it was just right for the page.
I recently came across a photograph of myself in a box at The Royal Opera House when it re opened after Covid and masks were compulsory. I looked at the photo and thought wow that is where Rosie is watching the stage from in one of my pages ! I hadn't actually realised at the time.
Having been a Principal of a Performing Arts school for over 50 years, publishing a children's book is so new to me and I must thank Liz from our local book shop who helped me enormously with my confidence in what is really alien to me.
I sincerely hope children love reading about Rosie O'Hara The Theatre Cat who happens to call The Royal Opera House her home and look forward to a totally new adventure.

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