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My name is Darren Whitehead.

I am a 40 something married father of two teenage girls.

I have always enjoyed creative writing, especially poetry and used to write even as a teenage boy, although never seriously.

When my daughters were little, like most parents, I used to read to them on a regular basis. I quickly discovered that I enjoyed reading to them just as much as they enjoyed listening (maybe even more).

I particularly loved work by Julia Donaldson (such as The Gruffalo), Dr. Seuss and work by Jez Alborough. The rhythm of the words of stories in rhyme and the array of characters really appealed to me.

This spurred me to start to write my own stories for children, mainly in rhyme.

I also write song lyrics, conventional poetry and scripts. Photography is another passion of mine, but I am not a natural.

Being a dad and husband means that I cannot dedicate the time I would like to creative pursuits. I have a full time job also, which means that the time I do get is very limited. When I am not being a family man, writing or taking photographs, I am on the hunt for an agent to help make my dreams of being published a reality.

As for my children's stories, one is currently being illustrated by the amazing artist Lindsey Davies and we are looking to publish this in the near future. The others are still in need of ilustrations.

The progress with my projects as they stand is outlined on a newly started blog as follows:

http://darrenwhitehead.wordpress.com/

I dream of a time when I can earn enough money to give up my day job and simply write for a living (as do most people on here, I bet).

The following are children's stories that I have written:

Hero of Schnool:
The story of a snappy crocodile who just wants friends, but no one trusts him. That is, until he rescues some creatures in the swamp and becomes a hero.

When Snufflewakka Came to Town:
The story of the very huge and clumsy Snufflewakka. His visit to a local town causes chaos and panic amongst the locals and the authorities. A tale where local children are the heroes.

The Rainbow of Billingbob:
A story of a rainbow which paints all the children of a village different colours. Despite their differences, the children eventually learn to play together. This story has a serious underlying message of valuing diversity.

The Withered Witch and the Cobweb Stew:
The story of a witch who grows a large hump on her back. She visits the witch doctor to discover that the cause is something very silly indeed.

The Withered Witch Goes Back to School:
The withered witch returns and goes back to her old school. She soon becomes popular with the youngsters there and uses her age and wisdom to win everyone over.

Ronnie Rhino’s Dance:
A simple tale of a rhino who just wants to dance. The tale visits many other animals and their excuses not to join him.

The Snotty Grotty:
A humorous tale of how the common cold spreads from one strange creature to another, even infecting the local doctor.

It’s Good to be a Child:
A little girl wants to be grown up, but when her wish is granted by a mischievous fairy she soon realises that being a grown up is no fun at all.

A Dark & Dusty Place:
A story of how two children rescue Santa who is stuck in their chimney.

Too Cold to Play:
A little girl daydreams about an adventure where she saves the King’s horse from the nasty Nutcrack brothers and foils a plot to steal the Queen. She comes out of the daydream to realise that she might have really been in an adventure after all.

Which Witch Tricked the Switch?:
A very simple idea for younger children which encompasses a spot the difference game.

Rastafairy and the Butterflies:
Introducing Rastafairy, a Rastafarian fairy with beautiful dreadlocks. His dreadlocks are too heavy and he cannot fly, so he enlists the help of some butterflies to help carry them. This character is an idea by Lindsey Davies and the first of a number of planned books featuring him.

Minty Mouse and the Big Adventure:
Minty Mouse’s friends don’t want to play so she walks round alone, but gets into more than a spot of bother. Poor Minty Mouse is almost eaten by a cat (dressed as a pirate) and a falcon. She is rescued from trouble by a friendly fish and a bored bear. This is the first in a planned series of books featuring Minty Mouse.

All of the above poems are in rhyme (similar in style to Julia Donaldson or Dr. Seuss). I also have a story in prose:

Cyril – The Lion With No Roar:
A story of a sorry lion with no roar. Poor Cyril is laughed at by the children visiting the zoo and he has no sympathy from the cruel zoo owner. With the help of the kindly zoo keeper he escapes. Whilst away from the zoo he eventually learns to roar.

My name is Darren Whitehead. I am a 40 something married father of two teenage girls. I have always enjoyed creative writing, especially poetry and used to write even as a teenage boy, although never seriously. When my daughters were little, like most parents, I used to read to them on a regular basis. I quickly discovered that I enjoyed reading to them just as much as they enjoyed listening (... More