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Shelagh Watkins is writer, editor and publisher at Mandinam Press, a small press company she set up in 2008. She is the author of two books: Mr. Planemaker’s Flying Machine, serialised on radio during May-July, 2009 (daily episodes on Preston FM’s Chat City with a weekly forty minute omnibus on Sundays), and The Power of Persuasion, which was on the list for Wales Book of the Year 2009.

Shelagh is also administrator of the Published Authors forum.

Mr. Planemaker's Flying Machine is a story of flight, fantasy, adventure and courage. Although Emmelisa Planemaker is a strong-willed little girl, she misses her dad, who died when she was only five years old.Emmelisa and her brother Dell have a happy and carefree life until their father becomes ill and is forced to retire at the age of forty-three.After retirement, Mr. Planemaker decides to build a scaled, model airplane because he wants to build something lasting for his children but he dies before completing the task.Three years later, Emmelisa is being seriously bullied at school by a group led by the notorious school bully, Mayja Troublemaker. When Emmelisa becomes increasingly withdrawn and unhappy, she seeks help and advice through the computer her father had used to locate specialist model aircraft companies in his quest to build a model airplane.The computer is more than just a computer and full of surprises: Mr. A. Leon Spaceman being one of them! He guides the two children to Hardwareland, where they train to become astronauts and take on an extraordinary mission into space: to follow their father's TRAIL OF LIGHT.I am also working on a sequel, Mrs. Planemaker's Flying Carpet, to my first published novel, which I hope to complete by the end of 2007.Stories of StrengthIn October 2005, one of my poems, Hope for a Safer Place, was chosen for inclusion in the anthology Stories of Strength, which was written in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina to help raise money for Disaster Relief charities.Leo's Daughter: Mistress of the WebMy first short story was accepted by Universe Pathways Magazine. Special thanks to George Sotirhos at Universe Pathways for reading my story and accepting it for the English version of the magazine.Issue 5 of the English magazine with my story inside can be previewed on lulu.com:Universe Pathways previewMy story, Leo's Daughter: Mistress of the Web, is on page 167.You can find Issue 5 of the English magazine here:Universe Pathways: Issue 5I've set up a new network: PublishedAuthors. Please check it out and join us!Visit PublishedAuthors

Shelagh Watkins is writer, editor and publisher at Mandinam Press, a small press company she set up in 2008. She is the author of two books: Mr. Planemaker’s Flying Machine, serialised on radio during May-July, 2009 (daily episodes on Preston FM’s Chat City with a weekly forty minute omnibus on Sundays), and The Power of Persuasion, which was on the list for Wales Book of the Year 2009. She... More