It was a dark and stormy night. You know how the rest of the story goes. You’ve heard it all before, … or have you?

In my case, it was a grey and gloomy afternoon. Storm clouds gathered on the horizon; distant thunder grew louder. By the time the storm blew across into our valley, the rain lashed sideways, striking our windows. The wind whirled through the trees as the rumbles became even louder grumbles. Lightning lit up the sky in sheets as bolts struck the ground. The house shook. My grandson was terrified. He clung to his mother for comfort, while my little dog scrambled for cover under the protection of her favourite hiding place, a bed.

It just took one simple sentence from my daughter-in-law to calm my grandson.

‘Don’t worry honey, it’s just the dragons drumming.’

I could see the glint in his eyes as my grandson considered this. His inquisitive mind immediately playing in overdrive. He peered through the window to the storm outside and tried to look towards the sky. Then, with a deep breath he bravely asked if he could go outside to get a better look at the dragons.

From that simple, innocent encounter, I knew a story was born. I could imagine an entire family of dragons, each playing a different percussion instrument. The commotion and possibilities were enormous and unstoppable.

My initial draft was good. But I knew it was missing something. I worked on it for many months before I sought a manuscript assessment. I then re-wrote the entire story based on the given advice and sent it out several more times. Each time the story improved with further edits.

When I believed my story was finally ready, I began the submission process, hoping someone else would believe in my story too. There was no thunderous applause, just the echoing sounds of silence. But I knew this story was strong and had the potential to help children all over the world to overcome their fear. I was not prepared to leave it in a draw gathering dust.

I considered my options and quickly concluded that if I wanted to see this story published, I had to do it myself. Within various writing groups I had heard the names Tadaa Book and Anil Tortop many times. Then I happened to attend a SCBWI ACT lunch where I was shown the incredible work that Tadaa were doing for a friend. She had nothing but praise for working with them and so, my decision was made. I knew they were the perfect choice to help bring my dream to reality.

The process was seamless from beginning to end. Ozan was incredibly helpful and professional. His response turn-around time with answers was quick, clear and thorough. I adored Maya Bora’s illustrations right from the initial concepts. She seemed to just get me. We shared the same vision. The Tadaa Book team made the entire process so easy, stress free and enjoyable.

Dragons Drumming is everything I hoped for and more. I can’t thank Ozan Tortop and the team at Tadaa Book enough for helping to produce this amazing and beautifully illustrated picture book. Even when I had last minute issues with Ingram Spark (over the Christmas period too), Ozan was right there to help with a guiding hand every step of the way.