Dad and daughter have write attitude
Pair create dance tale during lockdown
A TALENTED schoolgirl and her doting dad used the Covid lockdown to create a book they hope will help shy kids to come out of their shell.
Sophie and Craig Wales were inspired by their dance experiences to come up with Flexie Lexie: An Inspirational Story of a Shy Dancer Who Grew in Confidence.
Craig, 35, wrote the words while Sophie, 11, drew sketches to accompany the story.
Craig, from Saltcoats, Ayrshire, said: “During lockdown, I struggled with ideas to keep her entertained. She has always been good at art and I have always been good at poems etc.
“One day we just started messing about and the idea of doing a story just happened, it was a lightbulb moment.
“I put the text together and Sophie put some sketches together, it probably took about a month.”
The pair then created a storyboard, which was sent off to a professional artist, who created illustrations and the book has now been published.
The story centres on a talented dancer who dreams of joining a dance academy. Her coach spots her talent and puts her in the competition team but performing in front of an audience is a terrifying prospect as she is so shy.
She looks to family and friends for help and the support given by her dance family helps boost her confidence.
Craig added: “I had a few offers from publishers however, I decided to self-publish as I wanted to maintain ownership of the book as it’s a personal story.
“Sophie says the best thing about the book is the hope that she can inspire other people to dance on stage, even if they are shy.” ●The book, priced £6.99, is available on Amazon.