Dad helps to set a-gender for Bowie-inspired novel
WISE words from dad are normally the last thing teenage girls want to hear but for author Jade Tideswell they changed her life - with a little help from a rock icon.
The now 20-year-old, from Bollington, has released her first novel called What if Bowie Were a Woman, with the title a reference to music legend David.
Although she had written more than a dozen books previously this is the first one that has made it all the way to becoming published.
And the idea - switching the gender of a famous musician and then penning a fictional biography - was inspired by a chance remark from her dad.
Jade said: “My dad was actually the one who came home one day and said the words, ‘what if Bowie were a woman’. It feels quite dramatic to say that those words changed my life, but they did.
“My mind got completely carried away and here we are with a published book.
”The book explores the question of whether gender can influence people chances at succeeding in their career, by switching an already famed androgynous figure into a digestible female character.
“It is a fictional biography experience that follows the life of Penny Jones, navigating her way through her career in the music industry and her journey through womanhood.”
Jade spent six months writing the first draft of the book and then another year fine tuning it before self-publishing the finished product.
In it the exploits of the lead character include recording Space Oddity in a treehouse, spiking the water supply at prom night with Viagra and joyriding a double-decker bus.
Jade studied media at Buxton and Leek College and upon leaving also set up a production company with fellow ex-student Kelly Hodgkinson.
Together they have pictured recording sessions for bands such as the Happy Mondays and held photoshoots with models.
But she has still found time to write and publish What if Bowie Were a Woman.
Jade added: “Because I self-published, there was a lot more editing than I’ve ever done before. It’s been the longest process I’ve been on with a book.
”But I love it. I made the conscious decision to self-publish, and I think it’s the best decision I made.
“There were a few reasons behind my decision, but ultimately, with the message of the book being ‘stick it to the man and do it yourself’. it felt hypocritical of me to sell my soul to a publishing house.”
What if Bowie Were a Woman? written by Kitty Riggs, Jade’s pen name, is available from Amazon.