THERE’S a little bit of every kid’s mischief in Billy Bratwurst.
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The star of Jo Hyland’s first book schemes his way through various misadventures with blackmail, payback and trickery to achieve his goal of obtaining a pocket knife.
For Hyland, 33, the comedy book is a new chapter in her life.
The Warrnambool district resident discovered her passion for writing while on maternity leave expecting her first child after working as an electrician in the manufacturing industry.
“I was sitting on the couch in 2004 with my husband and we were talking about improbable scenarios,” she recalled.
“So I wrote about one-and-a-half pages of notes, then over the next nine years it expanded to 136 pages which I typed out on a computer and published after refining the story with the help of family and friends.
“It’s about life as it happens. Everyone I meet has a story to tell on past experiences and this is a bit of everyone.
“It includes a lot of mischief at the local show.
“It’s designed for a readership target from 10 to 99. Kids get a kick out of the story and adults see a bit of themselves in there.”
Hyland is already working on a second edition with ideas for a further two in which Billy’s story is developed through later stages of life.
During her school years Hyland loved reading, but found it difficult to develop her ideas into written stories. “I often sat in the school library reading and sometimes was late for class,” she recalled.
Billy Bratwurst: Eyes on the Prize is available from Collins Books, Spectrum Books, De Grandis markets and the Panmure general store. It was printed by Xlibris and is also available as an e-book version.
Hyland has also been distributing it through pop-up markets.