In November 2024, I visited Girvan Primary School to deliver a workshop to children and ask them for ideas for an adventure for Florence, our Border Collie, as she’s not brave enough to have her own real adventures. The idea of a series of books about Florence hadn’t even popped into my head at that stage. After the visit, the next few weeks passed by with me looking at the ideas, making notes, and turning those words into Florence and the King. As I sat around the table with Mr M and my friend, I read out the story. Over tea and cakes, and biscuits, and more cake, we discussed what I was going to do with the story and how I would present it to the children.

That’s when it happened. The idea arrived. Rushing into the front room, I picked up my pride and joy, a box set of Beatrix Potter’s Tales of Peter Rabbit, and plonked it on the table, wiping away all the crumbs first, of course.

23 tiny books. 4.2” x 5.75”. All different coloured covers. Hardback, beautifully illustrated story books, the perfect size for little hands to hold.

“What if I visited more schools? I could do a whole set of books like Beatrix Potter did. The Magical Adventures of Florence the Border Collie.”

That night, I didn’t sleep. I thought about my idea. By morning, I had a plan. As a self-publisher, I use IngramSpark as my global distributor/print-on-demand supplier.

Could I do books exactly the same size as Beatrix Potter’s?

No, but I could do them 4” x 6”. Not exactly the same, but nearly.

Could I have a spine on books so small?

Yes, if the book had at least 79 pages.

Could I do hardback books so small with IngramSpark?

No. But I could use high-quality paper that would make the book feel solid.

Could I write 23 books? Of course I could!

So, from an on-the-spur-of-the-moment visit to a school on the West Coast of Scotland, my life suddenly had yet another writing project.

The next few months passed. Formatting, typesetting. Examining Beatrix Potter’s books over and over again to get the same format. Mr M and I watched the film Miss Potter more times than usual that Christmas, along with The Man Who Invented Christmas and Little Women.

By the end of January 2025, I had finished the story. I need illustrations, not photographs. Beatrix Potter’s books have beautiful watercolour drawings. Could I do those? You can all laugh now. Indeed, I could not. Even my stick men don’t resemble stick men. They probably don’t even resemble sticks.

Now my friend is a children’s illustrator, and she kindly drew some samples for me. But despite her amazing sketches, they were not quite what I was looking for. Over more tea, cakes, and plates of biscuits, Mr M, my friend, and I agreed that, sadly, The Tales of Florence needed something else. That was a hard thing to call because, of course, I wanted my friend to draw the illustrations. Sometimes you have to acknowledge that just because something is great, it doesn’t make it right for the task at hand.

Then a lightbulb moment. I had another friend who was an illustrator. Yes, I have more than one friend. Not that many, but more than one! So I contacted Jessica from The Ricketty Desk. Jess had already created wonderful black and white sketches for Beatrix The Time Travelling Collie, and worked with me on another project that, surprise, surprise, involved dogs and biscuits.

A few dreams later, I had visualised Jess doing a few sketches of Florence for me. I won’t tell you exactly what I had thought of, because it fills me with horror and shame that I could even think it. Tonight, as I was typing this blog, I sent a message to Jess and asked her if she could remember the first time we discussed this project. Her reply tells you everything you need to know.

I can! Very clearly, because way back at the beginning, before we met, it was one book and you wanted just a few illustrations of Florence, you and maybe a unicorn. You were going to use free background images from online, and I wasn’t comfortable with that. But… 10 minutes, a scone and a cuppa later, and you revealed the plan, agreed to no AI when you heard my idea, and it all got very exciting. It was the point when I painted the castle that I realised just how dreamy it was going to be, imagining all the places and characters.

And that, readers, is how The Magical Adventures of Florence the Border Collie went from a little idea to a fantastic project with my own illustrator creating watercolour drawings straight from my imagination. We laugh that I tell everyone Jess must live in my head because I am never surprised by any of the new illustrations. They are exactly as I had hoped.

Now, over a year later, I have visited 14 schools, 1 book festival and one 16^th-century A-listed building, chatting with children about Beatrix and our adventures, including showing the actual video footage of my helicopter rescue. Then I introduce Florence, showing pictures of her lying on the couch, on the chair, on the floor, in her bed, oh, and driving Evie the campervan. The children are encouraged to come up with ideas for magical adventures for Florence. There are two rules: Florence has to do something to make her a little braver, and she has to help somebody or something.

Am I enjoying the project? Absolutely. Do I dream about it? Every night. Am I glad I started it? Without a doubt. Is there anything that I’m worried about? How to source a company that can create a box for the full set to sit in so that people can purchase the box set of The Magical Adventures of Florence the Border Collie.

What’s the best bit about this project?

It has to be going back to the schools once I’ve written the story created from their notes and published the book. I always tell children that they should shout out when I’m reading the story out if they hear any of their suggestions used. Even if it’s only a word or the colour of the cover is their idea. Their smiles are the best bit of the project.

Last Friday, I had the absolute pleasure of returning to Townhill Primary School to present The Tale of Florence and the Black Cat. That morning, every single child from the school and all the teachers were in the hall, waiting in anticipation. For the next hour, I told the children about how the book was created, right from their first workshop, to working with Jessica to get the illustrations. Jessica came along and explained her role as illustrator and brought along her initial drawings to the gasps of admiration and awe from the crowd.

Then I read the story. On the large screen, I had the story so that the children could see the wonderful illustrations as I read the words. Every child from the school sat in the room enthralled. They cheered when their ideas had been used. And the little boy who suggested that there be a magical bunny called Rhona was beside himself when I showed a picture of Jess’s Rhona the Magical Bunny meeting the real Rhona.

Do I regret starting such a mammoth project? Never. My only concern is what I will do when the 23-book series is finished. What will Florence do? How will she earn her keep when she’s not being written about?

But seriously, thank you to everyone who has hosted a workshop, joined in the project, and, of course, bought the published books.

And a little reminder that five books are now available to buy:

Book 1 – The Tale of Florence and the King

Book 2 – The Tale of Florence and the Dragon

Book 3 – The Tale of Florence and the Lost Sea Kelpies

Book 4 – The Tale of Florence and the Three Wishes

Book 5 – The Tale of Florence and the Black Cat

Book 6 – The Tale of Florence and the Turtle is available for pre-order

And one final thought — just because these are listed as children’s books, I won’t tell anyone if you’re buying them for yourself. After all, I have a full set of Beatrix Potter’s Tales sitting proudly on my shelf, alongside a box set of Alfred Wainwright’s Pictorial Guides to the Lakeland Fells. Some books are simply too good to be left to the children.

Click here to order your books

I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about how my little idea became one of the most enjoyable projects I’ve ever undertaken.

Please leave a comment on the blog and let me know.

Thank you.

Debra x