WEMBLEY Downs resident Sue Tredget says producing children’s books offered her an avenue to new opportunities and helped her out of “a big dark hole”.
Ms Tredget took up writing in 2014 as a way of healing from a series of personal losses and as part of her recovery from depression and anxiety.
“I fell in a big dark hole which I couldn’t talk about for a long time because I felt so ashamed and guilty about how I was feeling,” she said.
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READ NOW“I felt like I didn’t have the right to be depressed.”
Ms Tredget, a French and Spanish teacher, said “silence is never the answer”.
“As I emerged from the darkness, writing was a way of expressing what I had kept inside,” she said.
“Writing was one of the things that gave me the outlet I needed and it has opened up a whole new world of opportunity.”
My Colour Collection, created with illustrator Diana Kelly, uses simple rhymes and vibrant illustrations “to explore the wonder of colour”, but does not touch on mental health.
“I am hoping that young children and their parents will enjoy these books together,” Ms Tredget said.
“As well as parents, I am hoping that kindergartens, pre-primaries and libraries will benefit from the books as they introduce colour in a creative and fun way.
“My illustrator, Diana Kelly, has done an amazing job and her pictures capture the wonder and curiosity of childhood.”
The beyondblue ambassador said she wanted to share her story and increase the community’s understanding about mental health.
“I am just an ordinary person. I don’t have an automatic platform or celebrity profile but I was determined to create something positive out of my experience,” she said.
“I want to encourage people who are suffering or who have suffered from depression or anxiety to reach out and ask for help rather than suffer in silence.”Ten per cent of any profit made from book sales will be donated to beyondblue.
For information visit, www.suetredget.com.
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