Hello Carlisle! 

My name is Steve, and I’m a new children’s author currently in the midst of moving from London to Carlisle to be with family. I’ve just published my debut picture book and I’m now working on others including — a cheeky, locally-inspired story called Where Do Seagulls Poop in Carlisle?

It’s a fun and silly adventure aimed at children and families, but it’s also a love letter to Carlisle itself. The book will feature well-known local buildings and landmarks, and I hope to include illustrations of real local people and businesses as well, intending to get the community involved and create something uniquely “Cumbrian” that both children and adults will enjoy.

I'm incredibly lucky to be collaborating with local artist, Jess Autumn Bell (@autumn.illustration) who has helped bring the book to life already with her flyer design.

Donations will go towards illustrating, publishing, printing and distributing this book.

I’m partly self-funding this with just a few months of savings (after leaving a corporate career to write full-time), so I’m looking to partner with people who want to support creative work with a local flavour and be illustrated into the book itself!

It takes a lot to publish a book, as you can imagine, but anything you have will be extremely gratefully received.

If you’d like to chat more, including a personalized sponsorship deal to come on as a main partner, then I’d be really happy to meet for a coffee and talk through the idea in person.

Thanks so much for reading, and for everything you do locally — I’m excited to be making Carlisle my new home and hopefully contributing something joyful to the local creative scene.

Warm regards,

Steve

And Finally...

Ever been dive-bombed by a seagull for your chips?

Same.

But what if those squawky snack-thieves had a story to tell? We also want the book to be educational, so it's a nudge toward protecting these birds and raising awareness of their shrinking habitats. Because let’s be honest — Carlisle wouldn’t be the same without them. Let's create a book that will be talked about for generations, and you might find out the favourite place that Seagulls like to Poop in Carlisle!