Prue McDonell grew up with the love of writing stories, an endless imagination, and a captivation with nature.
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The Robertson resident decided to take the plunge a few years ago, and self-publish one of her childhood tales.
Stargazer, a tale of imagination, and the importance of friendship can now be found in Robertson's Book Nook.
"It was inspired by my grandmother's place, which was an old place at Lake Macquarie with a large garden," she said.
"I was quite enthralled by it, and the spider webs, dewdrops, butterflies, and birds."
Her story follows a young sprite called Star, who wishes to go beyond the enchanted garden to faraway lands, after hearing about them from a butterfly.
"There were a lot of books about fairies when I was growing up," Mrs McDonell added.
"Fairies have come and gone, I just thought why not bring fairies back?"
Star meets many creatures along the way as she wishes to be someone else.
Mrs McDonell said she wanted to show young readers that they can use their imagination to "overcome their limitations".
"We can turn weaknesses into strengths to reach our full potential," she said.
The author wanted to also highlight the importance of friendship, and connecting with others and nature.
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"I wanted to bring children back to nature because they spend so much time on their phones and iPads," she said.
She did slightly tweak her childhood story to include these themes, but said its magic remained the same.
"I loved that I became a child again, and could think like a child," she said.
"The older you get, the more serious you get, so it was nice to retain that childlike quality."
Mrs McDonell also admitted that she has taken the plunge with another story, that she hopes will be out into the world in a couple of months.
"I have a lot of stories in my head," she laughed.
"I have become obsessed now that I have already published one story."
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