A breast cancer warrior and Amazon best-selling author from Wirral is hoping readers will “chuckle all the way through” her latest book – set to launch on 6 October.
Estelle Maher, 51, has turned her hand to comedy after finding award success in the fantasy genre, and then penning a book based on her own cancer journey.
In her latest work, ‘Dear Jane, Love Daisy’, the Noctorum resident tells the story of two fifty-something women who meet on a cruise ship, become firm friends, and decide to email one another to keep sane.
“With my cancer book, ‘The Killing of Tracey Titmass’, there was only so far I could take the humour,” explained Estelle, who is Managing Director of TAUK Publishing.
“And after my fantasy books, people said: “You should write a comedy!” Lots of readers said they like the way I wrote dialogue. I wanted to find a format that didn’t feel like a script, so I settled on the idea of an email exchange.
“The two central characters came to me first, which morphed into one being from the North and one being from the South. In the first draft, I was guilty of shoehorning a joke in on every page but, after leaving my work to ‘breathe’, everything came together when my son Zack suggested focusing on the antics of Jane’s philandering husband Derek. The result is a light-hearted read that I hope readers will chuckle all the way through.”
Estelle first found an audience for her writing in 2015. The mum of two posted a humorous daily blog about her trip to Florida in a popular Facebook group – and instantly went viral.
“That was when I realised people like what I write,” said Estelle, who cites the late Victoria Wood as her comic idol. “Before then, my family and my Facebook friends were the only people who ever saw my work. I’ll always be proud of ‘Tracey’, which is my most talked-about book, but writing ‘Dear Jane’ feels like a ‘full circle’ moment. I’m back again, talking holidays, and ready to become the humourist writer I’ve always wanted to be.”
It has been four years since Estelle first found a lump in her breast. Having received treatment and been given the all-clear, she now co-hosts a podcast, ‘Get It Off Your Chest – The Funny Side of Breast Cancer’, with her friend and fellow breast cancer warrior Andrea Moulding.
“Andrea will have a special role at the book signing party for ‘Dear Jane’,” said Estelle, who is a finalist in the ‘Community Champion’ category at the Cheshire Small Business Awards 2023. “My very dear friend and podcasting partner is coming all the way up from Loughborough to present the Q&A, so I’ll be the one answering questions for once!”
‘Dear Jane, Love Daisy’ will be available to buy on Amazon as of 6 October, with the book signing party taking place at City Wine Bar on Old Hall Street, Liverpool the following week. Estelle’s husband Pete, 57, and their children Chloe, 24, and Zack, 19, will be in attendance, together with friends, family and colleagues from the publishing world.
“I have always been really lucky to have amazing people cheering me on and I am really excited to share this moment with them,” added Estelle. “But ultimately, everything I do is about the readers. If I make them happy, then I’m happy!”
