Universal Service for Carers and Mickleover Library welcomes Joanna Cannon and an audience of carers

The audience were captivated by the honest and approachable responses from Joanna, as she was interviewed by X from Derby Book Festival, often using questions submitted by the audience beforehand.

Joanna made her name as an author writing fiction. Famously, her first novel The Trouble with Goats and Sheep was written in her car during her lunch break as a junior doctor.

“I had never written before, I was a reader not a writer. I still find it hard to say this is what I do.”

Since the success of her first novel, she has written two further novels, a memoir and a collection of patient stories.

Joanna spoke about her process of ‘finding a story’ and how each of the books she has written came out of moments of inspiration. This might have been provided by a newspaper article, a patient in distress or someone’s words, that provided a voice. This voice then spoke to her guiding her right through to the conclusion of her novel.“I miss them (the voices)when the book is done and they stop speaking to me.”

Asked about her tips for aspiring authors, Joanna offered some sage advice. “Write about something you are passionate about. Think about what you would like to say. When you are editing a novel you are with it a long time. You want to make sure it's something you care about.”

Her second tip was slightly more tongue-in-cheek. “If you write about food, make sure it's something you really love because people will bring it for you. In Goats and Sheep I wrote about Angel Delight…”

In her most recent work 'Will You Read This Please', soon to be released in paperback, Joanna teams up with 11 other authors to tell the stories of 12 people living with mental ill health. People very much like the patients she treated during her time as a junior doctor.

“In this book I feel like I am helping people again.” Joanna admits to missing her time as a doctor and how the patients made a lasting mark on her.

“As doctors we are trained for years to fix things, then you get on a ward and realise not everything can be fixed… I still think about the patients every day… As a doctor I was required to sign off on section 17* that allowed patients to go outside. I didn't realise what it meant to people to have that liberty taken away and then restored.”

The author is clearly passionate about how those with a mental health diagnosis are treated. “Someone with depression is told to ‘reach out’ when some days they can’t even get out of bed. We should be the ones reaching in… we are not taught this, so the burden is on the person with the ‘issue’ and we don't know what to do… .”

Dr Jo, as she was called in a former life, prescribes writing for mental health even if you have no aspirations to be an author, “Write down your feelings, it will surprise you what comes out. Even if it's just for 10 minutes a day.”

X asked the best selling author to describe a day in the life of Joanna Cannon. Still living in Ashbourne, with her German Shepherd, Lewis, Canon has developed a schedule that works for her. “I get up around 9/10pm, walk 6 miles with the dog, at that time of day the rest of the world is asleep, it's just me, the dog and silence.

"Then I mess around on-line and start work. Between 2-4 pm I go to bed. If I ever email someone at 5pm they say, "Joanna, what are you doing up?"”

After her interview Joanna was very generous with her time signing books and chatting to individuals. Hopefully no one let anything slip, it might just be Joanna’s next inspiration!

Universal Services for Carers would like to thank Joanna for her generosity and time, Mickleover Library for hosting the event, Derby Book Festival for their fabulous interview and support, but most of all the carers who took time out of their busy caring lives to come, listen and be a great audience.

This is one of many events organised by Universal Services for Carers in their role as statutory provider of support to carers of those living in Derby City.

If you are a carer who needs support please contact their helpline on 01332 228 777 or email [email protected]

*Section 17 of the Mental Health Act 1983 allows patients who are detained under the Mental Health Act to be granted a ‘leave of absence’ from the hospital in which they are detained for a specified or indefinite period subject to particular conditions.