A North Belfast woman has released her own debut novel after struggling with reading and writing growing up.
54-year-old Margaret McMahon launched her book, Crescent Witches: A haunting Belfast tale, on Sunday, April 2.
The former florist explained she received her dyslexia diagnosis when was was in her 40s and wants to inspire others.
Read more: NI mum with autistic son says more inclusion is still needed
The mum-of-two's book is based around two witches, both sisters who live in the Albert Clock in the city. The plot is filled with magic and mystery. It also includes more local famous landmarks and is set over 150 years ago.
Margaret told Belfast Live: "When I was at school, back then.. [I] kind of went to the back of the classroom, hid away from everybody because... I just couldn't understand words, letters, numbers, I just couldn't put anything together.
"Back then they didn't diagnose anyone with dyslexia... You wouldn't have got the support.
"I would have hid at the back of the classroom and shied away from everything, I never finished work, even if it was writing something off the blackboard. I just could not even put the words [from] the blackboard onto the page...
"Thinking you are stupid all your life and then everything comes together when you finally get a test done later on in your adulthood. That would have been when I was in my 40s."
Margaret explained that the book came about as she wanted to find a hobby, as she is currently off work waiting on an operation.
She said: "I was always very artistic, I was creative with my hands, I was great at interior design... I was a florist all my life...
"I am not working at the moment, the whole point of me doing the book was I needed a hobby... I had to do something...
"The doctor suggested, 'Margaret, get a hobby'. I did get a hobby and that was the writing. It kept the creative part of my mind going because I couldn't get creative with flowers or those things that I normally do."
Margaret began writing the novel around a year and a half ago.
She said: "My daughter [Emma] is a very keen reader... The original plan was... maybe do a wee book of poems or something...
"I went from writing a couple of wee poems to going 'I'll do a wee story, I'll do this for Emma, it'll be a lovely wee surprise for her'.
"About four or five pages in, I sent it up to her, she was upstairs and I text her..... She actually came down the stairs and went, 'Where did you get that?'
"I went, 'I wrote it', and she went to me, 'Mummy, you didn't... I said, 'I did, I was doing it for you'.
"She went to me, 'Oh, Mummy, you need to keep writing'... It was Emma's idea at the beginning."
Margaret explained how technology was a great help on her journey to completing her own book.
She said: "As I continued on doing the book and writing, the only way I could do it... Technology is amazing for anyone with learning difficulties these days. My daughter had bought me a tablet a few years ago.
"Originally it was just because it was a big screen and I can read it and see everything better. That's what I did the book on. I would write two or three pages and then I would go back, press play and listen to it in my ear...
"That was the only way I wrote that book. I could not write it, and then read it. The technology was what did it...
"[Emma] has been amazing. She has been such a great help."
She added: "There is nothing in my book that's complicated. I wrote that book because I was writing it for my daughter and my family, but my daddy who is 75 years of age is not a reader, and he is on to chapter 13...
"He says to me... 'I'm finding this very easy to read', and I said, 'Daddy, that's exactly what I needed to hear'...
"I wrote a book that's easy for anyone who has learning difficulties to say, 'I'm not a reader but I actually enjoyed that wee story, that was easy reading'. That's what I wanted to achieve."
Margaret hopes to inspire people of all ages.
She said: "For years and years and years, I just thought I was stupid. I didn't learn to drive until I was 50, passed my theory test on the first go...
"The alarm clicked, bells went off when I got diagnosed. I went, 'Do you know what? You are not stupid, you need to stop thinking you are stupid, you need to start putting yourself out there and stop shying away'...
"Don't let your learning difficulties hold you back, just because you can't do something, or you think you can't do something, there's always ways around it.
"The wee tablet helped me write a book...
"I have achieved the first one and the sequel is on its way..."
Margaret added: "[I want] for it to be an inspiration to anybody of any age, to do whatever they need to do, but my main focus of doing this book is making it easy for anyone who doesn't read... [to] read my book, because it's easy to read.
"It's just wrote the way your granny would have told you a story or your mummy would have told you...
"It's just putting my thoughts in my head on paper, " she said.
Crescent Witches: A haunting Belfast tale is available at Belfast Books, Shanway Press, Waterstones and will soon be available on Amazon as an e-book.
READ NEXT:
Northern Ireland woman on how a week of intensity with Wim Hof changed her life
Meet the woman behind a vital counselling service in East Belfast
NI couple who met while speed dating launch new matchmaking concept
NI author pens novel set to be 'Sex and the City of Belfast'
For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here. To sign up to our FREE newsletters, see here.
