“I can't quite believe it” says delighted Offaly first-time author

An Offaly primary teacher and self-published author is celebrating this week after her wellbeing book for children 'Our Super Teacher' hit the newsstands in Ireland's largest national retailer, Dunnes Stores.

Since self-publishing her first book last Autumn, Julie-Ann Carroll, a busy teacher and mother of three young children has sold almost 1,000 copies of 'My Super Teacher' and obtained 30 stockists nationwide, but she is “over the moon” at having secured a deal with Dunnes Stores to stock her first book. "I still can't quite believe it," she said.

Julie-Ann makes the long, daily round trip from her home in Clonminch, Tullamore to St. Tola's NS in Delvin, in Westmeath, where she is a teacher, and she began work on her first book when she was pregnant with her third child, Luca. Not only did she write the book but she also illustrated and self-published 'My Super Teacher'.

The book, which focuses on the mental health and wellbeing of children, was inspired by a fellow teaching colleague and dear friend in St Tola's NS, the late Aoife Kelly, whom Julie-Ann Carroll describes as “a fantastic teacher who was passionate about the importance of teaching children lifelong skills to support their wellbeing”. Julie-Ann wanted to share Aoife's message “with everyone, especially children” as a way of honouring her memory.

The daughter of Kate and Paddy McKenna from Blueball says she has been “blown away by the support and love” that everyone has shown towards her book and is delighted with the way it is being currently being displayed in Dunnes Stores on a tall custom-designed unit. “It really catches the eye when you walk into the shop." the first-time author said this week.

While she is aware of the invaluable role that a teacher plays in the life of a young child, Julie'-Ann Carroll says she very quickly realised in her day-to-day job that, while academic development is so important “a child’s holistic wellbeing is even more so”. She adds that children cannot be expected to reach their full potential “if they are not supported across all areas of their development, mentally, physically and emotionally”.

With her only source of sales for her book initially being via her website, www.julieanncarroll.ie. the local teacher says it is “like a dream come true” to have her first book proudly sitting among all the other beautiful books in shops all over the country, and on its own custom-designed stand in Dunnes Stores. When asked would she have any advice for emerging authors trying to succeed in a world where traditional publishing is not the only option, Julie-Ann says that when you are working with something that you are passionate about “you have to have no limits for what you want to achieve and if it is something that you truly love you won’t want to stop".