AmeriCymru spoke to Alan Cliff, the author of the 'Jack The Station Cat' childrens book series. Jack is based on a real life cat who lived in Wrexham and Rhyl. In the series he resides at Tails End Station and holds down the post of Station Cat.

Americymru: Hi Alan......what drew you to writing children's fiction?

Alan: From 1993 to 2006 every month I wrote a column for aBritish model railroad magazine "British Railway Modelling." In thiscolumn which was entitled Lock's Siding" I featured a station catcalled Jack named after one of our own cats.. Several readers plusmembers of my own family challenged me to turn Jack into thehero of children's stories. I had no erxperience of writing children'sfiction. I decided the best age group to write for would be forreading age 6-8 which would also allow younger children to be readto. I talked to my younger daughter Ailsa who teaches primaryschool children. Armed with her advice I settled down in 1998 towrite the first Jack stories. Eventually I found a publisher in NorfolkEngland, Wendy Webb Children's Books, and September 2000saw the first book "Jack the Station Cat Goes to School"published. When Wendy Webb Books gave up publishingchildren's books in 2004 I was taken on by the Welsh publisherGwasg Helygain of Rhyl in North Wales. I am still with thispublisher.

Americymru:Jack the Station Cat is based on a real live cat is he not? Care totell us a little about the real Jack?

Alan: Jack was a real cat but the only station he ever saw wasthe one on my model railroad. He loved to get on the baseboardand dislocate traffic. This gave me the idea of "Jack the Station Catgoes to School" where Jack learns to be a first class station cat.There is a painting of the real Jack by Rhyl artist Mari Bell at thefront of the book. Jack was born in 1988 near Wrexham the largesttown in North Wales. He originally belonged to our younger sonNigel. Nigel is the illustrator of all the Jack books bar the firstversion of "Jack goes to School" and "Jack lends a Helping Paw."However he came to live with my wife and me in Rhyl when only afew months old. He died in 2000 after a full feline life but lives on inthe shape of his alter ego "Jack the Station Cat."

Americymru: Jack has raised quite a bit of money for charity. Can you tell uswhat charities have benefited from sales of the book?

Alan: The Jack books have supported a number of Britishchildrern's and youthcharities. Half my royalties go to the charitynamed at the front of the book. These include the WinnicottFoundation at St Mary's Hospital Paddington London.:The NationalAutiistic Society: The Railway Children: Fitzwilliam CollegeCambridge poor students fund: National Children's Home (renamedAction for Children) a Methodist Church foundation, one of Britain'slargest children's welfare charities: The Children's Trust, Tadworthan offshoot of Great Ormonde Street Children's Hospital London:TY Gobaith (Hope House) children's hospice at Conwy, NorthWales and Save the Family, a charity working to keep families thathave become dysfunctional together, based at Northop Hall, NorthWales. Jack also supports "Cats Protection" the UK's largest catwelfare charity.

Americymru: How many Jack the Station Cat titles have been published todate? Are you working on any other series of children's books?

Alan: There are 13 titles to date, five published by Wendy WebbBooks and nine by Gwasg Helygain. The Wendy Webb books areout of print.

Gwasg Helygain republished "Jack goes to School" in 2008. Irevised the book and Nigel reillustrated same. Two of the GwasgHelygain titles "Jack and the Great Little Trains Robbery" and"Jack and the Lost Kittens" have been translated into Welsh byBerwyn Prys Jones. All the books have puzzles at the back a fewset by myself but most devised by Brenda Wyatt from Kinmel Baynear Rhyl. All the Gwasg Helygain books, English and Welshlanguage, are in print.

I have written another children's series, three books,about Jack'scousins Grabbit and Skoot who live in the country. The books areout of print though I have a few copies left for sale. A Wendy Webbpublication I need a new publisher for them.

Americymru: Where can people purchase Jack the Station Cat titles?

Alan: Wholesalers should approach my publisher www.gwasg.com e-mail:- guto@gwasg.com Private buyers should look at Jack the Station Cat's web-site www.jackthestationcat.co.uk find the Book Sales page and clickon to Amazon Books logo. This will take them straight to Amazon.co.uk Alternatively there is a link from each Jack booklisted on Jack's web-site to bfkbooks.com the international bookreviewers.. A link then goes from the review to Amazon.

Americymru:What's next for Alan Cliff? Will we be seeing more Jack theStation Cat books?

Alan: There are two more Jack books on the stocks.

Americymru:Any final message for members and readers of AmeriCymru?


Alan: You are never too old to write. I was 64 when the first Jackchildren's book came out in 2000. Ten years down the line I stillenjoy writing even if I am a little slower than I used to be. The Jackbooks keep me young at heart.

'Jack The Station Cat' Immortalized On First Day Cover

Interview by Ceri Shaw Email