The animals of Broadwater Warren come out to play as children’s author, Nick Carter, pays a visit to Uckfield with his three beautifully illustrated children’s books.

On Thursday the 26th of April, Bridge Cottage Heritage Centre, Uckfield opened its doors to welcome Nick Carter as part of their Literary Festival. The event ran from the beginning of the week, hosting a number of enthralling events, from the relaxed first meeting of a new book club, to an enlightening creative writing class, to a speech by Dorit Oliver-Wolff, Holocaust survivor, who told visitors how singing “kept her alive”.  

Nick Carter, while primarily there to sell and sign his three children’s books (Mr Wiggles and the Bubble Blowing Machine, Barney and Edward’s Adventures at Bodiam, and Chestle Crumb and the Animals of Broadwater Warren), spoke about his experience as a children’s author, what he hopes to achieve in the future and gave his advice to inspiring authors.

“Most of the information you need is on the internet”, he said when asked how people can get into the writing business, and it’s all about “doing your homework”. Though, when asked how he comes up with his ideas, Mr Carter described how “It just comes,” going on to say that “it’s really hard to explain. It just clicks.”

Though his success is undoubtable, having sold 5,000 of his stunningly illustrated copies world-wide, the children’s author detailed his future plans, stating that the story of Chestle Crumb “would make a lovely children’s television show”, which he hopes to witness blossom, as well as the three books he is currently writing, this time for older children. Further to this, he has endless ideas, the most recent of which is his “washing peg people,” an amusing and fond idea which, like Chestle Crumb and Barney and Edward’s Adventures would likely be based locally.  

After sending his books to the children of the royal family, Mr Carter is incredibly proud of the letters of thanks he has received from Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge. Especially when he considers that he “never thought he’d even be a children’s author”.

However, even if writing had not been the career path he had in mind, the author cares an enormous amount about his work and explains how, after receiving the finished product, he can’t help but think:

“I’ve worked so hard for that. And that’s the reason I push my books so so hard.”

Emily Thompson - Heathfield Community College