AN AWARD-winning Pembrokeshire writer will be at Haverfordwest's Victoria Bookshop signing her new book later this month.
Alais Winton won a gold award in the INDIEFAB Book of the Year Awards for her first book, The Self-Help Guide for Teens with Dyslexia; Useful Stuff You May Not Learn at School.
The book was so popular it was even translated into Italian and a second book was commissioned; Fun Games and Activities for Children with Dyslexia; How to Learn Smarter with a Dyslexic Brain.
Alais, who works with dyslexic students as a private tutor, is now launching her third book; Diary of a Dyslexic School Kid, published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Alais was diagnosed with dyslexia during her second year in university. In school she struggled with reading and writing still remembers being punished for doing badly in a spelling test.
Decades later Alais became went on to become a successful lecturer at Pembrokeshire College, even teaching teachers on the college's PGCE course.
Her new book has been co-written with 15-year-old Ysgol Bro Gwaun pupil Zacharia Millard who is also dyslexic.
"I wanted to do something that people can relate to," said Alais. "I thought it was important to make people feel they are not alone, there are other people going through exactly the same thing as you."
The book is based on both Alais' and Zacharia's own experiences and is written as a series of journal entries, wittily illustrated by local artist Joe Salerno.
Alais chose the journal format as her students found other fictional diaries an easier format to access.
"They are written in the kind of language young people speak and in short sentences. It seemed he sort of form that would appeal to someone struggling with reading," she said.
Alais will be signing copies of Diary of a Dyslexic School Kid Saturday, at Victoria Bookshop on Saturday, October 26.
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