Debut poetry book by dyslexic Mablethorpe mum is an Amazon best-seller

‘With The Pen You Gave Me’, which is a 127-page collection of poetry and personal essays about love, loss, family and friendship, was self-published by Stephanie Otter, 42, earlier this month.

But already it has reached number one in the Amazon best sellers’ list for motivational and inspirational poetry, and has received five stars from reviewers.

More than 100 copies have been sold, and Stephanie, who lives with her husband and their two teenage children, is well on the way to reaching her fundraising target of £1,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support. An initial donation of £364.21 has already been made.

The book’s title has a very personal story behind it, coming from the last gift, a pen, that Stephanie’s close friend, Michelle, gave her before she died. And Macmillan was put forward by Michelle’s husband, Nathan, as the beneficiary of royalties from the book because he felt she would have chosen it.

"Even though I’m dyslexic, writing has always been something I’ve loved,” says Stephanie, who has been teaching yoga in the Mablethorpe and Alford area for the past six years.

"I’ve never wanted to let dyslexia deter me and, after losing Michelle, I found myself writing more and more as a way of processing grief and making sense of life without her.

"Eventually, those poems, alongside pieces about many of the other people and experiences that have shaped my life, grew into this book.

"Although Michelle is woven throughout the collection, I’ve always been very conscious that this isn’t her story because that is not mine to tell.

"Instead, it’s my story of loving her, losing her and learning to live without her. And all the net profits from ‘With The Pen You Gave Me’ will be donated to Macmillan in Michelle’s memory.

"Nathan is also one of my closest friends. He was the first person to read the completed book and was incredibly supportive of it, which meant a great deal to me.

"When I asked him which charity Michelle would have chosen, he suggested Macmillan Cancer Support.”

The book was published on the same day as Stephanie’s first authors and readers day at Sutton on Sea’s Seaview Colonnade.

"I nearly sold out of the copies I took with me and I signed them with the actual pen Michelle gave me, which made the day particularly emotional and special,” says Stephanie, who also enjoys reading, spending time with family and friends, and walking by the sea.

"The response since publication has completely taken me by surprise. As a first-time, self-published author, seeing that little best-seller badge on Amazon next to something I’d written was a very surreal moment.”

Stephanie, who hails from Boston, admits she has been taken aback by the enthusiastic reaction from readers of the book.

"One of the things that has meant the most is hearing from readers who have recognised their own experiences in the poems,” she says. “Some heartfelt reviews have been left on Amazon.

"The book is an invitation to sit with grief without being consumed by it, and to remember that even in life's darkest moments, love continues to shape us.

“If you've ever loved someone deeply or missed someone fiercely, I hope you find a little of yourself within the pages.

"While grief is certainly part of the book, there are also poems about marriage, children, friendship, love and ordinary life.

"My hope was that somebody might read something in it and perhaps be a little less alone in the way they feel.”

‘With The Pen You Gave Me’ is priced £12.99 and can be ordered through Amazon.