Having become pregnant at just 15, Karen Woods had no choice but to drop out of school.
But when she tragically gave birth to a stillborn baby, she did not return to education – leaving her unable to read or write due to her previously poor attendance.
Karen eventually found work as a cleaner and remained in the job until she was offered a promotion. But the new role meant she would need to write emails as part of the job – with Karen “losing sleep” over the possibility of her illiteracy being uncovered.
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She eventually opened up to her boss and Karen, then 39, was sent on an adult literacy course, passing the test required to graduate after two attempts.
With the qualification under her belt, Karen realised her life-long dream of writing a novel was now a possibility – finishing her first book Broken Youth just three months later.
“When I used to work as a cleaner and got the promotion, I lost loads of sleep thinking they would find out I couldn’t read or write,” Karen, from Miles Platting, said.
“I thought I could blag my way around it, but they sent me on an Adult Literacy Course and as the lessons went on I started to take an interest.
“Once I got the certificate in my hand I realised anything was possible – I could read and write and was the same as everyone else.
“Nothing is set in stone if you believe in yourself. I'm on my 27th novel now and my dream hasn’t stopped there.
“I write real books and real problems and I’ve been called Manchester’s Queen of Crime. I've always wanted to wear a crown.”
Against all odds, Karen’s book was picked up by Manchester based Empire Publications - and she has since written 20 books for the publishers.
The 53-year-old went on to secure book deals with publishers HarperNorth and has had her written shows at the Lowry Theatre and Middleton Arena – both of them selling out.
She’s also appeared on TV Shows including Loose Women and The One Show.
Hailed as Manchester’s Queen of Crime, the author says learning how to read and write has changed her life.
“I was bought up on a council estate and my mum and dad split up when I was 13,” Karen added. "All of those excuses don’t matter, if you get a bit of confidence and self-belief anything is possible.
“I feel I represent all those people who had bad starts in life. I want to be the inspiration for women who think that because they’ve got kids, they can’t do what they want.
“I’d written Broken Youth by hand and had to type it up – it took me hours, but I did it. I went to a local paper who published it in segments and after that I got a call from Empire Publications – they loved it.
“When the book first came, I used to sit and hold it and think about how it was a story I wrote. Over the years I ended up writing 20 novels for Empire Publications – Broken Youth and Grow Wars were best-sellers on Amazon.
“I submitted to HarperNorth in 2020 and they offered me a two-book deal – it was the first time my books were in Asda and other supermarkets.
“Now, I’ve had three ‘two-book’ deals with them, I’m an ambassador for Adult Learning and a Patron of Read Easy.
“I’ve written and directed six sell-out shows at the Lowry Theatre and Middleton Arena. I do writing as a hobby - I still do cleaning and everything else that a mother does.
"I've only just signed book deal, so I probably get £4000 every six months - it's nothing major at the moment. I also work in a school on the behaviour team and love working with kids who are not in mainstream school, I see myself in all of them.
“I do inspirational talks in prisons - (my novel) Northern Girls Love Gravy is always booked out in prison, and prisoners say my books remind them of home. I want to inspire women over forty to chase their dreams - it’s never too late.”
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