About

About Me

I live in Hertfordshire and have two wonderful, grown-up daughters. I’ve just become a Nana to a beautiful baby granddaughter, Millie.

Writing has always been a part of my life. I’ve constantly ‘scribbled’ down my thoughts and feelings on bits of paper here and there. It’s just my outlet.

I wrote my first book on the subject of Postnatal Depression, which was published in 2000. This followed my own experience of this awful hidden illness. My ‘scribbles’ inspired me to reach out to other women who were struggling during the early months of motherhood. Computers were only just evolving at this time. Technology wasn’t an option for my research. The only charity supporting women with PND, kindly allowed me to write a research appeal in their monthly newsletter. The response was overwhelming. The next stage was to choose 9 women from totally different backgrounds and lifestyles. I personally met with each person to determine who would best feature in my book. Without these women, the book would never have come to fruition.

I AM CURRENTLY WRITING ‘LET ME SHOW YOU CAT HEAVEN’ and will keep you updated on it’s progress.

The realities I uncovered and never knew existed, makes this book a very controversial read. My writing style, in general, is of a very colloquial nature. I write from the heart in the most honest and direct way possible. My intention is to write a second edition to bring it up to date. Quite honestly, not much has changed apart from a more recent revelation about the prevalence of postnatal depression in men. I exposed this reality 23 years ago in one of my chapters called ‘The Other Half’.   

‘Surviving Postnatal Depression, At Home No One Hears You Scream’, went completely international and still remains in the top ten list of the most recommended books on this subject, 23 years on.

Family Experiences of Bipolar Disorder

My second book, ‘Family Experiences of Bipolar Disorder’, was published in 2010. I developed Bipolar Disorder at the age of 35 following a heartbreaking trauma. This book is written in a similar vein to my first publication. With the help of technology and the ‘Bipolar Organisation’ charity, I managed to source a number of contributors, their family members and top Professionals in this field. Bipolar Disorder is a devastating and extremely challenging condition to live with. Taking this into account, I focused on the impact this condition has on relationships in the family, especially the children. This honest and controversial book contains a wealth of valuable information, an engaging and insightful view of the illness, advice, symptoms and treatments.

Cara Aiken

Writer

I have a third book due for publication at the end of this year, 2023. It’s a beautiful children’s book on pet loss… ‘Let me show you Dog Heaven’. It’s my first fictional project and definitely won’t be my last.

I’ve learnt two very important factors related to my non-fiction and fictional writing.

I’m a very curious person with a passion to learn about others. Some would call me nosy in the sense of ‘people watching’ and listening to other people’s conversations. My non-fiction writing has involved in-depth interviews, endless research and a huge extent of interactions with strangers. This in effect cures my curiosity.

My inner child plays a huge part of my being in every which way.  My experience of writing a fictional book has allowed my mind to feel alive and to dive into a world of fantasy. It’s given me the freedom to create adventures which have previously only ever existed in my head.   And this, in effect, allows my inner child to resurface when I call upon her.

With this in mind, I can confidently guarantee that any writing opportunities will always be received and written with great passion. My world of words is open for business!