Book excerpt: The following story is true. This book is about my children’s mysteries written between the ages of 9 and 16. The years would have been 1975 to 1982. During this time, I was completely oblivious to a terrible truth about myself. I was living in Daler Cottage, the given name of my childhood home. At the age of 19, I would start a novel called The Lessons. This novel was fuelled by a burning fantasy world that was eating me up inside. For the next thirty years, I would struggle with this novel, unaware of this truth. The story of The Lessons is covered in my other book. Prior to my novel-writing phase, I was writing these mysteries as well as painting and devising plays. I kept a diary between 1977 and 1988, during which I attained a degree in Fine Art. I would continue to write and paint for many years to come. My diaries illuminate the circumstances surrounding the writing of my children’s stories. Unknown to me, clues to this horrific truth have leaked into all my creations like oil bubbling up through the ground. At the age of 51, I finally learned the truth. This book describes the decoding process to find the true meaning behind my children’s mysteries. Due to the nature of this book, names and certain details have been altered in order to protect identities and I am writing under a pseudonym. With images throughout.