The Joy of Knowing Pete Much was said, yet no words spoken
‘Poor Pete he can never have an adventure on his own.’ His brother’s words describe Peter’s dependence on others for his care and safety.
He had Down’s syndrome and profound and multiple learning disabilities.
He never used words but still made a profound impact on the lives of his family, friends and those he met. His individuality, love of music, his friendships and his determination all shine through The Joy of Knowing Pete.
This memoir focuses on Peter’s teenage years, his home, his surroundings, his schools, his church membership, his outings, his holidays and his three months in hospital following severe strokes and his final months in a Sue Ryder home.
In her first book, Through Peter's Eyes, Hazel Morgan captured the life of her younger son, who had Down's syndrome, up to the age of eleven, first in Durham and then in Suffolk. Now in her second memoir, The Joy of Knowing Pete: Much Was Said, Yet No Words Spoken she focuses on what Peter taught her in his teenage years and how he touched the lives of so many people. She also reflects on services and supports for people with learning disabilities over the years arguing for greater opportunities, equality and fairness.
Peter's death shortly before his nineteenth birthday prompted her to change career: she had studied Modern History at St Hugh's College Oxford and taught for many years in secondary, further and higher education. She subsequently became a Co-Director of the Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities, then part of the Mental Health Foundation, overseeing research and projects. Now in retirement she is a trustee of People First Dorset.
Hazel lives in Dorset with her husband and enjoys being close to her son, Philip, and his family, reading novels, researching family history and exploring the local area.
Reader Reviews...
British Journal of Learning Disabilities January 2023 This book is an enjoyable read. I recommend it to a wide readership....'The Joy of Knowing Pete' is a rare treat as few books have been written about the life experiences of people with profound and multiple learning disabilities...Pete's life story is a plea to challenge discrimination, act imaginatively and enable all people with learning disabilities to live full and healthy lives in their own communities, where they are treated equally.
NASEN’s Connect magazine July 2023 The Joy of Knowing Pete is a heartwarming story…Hazel shows the importance of developing experiences for those who are non- verbal with complex needs….It is clear Pete has inspired the family…..the detail in this book will help to change society, develop inclusion and ultimately change the way we care for those with learning disabilities. nasen.org.uk
Sarah Palmer, Emeritus Professor in Maritime History, The University of Greenwich This book is a kind of love letter, not just to Pete but to the power of memory itself. Never sentimental, it is very moving.
Rev. Janet Bellamy This is a loving and yet unsentimental depiction of life with Pete, beautifully drawn, in which Pete’s gift of himself to the family is powerfully illustrated and (implicitly) their gift of themselves to him is also movingly evident.
Dr Sue Brown, Writer Hazel's book will contribute to a better recognition of how important it is to recognise the wishes and needs of those with disabilities and take them far more into account in responding to them. No one speaks with more insight and authority about that than she does.
Virginia Astley Writer Through a series of snapshot recollections and the words of those who knew him, Hazel Morgan provides the reader with a memorable and poignant account of her son’s life…… The joy that Pete expresses in his own particular way radiates throughout the book and leaves the reader with the sense that this young man’s life touched a great many others.
Christine-Koulla Burke, Director the Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities This book is beautifully written with fairness and equality at the heart, reminding us that all life is precious.
Sally Bayley, Writer Hazel’s book is a moving account of how one family learned to live - often joyfully - alongside a young son with a disability. There is not a shred of self pity here, only a reminder of the brevity of all our lives and our universal desire to make meaning.
John Swinton, Professor in Practical Theology and Pastoral Care, The University of Aberdeen This is a lovely book. It’s a testimony to Peter, but it is much more than that ... Hazel gently and kindly brings Peter’s voice to the fore.
Chris Hatton, Professor of Social Care, Manchester Metropolitan University This is a beautiful and moving memoir - of joy, grief, pain, faith, belonging, love, and a life well lived.
Christine Towers, Director, Together Matters This is Peter’s story written many years later. It also subtly hints at the need for the rest of society to be more inclusive and for a greater national policy commitment to people with learning disabilities.
When you have produced the final draft of your book, it is always advisable to have the text read and checked by a professional editor or proof reader.
You may have friends that are willing and competent to do this and we can advise you on the type of editing that is required.
We can offer four levels of editing as well as proof-reading.
You choose which, if any, are appropriate in your case: 1. Edit of sample pages and short report (£30)
We will edit a few pages to highlight editorial issues so that you can look for similar problems throughout the book.
This will reduce the amount of further copy-editing required when the book is finished. 2. Broad structural editing and criticism (£5 per thousand words)
A structural review is particularly relevant for works of fiction.
The structural reviewer will address the following main areas and produce a short report for the author ” Read More 3. Copy editing (£10 per thousand words)
A copy-editor takes a close look at your text, line by line, with an eye to grammatical errors, repetition, inconsistency and lack of clarity. The copy editor will make changes to the text, with suggestions for rewriting, grammar, and punctuation. When you receive the edited version, you have the final choice about accepting of rejecting the individual changes. 4. Proof Reading (£8 per thousand words)
Proof reading is a line-by-line check that the book is ready for publication. Proof readers will make small corrections for punctuation, grammar and spelling but they will not make significant changes to the text.
A proof reader will identify any significant issues and add comments to the text so that you can make those corrections yourself. 5. Consistency Scan
If you decide your book doesn’t need a full proof reading, we offer an electronic scan to search for common errors and inconsistencies. This looks at issues such as inconsistent spelling and inconsistencies of hyphenation and capitalisation.
We can also identify inconsistencies in the spelling of proper names. 6. Cover text
The quality of the text on the cover is very important as it indicates the quality of the writing in the book.
The title, sub-title and back-cover blurb are all important elements and we can work with you to make sure that these are correct and effective.
Copy Edit
Copy-editors get the raw material into shape for publication i.e they edit the copy.
When they have finished, the designer can lay out or typeset the book and produce a proof.
It is quite normal for the author to make additional changes after a book has been copy-edited.
Working through the material, the copy-editor may identify errors in spelling, punctuation, grammar, style and usage, but also very long sentences and overuse of italic, bold, capitals and exclamation marks.
They should correct or query doubtful facts, weak arguments, plot holes and gaps in numbering.
In fiction, they should also check that characters haven’t changed their name or hair colour, look for sudden changes from first to third person among other things.
The Copy-editor is not a proof reader and should not be expected to find all of the errors in the text particularly if the text is badly written to start with.
This is the job of the proof reader.
The final proof should be checked by a proof reader or an experienced reader friend before going to print.
It is almost inevitable (and acceptable) to miss a few errors which can be corrected in a later edition.
Proof Reading
Proof reading is a line-by-line check that the book is ready for publication.
Proof readers will make small corrections for punctuation, grammar and spelling but they will not make significant changes to the text.
A proof reader will identify any significant issues and add comments to the text so that you can make those corrections yourself.
If you have decided to complete this stage of the process yourself, we will send a detailed check-list to help you.
We ask you to try and ensure that the book is completely ready before we start the layout.
Once the layout has started, we expect that you might want to to make a small number of amendments but
if there are a significant number, we may need to charge for the extra time it takes to change the layout
so best to discuss this with us first.
Structural Review
In fiction, the main areas that a structural editor will address are:
Plot: Does the plot make sense? Is it believable? Is it satisfying or does it leave the reader frustrated? Themes: Are the themes effectively handled? Are there so many that the book lacks focus? Do they interfere with the plot or complement it?
Characterisation: Are your characters well developed and believable? Are they cast in a role that fits their personality? Do they sometimes behave out of character? Point of view/voice: Is the voice consistent or is it sometimes confused? Is the voice authentic? Are you using too many or too few POVs? Pace: Does the plot move forward at an appropriate pace? Should you cut that preface? Should the action happen sooner or should the tension build more slowly? Dialogue: Do your characters sound real when they speak? Is your dialogue cluttered with adverbs and beats? Do you use clunky dialogue to move the plot forward? Flow: Is the narrative interrupted by dead-ends and tangents? Is there so much back story that the main plot is dwarfed? Are there missing plot points that would give the narrative greater integrity?
In non-fiction, the principle is the same, but the specific issues are slightly different:
Thesis: Is your thesis relevant? Is it clearly defined or is it lost among marginal issues? Exposition: Are your arguments clear and cogent? Are they well researched and properly supported? Do they have a clear relationship with your thesis? Content: Are all the necessary topics sufficiently dealt with? Are the chapters weighted correctly? Is there superfluous content? Organisation: Is the information organised logically? Are tables and illustrations used appropriately? How many levels of subheads do you need and how should they be arranged? Tone: Is the tone appropriate for the audience? Do you need to eliminate jargon? Is the text accessible? Pace: Are there passages that are bogged down in detail? Do you spend too long on detail irrelevant to the main thesis? Are there areas that need further exposition lest they be skipped over?
Cover Text
The quality of the text on the cover is very important as it indicates the quality of the writing in the book.
The title, sub-title and back-cover blurb are all important elements and we work with you to make sure that these are as effective as possible.
Consistency check
If you decide your book doesn’t need a full proof reading, we can run an electronic scan to search for common errors and inconsistencies.
This looks at issues such as inconsistent spelling, hyphenation and capitalisation.
It also checks for consistent formatting of numbers and dates as well as undefined abbreviations.
Subsequent Script Edit
It is very normal and generally beneficial for the script-editing process to go through at least a couple of cycles
i.e. the rewritten draft to be worked through once again by an experienced script practitioner – though this would be entirely at the discretion and behest of the writer.
Full Script Edit
The script that you deliver to us will probably constitute what the industry would classify as the ‘Initial Rough Draft’, i.e. a full screenplay written without any other professional input or advice, and probably without a great deal of rewriting. We work through your draft, line by line, scene by scene, and come back to you with a comprehensive set of notes from which you can then work towards the official ‘1st Draft’. Some of our notes will be broad and general, dealing with such areas as the overall shape and structure, pacing, plot and character development; others will be far more specific, with corrections, clarifications and suggested cuts etc. It is of course entirely up to you whether or not to take these suggestions on board, and to what extent.
Ongoing Support
We aim to make your self-publishing venture an enjoyable and rewarding experience.
Publishing is a complex business and we treat every book as a separate project.
We explain all of the stages at the outset and we manage the project schedule for you. This will include all of the expert services you have requested for editorial, design, printing, distribution and collection of royalties, keeping in close contact with you throughout the process.
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