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Friday, 25 July 2025

Cakes on a Train

Krish Francis shares with the HebWeb how he came to write his book.

A Good Idea

Have you ever had a good idea? That is, have you ever had one of those ideas that you think "Oh that sounds funny/ poignant/ insightful. I might do something with it one day?" You know how you mostly don't? Well that's sensible.

Here's what happens when you ignore that instinct.

I had a conversation with my friend Matthew. We made up funny misnomers for films. Based on Snakes on a Plane, I came up with Cakes on a Train. Hmmm, I thought, I wonder what that would look like as a whole story. I imagined it would involve the Women's Institute, a steam train and would probably only take the title from Snakes on a Plane but the plot from Speed. A disgruntled member of the WI plants bombs on a steam train, insisting it go at 50mph. I continued to imagine until, not too long later, I'd imagined a whole book. I added a child or two (Mia and Max) to give a lighter perspective, thus rendering it a children's book. 45,000 words, same length as Charlotte's Web. Give or take.

It could have stopped there.

However, my friend Susan Quick told me about some funding that was being offered by Culturedale for disabled artists. (I'm in a wheelchair). Simultaneously, I'd been in touch with Anne who runs the shop at the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway. What I'd been looking for was someone to read through my book and see if there was anything potentially libellous. Instead, she said simply "if it's about us we'll take a few copies." She wasn't worried about what I'd written, only that something had been written. I was hoping to find a publisher. I was not hoping to become a publisher.

Long story short.

I got the funding which allowed me to pay for an illustrator and a short print run.

The caveat.

I now have a pile of boxes clogging up my corridor. If you've taken on board my warning, you'll be wary of following ideas to their conclusion. If you want to learn why, head down to the Book Case. They have kindly stocked my magnum opus. Buy it. Learn from it. In so doing you will free up floor space in my flat and that will be a huge benefit for a wheelchair user for whom floor space is at a premium. Thanks in advance.

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