Sheffield author Helen's mission to balance pain with hope and joy

The words were read to Sheffield-born Helen by her son Lenny, who had found them in a children’s novel. “He didn’t want to read that and wrote to the publishers. They sent him some free books.”

Not quite what the Rutters were looking for, but it gave Helen a thought. “That experience along with seeing Lenny deal with the stammer all led to the idea for a story, although I never had a clue if I could write it.”

Drama graduate Helen had acted on stage and got bit parts in two soaps but Lenny inspired a change of direction. Now The Boy Who Made Everyone Laugh has been shortlisted for the Costa Book Awards in the children’s category.

The main character is Billy Plimpton, who is desperate to make it as a stand-up comic - despite the fact that he has a pronounced stammer.

The Costa judges loved it. ‘Heart-warming, humorous and full of hope and joy,” they said.

Just what Helen was aiming for. “I wrote it for Lenny because he had never read about a person with a stammer.

“It was only seen in a negative way, so baddies would stammer or people who were nervous. Also that sentence which included the words ‘stammered like an idiot’

“I didn’t think writing was something I could do but when the idea hit me it was obvious it would be a children’s book.

“I wrote a chapter a day and read it to Lenny which was a really special thing to do.”

It helped both of them. “At 10 or 11 he found it incredibly frustrating because he didn’t want to be different.

“Lenny experienced some of the things Billy goes through but they are pushed a lot further in the book to make them more dramatically interesting.

“Sometimes people weren’t nice to Lenny but not to the level Billy experiences. He gets bullied and we never got to that point luckily.

“All the stuff about reactions to Billy comes from the truth and I think people like it because it is truthful. People feel connected to the fact that this is based on reality.”

Her message is positive. “The thing I wanted from the book is it is a story of hope, humanity and understanding. I want to allow people to feel hopeful about situations that don’t always feel hopeful. I try to balance pain and the dark stuff with humour and joy.

“I want it to feel joyful even when you have to struggle.”

She can tackle tough subjects, but don’t ask her age. “Forty-two,” she says after a long pause. “I only know because my family reminded me on my last birthday.”

Helen grew up in Walkley and went to what was Bole Hill Primary School. She still goes back. “It is a regular haunt for dog walks.” Happy memories too. “We were always kicking the ball into the Bole Hills.”

Sheffield has a magical quality for her, thanks to another childhood memory. “I used to look from Bole Hills out to the Rivelin Valley and there was a white house which stood out. It looked like a fairy cottage. Every time I looked at it, it looked like the sun was shining on it so I would make a wish.

“I honestly believed I was the only person who could see it. When I go back I often look for it and my mum tried to find it, but maybe it only did exist in my head.”

She attended King Edward school in Broomhill and stayed on for sixth form before doing a drama degree at Liverpool John Moores University. “I always wanted to be an actor from when I was young.”

You might have seen her on Tv. Helen had two lines in Coronation Street in a scene with Rita Fairclough outside The Cabin. “I felt like I was a competition winner.” She also appeared in an episode of Holby City as a goth pharmacist. “It was so much fun, my hair was all black and crimped. There was a vague chance she might comeback but she never did.”

Her staple work was on stage and her first job after university was in the adaptation of bestselling children’s author Jacqueline Wilson’s Double Act. It is written in the style of a diary and features identical twins Ruby and Garnet.

Helen played Ruby and this role proved to be beneficial two decades later.

“Jacqueline came to see the show. She was really lovely and supportive, so when I wrote a book the publisher asked who we could send it to.

“I said I met Jacqueline Wilson 20 years ago but she won’t remember me. If you say I played Ruby, you never know.

“Jacqueline read the book and sent me an email, it was so lovely.”

The content is personal but the author was happy to give Helen a comment. “Very funny, very touching, very truthful. A total delight to read.” This graces the cover of Helen’s book. “It kind of felt like one of those things I say on school visits when one thing connects with another in your life and you have to hold onto those moments.

“I should print it out and put it on the wall of the shed where I do my writing.”

That is in the garden of the home she shares with comedian husband Rob Rouse, in the Hope Valley, where they have lived for the last 10 years.

Rob turned the shed into a writing room when Helen found out she was going to be published.

She started writing The Boy Who Made Everyone Laugh about three years ago. To get it published and on the shelf took two-and-a-half years.

“The first draft was quick but it was all plot and no character. That’s when the writing really started and I can recognise what it became.”

Lenny, now 13, had just finished speech therapy for his stammer when she started writing. “He had requested the therapy because his stammer is one which comes and goes.

“For the last year, we know it is present, but no-one else would notice it because he has found ways to manage it.”

The Costa award nomination follows Helen’s Waterstones children's book of the month for March. She describes the experience as an incredible journey.

“There were lots of moments when I never thought this would happen to me. From getting an agent, a publisher, seeing it on the shelves, great reviews and award nominations.”

Winners in the five categories each receive £5,000 and will be announced on January 4. The overall winner will receive £30,000 and be announced on February 1.

The boss of Costa Coffee Jill McDonald praised the short-listed authors. She said: “We are delighted to celebrate these brilliant books as we mark a milestone 50th anniversary year for both Costa and the book awards.

"My thanks to the judges for putting together such outstanding lists – there’s so much here for readers to explore, enjoy, recommend and share – and my congratulations to all of this year’s shortlisted authors.”

Helen is still reeling. “I didn’t imagine it so it is brand new. I hit the age of 40 and there’s a whole other world!

“When I found out about the nomination, I made a very loud noise and the dogs looked concerned. It feels really exciting.”

It makes for a creative house with her stand-up comedian husband. “We do creative stuff together and have done shows in Edinburgh. It is always a risk and could go terribly wrong, ending in argument and storming out of the room, but so far it has worked really well.

“I’ve tried stand-up and the book wouldn’t have the comedy element without it.”

They performed Funny In Real Life on the Edinburgh Fringe where Rob starts his stand-up routine only for Helen to stand up in the audience. They then discuss what is okay to talk about.

Helen is happy to talk more about Sheffield. An Owls fan, she says Hillsborough holds a special place in her heart as does the Blue Moon Cafe in the city centre, where she worked as a teenager when it was on Norfolk Row.

“I love Sheffield and it is in the book. People will recognise road names, street names,” she says.

Crookesmoor wholefood shop Beanies and Ecclesall Road restaurant Uncle Sam’s also make the cut.

Helen, who has a daughter Chloe, 10, is looking forward to the future, with a new book due in February which she’s just received the cover artwork for.

“It is aimed at children aged eight to 12 with the same kind of feeling, a bit of humour and heart, and it is called The Boy Whose Wishes Came True.”

She is also starting work on a third book. “It all feels really exciting. I love writing and am just happy to be doing that.”

The Boy Who Made Everyone Laugh is published by Scholastic UK.