A SOLIHULL dad is building bridges through books to his daughter more than 1,000 miles away in Budapest.
‘The Adventures of Gooey the Slime’ series are the result of a promise teacher Mark Clifton made to his 12-year-old daughter Olivia to get the stories they’d dreamt up together in print.
“We actually wrote the concept a few summers ago but then put the idea on the back burner,” said Mark.
What drove him to blow the dust off the tales was the separation caused by Covid-19 after he popped back to Solihull to visit his elderly parents – just as lockdown was starting.
“We were living and working in Budapest when I got a good job offer out in China,” said Mark.
“We all went out, and I’ve been there for four years, but Nora runs a business in Budapest and she and Olivia went back.
“I’ve been flying back regularly to see them and came over here earlier this year to see my parents.”
However his flight back to his family was first delayed, then postponed, and he’s been here ever since.
“It’s weird, it’s the first time I’ve been here since I was 17,” said Mark, who went to Alderbrook High School.
To ease the longing, he decided to make good on the promise he’d made to Olivia.
“This book was created with and for my daughter, who is without doubt, my greatest achievement to date,” said Mark.
“I wanted her to see and believe that ideas can become a reality.
“It is important for children to follow their inner smile and move forward in the right direction.”
The children’s book series ‘The Adventures of Gooey the Slime’ are available at https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mark-Clifton/e/B086N4KB52 and https://www.facebook.com/pokeandstretch
