It wasn’t until she embarked on writing her first book – Living Diagnosis – that Blanche Haddow discovered she had Asperger syndrome at the age of 51.
Her second, Answers Inside Out, was published during the pandemic last year and is about the journey of discovery that led to the diagnosis.
The book looks at and describes how the world is experienced through Blanche’s eyes and how this might be different, not only from the typical ideas and views of Asperger’s, but from the rest of society.
It also explores how and why a person may want to find out if they have Asperger’s and what difference or not that might make.
Blanche, from Crieff, explained what had prompted her to get her feelings down on paper.
She said: “I think it is really important for people with a story to tell, to tell it, no matter what, so that is what I did.
“I am really interested in how my head thinks and processes things. I would love to know so much more about such things and how other people think and process things. Do they have a ‘picture head’, ‘word head’, etc?
“I started taking and making notes about my thoughts and ideas on the matter and my experiences in finding myself to be different from others and not always seeing or doing things in the same way.
“These thoughts eventually led to my first book, Living Diagnosis. I was extremely proud to have written and actually finished a book.
“The thoughts and feedback from Living Diagnosis and the journey of discovery that I had while writing it, led to me finally finding out, officially, aged 51 that I have Asperger’s. This whole journey of discovery is what the second book, Answers Inside Out is about.”
Blanche continued: “One bit of feedback about Answers Inside Out was that the cover looked a bit amateurish.
“I would have to differ on that particular view. You have to choose a template for the cover, from their [the publisher’s] choices, and I feel that the templates had a much better selection for the first book.”
But Blanche says she would never change the cover photo, which depicts her negotiating the steps of the Mousa Broch on Shetland.
She said: “It tells a story at so many different levels. I went to Shetland with my dad and one of my brothers, in celebration of my 50th birthday.
“Shetland is where my Blanche family ancestors came from. I am so glad that I made the effort to plan and go that holiday.
“It was a very special time for me. You can see a post about it and see the house where my great granny grew up on my Answers Inside Out Facebook Page.
“It also mentions the picture book that I created about my mum’s life and artwork.
“The cover photo for my Answers Inside Out book is of me at the Mousa Broch. It is an incredible place with an incredible history.
“I am a bit wary as I am climbing down very old, worn, steep, narrow steps at the top of a very high historical building, venturing into the dark from the daylight above.
“We had visited Mousa when I was very young, perhaps five or so, and had spent the night in a fisherman’s hut on Mousa.
“So the whole photo sums up a lot of different things including journeys, discovery, bravery, fear, excitement, happiness etc.”
And that’s just what Blanche’s books convey.
Better known with a camera in hand taking pictures of the Crieff countryside and its wildlife, Blanche is glad she has had her story published.
She said: “It is funny because I feel that my second book is much better written and laid out but it is the first one that got a ribbon.
“I have had two lots of professional competition-type reviews for Answers Inside Out and basically it gets a really bad score for editing, but a really good score for them actually enjoying it!”
