A grandmother received eight offers from publishers after writing her first children’s book in just 20 minutes.

Maria Sare, 49, of The Broadway, Loughton, based 999: What is your Emergency? on her experiences as a call operator for the emergency services.

Mrs Sare, who has lived in Loughton for 31 years and recently celebrated her 25th wedding anniversary, said she received contract offers from nearly half the publishers she contacted.

“It was really exciting writing it”, she said.

“To be honest, I wrote it in about 20 minutes.

“I do not really write, but I made a little story so I sent it over to all the publishers and then forgot about it.

“About two months later, I started getting contacted and out of them I had eight contracts to choose from, so that was exciting.”

Mrs Sare wrote the book because she felt many people were not properly informed on what to do in an emergency, such as which service to call and how to give detailed information.

She said: “I have found in my experience if someone is having a heart attack they sometimes call for the police.

“They do not phone the right services and lives could be saved.

“The emergency services need to get there as quickly as possible, seconds can make a difference.”

Throughout the book, children play an interactive game that teaches them to pay attention to where they are and what to do in case of an emergency.

Mrs Sare, who has a 10-year-old grandson, says she has more books planned including one on the difference between phoning 999 and 101, but she does not plan on leaving her job yet.

She said: “I do not think I will leave my job really, I do not think so because I do not really think far ahead.

“My book might only sell one copy but at the end of the day if you save a life, you have saved a life.”

999: What is your Emergency will be available direct from Pegasus Publishers or bookshops from March 26.