Weekly newspaper reporter Janet Lee will see her first book hit the shelves later this year following a chance meeting with a local medium.

Janet, who works for the Cannock Chase Post, has won a book deal with Apex Publishing, after writing a biography of professional spiritualist and medium Lorraine Butler.

The journalist met Lorraine three years ago after she called the Post about a demonstration she was doing in the paper’s patch, and the two struck up a friendship.

After agreeing to write the story of Lorraine’s life, which has been hit by a number of tragic events, Janet interviewed her once a month for a year.

The resulting book is due to be published on July 1.

Janet, (55), told HoldtheFrontPage: “Lorraine phoned up the paper and any one of us could have picked it up.

“She introduced herself and said she was doing a demonstration in our area and I said ‘that sounds interesting’ and asked her to pop in and do an interview.

“As I was interviewing her she said ‘your dad’s here’. I tried to stay professional and carry on with the interview but she was coming out with all this stuff – it was phenomenal.”

The pair stayed in touch and during the next two years Janet saw Lorraine in action many times.

She said: “In the book I don’t offer an opinion I just present what I’ve seen.

“As I got to know her it became apparent that even if she wasn’t a medium her life story was fascinating enough – but I don’t want to give too much away.

“I have told the story in her words and have written it in the first-person as if she is talking to the reader. It was interesting to write.”

Janet, who has worked full-time at the Cannock Chase Post for five years, has now begun writing her second book – a biography of international poker celebrity John ‘Texas’ Hewston, who is also from Cannock.

She said: “Writing is not difficult, finding the time to do it is the hard part.

“I drew up a schedule and gave myself a target of a year and had to achieve a certain number of chapters a month. It’s been very difficult.”

Janet’s first book is due out on July 1 and she hopes her second book will also be ready by the end of the year.

Before joining the Post she had worked at the Lichfield Mercury, Sutton Coldfield Observer, Cannock Mercury and the now-defunct Trader in Tamworth. She first worked at the Post 19 years ago. Do you have a story about the regional press?
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