THE daughter of murdered Limerick man Jason Corbett has written a series of children’s self-help books to guide young people through the grieving process.
And 13 year-old Sarah Corbett now hopes that “The Boogawooga Series” will be picked up by a mainstream publisher.
The budding young author and her older brother Jack were left orphaned after their father was murdered in their adopted home in North Carolina, in August 2015.
Jason Corbett’s second wife Molly Martens and her father, retired FBI agent Tom Martens, were subsequently found guilty by a jury of his murder and jailed for between 20 and 25 years.
The Janesboro man’s first wife, Mags Fitzpatrick Corbett, who was Jack and Sarah’s birth mother, died when they were very young, after she succumbed to a fatal asthma attack.
Following Jason’s death and an acrimonious custody battle , Sarah and Jack returned to Limerick to live with their aunt Tracey Corbett Lynch and her husband Dave.
Sarah, who was eight years old when her father was killed, wrote in a blog on her website: “So, some kids have a really gentle fun life. For some of us, we are not so lucky. Mine was kind of not so cool. My birth Mom died when I was 12 weeks old. When I was four I went to live in America with my Dad to start a new life for us. My Dad was the most important person in my life all my life. He died suddenly when I was just 8 years old and my brother was 10.”
“We moved back to Ireland which is my favourite place in the world to live with my auntie, uncle and two cousins. They are like my Mam, Dad and brothers. I moved country, lost my Dad and had a new school, neighbourhood and loads of other stuff.
“So I started reading about other people who have had hard times and went to work with Tracey who works with other people who have tough times too.
“It basically helped me feel less alone and so I began to write about my experience through my stories. My characters are Noodle, Paws and their Dad. They are the Wolf family. Then there is Poochie, Pug, Caz and Nudge they are the monkey family. I hope it helps other people to proses their story,” she added.
Sarah is following her dream of writing, acting, and dancing, and she recently performed for judges in the Voice Kids in the UK.
Her aunt Tracey Corbett Lynch said she was extremely proud of Sarah, and Jack, who sings to express his emotions.
“Writing is a form of therapy for Sarah to express how she feels about the experiences she has had. She expresses her experiences through the medium of her characters and she writes about losing her parents and then becoming part of a blended family,” explained Ms Corbett Lynch.
“It’s a way for her to turn a sad situation into something inspirational for others who have gone through or will go experience their own loss. Sarah wants the books to be read by parents as well as children. The books are aimed at children aged between three years and 12.”
Sarah’s “Boogawooga” series is inspired by a funny mimic her late father Jason would perform for her and Jack.
“When he would be messing with them, he would call it the Boogawooga. He did it from when they were babies right up to when he died,” Ms Corbett Lynch said.
