If you’ve read any of my other blog posts then you already know I love reading, and that this naturally developed into a love of writing and words in general.
I was writing stories and poems from a very young age and I’d like to remind you if you’re my age (and probably shock you if you’re not), but my stories at the time were either written by hand, or very slowly and painstakingly typed out using a good old fashioned typewriter. No automatic spell check, no formatting, just frustration when you got it wrong. Tippex was an essential stationery item! You can see my typewriter in one of the newspaper cuttings below and as the header image of this website – not exactly the most portable writing tool! Although rarely used now, it remains one of my most treasured possessions.
In 1990 my teenage dreams came true. Unfortunately this wasn’t meeting Marti Pellow from Wet Wet Wet and yes, in the ‘battle of the bands’ at the time, and despite quite liking the Grolsch bottle tops on shoes, it was always Wet Wet Wet for me and never Bros. For the record, this is a decision my inner teenager still stands by today. I was referring to my teenage literary dreams coming true when I had a short story published in the now iconic ‘Jackie’ magazine.
I’ve got a few copies of this magazine and flicking through it took me straight back to the days where everything seemed so intense and life changing, when I wondered if I’d ever get a boyfriend or if whichever boy I fancied at the time even knew I existed. It was also a time for friendships and I had two very close friends. Even after we’d spent the day together we’d still meet up after school or talk on the phone in the evenings. This was in part where the idea for the story came from. There were no mobile phones at the time, just the landline in the house – I know, another shock, no mobile phones, how did we cope! We did have a phone book with numbers hand written in (maybe one of those that flipped up with a slider in the middle?) but I also knew certain phone numbers by heart and dialled them without really thinking. Can you take another shock? When I say ‘dialled’ I really do mean dialled using one of the old rotary dial phones, one number at a time. If you dialled the wrong number you just had to start all over again!
Published as, ‘I’ve got your number’ but originally titled, ‘Happy New Year, I Love You’, the story was one I’d written in an English lesson at school. I was an avid ‘Jackie’ reader and decided to submit it to them, not for one minute expecting it to be published. When the return letter (yes a real typed letter, not an email, not a text, not a DM) dated 7th February 1990 arrived I don’t think I believed it – they wanted to publish my story and they were going to pay me for it! My English teacher at the time was less impressed with my writing skills than the editor of ‘Jackie’ and gave me a grade ‘C’. The story was still published in the school magazine though.
Two months later, Issue No. 1370, April 7, 1990 – Thursday and there it was! My first piece of published work on page 16 – ‘A short story by Jackie reader, Samantha Kingham’. Marti Pellow was actually the back page pin up on that issue but this was the one rare occasion where he came second (sorry Marti!), for me it was all about page 16 and seeing my name in print.
My proud mum rang the local newspapers who promptly deployed reporters to interview me and make me pose for a photograph with my typewrite tucked under my chin like a violin. I’m sure I was probably mortified at being in the local newspapers but I suppose they were the social media of the time (the shocks just keep coming don’t they!) Fortunately their reach was substantially less than all the online platforms now, and I’m quite confident none of my friends would ever have picked up the local paper to read. I may have been mortified then but I’m grateful now I have the cuttings to look back on.
Reading the magazine again is like going back in time to being my teenage self but without the angst. There are song lyrics, fashion and beauty tips, horoscopes, pop culture and gossip, problem pages and the photo stories with their speech bubble captions. Growing up in the 80’s and 90’s you were relatively isolated in that you didn’t have the internet to turn to for answers to questions. You didn’t always know what was normal or what other teenagers were going through. You could speak to friends about some things but what about the other maybe more ‘sensitive’ questions you wanted answers to? It is in some respects a memory of what was almost an age of innocence. With no social media there wasn’t the same level of exposure to the pressures young people experience today growing up. There was of course still peer pressure but at least in most cases you could get away from that at the end of the school day. It wasn’t always there 24/7 like it is now.
Jackie magazine was published from 1964 to 1993 and was a best selling magazine for nearly a decade. It was a relatable must read for teenage girls. Teenage magazines gradually became more sexual and high fashion orientated and DC Thompson made the decision to close the magazine down in July 1993.
The legacy of ‘Jackie’ magazine still lives on though with a book ‘Jackie – 60 Years of Magic’ which celebrates its iconic status. There was even a musical about ‘Jackie’ magazine which you can read about here and by searching for ‘Jackie the musical’.
I was 15 when my story was published in ‘Jackie’ and even now, it’s still something I’m proud of, that brings back great memories and makes me smile.
P.S. A note to Marti Pellow… Dear Marti, as the chances of you reading this are non-existent, and whilst I’m safely shielded by a bubble of 1990’s teenage reminiscence and therefore free from judgement, I’d just like to tell you a few things, (1) I got one of my grandmas to knit me a multi-coloured jumper like one you wore once. I can’t find pictures of either of us wearing the one I mean but that’s probably a good thing (2) I was bought (and still probably have) a silver articulated fish necklace like one you wore (3) When my mum saw you on TV she used to say you looked like you needed ‘feeding up’ or that you needed ‘a good meal’ and (4) When my friend and I discovered you swore in ‘Temptation’ on the Popped In Souled Out album, we listened to it on repeat feeling very rebellious! It still makes me smile today.
P.P.S. Dear Marti… as soon as I published this post my mum ‘helpfully’ managed to find a photo of me in my multi-coloured jumper – thanks mum. I’ve included it in this post so should you ever miraculously find this blog, you now know which one I mean.
‘I’ve got your number’ and front & rear cover of Jackie Magazine (No. 1370 April 7, 1990) reproduced courtesy of DC Thomson & Co Ltd.
‘Write way to success’ reproduced courtesy of Stretford Metro Newspaper
‘Sam’s happy ending’ reproduce courtesy of Messenger Newspapers