Welcome to the website of identical twin writers/illustrators Coralie and Donna

We are identical twin writers / illustrators named Coralie and Donna (C Phillips BSc (Hons), MSc and D Roach BSc (Hons), MSc). We have written and illustrated five books for children and we have written three books for adults. Influences upon our writing include our scientific background, our experiences of hypothyroidism in childhood and adulthood, our experiences as identical twins and life in the United Kingdom.

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OUR BOOKS

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OUR BOOKS FOR CHILDREN:

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The Two Fairies

by C Phillips and D Roach

Summary:

This rhyming story is about two fairies named Seirian and Seren. They are twins. What happens when Seren loses her magic wand?

Suitable for children 5-8 years of age.

To purchase:

Available from Amazon UK here

A Welsh version of The Two Fairies is also available (please see below). It also rhymes so it is not an exact translation of the English version but it is very similar and contains the same illustrations.

Review [by Multiples of America] of 'The Two Fairies':

Identical twin sisters Coralie Phillips and Donna Roach have created a gentle story about twin fairies Seirian and Seren and their encounter with a kind little girl in The Two Fairies. Megan is a sweet girl who likes to play in her family’s garden, not knowing that fairies live there. One day she leaves her dollhouse in the garden overnight to the delight of the tiny twin fairies who enjoy sleeping there. When Megan finds Seren’s little magic wand the next day, she discovers that she can wave the wand and requests for presents for her family members are fulfilled. She also finds out that the magic wand only works for good wishes, not bad. Best of all, she becomes friends with the twin fairies after she has gladly given the magic wand back to Seren.

The story is told in rhyme accompanied on each page by bright illustrations done in colored pencil by the authors. Coralie and Donna live in Wales in the United Kingdom. They have also produced a similar Welsh version of The Two Fairies. They coauthored Duplicate Dreams: Twins & Multiples with Identical Interests & Careers in Common which was reviewed in our Summer 2015 Notebook. Their website with more about all their books is www.thyroidbooks.co.uk. Their first book was Hypothyroidism in Childhood and Adulthood as Donna had been diagnosed with that about three years before Coralie developed symptoms.

If you go to Amazon to order this book, enter “The Two Fairies C Phillips” in order to bring it up first before the many other books listed about fairies. The authors suggest that the book is for children 5-8, but you can read it to younger children introducing them to the poetry in this charming story. (C Phillips & D Roach, CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2016, paperback, $8.55.)●'

'The Two Fairies by C. Phillips & D. Roach

Kindly reviewed on page 23 of Notebook (Winter 2017 Issue), the official publication of Multiples of America (also known as the National Organization of Mothers of Twins Clubs, Inc. or NOMOTC) and reproduced here with the kind permission of Multiples of America www.multiplesofamerica.org.

Please note that the price of The Two Fairies (and any discount offered by Amazon) may alter from time to time and so may differ from the price shown above.

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Y Ddwy Dylwythen Deg

gan C Phillips a D Roach

Crynodeb / Summary:

Mae’r chwedl hon yn odli. Mae hi’n chwedl am y ddwy dylwythen deg Seirian a Seren. Maen nhw’n efeilliaid. / This story rhymes. It is a story about the two fairies Seirian and Seren. They are twins.

Addas ar gyfer plant 5-8 oed. / Suitable for children 5-8 years of age.

I brynu / To purchase:

Ar gael o Amazon UK here / Available from Amazon UK here

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The Twins' Christmas

by C Phillips and D Roach

Summary:

This story is fictional. This story rhymes too. It is a story about twins Mair and Mari. Will the sisters enjoy Christmas?

Suitable for children 5-8 years of age.

To purchase:

Available from Amazon UK here

A Welsh version of The Twins' Christmas is also available (please see below). It also rhymes so it is not an exact translation of the English version but it is very similar and contains the same illustrations.

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Nadolig Yr Efeilliaid

gan C Phillips a D Roach

Crynodeb / Summary:

Mae'r chwedl hon yn ffuglennol. Mae'r chwedl hon yn odli hefyd. Mae hi'n chwedl am yr efeilliaid Mair a Mari. Fydd y chwiorydd yn mwynhau'r Nadolig? / This story is fictional. This story rhymes too. It is a story about twins Mair and Mari. Will the sisters enjoy Christmas?

Addas ar gyfer plant 5-8 oed. / Suitable for children 5-8 years of age.

I brynu / To purchase:

Ar gael o Amazon UK yma / Available from Amazon UK here

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The Twins' Tale

by C Phillips and D Roach

Summary:

Coralie and Donna are identical twin sisters. They are very alike! However, during their childhood, a mysterious problem affects one twin. It changes her appearance. It affects her ability to do schoolwork. Can the problem be overcome? Will the problem affect the other twin? Will Coralie and Donna look and act like twins again? Find out what happens in this fascinating true story. This children's book is illustrated with drawings and coloured photographs. Coralie (C Phillips) and Donna (D Roach) are the twin authors of this book.

This book would be suitable for children between 9 and 12 years of age but would also be of interest to parents and grandparents. It would also interest teachers and primary care professionals.

To purchase:

Available from Amazon UK here

Review:

'It is really well put together and I am sure it will give children who have thyroid problems within their family a real understanding of this disease.' Sheila Turner (Chair) Thyroid Patient Advocacy www.tpauk.com.

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OUR BOOKS FOR ADULTS:

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Duplicate Dreams

by C Phillips and D Roach

Summary:

Identical twin writers Coralie and Donna (C Phillips and D Roach) are delighted whenever they come across another pair of twins with the same interests, hobbies or career as each other. Therefore, Coralie and Donna were inspired to produce this book, illustrated with coloured photographs, in which they have interviewed a selection of such twins (and one set of quadruplets).

It is a 'general interest' book that would be of interest to a wide audience. It would also make an ideal gift.

To purchase:

Available from Amazon UK here

Review [by Multiples of America] of 'Duplicate Dreams':

'Duplicate Dreams by C. Phillips & D. Roach

The co-authors of Duplicate Dreams: Twins & Multiples with Identical Interests & Careers in Common are as fascinating as the multiples they interviewed for this book. Coralie Phillips and Donna Roach are identical twins living in Wales in the United Kingdom. Both have a Master of Science degree in Science. Their first book was Hypothyroidism in Childhood and Adulthood as Donna had been diagnosed with that at about eight years of age while Coralie developed symptoms three years later. Photographs from their childhood show how each one was affected during those years.

Photographs accompany each interview to find out what interests the twins (and a set of identical quadruplet sisters) share with their co-twins and what advantages they have from working together. Most of the twins in the book are identical sisters, but there are some fraternal twin sisters and two sets of identical twin brothers. One man, whose twin sister had died years ago, describes how much missing her collaboration had affected his work in art and photography. Many of the twins interviewed are entertainers, authors or artists and others have various businesses. All their websites are listed as well as websites for other multiples who work together.

The multiples give having a business partner they can trust, being comfortable bouncing ideas off each other and just having fun together as some of the reasons they enjoy working together. This is also true for the authors, as they have also produced a novel and a children’s book since their first book. Their website is www.thyroidbooks.co.uk.

Duplicate Dreams is available on Amazon at a discount and in a Kindle edition. (C Phillips & D Roach, CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2014, paperback, $12.85.)●'

Kindly reviewed on page 22 of Notebook (Summer 2015 Issue), the official publication of Multiples of America (also known as the National Organization of Mothers of Twins Clubs, Inc. or NOMOTC) and reproduced here with the kind permission of Multiples of America www.multiplesofamerica.org.

Please note that the price of Duplicate Dreams (and any discount offered by Amazon) may alter from time to time and so may differ from the price shown above.

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Three Times the Trouble

by C Phillips and D Roach

Summary:

Welsh sisters (Nia, Serena and Anwen) are identical triplets and their birth gives rise to joy and hope. However, will they be able to overcome the difficulties that they encounter as children so that they can reach adulthood unscathed? Will they find true love and follow their dreams or will a recurrence of past problems threaten every aspect of their lives? This story is set in Wales, England, Poland and Monaco.

It is a work of romantic fiction. However, the authors have highlighted the impact of hypothyroidism by showing its effect upon the lives of the triplets and so this novel could also be described as a work of medical fiction. Three Times the Trouble would therefore engage adult readers of both romantic fiction and medical fiction.

Although this book is about fictional identical triplets who experience hypothyroidism in childhood and adulthood, Coralie and Donna (C Phillips and D Roach) the identical twin authors of this book also experienced hypothyroidism in childhood and adulthood.

To purchase:

Available from Amazon UK here

Review:

'Three Times the Trouble is a piece of romantic fiction with a message. It follows the lives of triplets Nia, Anwen and Serena. One by one they each become diagnosed with hypothyroidism and the story follows the effect this has on their lives.

Although this is the second book produced by these authors, it is the first novel they have written and it is clear they have used their own personal experiences to base their story on. The story itself seems to fast forward through a lot of the triplets' lives and several years are often skimmed over in just a few paragraphs.

Having said this, you realise that the early part of the book is to give a brief background on their diagnosis whilst the latter half of the book, where the time warps are not as frequent, is focusing on the main point of the story, which is how hypothyroidism affects the different areas of their lives and the difficulties they, and many people with hypothyroidism, face each day.

* * * Informative

Kindly reviewed by Alison Dempster'

Kindly reviewed by Alison Dempster in Thyroid UK on page 15 of the magazine Harmony (Volume II, Issue IV, 2013), which is produced by the charity Thyroid UK.

Thyroid UK's website is at www.thyroiduk.org and the link to Thyroid UK's membership page is at http://www.thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/membership.html.

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Hypothyroidism in Childhood and Adulthood

by C Phillips & D Roach

Summary:

C Phillips and D Roach are identical twin sisters who both suffered from hypothyroidism during childhood and again during adulthood (as a result of reduction in their treatment). As they both have a Bachelor of Science degree, they have documented their experiences from a personal perspective and looked scientifically into the effects of their varying treatment on medical parameters and on their symptoms.

This book would be of interest to scientists, social scientists, researchers, general practitioners, paediatricians, endocrinologists and other medical professionals.

Since the closure of Nottingham University Press, Hypothyroidism in Childhood and Adulthood is now being distributed by 5M Publishing, their website can be found here. It has also been released as an ebook.

To purchase:

Available from Amazon UK here

Kindle version available from Amazon UK here

Reviews:

‘I read Donna and Coralie's [D Roach and C Phillip's] book Hypothyroidism in Childhood and Adulthood today. It was fantastic and very moving. I think it will be looked back on as a very important book.’ Edna Kyrie, Lay Researcher

‘I found this book both informative and easy to understand. I was so impressed by the photos of the girls growing up, it is a dramatic visual jolt when you see how the effects of hypothyroidism affected one twin while the other grew at a normal rate. The graphs and charts are easy to understand and I found myself reading this book from cover to cover until I had finished it. Well done to both the authors.’ Claudia Haworth for Thyroid Disorder Support

‘I found the book fascinating and the photographic evidence was extremely strong, putting no doubt about the problems which the twins had.’ Anne, UK

‘A small book with powerful content, easily understood by the less scientifically minded. The photographs of both Donna and Coralie [D Roach and C Phillips] say it all. The chapters illustrate graphically the kind of struggle many hypothyroid sufferers have to endure to surmount ignorance and prejudice within the medical profession, most notably at general practitioner level. This is a story with a difference and one to make doctors (at every stage in their career) sit up and listen. I have uploaded details of Hypothyroidism in Childhood and Adulthood to the Thyroid Patient Advocacy-UK website, where visitors are strongly recommended to obtain a copy from Nottingham University Press (ISBN 1-904761-36-4). Altogether a heart-warming story.’ Sheila Turner (Chair) Thyroid Patient Advocacy www.tpauk.com