WHEN Joanna Wong's mother-in-law died nine years ago, she quit her job as head of priority banking at Standard Chartered to care for her two sons, Brandon and Bryan.

'I was lucky to have a great mother- in-law who doted on my children, giving me peace of mind to focus on my career,' says Wong, now 48.

'I was at the peak of my career, but it was tough going to work with my heart at home.'

When she became a full-time housewife in 1998, Wong, whose husband Ban Suan is head of DBS Bank's central treasury, found it a whole new challenge.

She says: 'It was very difficult to get the kids' attention, let alone have your instructions go through to them.'

One way of getting them to listen was by telling stories, and that was how she started spinning tales about a magical squirrel named Squeaky who took the boys on adventures around the world and the universe.

As they got older, her sons, now 18 and 14, encouraged her to write the stories down. Her first book, Squeaky... He Is More Than A Squirrel..., was launched two years ago, and includes her own illustrations. The sequel, Squeaky Is Gone!, was launched at Borders last weekend. She hopes to launch a third Squeaky book next year.

How did you come up with the idea for Squeaky?

I love squirrels. They have lovable and cute faces. If I am to keep children interested, the characters have to be captivating and approachable. My sons are also in the story as kids love to be the main characters.

The stories are meant to be a blend of fact, fiction and moral values. I want to teach children more about the world around them, things they don't learn in school. So in the sequel, they go to Mercury and Pluto, and meet the Loch Ness Monster in Scotland.

When I told my kids the stories, they asked lots of questions and even wanted me to sketch the aliens I talked about. I kept scrapbooks and also recorded stories on tape for my maid to replay to them. All these proved useful when I decided to write the books.

My husband and I actually took turns to tell bedtime stories, so he has his own series. But he didn't tape or write them down, so they are all forgotten. Bryan is now trying to remember the stories and write them down.

Why did you spend thousands of dollars to self-publish the books?

I had promised Bryan that I would publish the book before he left primary school in 2005. When I finished the first book in late July that year, it dawned on me that I would have to launch it before he left school in November. There would be no way to get it done before he left if I shopped around for a publisher.

I believe that when you make a promise to a child, you must keep it. So I took a course in self-publishing at the National Book Development Council.

I invested about $23,000 for a first print run of 10,000 copies. It was my maiden book and I wanted to use it for charity, and the more I printed, the less the unit cost. I have sold about 4,000 copies so far, with most of the proceeds going to charity, except the portion taken by the bookstores and distributor. For the second book, I have printed 2,000 copies.

My husband and I do charity work as much as we can. For example, the first book's launch party was a dinner for 200 guests that raised $46,000 for the Infant Jesus Homes for children at risk.

Squeaky Is Gone! ($16 with GST) is available at major bookstores.