Woman rediscovers decades-old manual she made aged nine on how to find ‘lovely men'

A woman has revealed she discovered a nearly 30-year-old manual she made aged nine that detailed all the ways to find “a lovely man”.

The author says the social media attention she has received after sharing the memory has “validated her inner child”.

Katie McCloskey, 38, from The Wirral, Merseyside, tweeted pictures of A Book Of Lovely Men On Holiday, which she crafted as a child offering guidance on all the ways to find the right man while abroad.

She encouraged readers to steer clear of “stupid men” who eat tomatoes and eyeballs and opt for those with “lovely eyes and (a) smile”.

Ms McCloskey, who is currently studying to be a secondary school teacher, said that finding the handwritten guide – with magazine cutouts of men, women, and food to provide visuals alongside her advice – has brought back “nice memories” of her childhood after more than 10,000 people liked her tweet.

“I was very romantic, I loved the idea of romance and having boyfriends at primary school,” Ms McCloskey said.

“So, I think I was just thinking, somebody might want this to take with them – so we know how to spot a lovely man on holiday.

“I’m a lot more easygoing on men who eat tomatoes now, but eyeballs is still a line for me.”

Ms McCloskey said she remembered writing the manual either before or after a family trip to Menorca with her parents and three younger siblings 29 years ago.

The instructions include “things to say to your perfect man” like: “Do you want to come out for dinner tonight?”

Ms McCloskey’s favourite segment is “things (that men) shouldn’t be doing” such as “hugging other women” and “resting with other women”.

While she remembers feeling “embarrassed” about it at the time and hid it away, Ms McCloskey added that the reception from Twitter users has been “really wholesome”.

“I’m not going to say I wasn’t surprised,” she said of the reaction.

“I feel like this sounds strange, but I feel like my inner child is validated somehow.

“Because it was the sort of thing I’d hidden, that I was embarrassed about – and so many people are like ‘Oh, this is lovely. This reminds me of being younger’.

“It’s really wholesome.”

Ms McCloskey also admitted that her parents “thought it was hilarious” at the time but she was more serious about the manual and even revealed it was a sequel book.

“(There was) a Book Of Handsome Men,” she explained.

“It’s part of the series, so a Book Of Lovely Men On Holiday is a follow up.

“I was definitely writing for an older audience because I read a lot and wrote a lot when I was younger.”

She said her main celebrity crush at the time was Andi Peters from CBBC’s The Broom Cupboard.

And nearly 30 years later, the guide has proved useful for Ms McCloskey, who has been with her boyfriend for eight months.

“I’m still quite good at identifying a lovely man,” she said.

In the latest episode of From the North we ask should suicide prevention be taught in schools?