Me, during the Summer, reading The Peg People The Neverending Rollercoaster At the end of 2024 I was feeling a bit deflated and uncertain about what the coming year might bring. Deflated because of poor sales in the busiest festive period, and uncertain as to whether I was doing things right. I’ve always created the kind of work that feels right to me and in terms of what I had designed and illustrated that year, I couldn’t have been happier. I felt the weight of the rising

Hobby Noun An activity done regularly in one’s leisure time for pleasure. My stall at Mundy C of E Junior School Christmas Fair, December...

Last Sunday at Belper Book Festival, a lady approached my stall and asked what my new book, Box of Treasures , was all about. I started...

I’m never quite sure what to expect when it comes to taking part in a new event. If I’m asked to do something I usually go with my gut...

“An independent author can usually be found, In the early days of March doing the story book rounds…” I do love this time of year, for...

Finding the right fit It has taken me a long time to work out where I fit in as an independent author and illustrator. I graduated from...

What gives you that warm, cosy feeling, among the butterflies in your stomach, when you think of Christmas? Every year when I start to...

I spend a long time on my own, squirreling away in my front room of dreams, working on new artwork and story ideas. So when the...

Hanley Swan Primary School, 23rd June 2023 Sometimes, when I'm sat in front of a class of wide-eyed children, waiting expectantly for...

One of the things I love most about making children's picture books is the occasional event, where I emerge from my little creative cave...

Hurray, I have survived another year of being a self-employed artist! Another year, another rollercoaster. I thought it would be good to...

It's a strange feeling having such an emotional reaction to somebody dying who you don't know and have never met. There are certain...

Shocked. Anxious. Elated. Joyful. Hopeful. Tearful. These are just a few of the feelings that hit me all at once when I received my...

This was the first year that I felt really busy celebrating "World Book Day", with 3 events to attend and 1 secondary School visit. Mandy...

Imagine trying to make a living as an independent children's picture book author and illustrator with zero contacts in the publishing and...

I often have a few projects running alongside each other, whether it's commissions for Personalised Illustrations or children's book...

Character design happened very quickly with "The Peg People". The main character is based on myself and a mixture of family members, so...

My next children's picture book is called "The Peg People" and I thought I would give you a little more information about where the story...

I've been meaning to write about this since the beginning of February (and it seems an odd time to do it now!), but I'm really missing my...

A couple of weeks ago I visited the lovely Pinewood School in Nottingham and gave an assembly to about a hundred Key Stage 1 pupils. Each...