It's on the cards...

Watch out for the Ten Of Pencils!

I have a book out on submission at the moment, which is exciting but also a bit scary. It’s a great feeling to have finished it and sent it off, though. I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed! With some time on my hands, I’ve been thinking about creativity and the various ups and downs of bringing something new to life. I’m always excited at the beginning of a project, but I often hit a bump halfway through, and things start to feel difficult. It’s become a very familiar cycle, so I thought I would illustrate the various stages through Tarot cards. Because, well, I’m a bit obsessed with Tarot at the moment and sure, why not?

On the bookshelf…

As mentioned in my first post, I work part-time as a bookseller. There are so many gorgeous young graphic novels and illustrated fiction books out at the moment! These are my favourite picks this month.

Squid Squad by Aoife Dooley

A hilarious new series with brilliant illustrations. Follow a sea bunny called Zing and his friends as they solve undersea mysteries, encounter a hypno snail, are flushed away by a magical portal toilet and rescue a cute pet called Barney. I loved the madcap adventures, the dialogue which fizzes with sass, and how the characters break the fourth wall.

Marty Moose by Claire Powell

An utterly charming new series by Claire Powell with beautiful illustrations. We join our hero Marty on his first day as a postmouse as he meets a bonkers bunny, quarrelling toads and a grumpy boss. It feels like a classic. A warm hug of a book!

Supa Nova by Chanté Timothy

A fantastic new series with a superstar protagonist. Nova is an inventor - smart, confident and brimming with ideas. She invents a cute, plastic-eating monster, but soon it takes over the city. Only a genius like Nova can save the day! I particularly loved Nova’s lab full of inventions, the high-stakes plot and the colourful illustrations.

Cat Corner:

Another post, another pic of my little buddy, Odysseus. This is one of his favourite snooze spots. He loves lying on our bed and catching some rays.

Last night, this guy stayed out very late and had me worried. But, he does this every so often and usually he’s just visiting the neighbours. I’ve learned to go to bed and not stay up panicking. Calling his name and frantically searching laneways in my pyjamas never seems to yield any results. He has a cat friend called Trevor and often visits his house, usually a couple of hours in the evening. After he’s been at the neighbours, he saunters back, with a freshly brushed coat and smelling inexplicably of fresh laundry.

Despite trying not to worry, I had a stress dream that my room was full of cats, but none of them was Ody. I awoke in a panic at 6:00 am and went to look for him. He was nonchalantly sitting in our spare room in the corner, washing his face. Sigh…