Author & Illustrator. Our chat with Jess from Adored Illustrations. What do you love most about kids books? Escaping in them! I love reading to my kids and going on the same adventure as them and seeing their little minds engage with the words and illustrations. Did you have a favourite childhood book? We read a lot of Dr Seuss in our house! The Cat in the Hat was a favourite. I then moved onto the Baby Sitters Club and must have read every book at least a few times over! What was your favourite thing to do as a kid? I was a really active child - we lived on a big property and rode our bikes in paddocks and built cubbys. I also loved drawing. My favourite Uncle was the most amazing illustrator and I loved sitting with him drawing our dreams. Does it take long to complete a book? Yes!! From when I start writing it to when it is published it's around 8-10 months. I am working on some longer books at the moment and as they obviously take longer to write than the ABC ones it's an even longer process! Very worthwhile and rewarding though to see the finished product :-) How many books have you done? I have written and self-published 3 books so far (The Enchanting ABC, The Incredible ABC and The Amazing ABC) with a fourth book coming out in July. What makes you happy? My family. I have two little ones and an amazing husband and wonderful extended family who I'm constantly inspired by. Writing. A good coffee or glass of wine depending on the time of day! The simple things and moments make me happy. What inspires you to write/draw? The inspiration to become serious about writing comes from my Nanna and Uncle who I lost five years ago around the same time, both very suddenly. The were both talented artists as well as writers and I was always in awe of their creativity. I like to think they left it here with me :-) But day to day the reason I keep doing what I'm doing and the things I write about come from my children and husband. I write about things my children like and some of the new writing I'm doing is inspired by my husband and our relationship. I want my children to be proud of me and know that no matter where their lives lead them it's never too late to follow your dreams. And to make sure they have dreams. I know I lost mine along the way but now that I've found them again there's no stopping me! Do you have a favourite thing to draw? I mostly doodle to be honest! I have illustrated for my new book and really enjoyed the challenge but most of what I've been drawing lately has been nature inspired - leaves, flowers, clouds, rainbows. The great thing about being creative is it can take you anywhere! Next week I might be drawing animals - who knows!? When did you fall in love with art? I've always been a really creative person but I lost that creativity as I grew up and went into the corporate working world and started my family. I'm so thrilled to have found it again but I have always loved to draw and illustrate and write. Anything creative I enjoy. I think my strength lies in the writing but I'm dipping my feet in the world of illustrating which I'm really enjoying as well. Do you have any pets? We have an aquarium filled with fish and two chickens (Tigger and Flossy). We are planning on getting a puppy this year. My kids nagging looks to be paying off for them! Any new up coming titles coming out soon, that we should be looking out for? I am releasing my fourth book The Enchanting 123 in July this year :-) This is our first 123 book so it's really exciting. It's already proven more challenging in the design aspect then the ABC books but that's ok I enjoy a challenge! We have just turned The Enchanting ABC into Flash Cards so we will be turning our other two books into Flash Cards as well in the coming months. There are also plans for another book later in the year! I left my corporate job at the end of 2018 to throw myself into running my business and writing so I'm very happy to be so busy! Thanks Jess for chatting to us, Your books and cards are stunning and I can't wait to see the new addition when it comes out in July! More Information. adoredillustrations.com.au Make purchases here. Jess form Adored Illustrations is kindly offering readers a discount of 15 % Off Store Wide. Discount Code: KIDSBOOKS Instagram @adoredillustrations Facebook @Adored-Illustrations
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