The story of my book ‘Thank you for feeding Freckle’

“All photos supplied to me and permission was granted by the parents for me to use

I recently wrote and illustrated a children’s book – a dream of mine for a long time – and it has just been published! And what a wild ride it has been to get here. Whether you’re a budding author yourself, or just interested in the process of what it takes to get a book printed, I thought I would share my journey as well as some of the inspiration behind the book itself.  

Why I decided to write a children’s book – and the inspiration behind it. 

It has always been my dream to write and illustrate a children’s book. Before Thank you for feeding Freckle I created illustrations for a story written by my brother and because it was a fun experience, I wanted to try writing and illustrating (in Adobe Illustrator) my own book.

As a ‘creative’ I often have something that comes over me which pulls me to, well, create! Once an idea pops into my brain, it just has to get out and it just so happened that a few years ago I was feeding my friends cat while they were away, then suddenly little details of a story were evolving. It included details from my real life experience – the house key was on a pineapple key ring, and Freckle is grey with green eyes, like the cat Minnie I was looking after.   

As a child, I favoured activity books or stories with bold, colourful pictures because reading was a challenge for me. I was diagnosed with Irlen Syndrome, which is a perceptual processing disorder, and my eyes jumped around the page (they still do) making reading difficult. The only way I could keep my place was with a ruler, but I wasn’t allowed to use one at school so as a result, I always reached for the interactive books. I created the images and activities of Thank you for feeding Freckle with a younger version of myself in mind.

Reading is important but it isn't always enjoyable for children for various reasons. I wanted to create a book with lots of visuals and activities to keep young readers engaged and included. Thank you for feeding Freckle is filled with bright, simple images, questions, and fun peek-a-boo flaps.

The process of writing and illustrating a children’s book. 

The writing and designing process was what I expected it would be. At my end, I work a lot on creative energy so when I’m inspired, coming up with the ideas, and putting pen to paper seems easy. I get in a zone where time stops and it doesn't feel like it has taken much effort, and while it has, it just doesn't feel that way when the energy is cranking. So the concept and first draft flowed easily. Working with the editor was about what I expected too, with lots of refining. Before sending out my manuscript, NZ children's author Jennifer Beck assessed my manuscript. Between her and Niki Horin (the editor at the Five Mile) there were tweaks to the language to make it flow better and speak to the target age range. I am thankful for the help of these two professionals as I am a designer first, writer second. There are many barriers to entry for debut authors and I was naive about the industry. I had it in my mind that since I don't know anyone who has had a book published, few people are actually trying (hello tunnel vision). But I was very wrong! Publishers get inundated with manuscripts and have to consider each submission carefully. I am very lucky and feel grateful to have had this book taken on as a first time author without a literary agent. 

Perhaps the hardest part of it all – finding a publisher for my book. 

First I exhausted every option in New Zealand. I knocked on a lot of doors, or should I say, showed up in a lot of inboxes, submitting my manuscript to at least 20 publishers in NZ. I heard back from a couple, but often you don't hear anything, which I found stressful. Applying and being rejected is a bit of an emotional roller-coaster but I will always persist when I really believe in something. 

A friend of mine who works in publishing suggested I look to Australia, so I emailed a couple of Australian publishing houses and received an email back from Niki (the editor at Five Mile) expressing her interest in the book. A few months later after a couple of emails, I was offered my very first publishing deal for Thank you for feeding Freckle. 

I was offered the contract in December 2019 and the book was published June 2020, so the whole thing was very quick. I spent all of January working with the editor to make edits and between the start of the year and now, I have been hustling to help market and promote the book through my selling channels.  

The process of taking it from concept to print. 

I worked closely with the editor on making quite a lot of changes to get it ready for print. The idea of making a lift-the-flap book was pitched to me and I was so excited! Initially I had thought that the story would work well with a 3D element because it is interactive but was worried the cost and process might be off putting to future potential publishers, so left it out. I was thrilled when she suggested peek-a-boo-flaps – which meant the story, designs, and copy all needed tweaking to accommodate the new 3D elements.

Deciding on the type of illustrations for the book. 

This came naturally because my style tends to be flat, graphic and bold. The character was based on my own cat Bossy and Minnie (the cat I fed), and the rest just flowed. The book was created with a younger version of myself in mind and as I had always been really drawn to the graphics in The Good-night Book and You and Me-Me by Petter Curry - I would say this was the biggest inspiration for the scenery in the book. 

The method to my writing process.

For some reason it feels vulnerable to admit, and I am unsure why, but the characters and graphics came first, and the story followed. Perhaps it is usually the other way around when it comes to children’s books. 

My hope for the children reading my book. 

I hope that children enjoy the book, learn something, and engage with the pages all while spending some meaningful time connecting with the book and whoever is reading it to them. My goal when creating the book was that it would capture the attention and imaginations of all children and is inclusive to children across a broad range of abilities. I also hope the book introduces children to responsibility and care for animals and by falling in love with Freckle, as well as building empathy and compassion. 

My favourite books as a child. 

This depends on whether I was having to read or if I was being read to. When I had to read (the fewer words the better) it would have been The Jolly Postman by Allan Ahlberg, Foldaway Monsters by Allan Ahlberg & Colin McNaughton, The Good-night Book and You and Me-Me by Petter Curry. My default at the school library was always Magic Eye books.

When I was read to I enjoyed In the Night Kitchen and Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak, Nimby by Jasper Tomkins or anything by Dr Seuss. My mum is from the USA and my grandma had a teaching degree and worked for many years in an art and music library, so our home library was filled with beautifully written and illustrated books by American authors. 

Watch this space. 

Purchase Thank you for feeding Freckle on Booktopia here. I don't want to give too much away but I have two more books lined up. One with a ginger cat and one with a white cat. I have written drafts for both and half illustrated one, so watch this space! If you’re outside Australasia and would like to buy a copy, please do so here. Also use this link if you’re in NZ or Aus and want to send Freckle to family or friends overseas :)
Until next time, Cheyney xxx