Becoming an Author: A little girl’s dream Come True
As a kid, I was an only child, and that meant a lot of time to myself, perhaps too much time. When you don’t have siblings to play with, you have to get creative about filling your days. For me, books became my best friends. They weren’t just a way to pass the time – they were a portal to other worlds, filled with adventure, magic, and characters who felt like family.
I would spend hours with my nose in a book, completely lost in the stories. When I wasn’t reading, I was writing my own stories, creating little worlds where anything was possible. Books taught me how to dream, how to imagine, and how to see life through different perspectives. They saved me in ways I didn’t realize at the time, giving me company and sparking a love for storytelling and visual art that’s stayed with me ever since.
Of course, I would ‘self publish’ all my stories! A few sheets of paper, stapled along the edge. If it was a special book, I’d use a piece of cardboard as the cover!
In those days, I loved to draw (not so much now as a grown up) so I would write and illustrate my books, all by myself.
The library was my special place at primary school and a huge hug goes to Mrs. Allen (my school librarian) who introduced me to so many magical books. I remember special trips to the local shopping centre with my grandparents – they would buy me one thing. I always chose one of the books Mrs. Allen was in the middle of reading to us at school. I always wanted to read ahead of the class!
The books I loved that Mrs. Allen introduced me to:
Bottersnikes and Gumbles – S. A. Wakefield
The Twits – Roald Dahl
Charlie and The Chocolate Factory – Roald Dahl
The BFG – Roald Dahl
George’s Marvelous Medicine
Finders Keepers – Emily Rodda
There’s a sea in my bedroom – Margaret Wild
Animalia – Graham Base
Tucking Mummy In – Morag Loh
Thing & Thingnapped – Robin Klein
A Fish out of water – Helen Marion Palmer
The colour kittens – Margaret Wise Brown
ALL Choose your own adventure books!
Not technically a book – but I would spend so much time looking through the Women’s Weekly Children’s Birthday Cake Book. (If you know, you know.)
The list goes on…and on..and on.
The years past and I got all mixed up, just the way Dr. Suess said we would. I wanted to be a Scientist for a couple of minutes, I even worked in a shoe shop as I sorted out my left foot from my right! Finally, something felt right. Art. Along with writing my stories, creating and making artworks always kept my heart happy. It still does to this very minute.
I decided to become an art teacher so I could spend all day around young people with imaginative ideas, paper and art supplies.
It worked! I’m still a teacher and I could never imagine doing anything at all that didn’t involve kids, imagination and scribbling on paper!
Lots has happened in between – I met my best friend and we had two kids together. That’s LOTS. Both my kids (a girl and a boy) are at primary school now, Prep and Grade 4, and I couldn’t be more proud to be their mum. We just got back from a HUGE adventure in Italy where we had the bestest time ever.
Now, here I am, standing on the brink of a lifelong dream becoming a reality. Over the next year, two of my picture books will be published. This is the start of a brand-new chapter for me, and I couldn’t be more excited (and a little nervous!).
I couldn’t have done this without my incredibly talented little sister, Claudia, who has illustrated my first two books. She has been my rock throughout this journey – her creativity, encouragement, and knack for bringing my ideas to life have been the best. She’s one of my biggest cheerleaders, my sounding board, and sometimes, my reality check when my ideas get a little too wild! Having her by my side makes this milestone even more special.
These books are more than just stories; they’re pieces of my heart. They celebrate my family, my heritage, and the little moments that make life so special. I want to thank everyone who has supported me along the way: my husband and children, my best friends, my parents, and the countless others who believed in my dream even on days when I didn’t.
There really is nothing as fabulous as new beginnings and crazy ideas.
I can’t wait to share more about my books and the adventures ahead!
With a big hug,
Adelle
