At a recent Book Festival I was reminded of WHY I write and illustrate for children. While I love to just create for its own sake, actually seeing the reactions of kids when they read my book and connect with the message... that's what it's really all about for me.

When we were unable to have these in-person events, the virtual world was our stand-in. Lots of support came through connecting with other creatives, which I truly valued, and still do.  But it's easy to be overwhelmed by the abundance of great illustration being done. So the problem for me is when "likes" distract me from creating work that serves its real purpose – to express, to explain, to inspire.  

When I can see, in person, that my work makes a real difference... it's magical. It's all the inspiration I need to keep creating the next thing. I'm so happy to be back!

The Dream Keepers is a story about what it takes to make a dream come true. In order to reach its home in the sky, every wish has two guardians known as Dream Keepers: one in charge of Happy Thoughts, and one in charge of Hard Work.