Working With A Child Illustrator.

While writing "The Adventures Of Mopey The Mini Horse" I had many distractions and as the say, "life got in the way". The book,  which began as a blog rapidly became and obsession.

When I made the decision to finally pull down my blog and rewrite it as a children's book, I was faced with a difficult task of finding the right illustrator. The thought of someone turning my vision into a poorly illustrated, large headed, big eyed cartoon, was not what I was looking forward to.

Throughout my research, I came across an artist, who's work was perfect for my book and my budget. I contacted her quickly and found out she is a  very young child. I ask her,  her age and she replied, "I'm between 9 and 11 years old. At this point I researched the legalities, spoke to her parents, who may I add live across the country and decided to hire her. It was the best move I made.

Working with Hope was an amazing journey for both of us. As I would email my request for the next picture, I felt her excitement and her fears of failure. As the picture would arrive through downloads, attached to emails, I knew how Hope felt when she was hired. The beauty of her illustrations showed something no adult to replicate. She has heart and soul for her work.

I have had to rewrite parts of the book to fit some of the illustrations, I have had to move a paragraph here and there, but in the end, because of this little girls talent and love of her gift, "The Adventures Of Mopey The Mini Horse" has become more of a piece of me, than I ever thought possible.

I would like to thank Hope Luper for her incredible artistry, but more than that, I would like to thank her for what she taught me in the process. Never lose the feeling of the child with dreams in their hearts and stars in their eyes.

Thank You

Kim