I’m originally from Liverpool way but I now live in Leeds with my family, where I make books from my studio in an old mill. I’m very lucky as my dog, Olive can come to work with me, when she isn’t stealing stuff from people’s bins she’s a great source of inspiration.
My illustration and writing journey began as a child, mostly in my local library (thanks to my dad, a lifelong library user). I thought the library was amazing, you turn up and get to take home a pile of books – for free! What could be better than that?
The first book I ever made was a comic inspired by the Beano when I was around 8 years old. I wasn’t sure what job you could do related to drawing – I just knew that was my thing.
I am somewhat tenuously and very distantly related to the most famous Pankhurst from history – the suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst. While I’m not a direct descendent of Emmeline herself, I can say that Emmeline’s astounding story has followed me all my life and has undoubtedly influenced my work. That connection certainly led to a conversation with my amazing agent that made me realise that a book really should exist that told the stories of great women from history in a fun and accessible way for young readers.
When I’m not doodling*, writing and drawing I work with children and teachers to inspire and ignite a love for reading.
*Doodling, in my opinion, is the best way to begin a story. Even a wonky scribble can be a starting point for an imaginary world filled with exciting characters. From small things big things can grow …
