Lizzie Midgley

AS AN AUTHOR

I'm Lizzie, I happen to be an extroverted introvert, resident motivator, the brains behind the operation and kick-ass creative. I'm in my 30's, live with my husband, Boo and the collective menagerie that are our pets, on the west coast of Australia. For us it is important to grow our own food and source local products (and talent) wherever possible. When we aren't in School terms, I make plans to take our family and camper around to places so we can explore and expand our knowledge of Australian heritage. Fishing and lazing around on the beach are two of my favourite ways to unwind. I like to create art that comes from a place in my soul only recently rediscovered, and writing allows me to keep magic in my daily life. I worked with primary school aged children in education support before I moved over to making my dreams a reality. My bad habits include drinking too much tea (with white sugar) amassing huge collections of shoes and nail polish, trying funky hairstyles and wearing novelty leggings as pants (OH. MY GOSH. THE HORROR!)

But in all seriousness, I am passionate about building relationships with the people who read my books. I want you to love them like I do- or at least like Boo does, with the kind of affection that only a child can create. It is a huge honour to be a part of your bookshelf collection and story time.

AS AN ILLUSTRATOR

My interest in art was long dormant, busy a busy modern life and kids is always a surefire way to kill any creative projects before they begin.

After Boo started kindergarten I was lucky enough to do a short fine arts course with the Australian Artist Ken Harris. This reignited my passion for painting and arts, and from there I have done two or three online arts courses in impressionism and abstract arts. I have discovered that I have a flair for capturing emotions in a way that is relateable and simple. My style is definitely still developing, and my preferred medium is acrylic pants on canvas. While I have chosen to illustrate some of my books myself- to show that even simple illustrations can capture the imagination of children, many of the books in our range are illustrated by fantastic artists from around the world. I like to think that our hands down best selling book- Bug and Boots, that has the most simplistic illustrations in our current collection, is so popular because it gives the children more space for their imagination.