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When I was young I loved all animals. I wanted to be a veterinary surgeon. To do that I needed to be really good at science and math, but what I was actually good at was art and English. When I finished school I studied art in England (where I was born). If I couldn't be a veterinary surgeon, maybe I could keep a lot of pets and draw them. This is, in the end, what happened. I left art college and joined the British Royal Navy working as a graphic designer until I came to live in America many years later. Then I began to work as an illustrator.
Since childhood I'd dreamed about making children’s books. I'd spent lots of time in the children's section of the town library and bookstores browsing the shelves. I read everything I could! I hoped to one day to see my name on the spine of a book. A long time later, in America, I began creating illustrations and writing stories for children. All the things I’d learned along the way helped me, and after years of practice my dream has come true! Now my name is on the spines of several books.
My love of animals has not diminished. I've rescued many dogs, cats, and other creatures. One of my stories is about a poodle called Toby who had a bad start in life. Toby is my first book as both author and illustrator. Now I create books in my studio in Maine with my pets to keep me company.
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