March 24, 2026

One day, fully feeling the stress of the current world, I stepped back and thought about what has made me happy in my life. What have I always wanted to do but never had the confidence to actually try? Not another job where I worked for someone else, but for me. The bedtime stories I used to make up years ago kept coming back to me. So I started writing them down.

Getting the stories out of my head was harder than I expected. What rattled around in my brain sounded brilliant while they stayed there. Trying to type them could be painful and honestly sometimes cringeworthy. I plowed through it for a while before I admitted I needed help and asked for it. The art side was different. Painting always felt indulgent to me, and though I know there are people that do this at a much higher level, I loved doing it. And as I realized how integral to the project it was, it became a comfortable place in the process.  Actually, it helped me ease out of a day-job stressful day. 

A little way on, the project faded. Work became more stressful. A lot of things did. I looked up one day near the end of last year and realized I hadn’t touched this project in a while. That’s when I found a use for AI that I trusted it to do. It helped me build a realistic schedule around a full-time job, something that wouldn’t burn me out but would keep me moving. Seeing it laid out, seeing that it was actually possible, I pushed forward.

The moment I knew it was really going to happen wasn’t a finished painting or a completed manuscript. It was the day I looked up from my computer and saw my dog Macchi looking at me.  I sketched him and the name just popped in my head. I knew I could do this.

And now, five books are almost done. Hand-painted watercolor illustrations, stories that started as made-up bedtime stories decades ago, and one workbook where kids get to create their own adventure. Almost ready. And somewhere on the other side of that — a coloring book, and jigsaw puzzles and… But one thing at a time. 🎨