April Newsletter no. 25
BCBF, portolio and comics
Dear reader,
April was about going to Bologna Children’s Book Fair, doing the usual quarterly accountant work (the most fun part of being a freelancer), updating my portfolio and worrying about the fascist world we live in. It had its ups and downs, just like the weather, but to finish this intro on a good note – I made rhubarb pie and it was a hit!
BCBF
This year I went to the fair for the first time. My debut author/illustrator picture book is slowly wrapping up so besides the imposter-feeling of “I guess I’m part of picture book community now?” I wanted to meet people I work with and, if I get lucky, find familiar faces in that gigantic place! I had no intention to show my portfolio or attend workshops/presentations. On contrary, I wished to just silently buzz around like a bee and enjoy the day.
I’ve met my dearest agent for the first time, said hello to the people I work with, and can now confirm that illustrators I admire do exist and that the world is filled with beautiful illustration indeed. I was warned not to catch comparatitis or feel too overwhelmed. I think I managed just fine? Besides the back pain I already brought with me, I left with a bit more of it, but felt extremely happy and lucky to be able to work in this industry. Oh, I also put an envelope and a print of Mojčica With a Watermelon on the famous Illustrators’ Wall. Actually, there is more than one, so Illustrators’ Walls would be a more correct term.
I snapped some photos of books I want to take a better look at once more. I bought the Italian edition of Emma Adbåge’s book and am now reading it out loud in a made up Italian pronunciation. The crocodile book was found outside the fair – those crocodiles are just so good!
Website
I’ve added few more pieces to my portfolio and overall did some maintenance work on my website. If you would like to take a look, click the button below :-)
Mojčica
In April, four new comic strips came out. They are always available here. Thank you for reading them ♡
Things I enjoyed this month:
✹ Interview with Felicita Sala about her latest book and how important it is to meet kids at their level.
✹ I enjoy reading anything Jacob Souva posts on Substack, so here is one of them:
✹ As I get overwhelmed by the news quickly, I prefer to get them through the radio or podcasts, where there is, by the nature of the production, a bit of delay in time from the moment something happened to the moment it is released to the listeners. I recently added a new podcast to my list:
That’s it for now. Hope you enjoy reading my monthly letters! Cheers,
- Mojca
It's always a pleasure to catch up with your newsletter is a must-read every month. And Emma Adbåge's book 😍