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 😍