How does a queer, dirt-obsessed mum of 5 end up a writer? In 2017 my daughter, Adeline, was preparing to apply to Art School. She wanted to be an illustrator and what better way to show off your illustrator ambitions than with a picture book? Adeline was also in the hospital at the time. Chester's Hoard was written in the hours it took to drive to and from the hospital twice a day. On good days Adeline worked on concept art. When Adeline died in 2018, with Chester's Hoard unfinished, I knew finishing my daughter's book would be an integral part of the grieving process. I also found myself being given a lot of books about grieving. None of them were as helpful as they could have been. So I wrote the book I wished someone had been able to give me, Sometimes Illness Wins. Every editor and agent I pitched it to wanted Sometimes Illness Wins for themselves, but a picture book for grieving adults and children, didn't fit within their publishing areas. Turns out, sometimes the book the world needs, would never make a bestseller list. So here I am, filling the gaps.