Ali Pye

Copy Cat

Helen Docherty

You Can Never Run Out of Love

I have written and illustrated a children's fiction book that I'm very, very excited about. I can't say much about it yet, other than it's going to be EXTREMELY bright.

Do you have any upcoming books you can tell us about?

I've always wanted to write and illustrate books. When I was about seven years old I used to make my own books, and then later my parents bought me an antique typewriter, which I used to write stories. It took me quite a long time to achieve my ambition though (about 40 years!) but I'm so glad I did, as I still love drawing and thinking of stories. 

Why I became an illustrator and author

I wanted to be an author and illustrator from a very young age. I had a big old antique typewriter that I'd write on, and I'd pretend to be an author called 'Lucy Foxwell', dressing up in scarves and long necklaces because that's what I thought an author would look like! 

How did you come to the realization that you wanted to write/illustrate children's books professionally?

My older son was a book worm and the difficulty was to get his nose out of a book rather than encourage him to read. With my younger son it's been different as he's not a natural reader. However, he enjoys comic books and there are some genres and authors that really hit the spot - so I guess my advice would be not to give up and try a range of books from your local library. Reading together at bedtime is such a help too, and it finishes the day off on a good note.

What advice do you have for parents and others who are trying to raise readers?

I'm not sure, I don't think anything would make me so happy. But, when I was small the other career I thought of was to be a police dog handler. I think that would be a good job.

If you weren't a children's book author/illustrator, what would you do?

I walk my younger son to the train station to catch his train to school, and then I walk home (that's my 'commute'). Then I work all day in my horrible, scruffy box-room studio until the children get home, and then later in the evening and weekends too; it's quite hard to switch off when you are an illustrator or author. 

What does a typical work day look like for you?

I absolutely loved the 'Danny Fox' series by David Thomson. I rave about those books to anyone who will listen. Seek them out!

Do you have any favorite memories of childhood reading?

I would just like to be remembered as a kind person.

Year	Title	Author	Pages
2018	Copy Cat	Ali Pye	32
2017	You Can Never Run Out of Love	Helen Docherty	0

Ali Pye

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