Today I'm designing the Book Cover. It's so exciting, it's like putting on new clothes, or getting a haircut, doing makeup or wearing wonderful shoes for the first time. It's a special kind of newness feeling, where you're showing the world how lovely something can be. And this book cover is like all the above, it's the chance to catch someone's eye, to make them look twice, stop and be intrigued.
That's why the pressure is so immense to get it right. This is what will hopefully make a agent stop and pick it up from their mountain of post instead of flinging it to the side... Or so I hope at least... No I'm sure it will. If other people can do it, if Waterstones is packed with books from floor to ceiling with authors that go beyond the extremely talented and lucky JK Rowlings and Roald Dahl then I know that I can get there too. And why not? Why shouldn't it be me? I am just as determined and mindful, I hope I'm talented and I'm certainly driven so it's going to happen. My cover will make it onto shelves, hugging the simple but kind story of Halo and Flake.

Which gets me thinking, Has anyone else noticed how children's stories nowadays are no longer actually aimed at children? With ulterior motives behind their plots, humor aimed for audiences far above the age range the stories were designed for? When did the good old days of innocent adventures of wolves and pigs turn into the multitude of sexual innuendos and characters called Lord Farquaad (fuc*ward)? It's like writers and producers only really do care about lining their pockets and no more about preserving children's 'purity' for a better word.
I don't have kids but I know I wouldn't want my children's heads filled with most of the garbage that's out there now.

Let's go back to the days of when I was little and teach them using dolls and games. Let them have fun cooking, playing with cars, trains and bikes. Let children have memories of making arts and crafts, drawing pictures, playing in the puddles and reading Halo and Flake :)