Rachel’s Friends
These kind people helped make Finn’s Garden Friends, Mia Makes a Meadow, and Daisy and Jack’s Perfect Pond, happen!
Pikku Publishing, Elena Mannion, publisher and Joan Woodroffe, production manager
Pikku publishes thoughtful, original, illustrated books for readers 3-13 years of age, penned by passionate storytellers and illustrated by wonderful creative talents. Many of their authors and illustrators are award-winning.
Beatriz Castro, illustrator for Mia Makes a Meadow and Daisy and Jack’s Perfect Pond
Beatriz Castro is a professional illustrator. Growing up in Logroño, La Rioja, Spain, she was inspired by the natural world around her, to draw and write fantastic stories. She is passionate about animals, books, classic stories, and fairy tales and enjoys listening to rock and punk music.
Lia Visirin, illustrator for Finn’s Garden Friends
Lia is a children’s illustrator from a small town in Transylvania surrounded by mountains and medieval castles.What inspires her most is nature. Her beautiful original palette and an eye for detail is a perfect match for Finn’s world.
Paul Lawston, natural history consultant for all of my books.
Paul is an environmental education specialist and consultant. He studied Natural Sciences at Cambridge University and a PGCE at Kings College London. He is a lifelong lover of the natural world and is an experienced educator, having worked for several major museums and environmental charities based in London and Bristol.
Paul is a consultant for HarperCollins, Egmont, Pikku Publishing and Eden Cooper. He is also the Learning Manager at WWT London Wetland Centre in Barnes.
Paul is the co-author of Nature and Me, which will be released this Autumn.
Christine Modafferi, editor for Daisy and Jack’s Perfect Pond and Nature and Me
Chris Modafferi is the editor of my newest book, Daisy and Jack’s Perfect Pond. She is an Italian-American freelance writer and editor. In 2015, Chris moved to London with one big dream: working in publishing. Since then, she's worked at Penguin Random House, Bloomsbury and Scholastic (where she met me!), nurturing talent and bringing beautiful and mostly hilarious books to life as an editor. Chris is obsessed with her orange cat, Frodo, will never say no to staying up on a school night and enjoys any reference to early 2000s rom-coms or The Golden Girls. Chris is writing her first authored children's non-fiction book, which will be published by Hachette UK very soon!
Lisa Edwards, editor for Finn’s Garden Friends and Mia Makes a Meadow
I was privileged to have the award-winning Lisa Edwards as my editor for Finn’s Garden Friends, and Mia Makes a Meadow. Lisa is a freelance writer and editor, offering consultancy, copywriting and editorial services to publishers, brands and authors. She has spent 25 years in children’s and adult publishing, and in that time directed the publishing and licensing strategies for bestselling titles and series such as His Dark Materials, The Hunger Games, Captain Underpants, Tom Gates, Stick Man and Horrible Histories.
Saltway, Chris McLaren
Chris founded SaltWay in 2006, which matured into a truly global sales and distribution business for select-quality, illustrated publishers when Murray Mahon joined the company in 2011. Chris's previous career includes senior positions as Managing Director (Tempus Publishing), Sales Director (Faber & Faber and MacMillan Publishers) and Sales and Marketing Director (Chambers-Harrap). Chris is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.