PRESS RELEASE
18thJune
Dreading the daily commute? Brighton mum publishes kids' book created on the train.
Few people miss the daily commute, as many employees switch to home working to tackle Covid-19. One regular train passenger from Brighton, used the journey time to write her first children's book which has just been published.
Katie said:
"I spent far too much time on trains last year. Up to 12 hours a week were taken up with just staring out the window, flicking through newspapers or on my work phone. It didn't feel very productive and I'd feel drained by the end of the long journey. I wanted to spend the time more creatively, but couldn't exactly take over the carriage with watercolours and painting equipment! I had a small digital tablet and decided to download an app to do some drawing and it sort of took off. Before I knew it I'd written a story and was working towards illustrating a full book."
Katie initially wrote and illustrated her first book ‘I Want to be Red', a story about a little dragon that wants to be a grown up, just for her two children Finley (12) and Darcy (7). However, during ‘lockdown' she took the step to independently publish the story.
She explains:
"My kids were so supportive. I'd come home with a sketch and they'd give me feedback and ideas how to improve it. They were really a big part of the process, so naturally they love the story. Since we've been in lockdown they haven't stopped pestering me to publish it and with the extra time I've finally been able to make it a priority. Now it's actually published, I really hope more children get to enjoy the story and perhaps more people will be inspired to create on their commute - it might make going back to the "daily grind" after lockdown a bit more fun!"
END
Images attached:
- Katie Elfer with her sons Finley (12) and Darcy (7)
- Katie Elfer with her book ‘I Want to be Red'
- Example of illustration from the book
Contact Details
Katie Elfer
Email: katieelfer@gmail.com
Mobile: 07588692955
Instagram: @katieelfer
Amazon book link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1838013903/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_SNG6Eb4PKJX4D
Author bio
Katie Elfer is an illustrator and author living by the seaside in Brighton with her two boys. She once spent four hours drawing a custard cream biscuit on a train to Solihull. Her first picture book ‘I Want to be Red' in now available on Amazon.