Simone is a children’s author who resides in south-western Queensland, Australia. Simone has a professional and personal history that has been focused on children. As a foster carer for many years, Simone understands the challenges faced by children in statutory care and also the challenges that biological children of foster carers face living with children with a trauma background. She believes the children of foster carers are the unsung heroes and her love and appreciation of all biological children in foster families is reflected in the characters in her book Jeremy’s Changing family. Website: www.uniquemindsconsultancy.com.auAs a child, Naya decided to become an illustrator of children’s books. She graduated in Book Illustration from the Printing and Publishing department at Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute. Naya predominantly uses watercolours and pencils, and her favourite genre to illustrate is fantasy. She aims to shape people’s perception of the world from a very young age and to make people smile through her stories and drawings. In her spare time, Naya teaches children to use their imagination while creating their first pictures. She currently lives and works in Kiev, Ukraine. You can find her on Instagram @bookwood_illustration and Facebook @bookwood.art. Website: www.nayasart.com
