About me.
Hi. I'm Jess, a wife, a mother of three, and a primary school teacher.
I live just out of Cambridge, and have always lived in the mighty Waikato, New Zealand.
I'm at my happiest when I am creating - felt art, painting or even making cakes. My new and exciting passion is to write and illustrate children's books.
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I'm driven to inspire the next generation. The goal of writing and illustrating a picture book was on my bucket list, and after self teaching myself how to draw digitally, and entering illustration awards for illustration experience, I felt I was ready. It was just a case of finding a great story!
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In August 2021, Emma Twigg had just won her gold medal. While I was feeding my young baby in the middle of the night, I had the idea of creating a book about Emma's incredible story. Her courage, bravery and resilience in the face of failing to meet her goals really spoke to me as both a teacher and parent. I was lucky to have a friendship with Emma after we studied together at Waikato University in 2005 - 2007, so we talked about a book and the rest is history.
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This publication is what I hope is the start of an exciting journey in writing and illustrating, so I can leave a legacy to my children of which I can surely be proud.
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Please enjoy my portfolio, and feel free to get in touch with any questions.
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Photo taken by the talented Katie Hurlow
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Jessica Lawry is a NZSA member.
