Welcome Rochelle. Tell us a little about yourself!
I’m a picture book illustrator and author. I was born in Jamaica and both my parents are of mixed heritage. My mum grew up in Jamaica but was born in the UK. So, when I was 3, we moved to the UK permanently. We landed in Birminghamwhere my family grew to a household of 8. Five siblings from the age of 10 made for a very noisy house, my mum is also hard of hearing, so I think that’s how she survived us over theyears. We’re still noisy now, Christmas at ours is not for the faint hearted! I spent a lot of my teens supporting my mumduring that time, it taught me a lot about caring for young children. Now, I live in Helsinki with a family of my own, a husband and two daughters.
What first inspired you to pursue a creative path and eventually start
writing books?
I’ve been a creative in some shape or form for all of my career. Going back to my childhood, my safe space was always in art lessons. I always loved the drawing part of any lesson especially where art wasn’t the core subject. So, I naturally gravitated towards it after leaving school and went on to eventually study Graphic Design at university. I was a passionate designer, and I loved creating stylish logos etc but after designer UI for computer games I found I was missing the creative freedom of painting and illustrating. I then went on to take a break to raise a family and I started to look for a creative output whilst my second youngest was at preschool. I picked up a pencil and started sketching anything that could help me improve.
At first, I didn’t have a plan of where I was going with it, I thought concept art for games would be amazing but as I improved a new direction started to evolve. I joined a small writer’s group. I had also loved creative writing as a teenager and would spend hours writing stories with my friends at school. So, I was hesitant at first, but the writers in the group were so welcoming and inspiring I started to feel at home again with writing. Then writing for children started to take shape on my walks home with my girls, they were both at primary school at this age, we would chat about the stories they wrote and stories I could write.
Children say the funniest of things and I started to feel that some of the memories we were remembering, especially from their point of view, would make great stories. So, from that point on I started to look at my writing and drawing in a whole new way. I had already been reading huge amounts of picture books to the girls and had so many favourites that I admired for the writing or for the art, it was like I had been researching my new passion without realising it. An agent reached out to me asking for a meeting and wanting to see more. It was the best feeling, a dream come true! Of course, it was only beginning but I was ready for the challenge. I signed with them and that sketch and pitch went on to be How to Tame a Mummy Monster.
How has your creative voice evolved from your first work to now?
As a teen, I was a big fan of manga and X files, so I wrote lots of short stories based around me and friends’ favourite characters. We would also write chapters of one big story and then pass it on around the group for the next person to continue. That was my first exposure to writing. I was a big reader at that point also and I relied heavily on my local library for options. I loved reading fantasy and horror. If I had 5 minutes free, I would be reading! Once I started at university reading for pleasure slowed down and so did writing.
When I eventually joined the writers’ group I mostly wrote stories for adults. I love dark humour. So, a lot of what I wrote would be based around normal everyday situations, lots of humour, followed by an unexpected encounter with either amystery or something supernatural. I love down to earth stories that you can relate to, where the protagonist doesn’t stand out particularly but are then thrown into a crazy out of this world experience and then go on to achieve remarkable things. When I write for children, keeping the characters relatable is always at the heart of my stories. I want the readerto see themselves within the story and connect with it. Because that feeling of connection is so powerful, especiallywith humour. It leaves you feeling seen and wanting to share it with others.
In three words, how would you describe your creative style?
Vibrant, relatable and playful.
Looking back, what career milestone felt like the biggest breakthrough moment for you?
That moment I shared the post on Twitter holds the no.1 spot. Followed closely by my friend persuading me to join her writers’ group and also becoming a mum. I thought having my children was going to mean a break from my career but it was the complete opposite. It galvanised it. Family life is at the heart of the stories I love to tell. The hilarious times and the overwhelmingly hard times.
What advice would you give creatives trying to build a sustainable career today?
It sounds cheesy but it really is about the journey. Whenever things didn’t go to plan or I didn’t get a project, it would hurt at first but less so over time. Now if this happens, I use it as aopportunity to learn, what could I have done differently, were there any red flags? So don’t be hard yourself it’s all about picking yourself up and taking a step forward.
Be cautious when it comes to creating art for free. Exposureinstead of payment might not be the springboard you think it is. If a project really means something to you or you see the value in doing it, then go for it. I’m all up for submitting your art for a good cause! but I’d be cautious if it’s not that. You could spend a lot of your time on something for very little in return. If the organisation can see the value in paying others on the team then why should the artist take the hit, especially if the project relies heavily on the art for its success. Working for free can give others the impression that your time isn’t valuable and it can make your art feel the same.
All in all I would say don’t give up! It can take time. But Ifyou really want it, network, follow those that inspire you, go to their talks, find your community. It can take a village,surround yourself in support, they are your springboard, your motivator and inspiration. It was hard being a full-time parentand trying to network, there were so many times I just didn’t have it in me to go out and be social, especially because it’snot my comfort zone. But I knew I wanted this, so I pushed myself through the door.
Congratulations on your debut picture book How to Tame a Mummy Monster. What was the inspiration behind it?
The summer holidays when my girls were little and would be bickering all day long. I now of course look back fondly but it was also a rough ride! I could never understand why they preferred to argue instead of playing. I was 10 when my first sister was born, so hadn’t experienced this need to tease. So, it really stood out to me because it was so relentless, probably because they’re close in age. Siblings bickering is just part of their development, it’s how they learn to debate and stand up for themselves. But for us it can be hard to navigate. Also, I had so many friends going through the same thing and they would all say, ‘do yours argue this much?’ We were all hoping that it wasn’t just our kids behaving like this. Which is why I really wanted the book to feel relatable for parents as well.
Can you explain 3 facts about your role?
1. I’m a digital artist; a lot of my work is created on a pen display that I can draw on directly using Photoshop. I also love to paint traditionally in watercolours, acrylics and gouache.
2. I used to be a graphic designer, which has come in handy when thinking about composition and making picture book dummies. It also meant I had spent a lot of time in Photoshop and Illustrator over the years, so I was already comfortable using the software and didn’t have to learn it from scratch.
3. There’s never enough time in the day! I have to be really disciplined and stick to my schedule because time flies when you’re painting. I’m still figuring this part out, balancing being creative and stopping to do admin can be difficult. I’ve found Focus Time on Windows to be very helpful! Also using an app that can help you track how much time you spend on your work can help you organise how much time is needed on future projects.
How to Tame a Mummy Monster by Rochelle Falconer is available now | Paperback | £7.99 | Picture Book
About the author
Rochelle Falconer was born in Jamaica but grew up in Birmingham, the oldest of six kids, raised by her single mum. As a teenager her head was always in a book. She loved to write—and at school the art department was where she felt most at home. Rochelle studied graphic design—and has worked for various design agencies as well as the gaming industry. It wasn’t until she took a break to raise a family, that she rediscovered picture books.
Combining her early passion for writing and her love of drawing, Rochelle now spends her time creating characters she would love to see represented in picture books, and dreaming up their stories. Rochelle is also the illustrator of the Cosmic Cadets series (OUP).