It all started after I read the novel, Miss Potter. Of course I loved her artwork and stories about animals, but it was also her own passion for writing that inspired me. One day, which was about fourteen years ago, I decided that I too wanted to create stories for others to enjoy. I came up with a lot of ideas and wrote numerous different types of stories. But in the end Cleo’s Treasure Hunt gravitated towards me and I decided to publish that one.

Cleo’s Treasure Hunt is about animal friends and came into existence through having my own pets, namely a cat, a dog, and two rabbits. I love adventure and so put the two together to come up with a story that would be sweet, but adventurous at the same time, and would portray good character, such as loyalty, determination, courage, and not giving up.

To begin with I just wanted to create a good story, one that children would find exciting to read. I mean going on a treasure hunt is something all children can usually relate to and find exciting. But after the story was created I realized that there was something deeper in my story than just going on an adventure and displaying good character.

If you’ve read the story the treasure in the cave isn’t what Cleo and Pogo expected but in the end turns out to be the “real” treasure. I think that’s the way it is in our own lives. It’s not the material things in life that end up being our real treasure because those things in themselves can never bring happiness. It’s things that you can’t put a price tag on like relationships or kindness that are our real treasures. Cleo and her friends discovered something far more important than gold or silver. They discovered something that brought them together in a fun way and allowed the friends to help one another. By the way, Cleo is this overly confident cat that gets everyone in trouble, but her cleverness also finds a way out. Do you have any cats like that?