A couple of years back, I finished writing a story, The Homemade Home. It’s about an unfortunate child called Barnaby, who struggles to grow up in a world mostly populated by cruel, greedy and insensitive adults. It’s definitely a sombre tale in places but its peppered with triumphs for our young protagonist along the way. He’s certainly resourceful, even if life isn’t always kind to him.
At the time of writing, I hoped Barnaby’s story might encourage young readers to feel empathy for their peers from emotionally unsupportive environments. It’s not a didactic story, but that idea was in the back of my mind, or maybe in my gut, as I wrote.
The Homemade Home book project had been lying dormant because it needed illustrations. First drafts from the brilliant artist/illustrator—Aubrey Roemer—were scheduled for early 2020, but in case you’ve been in hibernation, 2020 got off to an unexpectedly rocky start all over the planet, and so the project was put on hold.
One morning last week, however, I woke to a “gestural, loose drawing with graphite and charcoal with India ink washes” in my Inbox. It’s a first draft, but both the striking style and the fact that the illustration for this book is now underway make me want to share this first step in the visual journey of this work-in-progress.
The Homemade Home written by Patrick Gilmour and illustrated by Aubrey Roemer will be available some time in the coming year. In the meantime, I look forward to posting more details of the book’s progress here.