The Adventures of Picky and Betty

About the Book

My journey in writing this book started around twelve years ago. The characters, Picky and Betty, were inspired by my brother Tommy, who passed away at the age of seven from a heart condition. Tommy would talk about his two imaginary friends Picky and Betty. The story came from the idea that children have a very active imagination. After writing the story, the book literally sat on a shelf for a number of years. Knowing that the illustrations would bring the story to life, I knew I was not talented enough to do it. I struggled with who I wanted to ask to do the illustrations. The characters and the story had such a personal meaning to me. I was looking for someone special to work with. During these years, I lost both of my parents. For a while, I lost a little bit of myself. About a year after my dad passed, my mom, who had passed more than five years before him, came to me in a dream. I knew she was trying to tell me something, but I could not understand what she was saying to me. Suddenly, I woke up. Startled, I said out loud, “Lily can illustrate my book.” I knew then that that is what she was trying to tell me. The next morning, I contacted Lily’s mom, and she agreed without hesitation. The words were written, and now it was time for Lily to illustrate those words. I had always imagined what Picky and Betty looked like. I talked to Lily about it and had her sketch the characters. Although they were nothing like I imagined, Picky and Betty came to life.

About the Author

About the Author I grew up in Boston where I met my husband of 27 years, Peter. We moved to Taunton shortly after getting married and had two amazing sons, Tommy and James. I started working I the Taunton Public School system seventeen years ago. For the past eight years, I have worked with students on the Autism Spectrum. In this job, I have been fortunate enough to have met incredible kids, some with amazing talents. Lily is one of those students! Her creativity is an inspiration to everyone she meets. About the Illustrator I am 11 years old and I live in Taunton. I am on the Autism Spectrum. I like to be creative and I love all areas of art, especially drawing. I also like to sing, swim, play the flute in the school band, and spend time with my family. I am on the honor roll at school. I am excited and honored to have had the opportunity to illustrate this book for Mrs. Kelleher.