For as long as I can remember, my work has been all about capturing stories. Every pet portrait I paint isn’t just a picture of an animal — it’s a snapshot of a life, a bond, a personality, and a whole world of memories shared between that pet and the people who love them. When I sit down to paint, I’m always trying to do more than just copy what a photo shows me; I want to bring out the heart and soul of the animal, and tell a little bit of their story through every brushstroke. I never imagined, though, that one day those skills would lead me from painting portraits to writing and illustrating a whole book — and it all happened because of a special dog, a little girl’s wish, and a promise I made that took me six whole years to fully keep.
This is the story of how The Tale of Lady: The Rescue Pup came to be, how Lady herself inspired every single word and illustration, and what this whole journey means to me.
It all started, as so many of the best things do, with simply welcoming Lady into our lives. Lady is a rescue dog from Romania, and when she first came to us, she had already been through so much. She had a tough start in life, living on the streets before she was rescued, and like many dogs who travel such a long way to find safety, she carried that journey with her — in her shyness, in the way she looked at the world, and in the gentle, careful way she learned to trust again. But what struck me most about Lady, right from the very beginning, was her incredible spirit. Despite everything she had been through, she was full of love, full of joy, and full of such a kind nature that it melted our hearts completely.
As my daughter got to know Lady, love her, and watch her settle into our family, she became fascinated by her story and where she had come from. She wanted to understand everything about her journey, about what life was like for her before she was rescued, and about the amazing work that goes into helping dogs from places like Romania find their forever homes. She loved hearing me talk about it, and one day she turned to me and said she wanted a book about it — a story just like Lady’s, about rescuing a dog from Romania and bringing them home.
I started looking everywhere, searching online and in bookshops, trying to find exactly what she wanted — a children’s story that explained this kind of rescue journey, that showed where some of these dogs come from, and that celebrated the incredible lives they go on to have once they are safe and loved. But the more I looked, the more I realised something: there really wasn’t anything out there like it. There were lots of books about dogs, and lots about rescue in general, but almost nothing that told the specific, beautiful story of dogs coming from Romania, their long journey, and what that experience is really like.
My daughter was so disappointed that she couldn’t find the book she wanted to read. That was when I made her a promise — one that changed everything. I looked at her and said, “Don’t worry, I will write one for you. I will write Lady’s story.”
That promise is where it all began. I realised that this wasn’t just a story I wanted to tell — it was a story that needed to be told. Rescue dogs from Romania have such special, powerful journeys. They teach us so much about resilience, about patience, about love, and about how a second chance can change everything. Lady’s journey — from being a little stray pup with no home, to being rescued, travelling such a long way, and finally finding her way to us, becoming the happy, confident, loved girl she is today — felt like a story that wasn’t just hers, but one that could speak to so many people. It shows that no matter where you start, or what you have been through, you can find happiness, safety, and love. And most importantly, it was exactly the kind of story my daughter wanted to read, and one that I realised many other children and families would love too.
What I didn’t realise then, was just how long this journey would take. Writing this book was never something I could rush. Between being a single parent, running my art business, managing commissions, exhibitions, and everything else that life throws at me, the writing process alone took me five whole years.
For those five years, I was working on this story in every spare moment I had. It was written in the quiet hours after my daughter had gone to bed, during breaks between painting, and whenever I could find a moment to sit and think. I wanted every word to be right, every part of the story to be truthful, and every detail to honour Lady’s experience and the reality of rescue. It wasn’t just about putting words on a page; it was about getting the story exactly right, making sure it was sensitive, accurate, and truly reflected the message I wanted to share. There were times I wrote and rewrote whole sections, times I stepped away from it for a while, and times I came back to it with fresh eyes. It was a slow, careful labour of love, but every part of those five years mattered, because it meant that when the writing was finally finished, it was exactly the story I wanted to tell — and exactly the promise I had set out to keep.
Once the words were done, the next big stage began: the illustrations. This part took a full year of solid work, and in many ways, it was just as detailed and demanding as the writing.
Making the move from painting portraits to creating a whole book felt like a huge step. In some ways, it was a completely different kind of challenge to anything I had done before. When I paint a portrait, I am working on one single piece, one composition, one moment in time. For a book, I needed to think about a whole sequence of illustrations, how they flow from one to the next, how they tell the story visually, and how to match the artwork perfectly with the words I had spent so long crafting.
I didn’t just want to draw Lady; I wanted to capture her at every stage of her life. I needed to show her as a tiny, shy puppy living on the streets, the moment she was rescued, her long journey to the UK, and then show her growing, changing, and blossoming into the happy, cheeky, loving dog we know now. Just like with my portraits, I spent hours getting every detail right — the shape of her face, the colour and texture of her fur, her expressions, her little quirks, and the way she moves. I wanted every single illustration to look like Lady, and to show exactly what she is like, inside and out.
Because I know how important details are, I put the same care and attention into these illustrations as I do with every commission. I worked from photos and from memory, adding in all the little things that make her unique — the way she tilts her head when she listens, the way her tail wags when she’s happy, and the little moments that make her, her. And just like when I’m working on a painting, Lady was right there beside me the whole time. She sat next to me while I drew, she kept me company while I worked, and she was my constant inspiration and my little quality control officer — always ready to give her approval, usually by resting her head on my hand or falling asleep right on top of my work!
That whole year of illustrating meant late nights, just like there are with my artwork. Days when I was busy being mum, running the business, and managing everything else, so I would work on the book through the night, painting and creating while the house was quiet. There were moments when I wondered if I would ever finish it, moments of doubt, and moments where it felt like a huge amount of work. But every time I looked at Lady, or thought about my daughter and the promise I had made five years earlier, I knew it was worth it.
When I finally finished everything — after five years of writing and one whole year of illustrating — and held the first copy of The Tale of Lady: The Rescue Pup in my hands, it was one of the proudest moments of my life. Six years of work, dedication, love, and patience had all led to this point. It wasn’t just a book to me. It was the result of everything I love doing — creating art, telling stories, and sharing the special connection we have with our pets. It was different to a painting, because it told the whole story, not just one moment, but it came from exactly the same place: love, care, and a desire to capture what matters most.
For me, this book means so much more than just another project. It is a tribute to Lady, and everything she has brought into our lives — love, joy, comfort, and so much happiness. It is a promise kept to my daughter, answering her wish for a story she wanted to read. And it is a way for me to share the message that rescue dogs — especially those who travel so far to find us — are special, that every dog deserves a home, and that the bond between us and our pets is one of the most beautiful things in the world.
It has shown me that my work can grow and change, but always stays true to what it is about: telling stories through art. I started out painting portraits of beloved pets, and now I have written and illustrated a whole book about one very special rescue dog from Romania — a book that took six years of my life to create, and every single second was worth it.
I hope when you read The Tale of Lady, you can feel all the love, time, and care that went into every page — just like you can in every painting I create. And I hope it reminds you, as Lady reminds me every single day, of just how wonderful life is with a rescue dog by your side. 🐾📖
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