The exciting thing about doing art for someone else's story is how I can translate their world through pictures, and that's always a pretty big challenge.

I loved stories as a kid, both being read to me and enjoying on my own. All these stories inspired my imagination, and that's what I have always aimed at doing for my readers: ignite their imaginations.

Illustrations can be a big window: a looking glass into the author's imagination.

'The Wizard of Oz' and 'Alice in Wonderland' inspired me. I wanted to take those themes and try to bring it into a more 21st story with aliens.

When you hear the words 'magic' and 'story', they will probably evoke thoughts of your favourite fairy tales from childhood. Storybook pages abound with all manner of magic: fantastical fairies, wish-granting genies, or even a certain boy wizard.

The great thing about a short story is that it doesn't have to trawl through someone's whole life; it can come in glancingly from the side.