- About the Authors -
- Trevor Hodsdon and Marzena Milowska -
Following a career in business centred around London, Trevor now spends his time writing and supporting the performing Arts. Marzena is a creative artist and filmmaker.
The character of Ed developed from an original idea of Marzena’s based upon her childhood experience as a taller child than most. Their collaboration sees Trevor providing the narrative complementing Marzena’s illustrations, ensuring readers of any age can take learning and positivity from Ed and his adventures. They hope Ed brings joy to his readers, showing that being different should be an opportunity for empowerment and the realisation of dreams that may not always be obvious to everybody.
- Reasons for writing the book -
Happenstance...
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Marzena was originally inspired, driven by bullying experiences in childhood to create a giraffe character with a longer neck than normal and different in his ways to other members of his pod. A condition she knew well. That giraffe became Ed, named after a boxing friend she knew, demonstrating that Ed had to develop a strong character able to deal with the adversity and prejudice in his life. Ed was originally intended for use on a postcard, but he deserved more!
Trevor had been writing for himself for a long while and following an introduction by a mutual friend, they synergised and decided to write an illustrated book. Marzena proposed it would be good if Ed, was able to demonstrate his search for and determination of his own identity, by escaping from the zoo. Trevor took this theme of personal empowerment and set it within a backcloth of his longstanding love for London and its’ most famous landmarks, creating a contemporary adventure story which operates at different interaction and learning levels for the reader. Both also wanted to provide excellent commercial opportunities for a publisher and thus longevity for Ed and his messaging.
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In fact Ed’s Great Escape is the first book in a trilogy which takes Ed and his audience through his growth into manhood. Marzena wants to share her unique art and encouragement for independence with readers and Trevor wants to share knowledge and wisdom in a contemporary style that is interesting, engaging and fun. Together they set out to create works that children and adults want to return to time and time again, either to just enjoy the narrative or the pictures or both. If it is both, then their reason for writing their Ed stories will be achieved with bells on…………
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