Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to H.s.i. Merillat. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, H.s.i. thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

My book, The Legend of the Blue Moon Butterfly was written as a response to the grief process of losing my granddaughter who passed away shortly after birth, due to a rare and fatal skeletal dysplasia. We had held the hope that she would be a miracle, listening to her strong heartbeat and watching her grow. Each ultrasound was a wish and a prayer.
Ultimately, she was unable to survive for more than a brief hour, but we poured all of our love into her while we could. I read her Agapé Doo and the Extra Big Heart and Frogilly Digilly Doo.
She lived a precious existence.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I began writing whimsical poems when my grandchildren were born. I thought, “Wouldn’t it be cool if I could read them the poems and have illustrations that engage them in the visuals of the verse?”

After working with the themes, I eventually had a collection of watercolor paintings to go with each poem. This, of course, led to the next step, which was publication!

Thus, my writing and illustrating career was launched! Haha, I make it sound so simple!

I have managed to write, illustrate and publish three children’s books and have begun to take commissions to illustrate for other writers.

Right now, my countdown book Frogilly Digilly Doo!, Agape Doo and the Extra Big Heart and The Legend of the Blue Moon Butterfly are published works, and I am working on three more projects for release in 2025.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

When I began writing, my main goal was creating an ode, or a call back to the nostalgia of childhood. 2020 was a pivot point for many of us and I was not unaffected by the gravity of what we were all experiencing on a global scale. I had just lost my father to cancer the year before and had made an interstate move. I had not ever considered becoming a children’s author!
Yet, when my first grandchild was born, I couldn’t help but hope that she would know the joys of just being a child, for as long as possible. Images flooded into my mind, and I wrote The Dreamery Day, a poem about letting the imagination rule the day. My Dreamery Series were written to invoke that feeling of nostalgia for grownups and spur kids to discover new ways to use their imaginations!

But the thing that became important to me was letting kids know that they mattered. I believe that we are all created to be unique just as much as we are meant to come together. I want kids to be comfortable and confident in their own skin. I love the phrase, “there’s nobody you’er than you!” because it speaks to having your own special DNA. As a late-diagnosed neuro-divergent and the mother of a son on the spectrum as well, I understand that feeling of being a little different. I have embraced my differences, and I want to inspire those children who are struggling with their own feelings of being different. Agape Doo was my first attempt at creating a character who had to learn to deal with something that made him different. In the book, the idea of being born unique is my subtle hint that we have to embrace those unusual things and turn them into something awesome.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

There is nothing more gratifying than seeing someone respond with joy to something that I have created. I began my writing journey with the idea that I wanted to share my whimsical daydreams with my grandkids, but I also wanted to share them with everyone.

When I create a story or a painting, I am trying to capture a feeling–an experience. Creativity can’t exist in a vacuum. It is meant to be shared. I hope that my art creates snapshots of magical times for the reader. Some of my favorite memories from my own childhood are characters and illustrations in the books that I loved to read.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://WhimDreamery.com
• Instagram: @thewhimdreamery
• Facebook: Whim Dreamery Books
• Youtube: @WhimDreameryBooks