Through personal experiences and heartfelt storytelling, Deborah Kelly explores family, resilience, and the healing power of art in The Mosaic, offering young readers a comforting perspective on parental separation.

What do you love about writing children’s books?

It is such a privilege to be able to communicate with kids all over the world through my stories — not only to entertain and inform them but also to reassure them; to help them feel seen and less alone. I love being immersed in writing a story — living and breathing a world and characters I have created for weeks or even months on end.

What inspired you to write The Mosaic and did any personal experiences contribute to the writing of this story?

The Mosaic came about through conversations I had with my own children after their father and I separated. One of them came home from school upset as somebody had used the term ‘broken home’ while referring to our family. This phrase is very damaging as it implies a separated family is somehow worth less than one wherein the parents are still together. But families come in all different shapes and sizes- there are single parent families, foster families, families with two mums or two dads or where kids are raised by extended family members. I explained to my kids that while our family had changed shape and would never be exactly how it was, all of the important pieces were still there, as was the love we had for both of the kids. I reassured them we would make something different but equally beautiful, and we did exactly that. 

The Mosaic is of course one story and cannot possibly represent every child’s experience of family separation.

What did you find surprising or challenging while writing this book?

While the experiences leading up to writing the story were challenging, the writing of it was quite cathartic and the story flowed quite easily. I did get emotional when I saw the first advance copy. But there was beauty in that sadness, because I knew that through our experience something had been created that could offer comfort, hope and inspiration to families in similar situations.

The Mosaic deals with some heavy themes with children of separated parents. What was it like to write on this topic?

I think it’s been cathartic for us all. The kids’ dad came to the launch of the book, which was a really healing moment for us all, too. 

I also wanted to highlight the importance of the arts in providing comfort and inspiration during times of difficulty —something we all experience but which isn’t always acknowledged. Throughout the Covid-19 lock downs many of us sought solace in books and movies but unfortunately creators took the hardest hit financially during those times.

What was it like to work with an illustrator on this book?

There’s a lot of trust placed in an illustrator and publisher — especially with a story like this. Nicky’s gentle, sensitive illustrations and beautiful characters complement the story perfectly. And the team at EK Books have designed and produced it with the utmost care.

Did you have any favourite scenes that you were most excited to see illustrated?

I was excited to see how Nicky would capture the gallery spaces, which to me are a source of inspiration but also a cool quite sanctuary from the rest of the world. I love how she has captured this feeling. I also love how every piece of art in the book is a unique artwork in itself — Nicky made an actual mosaic to represent the mosaic in the story. I especially like the bustling city scene on their way to the gallery and the soft, gentle pastel colours she has used throughout the book.

What do you hope readers will take away from The Mosaic?

I want kids to know that while parental separation can be really difficult for everyone in the family, there is life on the other side of it. Different doesn’t mean worse — in fact sometimes it can mean even better. I wanted to show parental separation it in a more positive light, normalising the fact that sometimes — often, in fact — families do change shape. 

I also wanted to show them how in times of difficulty we can look to the arts for comfort and inspiration.

Do you have any other projects in the works?

I have some chapter books for older readers due out in 2025 and beyond that a new junior fiction series.