Kelly Lee reflects on the limitless possibilities in writing and desire to see embrace every single day in her debut picture book Nobody Likes Monday.

What do you love about writing?

I love writing for two reasons. The first is that you have limitless possibilities when writing. Literally anything could happen when writing stories and it's something that I truly love. The other reason is due to me being a teacher, as writing allows me to sneak in learning concepts in a fun and creative way.

Nobody Likes Monday is your debut picture book. What inspired you to write it?

I was scrolling social media and saw a post along the lines of 'I don't want to go to work tomorrow. I hate Monday! I wish it was the weekend every day!' and thought 'Wow, poor Monday! It would be horrible to be Monday, because nobody likes Monday.' Then I thought, hang on, I think there's a story there!

Did you have any personal experiences that contributed to this book?

I used my three children and my nephew's names as the names on the letters Monday receives. It was such a special moment to see their faces light up when they realised their names were in the story.

What was your writing process for this book?

After writing the story draft, I shared it with my critique group for feedback. Then I revised and revised, to make it the best version possible.

Were there any things that surprised you about the editing and publishing process?

I was surprised by how long the process takes. It took 2 years from signing the contract, to the book being released.

What was the biggest hurdle in writing Nobody Likes Monday?

The biggest hurdle was being brave enough to share my writing with others. I actually didn't think I was very good at writing stories when I was growing up. However, when writing stories with my students, they always enjoyed them. It took a lot of courage to share my writing, but I'm so thankful I did.

What do you hope your readers will take away from Nobody Likes Monday?

I hope children will learn to embrace what is special about themselves and embrace the possibilities in every day.

What was it like to work with an illustrator on this story? Were there particular images or experiences that you were excited to see?

Being my first book, it was such a special experience seeing my words brought to life by the amazing Amy Calautti. It has been such a delight to see Amy bring my ideas to life.

Do you have any other projects in the works?

I had our third child not long after signing the contract for Nobody Likes Monday, so I took some time off on maternity leave and have just been getting back into it recently. Hopefully I'll have some more exciting book news soon!