About the author
Always an avid reader, my love for writing started at a young age.
A library full of children’s classics was waiting for me before I was even born. Since learning to read before turning four, books have been my constant companions, and diving into adventures and fairy tales has become one of my favourite pastimes.Â
Even as a very young child, I started composing little poems myself, and my mom always wrote them down. Later, I “published” the first and only handcrafted issue of my fashion and lifestyle magazine. In the middle grade, I took on the roles of “copywriter” and “editor” for our after-school activity, “Class TV,” which my classmates and I put together as a hobby. It wasn’t in an actual video format. Instead, we performed it live as a stand-up comedy show.
Literature was one of my favourite subjects, and writing essays on literary works became my most enjoyable assignment. My teachers encouraged me to consider a career in journalism to apply my analytical and writing skills. At one point, I wrote a short novel, and my teacher was so impressed that she believed it had to be plagiarism. She was convinced I couldn’t have written it but copied it from some book. The version she could settle with was that a senior university student in literature or creative writing must have been the author. Although it was impossible to persuade her otherwise, I remember feeling most of all flattered, taking it as a compliment and being even more empowered.
After finishing school, I worked briefly as a news reporter at a TV channel. I then went on to study Romano-Germanic philology and world literature, which kept me close to languages and allowed me to explore literary masterpieces from all eras and genres on a deep level. This path kept me connected to the world of storytelling while leaving the door open for a potential career in journalism. During this time, I also entertained the idea of writing a book someday but struggled to find the right subject. I didn’t feel I had anything meaningful to share with the world yet.
Later, life became quite busy. I lived in different countries, welcomed my son into the world, got married, completed my degree in Mass Media and Communication Research at the University of Fribourg, and began building a career in online marketing. As a little hobby, I occasionally wrote essays and reflections on art inspired by visits to museums, galleries, and exhibitions.
About the book
One rainy autumn evening in 2018, I was sitting on the train returning home from work. As I watched Lake Zurich pass by, a little fox and his family suddenly came to mind. They appeared uninvited, but I felt an immediate connection and knew they wanted me to tell their story. Within minutes, their characters and a rough plot began to take shape. When I arrived home, I was certain I had a solid book idea and realised it would be the start of a trilogy. As I wrote the first book, the main elements of the next two also began to fall into place.
While most of the book was written relatively quickly, it took me years to finalise it. Life, family, work, COVID-19, and other global events, as well as a divorce, kept me away from the little fox and his family. Occasionally, I would open the file, work on it for a bit, and set it aside again for another day.
In the spring of 2024, I finally decided that the time was right to complete the book. With renewed dedication and determination, it took me only a short while to reach the point where I could confidently say it was finished. As I began preparing for the next steps, I realised I wanted to publish it in English and decided to translate it myself. This process took me a couple more months, and I found immense joy in it, learning so much along the way.
While working on the English version, which was eventually polished by a meticulous proofreader and editor, Ora, I was fortunate to find a talented illustrator, Olga, who brought the fox family and their world to life. It was an absolute delight for both Olga and me to see the book come together, and even during this intensive phase of preparation, the fox family remained a constant source of positivity and joy. Finally, with the help of a skilled book designer, Evgenija, the story of Ike the fox and his journey took shape and became a reality, ready to be shared with its audience.
I’m incredibly excited to share this story with young readers and their parents, and I hope the book will bring them as much cheerfulness, warmth, and comfort as it has brought to me.
The second book is already in progress. This time, it won’t take another five years to complete!
About the Illustrator
