Bernadette Kelleher

The Adventures of Picky and Betty Bernadette Kelleher

My journey in writing this book started around twelve years ago. The characters, Picky and Betty, were inspired by my brother Tommy, who passed away at the age of seven from a heart condition. Tommy would talk about his two imaginary friends Picky and Betty. The story came from the idea that children have a very active imagination.

After writing the story, the book literally sat on a shelf for a number of years. Knowing that the illustrations would bring the story to life, I knew I was not talented enough to do it. I struggled with who I wanted to ask to do the illustrations. The characters and the story had such a personal meaning to me. I was looking for someone special to work with.

During these years, I lost both of my parents. For a while, I lost a little bit of myself. About a year after my dad passed, my mom, who had passed more than five years before him, came to me in a dream. I knew she was trying to tell me something, but I could not understand what she was saying to me. Suddenly, I woke up. Startled, I said out loud, "Lily can illustrate my book." I knew then that that is what she was trying to tell me. The next morning, I contacted Lily's mom, and she agreed without hesitation.

The words were written, and now it was time for Lily to illustrate those words. I had always imagined what Picky and Betty looked like. I talked to Lily about it and had her sketch the characters. Although they were nothing like I imagined, Picky and Betty came to life.