HOW SOFIE LAGUNA AND HER ARTIST HUSBAND TURNED 'A MESS OF DRAWINGS' INTO A BOOK
Award-winning author Sofie Laguna and her illustrator husband Marc McBride have created their first graphic novel together, and the way it came about is wonderfully relatable.
It all started, as McBride cheerfully told ABC News, with "a mess of drawings, really".
The result is Blunderbore, the Melbourne couple's fresh and slightly spooky take on the classic fairytale Jack and the Beanstalk, published by Penguin.
Meet The Creative Couple
If their names sound familiar, there is good reason.
Sofie Laguna, 58, won the Miles Franklin Literary Award in 2015 for her moving novel The Eye of the Sheep, and she writes for both adults and children.
Marc McBride, 54, is a prolific illustrator with more than 200 book covers to his name.
Many readers will know his artwork from the Deltora Quest series, which has sold more than 18 million copies and is a fixture on family bookshelves.
For years, though, the pair worked largely apart, despite sharing a home and a creative life.
How Lockdown Brought Sofie Laguna And Marc Together
Like so many families, their routines changed during Melbourne's long COVID lockdowns.
With fewer options and more time at home, they began working side by side and discovered they genuinely enjoyed it.
They had already teamed up on a few children's picture books, but this project was far more ambitious.
As Laguna put it, the pair "bounce off each other really well".
From Sketches To Story
McBride began by drawing familiar scenes from the old tale: Jack scrambling up the beanstalk, creeping into the giant's castle and stealing the golden goose.
Laguna then took that pile of pictures and shaped it into a proper story, bringing structure, pacing and new ideas.
Along the way, McBride's sketches added a clever twist.
In the final frame, a young girl is shown drawing the action, hinting that the whole adventure may have sprung from her imagination.
That girl became Gemma, a young artist who stands at the centre of the book alongside her Aunt Lucy and a group of animals imprisoned by the giant.
A True Family Effort
Making Blunderbore was a huge undertaking.
McBride created more than 1,000 detailed black-and-white illustrations, often working late into the night with a mix of digital tools, 3D models and airbrushed paintings.
Laguna admits she underestimated just how much work it would be.
The couple's youngest son, Milo, modelled for the character of Jack, while friends were photographed to help bring Aunt Lucy and the castle servants to life.
They are honest that deadlines brought a few tense moments, yet they describe the project as largely harmonious, which any couple who has assembled flat-pack furniture together will admire.
Why Imagination Matters
For Laguna, Aunt Lucy represents the grown-ups who nurture a child's imagination, and she believes children are the true heroes of this story.
McBride, who regularly visits schools to talk about creativity, says every problem has a solution, but warns that losing creativity means losing everything.
It is a timely message for parents and grandparents juggling busy lives and screen time.
Bring A Little Creativity Home
You do not need a Miles Franklin or a publishing deal to enjoy what Sofie Laguna and Marc McBride have discovered.
Try a family storytelling night, where one person draws a quick scene and another invents what happens next.
Keep a shared sketchbook on the kitchen table, or retell a favourite fairytale with a brand new hero.
Children love seeing grown-ups play, and you might be surprised by what you create together.
Blunderbore is published by Penguin and would make a beautiful gift for young readers who love adventure with a touch of mystery.
And if the story of this couple proves anything, it is that a messy start can lead somewhere truly special.
