A writer before she could even write, children’s book author Marianne Cooper would draw pictures as a child and record her stories on a portable recorder. She was hooked and aspired to pen children’s books ever since. 

Marianne gets her book ideas from everyday life, her children, and even her pets. Her current picture book, The Runaway, is a precious book that gently addresses the sometimes-hopeless feeling of anxiety and was inspired by a child who experiences this. She hopes her young readers will come away from her book understanding that anxiety comes in all shapes and forms and can happen to people of all ages.

Marianne believes a good picture book is one that captures the reader’s attention from the very beginning, and whose storytelling is visually supported by its illustrations. She wants to impart a lesson that, while running away from problems is never the answer, discussion and imagining them a different way can help. She hopes her words make a difference to children and that her illustrations bring them joy.

When she’s not writing and illustrating thought-provoking picture books for children, Marianne enjoys reading, painting, and hanging out with her husband and four children. She lives with her family and two dogs, three cats, two guinea pigs and a handful of hermit crabs, in Virginia. The Runaway is her debut children’s book.