A while back, Kayla and I answered some questions from our friends about how our debut novel, ‘What Can We Be?’ came to life. Things have been a little crazy since then, but as a big ol’ thank you to everyone who read and enjoyed our book, here are some of our answers!

RYAN: I sure do. Too many in fact. Every experience in life usually ends with me jotting down a note about what a great book it would make. But this idea was different. I was playing with my daughter, pretending to be superheroes, and had a real lightbulb moment. And it wasn’t just, “I wanna write about this moment.” It was — “I wanna connect with other dads who must be having moments like this too.”

KAYLA: The thing that stood out about Ryan’s story was that it, and he, had a huge heart. He loves his kids and wanted to create something that celebrated the time they spend together, but was also a super fun adventure that anyone could enjoy. Having similar memories with my Dad I could relate to the story, and his words made my imagination run wild with illustration ideas. It was an easy yes from me!

RYAN: My daughter, Kiara, has A LOT of dress up stuff. I imagine this is the case for a lot of dads out there, but she really does have the resources to dress up as anything. Superheroes, astronauts, fairies, mermaids. You name it, she’s got it. Whether its store-bought or tied together with string and cardboard, she has an outfit for every occasion. But it was her that taught me how just dressing the part wasn’t enough. You also had to really BELIEVE you were a superhero, if the game was going to work. That’s where I got the idea of reality versus imagination.

KAYLA: A lot of the illustrations are based on my own childhood imaginary adventures. My Dad would bring cardboard boxes home from work and I’d turn them into cars, spaceships, restaurants — you name it! He also used to fold pirate hats out of newspaper and we’d wear them while pretend-fishing off the bed (aka the swashbuckling pirate ship). I loved playing dress ups as a kid, so there’s no scenario in this book that I haven’t tried and tested.

RYAN: I AM NEVER HAPPY WITH ANY OF THE RHYMES! Really though, I don’t know if this is the case for every author but for me it takes forever. I’ve never written rhymes before this book. So I didn’t even have a technique really. When I first began, I was googling for words that rhymed with something I had just ended a sentence with. I very quickly realised that does not work AT ALL. And instead started creating alternate versions of each line, then just letting it play around in my head for a few hours. I’d do some other work, play with the kids, talk to the wife then BOOM. 3 hours later. The perfect rhyme shows up in my head. Ideas and solutions tend to hit me when I’m not thinking about them.

KAYLA: Depends on the page! From initial concept to finished drawing could take anywhere from 5 to 10 hours, but illustrating a book is a hugely collaborative effort, so in addition to my drawing time there was a lot of back and forth between Ryan and I. Every sketch, scribble, colour or idea was sent halfway across the world to get the tick of approval from both of us. All up it took us a few months to get all the illustrations just right.

KAYLA: I drink A LOT of tea while I draw (yes, even during our scorching Australian summer), but if I’m in the zone I usually forget about it and end up drinking it cold. In terms of what I listen to and watch, I go through phases. For What Can We Be? I listened to an absurd number of Disney soundtracks and got weirdly obsessed with the UK cooking show Come Dine With Me. Now every time I read the book I hear the Pirates of the Caribbean theme in my head and imagine hosting the ultimate dinner party to win £1,000.

RYAN: When it comes to drink I’m actually really boring. I literally only drink water. When someone asks me to go for a coffee they get a mad at me because I just sit and stare at them while they drink. I usually listen to songs from soundtracks when I work. It could be a movie or video game soundtrack. For this book, the Moana soundtrack had more or less taken over my life anyway. So if you sing, “How Far I’ll Go,” while you read the book, you’re pretty much living in my head. If the TV is on when I’m working it HAS to be something I’ve seen 1000 times already. That means re-runs of Buffy the Vampire Slayer ALL DAY LONG.

KAYLA: I hope it encourages kids to dream big and let their imagination run free, and reminds some of us adults to have a play once in a while! Most of all, I just hope it spreads some smiles.

RYAN: I want people to read this book and have exactly 1 of 2 reactions. For the parent or child to either say “this is just like the games we play” or “we should totally try this out!” This project is about spreading fun, imagination and love. And you can’t measure that, you can only feel it. And hope that others do too.

Kayla is the dream creative partner. So you can rest assured we’re not done yet. Watch this space. And don’t forget, if you place an order on Kayla’s website before the end of the month, 100% of your cash will go towards Aussie Bushfire Relief!

Thanks for reading everyone!