Jen Carney is the debut author/ illustrator of The Accidental Diary of B.U.G. - the first in a brand new series that introduces us to the hilarious world of Billie Upton Green. 

Jen wanted to write a laugh out loud, illustrated book that celebrated diverse, contemporary and slightly bonkers families.

Our early readers loved the book saying:

"I thought this book was hilarious, so many times I had to stop reading and go to see my mum to share with her what was making me laugh so much." Zukuto, aged 9

"I LOVED this book. It was so funny!" Booooook aged 10

"It made me laugh out loud… The book is all about making friends, misunderstandings and how any kind of family is normal." Sabrina, aged 7

If you love Tom Gates, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Jacqueline Wilson books or Dork Diaries, you'll love The Accidental Diary of B.U.G.

We invited author and illustrator Jen to tell us more about how (and why) she wrote the book - read on for her brilliant guest blog.

The only thing that’s ‘different’ about it is that my three children have two mums. 

So writer-me thought, if my son wants a funny, illustrated book that contains a two mum family, the least I can do is blimin’ well write him one.

So, drawing on:

*funny experiences from my own childhood

*my past job as a teacher

*things my children had said to me

*and my life as a mum

I began to draft the WORDS to a story that has since become The Accidental Diary of B.U.G.

I know that pretty much answers the question – the words came first, but allow me to expand…

Although I knew I had to include a family a bit like ours, writing something FUNNY that ALL children could relate to was of equal importance. 

Putting pen to paper and fingers to keyboard, I set to work drafting a funny, diary-style book with short chapters – all the things on my son’s wish list. I also included a bit of a mystery to solve, some interactive pages and a few game ideas as those are some of the things my daughter loves to find in books.

Once I’d compiled all my ideas into a story I was 100% happy with, I went back through the text and considered where might be good places to include a doodle, or a picture, or even to use a drawing to replace some of the words. 

So, yes, for me, the PICTURES came second.

Extra (and a bit exclusive) info for anyone still reading this blog post (well done btw):

I’ve now written three books in this series:

1. The Accidental Diary of B.U.G. (obvs)

2. BASICALLY FAMOUS which is coming out in August 2021.

3. And a third book due to be published in January 2022.

For each book, I have worked in exactly the same way: IDEA then WORDS then PICTURES.

Interesting fact about my illustrations: 

When I got a publisher (Puffin), I transitioned from pen and paper to digital art, so now I create my pictures (which are mostly just fun doodles tbh) electronically using a tablet. It’s a LOT easier when it comes to editing and re-drawing and sending my art to my page designer. 

Anyway, I really hope you enjoy reading The Accidental Diary of B.U.G.

If you’ve not made up your mind about whether it sounds like your cup of tea yet, here’s another page from the book to help you decide:

And, if you DO decide to give it a go, I have a challenge for you: see if you can figure out who the purse thief is before it’s revealed in Billie’s diary!

Thanks for having me!

Jen 😊

PS Further sneak peek pages coming up: