Hello! My name is Zoë, I'm a Canadian author/illustrator and picture book maker.
I like to draw the joyful chaos of childhood, as well as chickens, robots, dragons, and sundry nonsense. My favourite materials to use are dip pen and ink, watercolour, gouache, and coloured pencil. I also love using Procreate to make digital illustrations.
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My first picture book, Jamais trop tôt pour Arnaud (with a delightful text by Liliane Boucher) is shortlisted for the Ontario Library Association's Prix Peuplier, and is a finalist for the Prix intercollégial de littérature jeunesse. I have many more books on the way, and I can't wait to share them with you.
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I live in Oka, Québec, and I have close ties with Montréal (lived for ages), Kingston, Ontario (went to university), and Hay Bay, Ontario (grew up, with chickens).
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For inquiries related to illustration and publishing, please contact Charlotte Wenger at Prospect Agency: charlotte [at] prospectagency [dot] com
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For school visits, or any other inquiry (including fan mail!), contact me directly:
zoevsrobots [at] gmail [dot] com
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Bonjour! Je m'appelle Zoë, je suis auteure/illustratrice Canadienne. J'adore dessiner le chaos joyeux d'enfance, ainsi que des poules, des robots, des dragons, et toutes sortes d'autres choses. Mes matériaux préférés sont la plume et l'encre, l'aquarelle, la gouache et les crayons de couleur. J'aime aussi utiliser Procreate pour faire des dessins numériques.
Mon premier album jeunesse, Jamais trop tôt pour Arnaud (avec un texte adorable de Liliane Boucher) a été sélectionné pour le Prix Peuplier de l'Association des bibliothèques de l'Ontario et est finaliste pour le Prix intercollégial de littérature jeunesse. J'ai plusieurs autres livres en préparation et j'ai hâte de les partager avec vous.
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J'habite à Oka, QC, et j'ai des liens étroits avec Montréal (ou j'ai vécu plusieurs années), Kingston, ON (ou j'ai fait mes études), et Hay Bay, ON (ou j'ai grandi, avec des poules).
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Pour enquêtes concernant l'illustration ou l'édition, veuillez contacter Charlotte Wenger à Prospect Agency: charlotte [at] prospectagency [dot] com
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Pour les visites dans les écoles, ou toute autre demande (y compris le fan mail!), envoyez-moi un courriel directement: zoevsrobots [at] gmail [dot] com
The long version..
I have always been a person who likes to make things, make-make-make all the time. I hardly ever stop. When I was a small person, I liked to draw funny cartoons. I was one of those kids whose school books were always covered in doodles. I also loved to make music. I took piano lessons and guitar lessons and saxophone lessons, and I belted out Disney ballads on the long walk from the bus stop to my door. (Note: I still do this.)
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As I got older, I began to take my creative pursuits more seriously. I played saxophone in an R&B wedding / party band on the weekends, and learned that I love performing. I got a Bachelor's of Music degree from Queen's University in Kingston in classical saxophone of all things, and I learned a lot about the importance of practice. I found my puzzle-piece person (haaaai Julien!) and we moved to Montreal to live in a city with a vibrant musical scene. I got another degree in classical saxophone, which some might argue is too many, but I learned a lot about creative collaboration and seeing things through.
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Then I started writing songs, and my world opened up even further. Julien became my producer, editor and co-writer and we started making albums together. We learned how to put on shows and how to book tours, plan and execute recordings and run Kickstarter campaigns. From 2011 to 2015, our project was called Zoë & the Lost Boys and it was the most amazing experience. We released two albums, Joints (Muscles, Seams) in 2011 and Love Lives Here in 2013. I remain incredibly proud of these recordings, and you can listen to them here.
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In 2016, I had my first daughter (KT) and it was like stepping into the Technicolor land of Oz! What a thrill! Motherhood has taught me too many things to list here, and it certainly altered my creative course. I started a webcomic about parenting and existential angst called Zoë vs Death which you can read here. I've gone through several hiatuses (hiati?) with ZvD, but I enjoy coming back to it whenever I can. Some people have told me it's their favourite thing of all the things I do. Much of my work is for kids, but ZvD is not for kids. It is bleak, and sometimes the jokes are about printers, and sometimes there are swears. Proceed with caution.
I also relaunched my singer / songwriter project as a solo artist in 2016. I played dozens of shows on my own, which was nerve-wracking but liberating! Julien continued to play a pivotal role as my producer, record-making guy, co-parent, and partner. In 2017, we released an EP of my solo material called The Quiet Years, and it's so good! Go listen to it right now!
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Since 2019, my life has been a succession of Major Stuff all happening in and around each other. I had another baby (VKY) and she's a delightful little party bear and KT's best friend. Covid-19 hit while I was on maternity leave with an 8-month-old and a 3-year-old and my hands were too full to hold a guitar, so I started writing poetry. Like... a lot of poetry. I started drawing again, because I could do this quietly in our small apartment after the kids went to sleep. Then I hit my head on a wall and my life ground to a halt to deal with the mild traumatic brain injury that ensued. At the time of writing, I'm still dealing with persistent concussion symptoms, and it's just a part of my life now. I am very lucky to be almost fully recovered.
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As my concussion improved, I wrote more and more poetry and drew more and more pictures. I started putting my illustrations on Instagram and sending my poetry out to magazines. I received many, many rejections. I moved to Oka, QC (come for the cheese, stay for the trees!) which was a huge change of pace from Plateau Mont-Royal and balm for my dryad soul.
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In 2023, I created the illustrations for my first picture book! With a delightful text by Liliane Boucher, and published by Bayard Jeunesse, Jamais trop tôt pour Arnaud hit bookstores in February 2024. I learned so much from this project, and it cemented my desire to make picture books for kids. Making this book truly changed my life, and opened the door for me to build a career in children's publishing, which is really starting to feel like my home. In late 2024, I learned that Arnaud was nominated for the OLA's Forest of Reading program's Prix peuplier! And it is also a finalist for the Prix intercollégial de littérature jeunesse. So cool! At the time of writing, I'm still waiting to find out what happens. Wish me luck!
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These days I am a very busy bee, working on more books! And when I'm not working on books, I draw in my sketchbook, play music, write songs, take online classes, raise my kids, never clean my house, walk in the woods, blow bubbles, bake cookies, and look out the window whenever I can. I am always at play, even when I'm working. Maybe especially when I'm working.
In exploring my art and writing, I hope you find something that makes you smile! Thanks for visiting <3