Jodie Troughton

Jodie has always had a vivid imagination. When she was a wee girl, she had an imaginary friend called, Wolfie. Wolfie was a great friend ... They'd swim together, play jungle-kids together (it involved lots of tree climbing and making of leafy potions), they'd even steal the dog biscuits and gobble them up while hiding in the garage (yes, admittedly that one was a bit strange). However, one unfortunate afternoon, Wolfie misbehaved, and Jodie was forced to discipline him. When her big sister came out to find her in floods of tears, she asked, What's wrong, Joe? Continuing to blubber, Jodie managed to relay what had happened and how terribly naughty Wolfie had been. Are you crying because you are sad then? her sister wondered. No, Jodie responded. I'm crying because Wolfie can't cry, so I have to do it for him! ​This anecdote perfectly sums up Jodie's personality - half in the real world, half in a make-believe land. However, her unique attributes have been the catalyst to many creative endeavours over her thirty-eight-year lifetime. So far, she's been a dancer; dance teacher; cake baker; wedding invitation designer; worked in a few other roles that she doesn't care to list; and now she is an author (by far the most exciting of all). Sometimes, on those very rare occasions, an odd-ball can hit the sweet spot where the facets of a lifetime of experience come together to make a perfect thing. The Zaahli-Shloom series is that perfect thing for Jodie - as she says ... I think everyone should channel their inner odd-ball, you never know what you might discover!