New book by Jemima Hunter

The Leopard and the Lemon Meringue Pie, self-published through Cesca Chapters, is the new book from Jemima Hunter, 26, from Midhurst.

Priced hardback £12.99 paperback £9.99, it is available from Waterstones, Amazon and www.theleopardandthelemonmeringuepie.com.

Jemima explained: “I’ve always been fascinated by leopards, and lemon meringue pie has always been my favourite dessert! Although it might seem like an unusual combination to most people, somehow the two came together and gave me the initial idea for The Leopard and the Lemon Meringue Pie.

“Baking was also a huge part of my childhood. At one point I was literally baking almost a cake a night, genuinely not an exaggeration, and my childhood dream was to open a pâtisserie in France so perhaps it was inevitable that baking would eventually find its way into one of my stories!

“But aside from these light-hearted inspirations, there’s also something much more personal and meaningful behind the book. Growing up, some of my closest friends experienced the loss of a parent, and I remember feeling that there weren't many children's books that touched on that experience without making it the entire focus of the story. I wanted to acknowledge it, but for the book to ultimately be about love, memories, friendship and carrying on the things that someone special has taught you.

“For Lofty, that connection comes through baking. His mother taught him to bake, and when he decides to make her favourite lemon meringue pie, he's continuing something they shared together. I love the idea that the people who shape our lives stay with us through the things they teach us, the traditions we carry on and the memories we have of them. For Lofty, making the pie is a way of celebrating his mum and then sharing something she gave him with all his friends.

“The story is also about having the confidence to be yourself. The other animals think a leopard ought to hunt whereas Lofty would much rather bake. Then there is Croc, who everyone assumes must be terrifying simply because she's a crocodile. I wanted those ideas to be there without the story ever feeling as though it's trying to teach children a lesson. First and foremost, I really wanted it to be an enjoyable adventure for all readers, no matter their age.

“I grew up loving authors such as Roald Dahl, Julia Donaldson, Katharine Holabird and Judith Kerr. Julia Donaldson's rhyming stories particularly stayed with me. I can still remember some of the rhymes years later, and I loved how rhymes made stories stick in my head. I also adored Angelina Ballerina. I was fascinated by the illustrations and all the tiny details. I remember things like little envelopes you could actually open to find an invitation to a ball. Details like that made a book feel incredibly special to me as a child.

“So when I started creating my own book, I wanted to bring together all those happy memories especially, rhyme you remember, characters you can identify with, illustrations full of personality and little details that make the book feel special.

“That's also why I wanted to include the lemon meringue pie recipe. I love the idea that the story doesn't necessarily have to end on the last page. Families can actually make Lofty's pie together and perhaps years later making a lemon meringue pie might bring back memories of the book they used to read together.

“I originally started The Leopard and the Lemon Meringue Pie as a hobby alongside my journalism work, but I became completely absorbed in it. It almost felt as though the story came to life as I was writing it. The more I developed it, the more I could see the characters and their personalities, and before long I was designing and illustrating the whole world around them too.”