Interview with Maura Pierlot!
It’s such a pleasure and honour to welcome back the incredible and multi-talented, Maura Pierlot, who is an international award-winning author of books in various genres. Today, and over the next few months, we are thrilled to be a part of her launch for her latest picture book; Clutterbugs, a vibrant, thought-provoking and playful story about the gifts of friendship, giving and being sustainably mindful. Piled up with the joys of rhyme, action and energetic illustrations (Maya Bora), we can’t wait to get stuck into the mountain of literary and creative goodness that awaits!
Congratulations, Maura! 🙂
About the Author
Maura Pierlot is an international award-winning children’s book author, playwright and filmmaker who creates on Ngunnawal / Ngambri country (Canberra). Her writing explores existential themes, prompting vital conversations about identity, mental wellbeing and the complexities of the human experience.
Tackling youth mental health themes, Maura’s acclaimed play, Fragments, is now an award-winning web series, supported by the ACT Government, a feature-length anthology film and a hybrid young adult novella. Maura’s upcoming releases include two picture books, Clutterbugs (Big Ideas Press, 2025) and Our Family Zoo (Scholastic Australia, 2026) and a YA novel, The Lies We Tell Ourselves (Big Ideas Press, 2025).
Maura enjoys writing creative non-fiction for children. Alphabetter – A Better You and Me, from A to Z (Affirm Press, February 2024), presents fun, relatable scenarios that encourage children to explore positive character traits and values. What Will You Make Today? (Storytorch Press, June 2023) empowers young readers to make a difference in the world. Maura’s first picture book, The Trouble in Tune Town, won the 2018 ACT Writing and Publishing Awards and several overseas honours.
Please find Maura Pierlot at her website: https://maurapierlot.com/ and on Instagram and Facebook.
About the Illustrator
Maya Bora was born in Bodrum, one of the most beautiful places in Turkey. She grew up painting tons of paintings with her family in a house full of art. Although she worked in ballet for many years, the “family profession” prevailed. Nowadays, she works as a freelance illustrator for various publishers. At the same time, she works on animation and game projects… Maya shares the same house with their two cats (Kömış and Cevo). They are her helpers and inspirations.
Please find Maya Bora on Instagram, Facebook and Behance.
Clutterbugs is available for pre-order purchase through Big Ideas Press and The Book Cow.
Congratulations on the upcoming release of your beautiful new picture book, Clutterbugs!
Following your previous picture book about ethics and values – Alphabetter – A Better You and Me, from A to Z, you are tapping into another important aspect of society with Clutterbugs, a story about waste reduction and being sustainably mindful. When planning your picture books, are you particularly conscious about writing on lifestyle and environmental topics? What was your main inspiration for this book?
Thanks, Romi! The issues I write about usually reveal themselves throughout the process rather than announce themselves at the starting point. In a sense, my (creative) writing leans into instinct rather than reason; what I write about, and why, is more dance than decision. It’s as if the story, even in its infancy, has a life of its own, nudging me intuitively in a direction, with clarity emerging over time as thoughts and ideas take shape. There’s often a reason why we’re drawn to specific issues, whether it’s a personal experience, an emotion or a truth we want to explore. Our subconscious at work!
My writing aims to make the implicit explicit, ask questions, provoke thoughts and reflections, deepen understanding and spark conversations. In recent years, my writing energy and interests have been quietly germinating in the personal growth/development space, focusing on health and wellbeing, nature and the environment, and ethics and values. The starting position for Clutterbugs was the belief that we have too much stuff. In fact, the early working title was Steff’s Stuff, and the story was a nuanced take on rampant consumerism. Then, the notion of clutterbugs came to me. Once I had these cute creatures in mind, the rhyme flowed, as did the story progression.
Please tell us a bit about your considerate character, Steff, and what she learns from her ‘clutterbugs’ encounter.
Steff is a major mess-maker. Her room is so full of stuff that she can’t see the carpet, let alone the door. Not surprisingly, she can’t find the gift for her friend’s birthday party that day. Enter the clutterbugs – fuzzy, furry creatures attracted to mess, who thrive on helping others to use, store and dispose of their belongings thoughtfully and responsibly. This quirky, fun adventure helps Steff learn personal responsibility (for her belongings and space) and collective responsibility to care for and respect the environment. Along the way, Steff considers what she wants versus what she needs, how sustainability involves mindful choices, and how items no longer in use can be given a new lease on life through repurposing. Without giving the story away, Steff also learns the true spirit of gift-giving alongside Pierre, whose learning journey has unbelievable results.
What was your favourite part of writing this book?
I have a love-hate relationship with rhyme. I don’t set out to write in rhyme, but some ideas (particularly those involving wordplay) announce themselves in a melodic, rhythmic nature. The rhyme shouldn’t lead the story but is one of many tools to amplify the story and reading experience. I enjoy the creative challenge of crafting rhyme, not just making words on the last line sing but building a strong story arc that showcases the rhyme.
Writing rhyme is easy; writing good rhyme is not. There can be days or weeks when a rhyming line or stanza is (literally) keeping me up at night. But there is profound satisfaction – and relief – when the penny finally drops, and I know that the rhyme and story work.
Besides sustainability, you’ve also incorporated other valuable themes throughout your story, like friendship, responsibility and gift-giving. What is the main takeaway message you’d like readers to gain from Clutterbugs?
There is much to ponder in Clutterbugs, but the main takeaways are: there are personal and societal benefits to living sustainably; we focus on what we need more than what we want; we should use, store and dispose of our items thoughtfully and responsibly; how we live today has an impact on how we live tomorrow; and handmade gifts not only embody the true spirit of gift-giving but are good for the environment.
Your illustrator, Maya Bora, has done a brilliant job of animating the adorable clutterbugs and bringing energy and vibrancy to the ‘mess’ with her bright, bold colours. What do you love most about her work, and what was the collaboration like between you?
As you said, the energy and vibrancy of Maya’s work stand out, and that’s what initially grabbed me. I chose Maya from a list of exceptional illustrators on Tadaa’s website. (Tadaa, run by Ozan and Anil Tortop, was the booksmith for this project, coordinating the preproduction process up to the delivery of print-ready files.) I’m sure the illustration process wasn’t easy – there’s a lot of action on each spread, the clutterbugs had to be endearing but right for the job, there had to be a sense of chaos transitioning to order, and the palette had to be bold but not overwhelming. Many people may not realise this in the first reading, but a lot is going on with the busy-ness of each page, from Steff’s lost item to Pierre’s antics. It was a delicate balance and Maya rose to the challenge! Ozan was the point of contact for both of us (Maya and I didn’t liaise directly). From what I’ve heard and seen, she worked tirelessly behind the scenes, was open to feedback and ideas, had an excellent eye for detail and wanted to make this book the best it could be, and that shows!
Who do you relate most to – Steff or the clutterbugs? Is your work space generally chaotic or tidy?
I’ve been a clutterbug all my life. I like being surrounded by things that hold memories. Perhaps that’s how I ground myself, which may be tied up somehow with expat life. I don’t hold on to things that serve no purpose, and I’m not a fan of major mess. How I’ve survived in a house of far right-brained, very messy people is beyond me 😉 But I much prefer organised chaos to the minimalism in vogue. Many homes seem to prioritise décor over comfort and connection – unforgiveable carpet and furniture (usually white), many breakables but no photos or mementoes on show. I’ll take my tchotchkes any day, though lately, I’ve felt an overwhelming desire to streamline, starting with my workspace, which I liken to a combo meal: substantial and satisfying, a bit messy around the edges but heaps of flavour.
I embrace the philosophy espoused in Clutterbugs. I’ve been a bargain hunter, op-shopper, repurposer and donors of goods and services all my life. How we live, both in Canberra and our farm at Jamberoo, is all about sustainability, from permaculture practices, to the timber, avocados and walnuts we produce, to our energy sources, to how we eat, to what we buy and so forth. There’s always room for improvement, but that’s my way of walking the walk. And I suppose sharing these thoughts as a creative pursuit is an extension of this.
Anything else you’d like to share about yourself or Clutterbugs?
I’d love to see young people and their families take this book to heart and incorporate it into their daily lives. Someone may organise a family or classroom decluttering challenge, focusing on a specific area and identifying what can be recycled, repurposed and donated. A creative repurposing project would be fun, using items from around the house or classroom. A book (or clothing, or toy, swap), where kids can exchange what they no longer need, could giving new life to items placed in the hands of others. Perhaps a class could write the Clutterbugs sequel as part of a writing workshop – where do the clutterbugs go next?
Thank you, Maura, for sharing how your adorable clutterbugs came into being! We’d love to see what they do next! 🙂
Thanks so much for the opportunity, Romi. It’s lovely to chat with you, as always!
Likewise! x
Join in the fun antics with Maura Pierlot and her animated Clutterbugs, sharing a mountain of goodness with readers across the blogosphere!
#thequicksixinterview #clutterbugs #sustainability #giftgiving #friendship #picturebook #justkidslit
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