I was inspired to write Camille the Curious Cat, A Cosmological Adventure by a lifelong fascination with the universe that started in primary school. Our class would visit Stardome Observatory and Planetarium, and I remember sitting under the dome, watching stars and galaxies swirl above me, feeling both very small and strangely hopeful. That sense of wonder never really left.

As I grew older and studied physics in high school, that curiosity deepened. I became enamoured with the works of Brian Greene and his efforts to make complex ideas accessible to everyone. Through physics, I began to see a kind of quiet beauty in understanding the world as a physicist does, how math and theory can illuminate everything from falling apples to the birth of the cosmos.

I was also acutely aware that I’d been lucky: as a child, I had shelves of books and educational resources within reach. Not everyone does. Writing and publishing this book, then placing it into libraries and schools, became my way of helping more children access that same sense of wonder. It’s part of a bigger mission to democratise STEM education.

On a more personal level, Camille grew out of a darker period of my life. I went through an intense phase of meaninglessness and existential doubt. I found my way out by turning toward the very questions that scared me, about why the universe exists at all, and what our place in it might be. Cosmology, and physics as a whole, became a lifeline: a way to search for meaning through understanding.

I’ve always been fascinated by the idea of alternate universes and time travel, so I knew storytelling—and especially a time machine—could turn these big, abstract questions into an adventure a child could follow. That’s how Camille ended up travelling back to the Big Bang itself: her journey mirrors my own attempt to step closer to the origins of everything, and to invite young readers to come along.