Solve-It Mysteries are my take on one of my childhood favourites — the puzzle adventure series published by Usborne. These books were a mix of comics, puzzles and fascinating adventures that challenged the imagination and sparked a lifelong interest in analytics and problem-solving in me. I have tried to do something similar in my own series, with puzzles to solve, codes to crack and riddles to unravel.

The main protagonists are two teenage cousins, Josh and Lyla, who are loosely based on my son Josh and his real-life cousin, Lyla. Throughout the course of each book, the cousins solve a series of puzzles in order to ultimately unravel the mystery. These books are written as interactive mysteries, where the reader is also invited to solve the puzzles along the way. Each double-page spread includes a puzzle to solve before the story continues. The puzzles are a mix of logical challenges to solve, visual clues to spot, ciphers to decode, and more. They range from easy to difficult, with additional hints available, as well as the solutions at the end of each book.

Illustrations play a vital role in the series, with visual clues key to solving some of the puzzles. The books are also part comic, which helps to bring the story to life by visualising the action. The illustration section has more details on the process of creating the artwork.

The final step in creating a book is publishing, and here I chose to go with Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing. With no idea how successful (or not) the series would be, I chose this route to minimise costs while maximising the potential reach of my books. You can find more details about the publishing process in the publishing section.

I have now finished writing the fifth title in the series. Writing and illustrating a book is not an easy task, and the process has given me a much greater appreciation for the many books that have entertained and informed me over the years. I am more grateful now than ever that we have talented authors and illustrators who enrich our lives — and, in a small way, I hope that I have been able to do the same.

You can find both the physical and electronic versions of the books available for purchase on Amazon.