Meet The Author - Krystal Wade
Meet The Author - Krystal Wade
My name is Krystal Wade and I have two published children’s books!
a little bit about me...
I live in my ‘forever home’ in Hillside, VIC, Australia, that we moved into early January 2025! I’ve lived most of my life in the Western Suburbs, except for when I was born. My dad used to travel and work in the mine, so I was born in Kalgoorlie, WA!
I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood and Primary Education in 2015, and I have been teaching ever since. Before becoming a teacher, I worked a few different part-time jobs, regular babysitting, Officeworks, Red Rooster, and then as a swim teacher at Paul Sadler Swimland- where I met my now husband, Matt, who is also the illustrator of my first book; Mabel’s Magical Meal.
I became a first-time mum in 2023, with my son Patrick. I am now about to welcome my second baby in May 2026. I have a very supportive husband, Matt, and a very cute and cuddly groodle named Lilo. I used to have a pet cat, Stitch (who features in Finding Toby’s Smile) who passed away after 18 amazing years!
the books i brought to life...
I have been fortunate to self-publish two books, so far.
I wrote Mabel’s Magical Meal in 2024 to support my son in his growing interest in food, colours and pointing to items he saw wanting to know their name. I wrote Finding Toby’s Smile in 2025 because of my 10+ years’ experience teaching in primary schools. Seeing first hand the effect big feelings can have on little minds and bodies.
I self-published both my books. I did a lot of research and joined many groups to be able to successfully publish the books on my own. It was hard and many times I was learning new things on the fly. My husband supported me a great deal, not only being my illustrator for the first book but also creating my entire website platform. I ended up doing lots of research on illustrator styles and quotes, and ended up changing my illustrator for Finding Toby’s Smile after getting in contact with Queensland based illustrator, Janet Turner, who nailed my design brief in every way!
The most challenging part, funny enough, wasn’t the writing part, it has been the marketing! I have two great books that focus on two very different things, to two very different age groups, but I struggled to get it reaching further than my circle of friends. To further my knowledge and experience in marketing my books, I joined Laura Feldman’s Marketing 101 Program. This course has joined me with a wonderful author community and has guided me in the right direction to get my book seen across Australia.
I've had a few rewarding experiences on this journey;
My children having a book that was written by their Mum and illustrated by their Dad.
Having 3 Business’ come on board to support the production of Finding Toby’s Smile- donating over 30 books to low socio-economic primary schools across Australia.
Having my first ever stockist in 2026 order 16 copies!
This journey has been a mix of bravery, self-doubt, inspiration and persistence. But I am so glad I have taken the leap to find a passion that I’m invested in. I’d love for my books to continue to reach children, families and schools, as the messages of healthy eating (Mabel’s Magical Meal) and the importance of supporting children who mask, internalise feelings and experience emotional overwhelm (Finding Toby’s Smile).
You can find me on:
Instagram: @wrentales.publishing
Facebook: Wren Tales Publishing
