As a lover of rhyme, rhythm and reason, Katie Mullaly continues to share her passion for teaching, creating greater awareness and living a conscious life through the tools and resources she has created for Inner Atlas.

Katie is the creator, author, and owner of Inner Atlas and the Lands as well as the publisher for the books. It is through these fantastical places that she gets to share her messages and inspirations with readers everywhere. She is passionate about making a positive impact. With the brilliant Toby Allen creating the visual representations of her vision, these Lands, and her creativity and messages are continually being pushed to the next level.

“Inner Atlas (which started out as the highly-acclaimed Land of… Children’s Books series) came about from years of soul-searching, seeking my purpose and wanting to create something meaningful that incorporated my passion for mindful living,” says Katie. “This series allows me to find new sources of creativity that I didn’t know I had. It also allows me to share my experiences of trying to be a better human with my readers.

“It is so great to offer new ways of learning important life lessons, perfect for all ages, with these fun, beautiful Lands. Although these are ‘children’s books,’ I am writing them for everyone. We all need to be reminded of these skills and ideas, plus who doesn’t love the Yabbut.”

Katie has a BS in Science Communication and an MS in Professional Master of Science and Technology, both from the University of Utah, along with a “PhD” in striving to be a better human. She will be working on her dissertation on being a conscious, caring person for the rest of her life, and looks forward to sharing that work with anyone who will read her books.

Katie is the owner of Faceted Press (the publishing company for the Inner Atlas series) and Surrogate Press, offering book layout and design, and publishing services. She has taught classes teaching others how to self-publish their own children’s books and published a book on the same topic. She is continually working on, or at least thinking about other projects. Find out more at FacetedPress.com and SurrogatePress.com.

Contact Katie at katie@yourinneratlas.com or call 01-435-513-0444.

Illustrator Toby Allen’s whole life has been about drawing and he’s had a pen in his hand since he can remember. With a zest for the fantastic and an ability to create worlds no one has ever seen, he brings new life to children’s books.

As the illustrator, and creative director, Toby helps craft the worlds and characters that you see in the Inner Atlas. Working hand in hand with Katie, he offers ideas, support and motivation in a visual format to help create the unique representation of each Land’s theme. This collaboration results in the fantastic characters and lands you now see.

“It’s a joy to help create these unique worlds and fill them full of interesting and sometimes bizarre characters,” says Toby. “Character and concept design is my passion and thankfully each book calls for a lot of that. I have loads of creative freedom in how I interpret Katie’s words and it feels great to work on projects with such positive and helpful messages. And working with Katie is a big part of the fun.”

Toby believes these books are important for readers young and old. They help remind us about the simple things we often forget; little things that can make for a friendlier and more hospitable community. He knows that these lands can also help on a personal level, building confidence and self-awareness. Plus, with Toby’s illustrations, they are also beautiful to look at and a joy to read!

Toby holds a BA Honors Degree in Illustration from Plymouth College of Art located in Plymouth, England. He has pursued a creative education since high school, with that pen always in hand. Since he has started working professionally, he always takes the opportunity to learn a new skill along the way.

Other works by Toby include “Real Monsters,” his physical representations of mental illnesses aimed at educating and reducing stigma surrounding mental health issues. He also illustrated Charlie’s Choices, a children’s book that aids selectively mute children and their parents. Find out more at Toby’s website: zestydoesthings.com.

With an outstanding ear for what sounds good and makes sense, Michael Rago is happy to bring his passion for words and talent for story construction to Inner Atlas.

As the series’ editor, Michael is a filtering influence, working closely with Katie in refining her vision. Katie begins with a broad theme and starts writing and Michael helps her zero in, set precise boundaries around her message and stay focused on it. He helps her build and support the narrative arc of each story, sometimes contributing specific language or elements of plot. And finally, Michael “polices” the text for clarity and consistency all the while acting as a grounding force for Katie, reminding her of the importance of these stories and encouraging her to take these Lands in new directions.

“My involvement in the series allows me – requires me, really – to flex new creative muscles and think about things in ways I haven’t before,” says Michael. “It’s like playing a game with a new set of rules: it forces you to find new ways to move around the playing field and reach the goal.

“I can still remember the books that were important to me as a child. They gave me a set of symbols I could keep in my memory, and then whenever I was in need of a way to understand the world around me, I could refer back to them as a sort of key or legend. The Inner Atlas books will do that for a lot of kids – shape their imaginations and inform their worldview with positive messages.” It is these positive messages that keeps Michael striving to help create these important books.

Faceted Press is a small, boutique publishing house dedicated to bringing fun, mindful, useful new books to readers of all ages. It was started by author Katie Mullaly to ensure that the Inner Atlas and Land of… Children’s Books series remained true to her vision and intention of the books, while retaining control of the stories, illustrations, and future products and licensing.

In addition, Faceted Press publishes exclusively, all of Katie Mullaly’s work that includes snowflake coloring books, a self-publishing guide, along with other helpful resources.

To help other authors become published, Faceted Press created the publishing imprint, and new company, Surrogate Press LLC, to provide a wide array of publishing services.

Faceted Press^® and Surrogate Press^® are trademarks of Faceted Works LLC.