About The Author

I’m Julienne Durber, the author and illustrator of Maxwell Mason. Most of you don’t really want to know where I was born, which schools and colleges I attended or how big my family is, so here is just a brief history of relevant events (if you want to know more about the creation of Maxwell, scroll down to the next paragraph.) After Uni (U.C.E. Birmingham, England) I worked for 10 years running the graphic design department for a large wine and spirits importers in the Midlands. Looking for a new challenge I moved into the freelance world, focussing on photography and website design.

In between projects I completed illustration courses at The London Art College, and was awarded Student of the Year 2007.

Through contacts made there I joined the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. In addition to my freelance work I am currently involved in several Children’s book proposals as either writer or illustrator (and sometimes both) of which Maxwell Mason is one. I also sing and play guitar in a band and exhibit my paintings.

The birth of Maxwell Mason

In January 2007, crammed to the gills with Christmas cheer, I began wondering how the technologically savvy children of today see Father Christmas. From this initial thought came a short story about a very inquisitive boy, Maxwell Mason, who wrote to Father Christmas to ask how it all worked. With the help and advice of my friends at the SCBWI, this story has become a full-blown novel about Maxwell’s adventures meeting Father Christmas and the benefits and pitfalls of his inquisitive nature. You can read the first chapter here.

With this site I am broadening the character of Maxwell. You can learn more about his personality by reading his Diary, see him in action in Animated Gifs which are free to download for non-commercial use, have Maxwell on your computer with the Desktop Wallpaper Downloads (also free) and read all about his ingenious Gadgets and long-suffering Family.

If you would like to know more about Maxwell or me please email me with questions or join the Maxwell Mason Mailing List. You can also visit the Links Page to see my other sites and those belonging to organisations with which I am involved.