Anita Mary

Anita Mary is the illustrator of Milly’s Message, which is proudly her first children’s book. Typically, Anita’s artwork shows her journey from darkness and bondage to light and freedom. As a wife, mother, artist, writer and overcomer, she portrays her heart through captivating paintings. For instance, Anita overcame sexual abuse, addiction, homelessness on the streets, prostitution, suicidality, and mental health issues. Consequently, she credits who she is to her life as a Spirit-filled Christ-loving hope bringer.

Anita believes that she is enabled and equipped with this beautiful gift so that she can share stories through her art. Moreover, she delights in helping others realise there is hope outside of worldly accolades and achievements. As a result, her work features in publications and exhibitions around New Zealand.

Anita lives in South Auckland, New Zealand. One of her endeavours is previously serving on the board of trustees for “Toi Ora Live Arts Trust”. Importantly, this award-winning art organisation provides innovation and leadership in the field of creativity in mental health recovery.

Pilchard, the illustrator’s beloved cat of 17 years, is portrayed in this children’s book. Subsequently, Pilchard is immortalised through Milly’s Message to be loved by many forever. 

When creating Milly’s Message, Anita envisioned a young boy named Max. To clarify, Max is the character of a boys’ version book to complement Milly’s Message. Above all, we know that young boys are most vulnerable to the messages of porn and will benefit from hearing this message from a little boy. Therefore, we hope to be able to bring this vision to reality in the future.

Milly’s Message is available in paperback or can be downloaded on Kindle.