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Forty Titles in a Notes App
For years, Dr. Atlas Anne had more than 40 children's book ideas waiting in the Notes app on her phone.
She had the stories, the writing experience, and the publishing knowledge. As an author of books for adults, she already knew how to turn an idea into a finished book. But one challenge stood in her way: creating illustrations with characters that looked consistent across every page and throughout an entire series.
"Honestly? I didn't even bother trying to illustrate my children's books. I just had 40 book titles sitting in the Notes app on my phone with no way to bring them to life."
That changed when she discovered Neolemon. She finally had a way to illustrate the stories she'd been imagining for years.
Today, Atlas has created eight books with Neolemon, including seven published titles and a special birthday gift.
Meet Atlas
Dr. Atlas Anne is a trauma therapist, professor, and author who has dedicated her career to helping people become happier, healthier, and more fulfilled.
Atlas founded the Gravity Point Institute and began reaching people through books, educational programs, and her podcast.
But she also wanted to bring these life lessons to a younger audience. Inspired by her real-life adventures with her French Bulldog, Milo, she created The Adventures of Milo and Atlas, a children's book series that introduces meaningful lessons about life through the adventures of a puppy and his mom.
Why Children?
Atlas's adult books teach readers how to turn pain into purpose, stress into a superpower, and obstacles into opportunities.
She realized that these same life lessons could make a difference much earlier in life. That's what inspired her to create a children's book series based on real adventures. Through her stories, she hopes to teach children about self-regulation, self-worth, and their ability to shape their own lives.
"Storytelling, especially wrapped in an adorable character and a beautiful book, is a powerful way to make a lasting impression on a child's development."
For Atlas, this mission is personal. She wants to help children develop the emotional skills and confidence to navigate life's challenges, giving them valuable lessons they can carry into adulthood.
"This project matters to me because it brings otherwise complicated lessons about life to kids in a way that's digestible, understandable, and entertaining."
The Missing Piece
She wasn't starting from zero. She already knew the whole publishing process. The gap was narrower, and harder: characters that stay the same from book to book. Hiring an illustrator or learning graphic design skills didn't feel like real options.
A series is where that problem bites. The Milo on the first cover has to be the same Milo in the next book, and the one after that, or the kids reading them will notice.
Before choosing Neolemon, Atlas researched different options and experimented with AI image-generation tools, but struggled with character consistency. Neolemon was the first dedicated character design tool she tried, and she found no reason to look elsewhere.
Her first "aha" came as soon as she made her characters: a cartoon Atlas and a cartoon Milo that she could move from scene to scene without them changing.
"I can't say enough about how important consistency is, and you don't realize it until you jump on another AI platform and get five different variations of the same character or end up with your backgrounds looking drastically different across pages."
What Made the Difference
Having published books for adults, Atlas already understood the challenges of preparing illustrations for print. What she appreciated about Neolemon was how many of those steps were built directly into the platform.
"What I find most helpful is that Neolemon is built with the publication process in mind."
From creating consistent characters and building scenes to removing backgrounds and upscaling images for publishing, she could manage much of the illustration process in one place.
"I appreciate these things even more because I've published adult books elsewhere and have had to handle those steps on my own. Having it all in one place is huge."
A Story a Day
Atlas is clear that illustrating a children's book is still work. She encountered challenges along the way.
"There was certainly a learning curve, but I love that I could use my words to create a picture. … Honestly, creating the characters was the hardest part. Once they were done, the stories were easy to illustrate, because the consistency in style is built right into the platform."
Over time, Atlas developed her own creative process. She starts by creating her characters, then drafts the story while leaving room for the illustrations to influence how it unfolds. Rather than beginning with the first page, she often starts with the most complex scene, even if it's in the middle of the book. From there, she adapts the characters and backgrounds, gradually building the story in both directions.
With this process in place, illustrating has become much faster.
"I can usually illustrate a book in a day."
But what surprised Atlas most wasn't just how efficiently she could create. It was how much she enjoyed the process.
"I was surprised by how enjoyable and playful it is to bring Milo and my adventures to life."
The Adventures of Milo and Atlas
With her main characters established, Atlas now builds each book around a different setting, such as the ocean or the pet store. One of these adventures became Milo Visits the Ocean, a picture book for children ages 3 to 7 about a curious French Bulldog discovering marine life and learning why it's important to protect the ocean.
You can find The Adventures of Milo and Atlas at the Gravity Point Bookstore.
This whole journey has been a dream come true
Before creating The Adventures of Milo and Atlas, Atlas spent time exploring Neolemon by illustrating stories for her family. She turned bedtime stories, poems, and childhood memories into illustrated books, including a special book for her niece's first birthday.
Seeing her family’s reactions made those early projects especially meaningful.
"Watching the people I love open a book made just for them and having it bring tears to their eyes showed me what these stories could do. Having my dad say ‘you need to be writing’ was such a small moment, but it was also one of the most gratifying moments of my career."
Then came Milo and Atlas. After a year of keeping her story ideas in her phone, Atlas finally saw her characters come to life, looking like themselves.
"I felt proud, excited, and relieved all at once. Those titles had been sitting on my phone for over a year, and suddenly there was a picture on my screen that looked like the story in my head. … This whole journey has been a dream come true."
What Atlas's Story Shows
Atlas already had the experience, the stories, and the knowledge of how to publish books. What held her 40 story ideas back was finding a way to illustrate them while keeping her characters consistent throughout. Once she discovered Neolemon, she finally had the missing piece to bring her stories to life.
"Neolemon is so easy, and fun!"
Her advice to other aspiring authors:
"If you have a project sitting on your heart, Milo and I strongly encourage you to give Neolemon a try."
Ready to Start Your Own Story?
If you have stories waiting to be illustrated, Neolemon is a good place to begin. Create your characters once, keep them consistent across every book in your series, and start working through that list.
