Love, drawn together

Jodi Rodgers didn’t plan to write a book, and Kelvin Wong wasn’t trying to illustrate one. But what began as a way to stay in touch, sharing a few scenes and sketches, slowly grew into something bigger.

Six years later, their quiet collaboration has become Let’s Meet, a graphic novel for anyone learning how to date, especially neurodivergent readers taking their first steps into love.

Released this month, the book is warm, honest and visually engaging. It follows two characters, Harry and Lucy, who each find one half of a dating guide at the local library. As they piece it together, they learn how to meet people, navigate first dates, handle rejection and build healthy relationships.

The project began after Rodgers, a relationship expert and qualified sexologist based in Lennox Head, met Wong during filming for the first season of Love on the Spectrum, the popular Australian series later picked up by Netflix.

“Kelvin was really interested in dating and wanted to meet someone, so we just started working on it together,” Rodgers said. “We weren’t thinking of it as a book. It was more about staying connected and doing something creative. I love writing, and he loves drawing.”

Working remotely from Lennox and Sydney, Rodgers would write scenes and email them to Wong, who would respond with illustrations. They never set a deadline, and never aimed for publication. The collaboration grew at its own pace.

“We got 17 chapters in before we even thought about whether anyone else might want to read it,” Rodgers said.

The characters emerged unexpectedly.

“We didn’t start with those characters,” she said. “One day Kelvin sent me these beautiful drawings of two people he’d imagined. I said, wouldn’t it be cool if they were the ones who found the book?”

From there, the narrative and tone found shape. Let’s Meet uses mostly illustrations and simple, direct language. The goal, Rodgers said, was clarity and inclusivity.

“I work every day with people who need information delivered clearly,” she said.

“We wanted this to feel safe, empowering and readable for anyone, especially those with literacy challenges or who think more visually.”

One of her favourite parts of the process came from seeing how Wong interpreted her ideas.

“I wrote something about feeling tongue-tied, and Kelvin drew someone with their tongue in a knot,” she said, laughing. “It was perfect. It reminded me how easily metaphor or flowery language can miss the mark for literal thinkers.”

Rodgers has worked with neurodivergent people for more than 30 years and now runs a private counselling practice in Lennox Head. She said the project made her reflect on how often the strengths of disabled people are missed or misunderstood.

“Kelvin is an amazing illustrator, but I think that’s been missed at times because of his diagnosis,” she said. “It really made me think about how we focus too much on what people can’t do, rather than on their talents.”

Wong described the collaboration as joyful and long-running.

“We enjoyed working on it for six years,” he said.

“Let’s Meet will be the first educational graphic novel about relationships and dating. I hope it helps readers understand how to build good relationships, or even friendships. But relationships don’t come easy.”

The book covers topics including consent, social cues and personal boundaries. Rodgers said these are often underexplained in conventional dating advice, despite being essential.

“For many autistic people, things like tone of voice or facial expressions might not be clear signals,” she said. “So we tried to write about consent in a very straightforward way. These are difficult concepts, but they need to be understood.”

While Let’s Meet began as a resource for Wong’s community, its reach has widened.

“We originally wrote it for Kelvin’s community, but we’ve had interest from all kinds of people,” Rodgers said. “It’s a great resource for anyone starting to date. There’s useful stuff in there for teens, people in their twenties, even older readers.”

She and Wong have stayed close since they first met more than five years ago, and she said their creative friendship has been one of the most rewarding parts of the journey.

“We were lucky to meet through the show, but the real privilege has been everything we’ve built since then,” she said.

As for what’s next?

“I’d like to write a story about a tomboy schoolgirl who teams up with her boyfriend to work together as a superhero duo,” Wong said.