Author and artist June Eding offers practical advice on understanding and managing relationships with difficult people.

No matter how hard we try to steer clear, difficult people are everywhere — queueing at the supermarket, overseeing our work, or waiting to ask uncomfortable questions at a family gathering.

We can elude a grouchy neighbor by taking the stairs, but an irritable parent, partner, or boss is much harder to avoid.

June Eding is an author known for her children's books, biographies, and her animal-inspired brand, June Odina Designs.

In her 2009 book, How to Hug a Porcupine, Eding shares practical tips on how to communicate effectively with the difficult people – the porcupines – in our lives.