Starstruck, or Quarantine Chic?

I guess you could say we're a little bit star struck over here. 

It might be because my author-illustrator debut THE STARKEEPER 

is almost out into the world, 

and everything is upside down, 

and everybody's stuck at home. 

Or maybe it's just because I love creating and celebrating. 

So, we made star pillows! 

Up-cycled out of what we already had, a velvety shirt, a funky velour,  60s chenille.  

They might look a little bit like starfish, but shh! We won't tell them that. 

They are very proud to be here and keep the books and kitties company. 

We also painted shoes...

with stars, of course!

Viva quarantine creativity! 

1 Month to Pub Day!

Almost here! 

As much as it is a tricky thing 

to have a book born in the middle of a pandemic 

when we are all stretched thin and gatherings and book conventions are off, 

it also feels very much that THE STARKEEPER is meant to be born in this dark time.

My wish for this book is that it will bring light and hope, 

and spark more of the same in the readers who meet it. 

June 9, friends! 

Also available for preorder at your local indie booksellers- 

or via Penguin Random House website, 

or at bookshop.org

Guess what we did to celebrate?

That's right. 

When your book birthday is a month away, 

it's a great time to paint some shoes

with stars!

HOW TO MAKE A PICTURE BOOK DUMMY

On perfection

Advice from my incredibly insightful agent Molly O'Neill. 

So, this is how we dance with perfectionism and fear - 

jump in and do the best we can do - 

today. 

Because we can only ever be as good 

as we can be in this moment. 

And that is enough.

I'm off for a few weeks to finish my deadline, 

blinders on, hopefully, 

nose to the grindstone, 

remembering not to stick my paintbrush in my coffee cup.

If I can, I'll check in briefly 

about this thrilling picture book process. 

Fingers crossed, etc! : )

Here’s to the best you make today, lovies! 

Merry Makers

Meet Bea and Jules. 

They are after-hours friends

who popped up in my night sketches. 

They really want to make Christmas special this year, 

but Bea's mom has a new job

and Jules' gran had surgery, 

so it's up to the kids to get the snowball rolling.

I'm going to follow them around for a few weeks

on a sort of illustrated journey

as they try to bring home 

a little bit of Christmas 

every day until it arrives. 

In other news, I am working devotedly on final sketches for THE STARKEEPER,
my picture book with Random House books
which comes out in 2020.
Here's a peek at my sketch process:

Oops. 

That's not progress. 

That's my new office assistant, Luna, testing paintbrushes.

There we go.
I've been building a village with blocks so I can create my imaginary village
in the book.

I want to know the bones of my world so that they hold together when I change my point of view.
I will share more about the blocks and village and the sketches in awhile.

Meanwhile, I think Bea and Jules will be stopping in again soon
with more and merrier.

Merry! Merry!

Let Sleeping Bears Lie, and Sneak Peeks

It's not exactly sleeping bears, -not much sleeping at all, really, 

but I am discovering that the road to illustrating picture books  

involves much burrowing away in caves.

A bit like hibernating. 

The good news is that sometimes 

when writers and illustrators hibernate, 

they have magical news to share.

I am a sucker for fairy tales. 

In 7th grade, I won a poetry contest. 

With my prize - a gift certificate to a local bookstore -

I bought two of the largest collections of fairy tales I could find. 

I devoured those books. I breathed in those stories

and longed to make my own. 

And now my life has come full circle. 

I'm thrilled to tell you that I get to illustrate Lynn Parrish Sutton's story

ONCE UPON A TIMELY

with Kane Miller books. 

What magic!

A huge thanks to Molly O'Neill and Root Literary for helping make this happen. 

Thanks to all of my friends and mentors who have encouraged me along the way.

And thank you to the bookstore, the poetry contest, the teachers 

who coaxed me to read and write and make art... 

Where would we be without the very special magic of having someone believe in us?

Here are a few sneak peeks...