Interview with Illustrator Nadja Sarell

Happy Thursday Critters! Today we have an interview with the immensely talented Nadja Sarell! Her newest board book, EAT UP, BEAR!, written by Terry Pierce, came out earlier this month with Yosemite Conservancy. As a longtime freelance illustrator, I’m thrilled to have her with us today to share her experiences and advice.

So without further ado, please welcome Nadja Sarell!

Where do you live?

I live in Helsinki, Finland.

How many years have you been in publishing?

About 15 years, on and off.

How did you first get published?

I had shown my portfolio to an editor in a publishing house I knew well during my illustration studies. Soon after my graduation I received my first commission from her—a book with black and white illustrations.

Do you illustrate full-time?

Yes, I work as a full-time freelance illustrator for children's books and educational publishing.

What inspires you to create picture books?

I'm inspired by characters—who they are, how they feel, where they live. For me, illustrating a picture book is like creating a play on stage, maybe because I was a dancer before changing into children's book illustration. I love the stage, but I prefer to be the one hiding behind the scenes!

What surprised you the most working as an illustrator?

How the world is full of excellent authors and illustrators! I feel humbled to be able to fit in among them all. 

What is your favorite thing about being an illustrator?

I love to work with books that the children will read again and again with their families, in schools and so on. It's the child reader that is the most important thing for me. The whole experience of a time spent together reading and looking at pictures, and the child learning to read both text and visual narrative.

What do you find difficult working as an illustrator?

Sometimes it's hard to make the ends meet, if you only work for children's publishing. I think a lot of illustrators need to do other jobs like teaching, running online shop, graphic design, etc.

What do you do to shake the rust off or get new ideas?

I look for inspiration from outside my studio. 

Anything you are habitual about when it comes to creativity?

I need to get started in the morning!

Can you share a positive experience you’ve had in the Kid Lit community?

We have a great association for illustrators in Finland and it's such a big help to be able to get support from fellow children's book illustrators close to home. I'm also a part of a small virtual support group of five designers/illustrators from around the world.

What has been the highlight of your career thus far?

Probably signing up with my illustration agent Astound and being able to receive commissions outside Finland, from clients like Yosemite Conservancy! This board book was really special and one of my highlights, definitely.

What is something you wish someone had told you when you first started illustrating?

Don't expect anyone to come and knock on your door. This advice was for the days before social media. It has changed the game completely, especially for visual artists.

Can you tell us about your newest book?

This spring brings several published books for me, always very exciting. "Eat Up, Bear!" by Terry Pierce is a book where I had an opportunity to try a new technique and I really enjoyed it. We don't have black bears in Scandinavia, but you can come across a brown bear in the forest. This is why the children are taught to make some noise, so the bears know to avoid people. I did a lot of research for the board book, because it had to be informative and accurate as well as sweet and colorful. I love the research part!

Interior art from EAT UP, BEAR! written by Terry Pierce, illustrated by Nadja Sarell

Interior art from EAT UP, BEAR! written by Terry Pierce, illustrated by Nadja Sarell

Interior art from EAT UP, BEAR! written by Terry Pierce, illustrated by Nadja Sarell

Interior art from EAT UP, BEAR! written by Terry Pierce, illustrated by Nadja Sarell

What’s up next for you?

I'm working on two picture books at the moment, one for an indie publisher in the US, and one for a Finnish publisher. They are both based on real life main characters, so it's a whole new experience again. Then there will be some chapter books and a story book for the educational market. So it is quite a hectic time of the year!

Anything else you’d like to share with aspiring authors and illustrators?

You can always ask advice from your colleagues, especially when it comes to contracts, pricing, and other non-illustration things that are an important part of this job. And you're never ready as an illustrator, there is always room to grow! And don't work for exposure only, something that newcomers are often asked to do.

And last, but not least, favorite 80s movie?

Star Wars: Return of the Jedi.

---

Huge thank you to Nadja for stopping by Critter Lit today! Congrats on EAT UP, BEAR! We can’t wait to see what you come out with next!

---

NADJA SARELL is an illustrator living in Helsinki, Finland. She graduated with MA in Dance from Theatre Academy Helsinki. Soon after that she moved to a small town in North Wales to study children's book illustration. She graduated from North Wales School of Art and Design with BA in Illustration for Children’s Publishing in 2004. 

Since then, she has worked as a freelance illustrator for children's publishing in Finland and abroad. Her clients include Hachette, HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, and Yosemite Conservancy. She loves to teach art, illustration and dance for both children and adults. 

If Nadja was an animal, she would be a cat living in an old mansion with a large fireplace and a comfy sofa. Her favourite things are music, dancing, black coffee, and chocolate. 

FOR MORE INFORMATION about Nadja or her books, visit her website or follow her on Instagram.

ORDER THIS BOOK To order a copy of EAT UP, BEAR! click here.

WIN A COPY! Want to win a copy of EAT UP, BEAR!? Leave a COMMENT below or RETWEET this post on Twitter. One lucky winner will be announced on Thursday, April 22nd! US addresses only please.

Interview with Author/Illustrator Matthew Cordell

Happy Thursday Critters! Today we have an interview with extremely talented, Caldecott medalist, author and illustrator Matthew Cordell! His newest illustrated book, FOLLOW THAT FROG, written by Philip C. Stead, came out early this year and is the third book in their picture book trilogy featuring Sadie and and her Aunt Josephine. It has received starred reviews from both Booklist and The Bulletin for the Center for Children’s Books, and is a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection. FOLLOW THAT FROG is a must have for your library. I’m a huge fan of Matthew’s work and I’m thrilled to have him stop by Critter Lit today!

So without further ado, please welcome Matthew Cordell!

Where do you live?

I live in the far northern suburbs of Chicago. A little town called Gurnee.

How many years have you been in publishing?

My very first publishing gig was a middle grade novel called The Gorillas of Gill Park by Amy Gordon. That came out in 2003 from Holiday House so... (takes out calculator) 18 years!

How did you first get published?

My wife, author Julie Halpern, and I were submitting a picture book proposal around to a number of publishers in 2001-2002. One publisher, Holiday House, asked me if I would be interested, instead, in illustrating a middle grade novel. Of course, I jumped at the chance. It was a terrific first project to get my feet wet as an illustrator. Incidentally, the picture book Julie and I were hoping to get published, Toby and the Snowflakes, happily found a home with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (simply called Houghton Mifflin at the time) and was published in 2004.

Do you write/illustrate full-time?

Yes. I worked as an illustrator nights and weekends for 7 years until I made the leap to go full-time in 2007.

What inspires you to create picture books?

I love the audience. Children are tremendously inspiring to me. They are bursting with hope, potential, beauty, and brilliance. Everything is new to them and they are open to new experiences. And they are open and honest about their feelings. It's exciting to create art in this space. I'm a big picture book fan. I love the storytelling dance between words and pictures. Picture books are immensely challenging to make. To create a book that speaks to both a child and an adult is quite the task. When it works, it's absolute magic!

What surprised you the most working as an author/illustrator?

Up until I met Julie and she suggested the idea of making a children's book together, It had never occurred to me. I'd been an artist in different ways all my life, but I hadn't thought about children's books since I, myself, was a child. I didn't have children in my life at the time. Honestly, initially, it didn't sound very appealing. But Julie won me over by showing me lots of lots of picture books. Her childhood favorites as well as contemporary successes. I was blown away by how incredible picture books could be. I'd completely forgotten! Once I started working with publishers, and sharing books with children, it was all so tremendously inspiring. I loved it. I love it. So... what surprised me the most about working as an author/illustrator? All of it.

What is your favorite thing about being an author/illustrator?

I think it's a tie. Being able to draw everyday for my job. And getting to hang out with kids all the time for my job.

What do you find difficult working as an author/illustrator?

Being, essentially, a freelance artist, it can be stressful at times, not having the stability of other jobs. Health insurance, regular paycheck, job security, etc. But there's an invaluable freedom in my situation that I wouldn't trade for anything.

What do you do to shake the rust off or get new ideas?

I try to get away from my desk--every day if I can--to go for walks out in nature. It helps to break away from what I'm working on, and to get the blood pumping, and to immerse myself in the outdoors. I love animals and I'm really into birding. I sometimes bring my sketchbook and draw. I often get new ideas and jot them down. I have high cholesterol too, so a daily walk is a win-win.

Anything you are habitual about when it comes to creativity?

I'm very much a creature of habit. I've been drawing with the same brand of ink for years with the same type of pen nibs on the same brand of paper. If I find something that I like, I'm not usually looking around for something different or better. Sometimes, though, I wouldn't mind breaking out of my shell to try new things and experiment with new media and techniques.

Can you share a positive experience you’ve had in the Kid Lit community?

When I was first starting out and didn't know very many people at all, Julie and I were at an ALA cocktail reception. I was standing against a wall feeling and looking awkward as can be. Someone came up and introduced himself to me. He recognized my name on my name tag and remembered some mailers or postcards I'd sent his way. We had a nice conversation and he was very kind about my work. I was genuinely surprised and moved by the gesture he made. It was David Gale, longtime editor at Simon and Schuster. In the years that followed, whenever I saw him at conferences, we would say hello and have a nice chat. Sadly, David passed away last year, but I'll always remember that party and his kindness and the warm welcome he showed when I really needed it.

Recommended reading?

My new, favorite new-to-me book is Owl Moon by Jane Yolen and John Schoenherr. I've been obsessed with owls and owling this winter, and several folks suggested I look at Owl Moon. I knew of it, of course, being a Caldecott medal-winning book, but I had never seen it. (I'm embarrassed to say!) I bought a copy from my local bookshop and it most definitely lives up to the praise. It is a perfect picture book. Perfect text. Perfect art. It really captures the spirit of birding, owling, sharing a magical experience between father and child. I love it so much.

What has been the highlight of your career thus far?

Without a doubt, when Wolf in the Snow received the Caldecott Medal in 2018. It was a shock, surprise, explosion of emotions, and it still gets me choked up. It's hard to fathom that a book of mine is part of that rich and wonderful legacy.

What is something you wish someone had told you when you first started writing/illustrating?

That on top of writing and illustrating, you'll need to work as a public speaker, publicist, amateur educator and mentor, and other unexpected crash course, odd jobs. There are a lot of hats to be worn in this business. Making the books is just one part of it.

Can you tell us about your newest book?

I have two new books that just came out. Bear Island is my newest author/illustrator picture book about a girl, Louise, and her family processing and healing over the loss of their pet dog. Much of it plays out on a lake island that Louise visits and encounters a massive grizzly bear. Follow that Frog! is the third book in a picture book trilogy by Philip Stead and me (the first two being Special Delivery and The Only Fish in the Sea). All three of these books are wild, weird, madcap adventures starring headstrong, unflappable Sadie and her eccentric Great Aunt Josephine. These books are so much fun and were so much fun to illustrate!

Interior art from FOLLOW THAT FROG, written by Philip C. Stead, illustrated by Matthew Cordell

Interior art from FOLLOW THAT FROG, written by Philip C. Stead, illustrated by Matthew Cordell

Interior art from FOLLOW THAT FROG, written by Philip C. Stead, illustrated by Matthew Cordell

What’s up next for you?

My next book to come out (September 7, 2021) will be What Isabella Wanted, by Candace Fleming, pictures by me. It's a fascinating picture book biography of Isabella Stewart Gardner, late 19th century world traveler and art collector who built and opened her own museum in Boston at the turn of the century. In the 1990's there was a late night heist where several priceless drawings, paintings, and artifacts were stolen, and the mystery has never been solved.

Anything else you’d like to share with aspiring authors and illustrators?

Read lots and lots of picture books. Know the past, present, and future--what's coming out next. Having that education of the world of picture books and publishing, and also knowing what you personally like and don't like, is one of the best things you can do for yourself.

And last, but not least, favorite 80s movie?

Definitely the original Star Wars Trilogy. (Even though the first film was a 1977 release) I was a huge Star Wars kid and am now a huge Star Wars grown-up.

---

Huge thank you to Matthew for stopping by Critter Lit today! We are so excited about your upcoming books. Congrats on all your success!

---

MATTHEW CORDELL is the Caldecott Medal-winning author and illustrator of Wolf in the Snow and Hello Neighbor!: The Kind and Caring World of Mister Rogers, recipient of four starred reviews, and the illustrator of numerous highly acclaimed children's books including Philip C. Stead's books Follow That Frog!, The Only Fish in the Sea, and Special Delivery, which was a Washington Post Best Book. He wrote and illustrated Another Brother, Wish, and Hello! Hello!, a New York Times Notable Children's Book. Matthew lives near Chicago with his wife, author Julie Halpern, and their two children.

FOR MORE INFORMATION about Matthew, visit him online: http://matthewcordell.com

or follow him on social media:

Twitter: @cordellmatthew

Instagram: @cordell_matthew

TO ORDER Matthew’s books, ring up your local bookstore or click here.

BOOK GIVEAWAY!

Want a chance to win a copy of FOLLOW THAT FROG?! Comment on this post or share it on Twitter. One lucky winner will be selected Thursday, April 8th! US addresses only please.

Interview with Author Gianna Ruggiero

Happy Thursday Critters! One of my favorite things is picture books that center around food. I love to cook and bake and I always enjoy a good food driven story. Today I’m sharing a new picture book that celebrates the joy of food: EVERY NIGHT IS PIZZA NIGHT, which released in September, written by New York TImes Bestselling chef J. Kenji Lopez-Alt and illustrated by Gianna Ruggiero. I’m thrilled to have Gianna join us today to talk about her debut picture book and road to publication.

So without further ado, please welcome Gianna Ruggiero!

Where do you live?

I currently live in Oakland, California, but originally hail from South Philadelphia. Proud of you, Philly. 

When did you know you wanted to write/illustrate picture books?

I have always liked telling stories, and in college I remember doing a mock children’s book idea for a class. It was really fun and I experimented with photos and digital illustration. I knew then that this would be something I would like to pursue, but didn’t really know how. From that moment my career has mostly been in feature animation and video games. Children’s book illustration has always been on the back burner. In the past few years, I had finally started to pursue illustration more seriously by attending SCBWI events, networking with agents and publishers, and talking to published illustrators about their journey. That hard work seemed to pay off as it helped land me a spot with a literary agency. 

Tell us about your road to publication, what did that involve for you?

Man, I wish I could be a little bit more inspiring and helpful, but it was pure luck and a backlog of portfolio work. I lost my job a couple years ago and tweeted out to the world wide webs sharing that I lost my job and was looking for work. Somehow that tweet landed on Kenji’s timeline and he took interest in me and my work. He later reached out to me asking if I would collaborate on a children’s book with him. I was optimistic, but I wasn’t aware of who Kenji was at the time, so to me he was a random stranger on the internet, thus it led me to be a bit hesitant. A lot of times internet strangers will email you asking for you to help do work on a screenplay they are writing, or their 5,000 page novel, and it goes nowhere. It’s a total crapshoot. But for me, I was lucky. Kenji not only turned out to be a famous chef, but a wonderful, talented, kind-hearted human that valued me and my work. I owe him many thanks. 

Can you share a bit about your process?

My process usually starts out with a large amount of panicking, and what I can only describe as me flailing wildly around in circles, drawing things that somehow amount to an idea. Then I develop those half-baked ideas into a final concept.

Oh, boy. I feel like my process is always evolving. For some reason it is easier for me to conform to a style that is given to me from an art director than to form a style that I need to adhere to myself. For Every Night Is Pizza Night, it started out with a lot of reference gathering. Gathering styles from other illustrators I like, and photos of people I wanted to draw. From there it is a lot of scrappy sketching on paper or in the computer. I try to think a lot about the scope of the project, what kind of style I can commit to in a given time, what makes me happy, what the mood of the project is, things along that line that help inform how the final illustration will look.

 What do you do to shake the rust off or get new ideas?

Ever since I was a kid, I walked a lot. I walked to school, I walked to friends houses, the bus. Wherever I walked it was usually accompanied by a CD player. I found myself lost in daydreams. Whatever I would listen to would conjure up a mood, a style, characters, scenarios, and stories. I would visualize little snippets between characters or come up with story arcs. Still to this day, I do that mostly walking my dog or commuting to work. The only thing that has changed is the CD player. 

That was a very long-winded way of saying: Music. Music gets me in a creative mood.

Another thing I do is get rid of my shame and turn off the judgemental side of my brain. When I am sketching and trying to enjoy whatever it is I am creating on paper, I try not to judge it or shame it. I just enjoy it and see where my brain takes me in that moment.

Anything you can’t live without while you write/draw?

The internet.

Any authors and/or illustrators who inspire you?

So many to name. I am a big fan of Emily Carroll and her short story horror comics. Big fan of Emily Hughes, John Bond, Amélie Fléchais, Joe Todd-Stanton, and Christian Robinson. 

Dream project to work on?

I would love to work on a strange silly adventure, or some sort of fantasy book. I really like books that feature animal characters meeting strange characters. I loved “The Phantom Tollbooth” as a kid, and I just loved the strange and creative worlds; ones that have never been explored or thought up before. 

Tell us about your debut book.

Every Night is Pizza Night is about a young girl named Pipo who believes pizza is the best food in the world, that is until her parents tell her to go investigate. Pipo takes that as a scientific challenge, and goes on a journey in her neighborhood tasting different foods from different cultures. Pipo tries a whole range of foods from bibimbap to rice and beans. It is a book that celebrates different cultures, and diversity. It inspires kids and families to be adventurous, and try different foods while understanding that food can hold different traditions and meanings to us. 

The book is light-hearted and funny. It also features pages that are explosive and whimsical whenever Pipo takes a bite of a new food she has never tried. It even features a pizza recipe in the back of the book for parents and kids to make together. 

What’s up next for you?

Kenji and I are taking a much-needed break for right now, but I expect that sometime next year we might begin exploring a new book idea. Currently, I am enjoying just sketching and learning how to get better at roller skating. I am also coming up with a video game idea that I might pitch to my studio. So nothing too exciting, but that is fine for me.

And last, but not least, favorite 80s movie?

The Thing! It is the best!

---

Huge thanks to Gianna for stopping by Critter Lit today! Congrats on your debut!

---

Gianna Ruggiero is a concept artist, video game developer, and illustrator. Every Night Is Pizza Night is her debut children’s book. She lives in Oakland, California.

FOR MORE INFORMATION about Gianna or her work, visit her online: www.giannaruggiero.com or follow her on social media:

Instagram/Twitter @immagigi

ORDER THIS BOOK To order a copy of EVERY NIGHT IS PIZZA NIGHT click here.

WIN A COPY! Want to win a SIGNED copy of EVERY NIGHT IS PIZZA NIGHT?! Leave a COMMENT below or RETWEET this post on Twitter. One lucky winner will be announced on Thursday, November 19th! US addresses only please.

Interview with Author/Illustrator Kayla Stark

Happy Thursday Critters! Today we have an interview with author/illustrator Kayla Stark whose new book FRIENDS AT THE FIREHOUSE, which released in August with Chronicle Books, is one of the coolest lift-the-flap books I’ve seen in a long time! I’m so excited to share her work with you all today and continue our week of creatives that work with novelty and board books.

So without further ado, please welcome Kayla Stark!

Where do you live?

Nashville, TN USA

How many years have you been in publishing?

This is a rough approximation, but I think it’s been close to 4 years now!

How did you first get published?

Parallax Publishing reached out to me about illustrating a picture book called “Mr. Pack Rat Really Wants That”. The author saw my work on the Women Who Draw website and then asked the editor to email me. I think that’s a pretty unusual way for the publisher to reach out, but I’m so happy they did. I did a few tests before I officially landed the job. Since this was my first time working on a picture book, Parallax wanted to make sure I was up to it. 

Do you write/illustrate full-time? 

Yes, I do! I spend more time illustrating than writing at this point, but I’m hearing the siren call of writing and I can’t stay away. It’s intimidating because I’m not as practiced in writing, but I do want to pitch my own stories—and I have so many ideas!

What inspires you to create picture books? 

That’s a good question. The picture book industry seems to be where my work best fits. In the beginning I didn’t set out to make my work fit the picture book industry, but once I became friends with other picture book illustrators and learned more about the industry I felt like I had finally found a place to park my work and settle in. 

In my work I like to ask silly questions and play with ridiculous “what ifs”. Questioning and observing everything always leads me to an idea or story that begs for further exploration. 

What surprised you the most working as an author/illustrator?

I was surprised when I saw how much work and energy went into the creation and promotion of a new book. It’s a true team effort! I’m also constantly surprised by how connected the illustration/publishing world is. Everyone knows everyone!

What is your favorite thing about being an author/illustrator?

There are 2 things that immediately come to mind.
#1 - I love the initial stages of a job. The research phase and open possibilities give me such a rush!
#2 - Once a book/project is finished I look forward to the promotional events. Launch parties, process posts, interviews, readings, signings etc. I’m an extroverted person and getting these opportunities to travel, meet, and speak to new people fills me up!

What do you find difficult working as an author/illustrator?

Sometimes the daily monotony and isolation gets to me. It can feel like I’m working in a vacuum and treading water. It’s imperative to keep up my momentum and focus in order to finish projects. Knowing I have to power through on the days I don’t feel creative is difficult. I try to spin it in my brain and think of it as leveling up my self discipline.  

What do you do to shake the rust off or get new ideas?

Hmmm…I’ll try a few different things. FaceTiming a friend who gets it is the best medicine. I’m so happy (and lucky) to be friends with a number of illustrators and other artists—both local and online! I’m a part of The Warren Studio here in Nashville, TN. When I need a change of pace I’ll go in and see people, get lunch, and just have a fun day.

Some other things I’ll do when I need new ideas is— read; workout; go to a museum*; schedule a trip*; go to my list of ideas and thoughts I keep in my phone; create a new color palette and imagine what type of scene or story would use it. 

*I’m not doing these things currently due to Covid-19 safety concerns.

Anything you are habitual about when it comes to creativity? 

I used to watch a little bit of TV after waking up, however I realized that when I do that my mind wants to be entertained all day instead of getting into work mode. Now when I wake up, instead of turning on the TV, I do these things in this order to feel like it’s time for work—open the blinds, brush my teeth, wash my face, grab my coffee, and walk upstairs to my desk. 

I also like to be left alone for the first few hours of the work day. My husband has been working from home since March and I had to set up a no talking rule for the first 3 hours of the work day. 

Can you share a positive experience you’ve had in the Kid Lit community?

Wow, most everything has been positive. Hmm…something that stands out is getting to know others in the Kid Lit community on Instagram. It’s led to friendships, critique groups, collaboration opportunities, agents, meet ups, and a wonderfully fulfilling life/career. 

When I think about it, it’s crazy how many friends I’ve made through Instagram and the close knit connections of the kid lit community. 

Recommended reading?
All of Martin Salisbury’s books on picture books and illustration. 

The Fog by Kyo Maclear, illustrated by Kenard Pak.

Mac Barnett’s books are always a delight.

I’ll stick to these few for this purpose, but I need to make a whole list separated into categories.

What has been the highlight of your career thus far? 

I just illustrated the covers for a new release of classic titles (The Jungle Book, Black Beauty, Alice in Wonderland, and Treasure Island). It was surreal to see that job land on my desk and I am happy I was trusted to take on these beloved titles. I’ll be sharing those on my Instagram very soon along with some behind the scenes process posts! 

What is something you wish someone had told you when you first started writing/illustrating?

This is still a job, sometimes you are going to have to put in extra hours and work when you don’t feel like it. Somedays it will feel like you are going nowhere and somedays you’ll feel on top of the world, but most days you’ll feel somewhere in between. Ask for help when you need it, take care of yourself, take criticism (but not personally), and just keep going. You will never feel like you’ve “arrived”, so stop expecting that. You are doing what you love, celebrate that!

Friends at the Firehouse by Kayla Stark, Chronicle Books

Can you tell us about your newest book?

Friends at the Firehouse written and illustrated by me is a lift-the-flap journey through a firehouse. The annual parade is about to start and we need to find the missing Dalmatian puppy. There are 35 flaps to inspect and tons of details for kids to pour over. It’s published by Chronicle Books as part of their Double Booked series—which means the book is a unique die cut shape (a firehouse in this case) and opens from both sides as a gate fold! 

Interior art from Friends at the Firehouse by Kayla Stark, Chronicle Books

Interior art from Friends at the Firehouse by Kayla Stark, Chronicle Books

It’s the most complex book I’ve worked on and it took me a WHILE to wrap my mind around everything as I was laying out the illustrations. I visited 2 local fire stations before starting and took hundreds of photos. The firefighters drove me around in the truck and I got to slide down the pole like a real fire fighter!

Interior art from Friends at the Firehouse by Kayla Stark, Chronicle Books

Interior art from Friends at the Firehouse by Kayla Stark, Chronicle Books

What’s up next for you?

I have some stories of my own I’m going to pitch! So I’ll be going into writing mode and working on getting a manuscript and book dummy together.

I’m also working on a language learning vocabulary book! —along the lines of Richard Scarry’s Big Book of Words, but with my own world and characters. :)

Anything else you’d like to share with aspiring authors and illustrators?

I know this is said over and over again, but I believe it bears repeating. Create the work you want to get hired to do! All the time I see and talk to artists that are just waiting for someone to hire them for their dream job, but there are no clear examples in their portfolio to show they CAN do that job. You have to show you can already do something before someone will hire you do it. 

Draw and write a lot! Start building your social media platform now and engage with other people. It can be annoying to keep up with all the platforms, so pick 1-2 and post consistently!

And last, but not least, favorite 80s movie?

Oooh. I’ll say The Shining. I’m not a horror nut, but there’s just something about that movie.

---

Huge thank you to Kayla for stopping by Critter Lit today! Congrats on your new book, we can’t wait to see your upcoming projects!

---

After graduating with a BFA from the University of Tennessee at Martin and working for a few years as a graphic designer; KAYLA STARK decided to shift into the world of her first love—illustration! She works both digitally and traditionally, depending on the project, and is most comfortable when settling into the beginning “research” phase of projects. The traditional media she uses most often are: watercolor, gouache, and colored pencils (she is on a constant search for the perfect, scratchy pencil texture) She is naturally very curious and asks a lot of questions—this quality is a constant fuel for inspiration.

She lives in Nashville, TN in a small house with her husband and 2 cats. Most of the time she is working upstairs in her studio, but a few days a week she joins a group of friends and fellow illustrators at a co-working space in East Nashville.

Kayla’s hobbies include playing board games, participating in (almost) any event, learning languages, and planning trips (she loves public transit). Some of Kayla’s favorite topics are birds, traveling, science, animal fun facts, and history.

She has done work for various clients including Highlights Magazine, Sleeping Bear Press and Chronicle.

FOR MORE INFORMATION visit Kayla online at www.kaylastark.com or on social media:

Instagram: @kayla_stark

ORDER THIS BOOK To order a copy of FRIENDS AT THE FIREHOUSE click here.

WIN A COPY! Want to win a copy of FRIENDS AT THE FIREHOUSE?! Leave a COMMENT below or RETWEET this post on Twitter. TWO lucky winners will be announced on Thursday, October 29th! US addresses only please.

WriteOnCon 2019 Blog Post: Working Full-time as an Author/Illustrator

Happy Thursday Critters! Earlier this month I had the opportunity to present at WriteOnCon, a wonderful online conference for the Kidlit community. If you don’t know what WriteOnCon is, make sure to check it out next year!

Recently, I’ve been receiving some questions about what it’s like to be a full-time author and illustrator, which oddly enough was the topic of my blog post for WriteOnCon this year. I’ve been making picture books full-time for almost nine years now. There have been many ups and downs. Some years have been fantastic, and others have been scary and awful. (Sorry!) That’s probably not what you want to hear. Okay, let me start again…

Here’s what I know about doing this amazing, terrifying, and creative job that we do as writers and illustrators full-time:

• If you don’t love it, it’s not going to work. I mean really love it. Like a child. (I don’t say that lightly, I have two kiddos myself). Like children, making books is both exhilarating and exhausting. And you have to be able to roll with that, which isn’t always easy. But, let’s be honest, the best things in life never are.

• Commit to your craft. Even if you aren’t doing this full-time. Carve out time to be creative, ideally every day (if you can), but whatever time you can dedicate, be consistent with it. Even though I don’t leave my house to work, I still treat it like a job in that I go for a designated time, to a designated space.

• Your creative space is sacred. Make a space for yourself that you feel completely comfortable in, designated for your craft. A place you can foster creativity. It could be a spare bedroom, a small den, a closet! (If Harry Potter can live in one, you can certainly write in one!) Whatever works for you. But NOT the dining room table or another shared communal space. This space should be just for you and your craft.

• Respect your craft. Nurture it. Let it flourish. Take care of it.

• Patience. Patience. Patience. Practice patience every day. You’ll need it. Especially if you are able to make the jump to creating books full-time. Publishing is notoriously slow.

• Balance. I can’t stress this one enough. I do not believe in working a creative job like a normal, full-time, eight-hour-a-day one. Creativity requires balance. It means taking a break and going for a walk. Or stepping out of your studio to run some errands. Or going for a swim. I’m not talking about procrastination. Think of it more as meditation. I may be going for a walk, but I’m contemplating my work. Mulling it over. Considering all the pieces in order to understand how to put them together.

So here’s what a typical day for me as a full-time author/illustrator looks like:

5:00 a.m.  - Wake up, make coffee, head to my studio.

7:00 a.m. - Get my kiddos up, eat breakfast, get ready for the day (at this point I’ve already worked two hours, uninterrupted by kids and life, which for me, is an incredibly productive and positive way to start the day).

8:00 a.m. - Go for a family walk with my husband (who also works from home), my two kiddos, and our dog. We live in a national park, so walking and hiking is a big part of our day to day and the balance I try to maintain in my workday. 

9:00 a.m. - Come home, put my 15-month-old down for a nap. If it’s not a school day for my three-year-old, then my husband watches him while I go back to work for another two hours.

11:00 a.m. - Make lunch. Take over watching the kiddos while my husband works in his office. I’m done working for the day. I typically only do four hours of creative work a day. It doesn’t sound like much, but I find I’m incredibly productive in those four hours.

The rest of the day is filled with a mix of naps, errands, taking care of stuff around the house, and making dinner.

7:30 p.m. - kiddos are in bed. I tackle emails, play catch-up (writing blog posts like this one), and do some editorial work, either with my husband or on manuscripts submitted through Critter Lit.

Then I get up and do it all over again. This may sound crazy. But somehow we make it work— watching our kids ourselves and working. Don’t get me wrong, there are days where life is nuts in our house, but most days it works. Most days it’s a balancing act. A dance of sorts.

Now, I’m going to tell you this next part to push you. Because the one thing I hear all that time from aspiring writers and illustrators is that they don’t have time to commit to their craft. But here’s the thing…time is what you make it. And if you don’t respect your craft enough to make time for it, then you may as well let it go. You have to believe in the value of your work. No one is going to do it for you.

My plate is full. Like really full. Just like all of you. We are all super busy. In addition to writing and illustrating picture books, I run a small stationery and design business with my mom. Two years ago I decided to start a Critter Lit, offering free critiques, interviews, and advice to up-and-coming writers and illustrators. I have two kiddos under the age of four. We live in a constant state of renovation because my husband and I decided to buy a total fixer-upper. This is my life. I tell you this not to impress you. I tell you because if I can make time, then so can you.

Now go make time for your craft. You totally got this!