PictureBookBuzz: Tell us about yourself. Heather: I chose Fine Art as my major in 3rd grade (really). I auditioned and attended magnet schools focused on the arts since elementary school. For a couple years I drifted off to theatre (which probably sprouted my love of plays and writing…and using eccentric voices when reading aloud to my son), but I always came back to art. Born and raised in Miami, Florida, I left to receive my BFA from the Kansas City Art Institute. There I witnessed my first snow flake (a story in itself), met my now husband, and put down roots. My Lil’ Ninja was born six years ago. He is the spark that began my journey into the world of Children’s Books. And finding so many picture books that still entertain and engross me as an adult guarantees this journey won’t be ending anytime soon. PictureBookBuzz: Tell us about the main character in Mac and Cheese and the Personal Space Case. Heather: When I read Jolene Gutiérrez’s manuscript, I instantly had a feeling of how the main character would look. Oliver is a young curious boy who loves studying the interactions of the class pets and is trying to relate to his friends in a similar fashion. I love that his character is also an artist. The way he reacts to situations throughout Jolene’s story shows his inquisitive and quirky nature, but also how caring he is. He may have some things to learn, but his heart is definitely in the right place. PictureBookBuzz: What are you currently working on? Heather: I am currently working on the interior illustrations for Mac and Cheese. I’m also working on two other dummies and some self-mandated artwork to help keep everything from becoming too polished (sometimes mistakes or a bit of roughness is needed to keep the spirit of an illustration alive). PictureBookBuzz: If you could give advice to illustrators who haven’t published yet, or an earlier version of yourself, what would you want to share? Heather: I still feel like an early version of myself, but the advice is probably exactly what others have told me: keep at it. When you are to the point of screaming or crying because you are just so close, but not quite there? Keep at it. It’s around the corner. It may be quite a few corners, but if you feel that you must write, you must illustrate, simply to connect with one child someday? Then keep at it. You are headed in the right direction. PictureBookBuzz: How can readers discover more about you and your work? Heather: You can find more of my work at heatherbellbooks.com. I’m also on Twitter: @heatherbell37 and Instagram: @heather.bell37 PictureBookBuzz: Hello Cassandra Federman, tell us about yourself. Cassandra: I’m an author/illustrator and a mom. I grew up reading comic books and drawing superheroes. At age 13 I decided I’d never cut it as a comic artist, so I gave up drawing entirely. After college I moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in film/TV and worked in production, casting, and acting. I was miserable and it wasn’t until I married a writer that I finally realized why. I’d been trying to tell stories for a living, but had been approaching it from the wrong angle. That’s when I started writing for children and purchased a sketchbook for the first time in over a decade. PictureBookBuzz: What inspired your book, This Is a Sea Cow (Albert Whitman & Co.)? Cassandra: I spent a semester of college studying in Belize, where I helped the local manatee experts track and tag their manatee population. During my time there I met up with a British non-profit group in the early stages of building a manatee rehabilitation center. My first day at the center, a report came in about a baby manatee whose mother had been killed in a boating accident. I got to help with the rescue, bottle feedings, snuggles, etc. This Is a Sea Cow is my love letter to manatees (in all their glorious strangeness). I hope my readers will come to appreciate just how fascinating these animals are, and maybe someone will even grow up to snuggle, feed, and rescue manatees professionally. PictureBookBuzz: Tell us a bit about your illustration process for the book. Cassandra: The book is designed to appear as though it’s a child’s school report, so the illustrations are a collage of penmanship paper, pencils, crayons, and other found objects that I arranged in Photoshop. PictureBookBuzz: What are you currently working on? Cassandra: Right now I’m primarily focused on the interior illustrations for This Is a Sea Cow. In my spare time you might find me revising other manuscripts, working on a new book dummy, sketching, reading, or matching wits against my precocious toddler. (And on occasion, winning.) PictureBookBuzz: How can readers discover more about you and your work? Cassandra: My website is cassandrafederman.com. Check there for book news, links, and artwork. You can also find me @CassFederman on Twitter and Instagram. I’m part of two debut groups called @picturebookbuzz and @notable19s. Check them out on Twitter to learn about some other amazing authors and illustrators with books coming out in 2019! PictureBookBuzz: Tell us about yourself.
Yevgenia: I am an illustrator, painter and stage designer. I had illustrated a number of children's books before I took the plunge and wrote my own. I grew up in the former Soviet Union and my debut author/illustrator book - Anya’s Secret Society is based on my childhood memories. I live in Brooklyn with my husband and two sons. PictureBookBuzz: Tell us about your main character. Yevgenia: Anything Anya imagined, the left hand could draw… But in Anya’s home in Russia, the left hand is the wrong hand. Doing the right thing means being like everyone else. And everyone else is right-handed. Every night, Anya imagines she’s drawing alongside a secret society of great- left-handed artists. PictureBookBuzz: What other books have you written? Yevgenia: Anya’s Secret Society is my debut as an author. My next author/illustrator book, The Russian Typewriter Adventure, is coming out in 2020. PictureBookBuzz: Tell us about your illustrations. Yevgenia: I am a visual artist, so naturally I like when illustrations tell the story. In Anya’s Secret Society, the text is understated, while the wit and emotions are expressed visually. The illustrations are half traditional, half digital. I see every book as a chance to experiment with a new technique. PictureBookBuzz: What are you currently working on? Yevgenia: I have two books in the works as an illustrator: Martin and Anne, The Kindred Spirits by Nancy Churnin and Numbers in Motion: Sophie Kowalevski, Queen of Mathematics by Laurie Wallmark, both from Creston Books. I am also working on my own picture book, Mona Lisa in New York. Mona Lisa is currently searching for a publisher! PictureBookBuzz: How can readers discover more about you and your work? Yevgenia: I am on Instagram and Twitter as @znayberg. My Facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/nayberg My website is www.nayberg.org |
AuthorsWe are a group of picture book authors and illustrators whose first picture books will be released in 2019. Read about our roads to publication here. Archives
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