I was invited to join this Blog Tour by
the very talented Jennifer Goldfinger. I met Jennifer through a professional Author-Illustrator list-serve where we
discuss the mysteries and secrets of the children’s publishing world. (Well,
not really). Jennifer and I finally met in person at the recent SCBWI New
England Conference…
Now on with the tour:
It has been
an extremely busy few years for me. I took a year off from illustrating in 2013
to focus on bringing my Princess K.I.M. books to the stage in Princess K.I.M. The Musical. (Read more about our Upcoming Summer show!)
2013 also
brought the publication of two books, which I wrote and illustrated:
What am I currently working on?
I am back at
my drawing desk working on an exciting project, one which has a very personal
connection to my life and that of my daughter. My next picture-book, is called
JANINE, and was inspired by my daughter Janine! Along with the book, Janine and
I are developing a corresponding website; www.JaninesParty.com
(The site is live, but we are still filling it with content- so continue to check back.)
My daughter
has given me permission to develop a character based on her life as an
individual with disabilities. My real life Janine is now 28 years old and is
quite an inspiration. Despite her challenges, she faces each day with optimism.
Janine, the main character in the book, is a spunky, endearing child who
happens to be on the Autism Spectrum. The basic theme, without giving the story
away, is about embracing differences, staying true to who you are, and standing
up for others.
Here is a
Mock-up cover. Janine publishes in Spring 2015 by Albert Whitman:
How does my work differ from
others of its genre?
This is the
first time in my career where I am hoping to use a book and it’s website to inspire social change. Our
mission for the book, Janine, and the JaninesParty.com website is to
help change public perception of children with disabilities and increase
awareness and acceptance through children's literature, poetry and film. (Changing public perception has become a family passion. Please view my daughter Kristin's awarding winning documentary short on the subject: FOLLOWING FLAME.)
My daughter Janine and I hope to tour schools
together in the Spring. STAND UP. INSPIRE, INCLUDE and INVITE will be our theme. Janine is an
amazing role model, not only for kids with challenges, but for all children,
their parents and teachers. Yes, she was teased and bullied, and the book is
based on a real incident, but through it all, she learned to embrace who she is, and focus on the things she can do, not the things she cannot. Janine hopes to use her own experiences and stories for positive good and encourage children to stand up for eachother.
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| Book Janine. |
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| Real Janine. (@ 1993) |
Why do I write what I write?
I have wanted to write this story for years, but it took me awhile to figure out how. As a parent of a child with
disabilities, I became an advocate, helping Janine to navigate through
school, social situations and now life. We have kept our journey private, while
sometimes enduring negative attitudes of society towards people with
disabilities. When Janine was a child, there were not many books where the main
character was disabled. As a matter of fact, I can’t think of any. Publishers
have recently been open to publishing more on this topic, (we are including a list of books on the website). Publishing has come
a long way in 20 years, but I am hoping more books are created on the subject
of disabilities. ALL kids want to read about themselves in books.
How does my individual
writing/illustrating process work?
1.
Inspiration. 2. Words. 3. Dummy. 4. Submit. 5. Sell. 6. Create Art. (With a lot of edits, waiting, and revisions in between!) Those who know my work, know that many of my stories, including Janine, are connected to experiences in my own life or that of my children or people I met along the way. The difficult part is finding the right publisher. Fortunately, this book sold fairly
quickly to Albert Whitman, who has a long history of publishing topics which
other publishers shy away from. My gratitude to my Editor, Kelly
Barrales-Saylor and Albert Whitman for sharing my vision.
Though it
sold quickly, this story had been simmering in my head for years and years. I
struggled with HOW to show a disabled child with autistic-like traits without
saying the word disabled, autism or CP in the text. My goal all along was to
show the character for who she IS, without a label, and I think I accomplished that goal in Janine.
Here are some views of my illustration process.
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| Dummies, sketches and finishes for JANINE |
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| A messy desk after a day of painting. |
Janine was
an easy character to develop on paper. After all…I brought up the real Janine,
a happy child who is now an inspiring adult. In Spring of 2015, I’ll get to share JANINE with the
world…you are going to LOVE HER!
Thanks for visiting!
The tour continues next Monday with a friend and former Massachusetts College of Art classmate, Author and Illustrator Teresa Flavin http://www.teresaflavin.com/blog
Teresa now lives in West Yorkshire, England. Her final book in her MG trilogy from Candlewick publishes this July;
Happy Summer!
Maryann
Thanks for visiting!
The tour continues next Monday with a friend and former Massachusetts College of Art classmate, Author and Illustrator Teresa Flavin http://www.teresaflavin.com/blog
Teresa now lives in West Yorkshire, England. Her final book in her MG trilogy from Candlewick publishes this July;
Happy Summer!
Maryann
