Where do you find the inspiration for your books? Are you inspired to create the pictures or the story first?
So far, my ideas have all come to me slightly differently. My inspiration for Spider in the Well came from wanting to draw a little spider, and the rest of the story was spun from that image of looking down the well and seeing the spider in the web. Then I figured it should be a wishing well, and the line came to me that somehow became “accidentally rich.” For The Bear Out There, the idea was inspired from a random line someone said in a video game Let’s Play on YouTube, where the person was wandering around the woods in a game and said the line, “the bear out there.” I can’t even find the clip anymore, but that idea stuck with me and the plot built itself from there. From there, the manuscript and a few key visuals all happen simultaneously, after that first inception.
What were your favourite books when you were a kid? As a young reader, did you see yourself in the books you read?
Some of the hits from my childhood were The Monster at the End of this Book (1971) by Jon Stone and Michael Smollin, Are You My Mother? (1960) by P.D. Eastman, and Minnie and Moo Go to the Moon (1998) by Denys Cazet. All the books I loved the most, I’ve realized, are some combination of funny, visually super-satisfying and well-designed, and have some kind of dark element to them. All 3 of these books are kind of vaguely scary (except maybe Minnie and Moo—but the characters do become convinced they’ve landed on the moon and freak out, so that’s a bit of psychological freakiness). My books so far have been some combo of design/thrill/laughs, so I see myself a lot in them in that way.
What’s the most surprising thing you have learned when creating your books?
I’m surprised that writing has been so fun so far. I’m sure I’ll run out of ideas someday, but so far I’m having a lot of fun picking out themes for stories. So far I’ve got spiders and woodsy cabins/bears, but I know I have to do something with clowns or pirates ASAP. Vampires are fertile ground for stories, too. And ghosts.
What is a challenge you have faced as an author and/or illustrator?
One area I fear that I’m lacking in currently are the technical details. I don’t have a very strong technical side to my brain, so setting up files to print, figuring out page counts and trim size, and placing text/working with fonts are all things that do NOT come naturally. I think I’m improving with every book I’ve made so far, but hopefully this is something I continue to develop. All the best picture book makers are also designers!
What advice do you have for kids who are interested in art or writing?
It’s probably really important to figure out what you like and what you like making before anything else. Developing your specific unique tastes is the most fun part. I’d get my hands on anything that speaks to you and devour it. Make art inspired by it, etc. The Bear Out There is basically a rip-off of The Monster at the End of This Book, or rather an artful homage. Allow yourself to be moved by what compels you—that’s your brain saying HEY! THIS IS IMPORTANT!