We all know on the surface at least,
that authors of children's books are only half finished when they complete a
story book. Without the magic dust that illustrators provide, our books
are half-baked.
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| Dixie Phillips |
Today it is my pleasure to introduce author, DixiePhillips, and illustrator, K.C. Snider, to my readers. Both ladies are published by Guardian Angel Publishing. They will answer many of the
questions asked of me by those who enjoy a peek into our lives. I call
writing and illustrating the slowest of the performing arts. After you've
heard from these two artists, I think you'll agree!
We will begin with Dixie and go
immediately to much the same question for K.C:
NS When did you know you wanted to write for children?
DP I’ve
always had a deep love for the little ones in my life, but I never had any
secret aspirations of being a children’s author. My writing evolved from a need
in our church. I am a pastor’s wife and
when my husband and I moved our two small children to a rural community in
northern Iowa, I knew our new church’s children’s ministries needed some
desperate help. I started writing special occasion programs for the children of
our congregation. Hearts were stolen as the children ministered through drama
and song. People encouraged me to send my ideas to publishers. At first, I was
reluctant, but finally submitted some of my ideas. I discovered there was a real need in other
churches for children’s ministry resources, too.
NS
Have you always been interested in illustrating, drawing, etc., K.C.?
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| K.C. Snider |
KC
I was about 10 when I realized how much I liked to draw. I loved Norman
Rockwell’s work and tried to emulate his illustrations. I basically started illustrating stories from
Oregon’s School of the Air by OPB where they would read stories over the radio
and we were supposed to illustrate s0ome part of the story and send the art in
to the OPB teacher. I used water colors
that you could buy in a tin from the grocery store and drawing tablet paper my
mother would buy for me. That’s how I
knew this is what I wanted to do and I was good at it.
Eventually, I graduated from the
School of Arts in Eugene, Oregon. I
began teaching art classes at Lane Community College in Eugene, Oregon and Linn
Benton Community College in Corvallis, Oregon at the same time. Overall, I taught art for 17 years at these
colleges. After that, I went out on my
own as a portrait artist to Western wildlife fine arts. There is not a medium I have not worked in at
one time or another. I got back into
illustrating full-time about 7 years ago around the time fine arts sales began
to decline due to the economy.
NS
Where do you get your ideas? (Everyone wants
to know this!)
DP The air is jam-packed
full of inspiration if we just take the time to listen. I keep my ears and eyes
open to what is happening around me. Stilts
the Stork was written after I read a newspaper article about a bird with a nest
on a golf course. She sat on a golf ball, thinking it was an egg. Angel
Eyes was written after our little girl asked, “Mommy, what did the angels
think when Jesus died on the cross.” I’ve discovered my best ideas come from
listening to children’s conversations. Stubby’s Destiny was written when I met
with a little girl who was convinced she had no divine destiny. She felt like
she was always at the wrong place at the wrong time.
NS
Where do you get your ideas, K.C.?
KC
I have to read the manuscript, first, to get ideas swirling around in my
head. That is part of the Creative Mind;
I give it time, don’t push it and it will come to me. Sometimes they solidify when I do my research
on a particular story on the internet.
For example, I found pictures of storks on the internet and those combined
with the poetics of the story and the cartoon to “see” a cartoon stork. Along with input from friends and co-workers,
that is how “Stilts the Stork” was born.
NS
How do
you organize your writing day, Dixie?
I am OCD when it comes
to writing. You can usually find me with my laptop working on some writing
project. I am a songwriter and ghostwriter. I usually write every day. I’ve
discovered the only way to become a better writer is to write. I’m also a
life-long learner. I enjoy honing my writing craft and growing as a writer.
NS How do you organize your illustrating day?
K.C. I set my own pace and I am very,
very diligent about keeping to my schedule.
I work best later at night when it’s quiet. I sleep in, then start back up with my first
cup of coffee in late mornings. I do not
get started until about 10:00 AM. But I
can be caught researching or painting until after 1:00 AM. My Publisher knows she can call me at
midnight, no problem, and she has! I do
take my breaks to stretch and go for walks so my backside doesn’t begin to
spread!
NS This book seems a bit different from your
others, Dixie. Tell us about it, please.
DP A few years ago, my niece, Christa, and her
husband, Muhsin, began their adoption journey. They traveled to Ethiopia and
fell in love with a little girl named Journey and her baby brother Maddon.
After the siblings came to America and mastered the English language, Journey
wrote a story about life in the orphanage and her adoption experience. Christa
was moved by Journey’s story and invited me to help Journey develop it and make
it a children’s picture book. From the beginning, we realized it was a very
special story. I presented it to Lynda Burch at Guardian Angel Publishing and
she accepted it right away. Christa and Mushin hope to use their adoption
experience as a platform to help other families adopt children needing a home
and family to love. They hope to schedule speaking engagements across the
United States for Journey to share her experience and new book: Journey’s Promise.
NS Dixie’s
book is so lovely. How/why did you
illustrate the book the way you did.
KC
I wanted the children to look as close to the real children as possible
since this is based on a true story. I
drew on my background as a portrait artist to present the characters as they
really looked at the time… and today. I
worked with Dixie to get the pictures as close to realistic as possible. I researched Ethiopia and the orphanage from
where the children came as well as pictures of the characters at the time.
NS
Where can my readers get in touch with you?
NS How
can Readers get in touch with you?
Official trailer for "Journey's Promise," an illustrated storybook Dixie Phillips and Journey Dai Muhammad. Illustrated by KC Snider. Published by Guardian Angel Publishing.
As sometimes happens, an almost simultaneous incident occurred; this time a terrible one: The Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico on April 20, 2010. The entire world was inundated with wrenching photos of once blue water slicked over by deadly oil, birds drenched and weighted down with the deadly stuff, and BP executives spewing invectives about how it was not their fault. And something snapped in me. I sat down and wrote One Pelican at a Time: A Story of the Gulf Oil Spill. Not only was Bella the protagonist. Her best friend Britt joined her in the effort. And that book began the Bella and Britt beach series.
As sometimes happens, an almost simultaneous incident occurred; this time a terrible one: The Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico on April 20, 2010. The entire world was inundated with wrenching photos of once blue water slicked over by deadly oil, birds drenched and weighted down with the deadly stuff, and BP executives spewing invectives about how it was not their fault. And something snapped in me. I sat down and wrote One Pelican at a Time: A Story of the Gulf Oil Spill. Not only was Bella the protagonist. Her best friend Britt joined her in the effort. And that book began the Bella and Britt beach series. 
