I’ve continued the interview here:

Mary Emma: Were your children involved in writing the book?

Carolyn: They were!  They were involved in making the illustrations come to life.  By the time I got around to writing the story, several years had passed; Katie had grown, and that created a challenge for the illustrator.  So little brother Cash posed as Katie during the photo shoot to capture the emotions Katie feels throughout the book.

Katie, on the other hand, posed for all the shots that didn’t show her full face. The artwork shown in the book – on the refrigerator, the Gallery, and on the final page – are all actual pieces by Katie that were scanned into the illustration.

Mary Emma: The illustrations are wonderful.  Tell us about the artist.

Carolyn: Deb Hoeffner created a magnificent fusion of color and breathed life into the books’s characters, making the illustration amazingly lifelike.  [Using some of the processes described above]

Deb has had a twenty-five year professional career, and her paintings and drawings are in many private collections.  She describes her unique style of “soft realism” as a layering of thought, paint, and possibilities. Deb’s studio is located in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

Mary Emma: Readers will find the illustrations charming and likely be enchanted by them.  You’ll find yourself looking for more of Deb Hoeffner’s work.

I consider myself primarily an author, but I’ve done some illustrating of my stories.  The more I do, the more I enjoy it and find this another way to branch out into the art world even more.

More about Carolyn McWilliams Brown.

(Amazon image)

Post from: Blisstree

The Pleasure of Illustrating Books

   All You Want and Then Some

 I found this a delightful picture book based on an experience in the life of the author and her daughter.  The narrator, Katie feels neglected because her parents are busy with a new baby and a toddler.

 Then Bella, moves next door and finds time for Katie, as happened in the life of the author’s family.  From Bella, Katie learns what it means to receive small acts of kindness, as well as give them.

 A story with Christian overtures, All You Want and Then Some is charming in its solutions to a little girl’s problem and family challenges.  Deb Hoeffner’s illustrations are very appealing, too.

 In a future post, I’ll provide an interview with author Carolyn McWilliams Brown.

(Amazon Image)

Post from: Blisstree

All You Want and Then Some – a Review