Posts Tagged illustrator interview

Author/Illustrator Interview with Casey Lyall and Sara Faber: The League of Littles

Casey-Lyall-Author-Photo

Casey Lyall

We’re excited to have Casey Lyall and Sara Faber on here today to talk about their new release: The League of Littles.

Hi, Casey and Sara, let’s start with learning a bit more about you, and then we’ll talk more about your book.

Sara Faber photo

Sara Faber

Did you have any childhood dreams for when you became an adult? If so, did they come true?

Casey: For sure! I went through a ton of different dreams for myself, but the one consistent one was always wanting to be a writer, so I’m always very thankful and happy to have that particular dream work out.

Sara: I had so many dreams as a kid, and one of them was to become an illustrator. I always loved the characters I saw on book covers, in comics and cartoons, and from a young age I tried to draw them, but back then I didn’t know yet that this was a job. And once I knew, I thought this must be the best job ever! Turns out, I still think it’s the best job ever. 🙂

Sounds like both of you have found your dream jobs. Speaking of books, did you love to read as a child? If so, can you tell us some favorite books?

Casey: I was a massive reader as a kid (and still am!) Summer reading club at the library was one of my favourite times of the year. I loved so many different books—too many to list! But some of my favourite authors were definitely Gordan Korman and Madeleine L’Engle. I think I read every single one of their books.

Sara: I was a big bookworm as a child, and I still am! I grew up reading the Harry Potter series, the Inkheart series, and another fantasy series called Laura, but I believe it was published in German only.

Please tell us a little about your family. Were you a Little? Big? Middle? Only?

Casey: I’m actually a middle child. I have an older sister and a younger one and luckily, they both have a great sense of humour.

Sara: I am the oldest of two! My sister is 10 years younger.

Sara Faber as a child

Sara Faber as a child

Did you have any hamsters or other pets when growing up?

Sara: I had two Guinea pigs when I was a kid – their names were Fips and Trixi, and two birds, Mozart and Beethoven. Later, when I was around 9 or 10, we also had a family dog – a brown Labrador named Gina.

Casey: We had Guinea pigs too! And some fish for a while, but we were definitely a cat family. There have been quite a few memorable felines in our household.

Would you be willing to share an embarrassing grade school moment?

Casey Lyall as a child

Casey Lyall as a child

Casey: I think I’ve tried to banish most of them from my memories! But, okay, here’s a good one: I tried out a lot of different sports as a kid and was not particularly good at any of them. Probably the most memorable incident happened when I was on the swim team. I can’t see very well without my glasses, so that was problem number one. Also, the goggles I had one weren’t working properly and kept filling up with water so I just had to close my eyes and hope for the best.

During this one race, I thought I was doing okay, but then bumped into the lane marker (these floating line things that kept that swimming lanes separate) and got a bit tangled up in it. I kept going though! And finished the race! …and then found another very confused kid at the end of the race in the same lane with me because I had accidentally moved into their lane when I got tangled into the marker.

That was pretty embarrassing!!! (And I think I got disqualified too, which was uncool.) My swimming career didn’t last very long. 😂

Oh, no! That would have been  embarrassing. I hope that story will find it’s way into one of your books sometime. I’m sure plenty of middle graders (and adults) have felt that way.

Sara: This is such a tough question. There is absolutely nothing that comes to my mind. I was a very shy and quiet kid, so maybe there wasn’t much that could have been embarrassing, since I tried to be invisible most of the time. 🙂

What advice would you give to kids who are bullied?

Sara: It breaks my heart when I see kids being bullied. As a parent myself, I think it’s especially important in today’s day and age to raise kind and compassionate people. My best advice is to ignore bullies as best as you can, but I know it’s easier said than done. And to talk to someone you trust, don’t deal with it on your own. It’s only when you get older, you will understand that the people who bully others feel like they need to bring others down to make themselves feel better. It’s not really about you, and there is nothing wrong with you. You are perfect just the way you are!

Casey: I agree with Sara’s very smart and kind words above. She said it best!

I love this advice, and that your book deals with this situation.

Casey, when did you know you wanted to be a writer?

Oh, wow—I don’t know if I can even think of a specific age. I remember reading Robert Munsch books when I was little, and they made me laugh so much, I wanted to tell my own stories and make people laugh like that. I feel like the desire to tell stories has always been a natural part of my life. And something that I’m grateful my parents always encouraged.

Sara, when did you know you wanted to be an illustrator?

I knew I wanted to become an illustrator when I first found out that it’s an actual job. I remember I saw the word “illustrator” on a book and asked my great grandpa what it means. That was when I knew this is my dream job, even though I had no idea what to do in order to get there. It was only when I graduated from uni (I studied something completely unrelated) that I decided to work on improving my drawing skills and try to become an illustrator.

Casey, what is your favorite or most challenging part of being a writer?

I think my favourite part might also be the most challenging part! I love having that spark of an idea and getting to see that idea take shape into a fully-realized story. You go through so many twists and turns and discover things about your characters that you might not have realized at the start. It’s always an adventure! Now, on the flip side of that, at certain points, trying to get that story to take shape can be the most frustrating and challenging thing of all time and can feel like you’re banging your head against the keyboard…but the end result is always worth it. 😃

Sara, what is your favorite or most challenging part of being an illustrator?

My favorite part is definitely being able to draw every day for a living, and to express myself through art. With comics specifically, I love telling stories through facial expressions and body language, and to put it all together in an interesting and fun way. As much as I love drawing, showing up every day is also one of the hardest parts sometimes – especially when I don’t feel like drawing, because that happens, even though it’s one of my favorite things to do.

League of Littles coverCasey, can you tell us a little about why you chose to write a graphic novel and if you worked together to create the story and illustrations?

I wanted to challenge myself with a new format and it also seemed like a fun category to write for so I decided to give it a try. It was really cool to learn about the process! I tried to leave a lot of space for the illustrator to put their own spin on things, and there was a lot of collaboration from the whole team in terms of the general look of the story and how the scenes came together.

Casey, how did you come up with the characters & the idea of Littles banding together to help each other?

The characters came to me as I was brainstorming—I do a lot of doodling and pre-writing before I start a project so they started to take shape before the real plot of the story did. And in terms of the general premise, I was just trying to think of ideas that would be fun to write and fun to read and it popped into my brain! I’ve always liked the idea of secret organizations though so that probably fed into it a bit. Who doesn’t love secret shenanigans?

Casey, what inspired you to write about an escaping hamster?

I was trying to think of a realistic problem that a little kid could have that would also leave room for it to spiral into bigger adventures. Borrowing a sibling’s pet for show and tell felt like it fit that criteria and then once the character of Chester took shape, he pretty much took charge of his own story and I just tried to keep up!

Sara, how did you develop the characters for the illustrations?

Casey gave me some great descriptions for each of the characters including their heritage, personality, and their hairstyles. After reading the manuscript, I already had a pretty good idea of how the characters would look and act. After that I sketched a character line up, to make sure they look good individually and as a group, making sure their appearance matches their personality.

Character sketches

Sara’s character sketches

Thank you so much for sharing your sketches with us! I love your palette and the softness of the final illustrations. Can you tell us about your art technique?

Thank you so much! My art style developed over the years, and it’s very inspired by anime, Disney movies, and cartoons I loved as a kid (I still do). I love soft and warm colors in general, and I think this reflects in my art as well. When I draw for work, I use my iPad and Procreate, which is great because it makes revisions and making changes easier, and I can theoretically draw from anywhere, but in reality, I sit at my desk most of the time. 🙂 When I draw just for myself, I love drawing with a pen in my sketchbook. I love to keep it simple regarding the tools I use and to focus on lines, which is my favorite part about drawing.

Are any of characters based on based on people you know?

Casey: No, they’re all their own people. I just tried to come up with a fun mix of personalities for each team that could balance each other out and play off of each other at the same time.

Sara: I mostly used Casey’s descriptions for the designs. For some of the characters, I created a Pinterest board before coming up with their designs, but these served more as a general inspiration for how they would move and what they’d look like and weren’t based on a specific person.

Casey, what do you hope readers will take away from your story?

A lot of laughter!

What are you working on now?

Casey: All kinds of things! Mostly new middle grade and picture books ideas at the moment.

Sara: I am already working on the second book of the League of Littles, which focuses on the big siblings! The story is so much fun. I can tell you that much already. 🙂 I’m also coming up with my own story for a graphic novel on the side.

ABOUT THE BOOK

In The League of Littles, Eli, Lexi, and Mo, three trainees at an international organization that supports the needs of youngest siblings, accept their first mission and help find a lost hamster.

“A group of youngest siblings are challenged by a hamster on the run. . . . A brief, amusing romp with potential for future fun.”  — Kirkus Reviews

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Casey Lyall is the author of Gnome Is Where Your Heart Is; Waking the Dead and Other Fun Activities; the acclaimed picture book A Spoonful of Frogs, illustrated by Vera Brosgol; and the popular Howard Wallace, P.I. series. She lives in southwestern Ontario, Canada, where she also works at her local library.

Sara Faber is an illustrator and comic artist, and when she is not drawing, you can find her reading, soaking in the atmosphere of coffee shops and bookstores, and going on walks with her dog. The League of Littles is her first book. Sara Faber lives in Germany.

Cover Reveal – DRAGONBOY (HEROES OF HAVENSONG SERIES), by Megan Reyes

MUF cover reveal logo

Cover Reveal: DRAGONBOY

It’s cover reveal day at Mixed-Up Files, and we’re thrilled to share the cover for DRAGONBOY, by debut author Megan Reyes, illustrated by Ilse Gort and designed by Sylvia Bi.

Plus, an extra treat: Megan has shared a sneak-peek excerpt JUST for our fabulous MUF readers.

Okay …. here we go …. the cover for DRAGONBOY:

blurred image of a cover illustration with gold and blue highlights

Smile. Okay, this isn’t QUITE the cover. Not yet … but soon!! And I promise it’s AMAZING and worth the wait.  Just a minute or two longer…

When we do a cover reveal here at Mixed-Up Files,  before we show you the art, we love the chance to hear from the wonderful creators who turn an author’s themes and characters into covers that will lure readers to pick up the book. For DRAGONBOY, that illustrator is Ilse Gort.

Meet Ilse Gort

head shot of cover illustrator Ilse Gort, a white woman with long blond hair

MUF: How did you decide which story elements to focus on for this cover?
IG: I was given some suggestions and guidelines for what to put on the cover, such as the thread and the tree which I thought were sensible choices. The author (Megan) had put together a very helpful Pinterest board with example covers that she liked so that I had some idea of the styles and elements she wanted portrayed. The publisher also provided me with the book’s manuscript which I read in full to gain a better understanding of the characters, their emotions and the core of the story. Based on this I wanted to include all of the main characters in such a way that there was no clear hierarchy of importance, since they’re all integral to the story, but I did want to center Blue for the sake of the book’s title (Dragonboy) and also because I felt he is the book’s main sell as a fantasty tale. I also really wanted to try and include the fox character, who caught my eye as an interesting anchor throughout the story and, in my own interpretation, was a representation of sorts of the author herself. Lastly, I was quite set on the cover featuring a sunrise. Knowing that this is the first in a series that seemed like a fitting choice; the dawning of a new adventure.

MUF: Which elements did you enjoy working with the most?
IG:
Honestly, all of them! I very much enjoyed each element in its own right and for its own reasons and I was happy to see them come together so well.

MUF: What is your artistic process for cover art?
IG
: It depends a bit on the client of course, but typically I will start by discussing the basic needs for the cover such as the genre, core elements and layout preferences so that I know what is expected of me and I can make an estimate of the amount of work it will be. Then if all the necessary agreements are made, I begin doing my research. If I have a manuscript or audiobook sample this is typically when I will begin reading or listening. I will gather reference materials and inspiration, then begin sketching. Typically I will provide at least two and up to four sketches for the client to choose from. When they’ve made their choice and given me any necessary feedback I continue with a color mock-up, meaning I roughly paint in the colors so that I can show the client where I intend to take the final illustration. And when that is approved, I move on to actually finishing the piece and implementing any last feedback the client may have.

MUF: What do you enjoy about illustrating cover artwork in general?
IG
: One of the things I enjoy about cover illustration for books is that there is so much depth to it. It’s challenging in a very fun way to think about intruiging narratives, hints at story elements, how to spark curiosity and elicit emotional reactions in (potential) readers. There is so much you can do with a book cover and it’s so important to do it well. I love to read and have much respect for writers, fellow artists in their own trade, and I know how difficult creative work is to do professionally. I also know that the phrase “judging a book by its cover” exists for a reason; people dooften judge books by their covers and authors place a lot of trust in an illustrator’s hands (or a publisher’s) to represent the core of their story, all of that hard work, in a single image. The collaborative nature of book covers make them unique as far as marketing art goes and it’s why it’s one of my favorite things to do.

Stay in Touch:

Website

Twitter: @CaraidArt

The Cover Reveal

And now for the moment we’ve all been waiting for … drum roll …. the real cover for DRAGONBOY, by debut author Megan Reyes.

book cover for DRAGONBOY, a blue dragon is centered on a golden background with two characters on lower third - one brown-skinned girl and one Asian boy

Cover art by Ilse Gort Book design by Sylvia Bi

Isn’t it gorgeous???

About DRAGONBOY

This timeless fantasy debut follows four children–a boy turned dragon, his reluctant dragon rider, a runaway witch,
and a young soldier—bound together by the Fates themselves to save their world—and magic itself—from
being destroyed.

The world once known as Haven has been torn apart over centuries of conflict, with humans taught to fear all things magical, dragons driven to near extinction, and magic under attack. Now its future rests with four children from four different lands, destined to restore balance to their fractured world—as the song foretells.

Blue, River, Wren, and Shenli all grew up on different sides of a war they didn’t start, and each will be called forward
for what will become pivotal roles in the battle to restore the balance between humans, dragons, and magic. They
will face shocking secrets and terrifying dangers and discover surprising strengths as they begin to forge a
friendship across barriers put in place long ago.

Read on for an excerpt of DRAGONBOY just after our interview with Megan!

Meet Megan Reyes

MUF: Tell us about the characters we see in this beautiful cover art.

MR: Yay, I’m so happy to introduce you to them! My story has four main characters, each with their own POV chapters, and I’m so thrilled they all made it onto the cover.

Blue is a stable boy who is later transformed into a dragon in order to save the world.

River is a (very reluctant!) dragon rider, who happens to be super afraid of heights. River is incredibly clever, confident, and tends to take things a bit too seriously.

Wren is kind, curious, and… a little clumsy sometimes. She’s a magic human who is supposed to be bound to her Magic companion (note the little purple cloud of light on the cover), but she forgets the words to the binding spell, and her Magic runs away!

Shenli is a Mainlander (a direct enemy of Wren’s people) who is taught to hate all things magic and dragons. He’s 50% charming, 50% cranky, and his family seems to be saddled with never-ending bad luck.

MUF: This is such a lovely cover – did you get to weigh in on any of these details?

MR: I know, isn’t it stunning? Ilse did such a beautiful job and I am in love with it! And, yes, I had quite a bit of input, which was wonderful. My design team asked for ideas, and the first thing I said was that it was important to me that all 4 of my characters made it on the cover. I received 3 different cover sketches then it was whittled down to the favorite. I gave a lot of input into how the characters look and what other things might be included from the story (like the fox, tree, and golden thread). There were several rounds of revisions before the final and I got to see–and weigh in on–each one. It was such an incredible process. I’m lucky to have such a fantastic, supportive team at Random House.

MUF: Is there one element of this illustration that stands out in particular for you as the author or that resonates with favorite parts of your story?

MR: Heroes of Havensong is a series and book 1 is called Dragonboy, so I love how predominantly Blue the dragon is featured. There is a scene from the book where Blue and River are flying for the first time and River spots this strange golden thread floating through the sky. She reaches up to grab it, and… well, you’ll have to read to find out what happens! 🙂 I also love how Wren and Shenli are side by side. They are natural-born enemies who are forced to work together. I think the cover shows a bit of their “we’ll-work-together-but-we-don’t-trust-each-other” relationship. Lastly, there is a fox character who narrates things throughout the book (you meet him right away in chapter 1). He’s one of my favorite characters and I’m so thrilled he made it on the cover!

MUF: Thanks so much for sharing your cover reveal with us!

And now, MUF is thrilled to share our exclusive chance to sample just a bit of what lies behind this gorgeous cover.

Excerpt from DRAGONBOY:

Every twenty-five years, the king of Gerbera is eaten by a dragon.

It is tradition.

What’s that, young one? No, I imagine it isn’t very pleasant, but what else is the human king to do? He has his honor to uphold, after all. And a deal’s a deal. One king every quarter century, and in exchange, the dragons leave the villages of Gerbera well enough alone.

That’s the way it’s always been. For nearly a thousand years.

No, I am not that old. You mind your tongue, kit. Before I toss you to the shadow bears for breakfast.

Of course I’m joking.

Your mother would be furious with me.

Why do the dragons want kings? How should I know? Maybe they taste better than ordinary humans. Leave it to dragons to be so particular. And, no, I don’t know why they wait twenty-five years. Maybe that’s when a human is ripe? I don’t care to think about it too much, if you don’t mind. Now hold still while I get this twig untangled from your fur.

Ah, well, the humans have no choice, you see. They must keep the peace with the fire beasts. They’ve nowhere else to go. Beyond their forest is Dragon Mountain, and that’s where the world ends.

Everyone knows that.

Besides, humans are not as clever as foxes, dear. But don’t hold that against them. They do their best. Oof, stop squirming about, would you? I’ve almost got the blasted twig free.

What’s that? Where do they get the new king? Perhaps they grow kings like carrots. My whiskers, you ask so many questions. You are giving me a headache.

Fine. Fine. You may ask one more. If you must.

What would happen if a king didn’t present himself to the dragons?

Whiskers of mercy! I pale to think of it. Our forest stretches to the base of Dragon Mountain, after all. The fury of the dragonfire would surely be the end of everyone.

No, youngling. Do not fret. You have nothing to fear. Don’t you see? The human king always comes, just as he should. It has forever been thus.

He gives his life to save us all.

Now sleep, little one. If you’re quiet enough, you can hear the moon rise.

Preorder DRAGONBOY:

Preorder a SIGNED copy with fun book swag from A Seat at the Table Books: https://aseatatthetablebooks.org/item/ymASTSSKIbYnzxuyJGXC-Q

OR

Preorder wherever books are sold : https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/695558/heroes-of-havensong-dragonboy-by-megan-reyes/

⭐️ NetGalley requests: https://www.netgalley.com/catalog/book/261717

⭐️ Add to Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60111451-dragonboy

 

head shot of author, a amiling white woman wearing brown frame glasses, with long brown hair.

Megan Reyes is the author of the Heroes of Havensong series for young readers. Megan lives in Northern California with her husband, four sons, two dogs, and an ever-growing collection of dragon and fox figurines. When she’s not writing, she’s probably drawing, painting, going on walks, or getting lost in a new book.

Stay in Touch

Twitter and Instagram: @MReyesWrites

Interview with Illustrator Jeffrey Ebbeler & Giveaway: Ellie May on Presidents’ Day and Ellie May on April Fools’ Day

When my editor sent me cover sketches of Ellie May on Presidents’ Day (Charlesbridge, December 2018) and Ellie May on April Fools’ Day (Charlesbridge, December 2018), I was bursting with happiness. Illustrator Jeffrey Ebbeler truly understands the essence of this enthusiastic kid who has been in my head for such a long time.

And yet for months, I couldn’t really share the covers of my chapter books with anyone, but then the covers were shown at ALA, as well as a School Library Journal webcast Behind the Scenes: SLJ in Conversation with Children’s Books Editors. Additionally, the covers were sent to Indiebound.org, Barnes & Noble, Amazon and other bookselling sites. So yes, by then the cat was out of the bag. And so today is a big deal because it’s the first time I’m officially showing them off and talking about them.

Even though Ellie May on Presidents’ Day and Ellie May on April Fools’ Day are my tenth and eleventh books, this whole publishing process still amazes and, at times, overwhelms me because there are so many things that need to happen, much of which I have little to do with. And with chapter books–that would be all of those interior illustrations–and plus, the covers.

So now I get to interview illustrator Jeffrey Ebbeler about how all of this came together. And you all get to enter for some awesome prizes. More on that later.

Oh, but first you probably will want to know a little bit about the series. It stars the irrepressible Ellie May. When it’s time to celebrate holidays in the classroom, second-grader Ellie May can get a little overzealous, often learning about honesty and patience through trial and error. In Ellie May on Presidents’ Day, the second grader struggles with how to be honest and be a leader (wow, I no idea how timely this topic would be when I first wrote this one). Ellie May on April Fools’ Day ultimately debates how to be funny and not hurt people’s feelings.

Now, without further ado, here’s Jeffrey to tell us about the process of creating the covers, which I think are adorable (but I’m very biased!).

Where did the inspiration for the covers come from?

I have the same experience that I think most readers have. When I read a new story, a little movie plays in my head. When I read the descriptions and dialogue, I imagine how all of the characters might look. I try to imagine every small detail, from the kind of house they live in, to the clothes that they wear.
Ellie is such an exuberant character. She bursts with excitement and enthusiasm. I felt really fortunate that I was asked to illustrate Hillary’s two books, and it came at it came at a serendipitous time for me. I have twin daughters that were in third grade last year (the same age as Ellie May) when I was working on this book. Ellie May’s personality reminds me so much of my daughter Olivia, and her friend Lizzy is like my daughter Isabel.
I used a lot of family photos as inspiration for the poses and facial expressions of those two characters.
I wanted both covers to focus on Ellie May and convey her wide-eyed excitement.

Take us through the process of how you created the covers?

When I am illustrating a book, I try to do the cover last. I always start by reading the story several times. I write lots of notes and do a bunch of doodles. Then I do a character sheet, where I draw every character. It’s really important that the characters look the same through out the whole book. Sketching a book takes a couple of weeks, and I always find that I am refining and adding new details to the characters as I go. That’s why I like to save the cover for last, because by then I have really worked out all of the characters individual mannerisms.

Did you start with pencil sketches or work on the computer?

I do most of my work the old fashion way, with pencils and paint. I sketch everything on paper, and the final art for the covers are painted. I do some additional work to the art in the computer, though. After I scan in the finished paintings, I do some retouching in Photoshop. I lightened up the background behind Ellie May on both covers in the computer, so she would be the focus of the cover.

Did you have hurdles or challenges?

I knew right away that the cover President’s Day should be Ellie May saying the Pledge of Allegiance. The biggest challenge was her pose. I did four or five different poses that ranged from her standing very seriously at attention, to some goofy poses. I think the end result is a good mix of respect for the flag and the excitement in Ellie May.
I worried more about the April Fool’s Day cover because pranks can be a dicey subject. I think Hillary did a great job in the story of having Ellie May think through some jokes and why some might not be a good idea to actually do to someone. The cover hints at one of Ellie May’s joke ideas without revealing too much. She does give someone a stinky gift, but it has a surprising result.

Any aha moments?

I had tons of moments working on these two books. I love reading a funny passage in a book and trying to think of a way that I can add to that joke with a funny image. Some of my favorite illustrations in the books are when Ellie May is researching little known facts about presidents or birds. I got to draw Abraham Lincoln covered in cats, and a cardinal taking a bath in a tub full of ants.

What medium did you use?

The cover art is done in acrylic paint on paper. The black and white art inside the book is also painted with a brush. I love painting fine lines with a liner brush. I like the look if it better than using pens or markers. All of the art has had some touchups that I do in the computer.

What do you hope the covers communicates?

I hope Ellie May’s pose and facial expression communicate that she is enthusiastic, fun, a little mischievous, but also well meaning.

How many drafts did you do before you settled on what you wanted?

For book covers, I always try to present a bunch of different options. I showed about five or six different ideas for each book. I doodled about 20 ideas that I didn’t show because they weren’t quite right.

For the Presidents’ Day book, I did a sketch that ended up being the title page for the book. It was Ellie May dressed in Revolutionary War era clothing, holding the flag. I also sketched a cover that was a grid of presidential portraits with Ellie’s portrait in the middle.

For April Fools’ Day I sketched out several different April Fool’s jokes from the book. I also thought that it might be a fun and goofy image to have Ellie hanging upside down from the monkey bars, because she does that in both books.

In what ways is the final version different from your original concept for the cover?

The final versions were much more focused directly on Ellie May. Her face is the most important thing, and I hope that it will convey somethings about her personality, and get people curious to see what she’s all about.

How important is a cover to a book’s success?

It can definitely be important. I know I’ve picked up lots of books because they had intriguing covers. In the end, there needs to be a great story inside, and there is. It would be wonderful if my cover could help draw young readers in, to check out Ellie May’s adventures.

Anything new you learned from working on the Ellie May series?

I did learn a bunch of interesting facts about the presidents as well as the history April Fool’s Day. Two of my favorite facts were that in France, “jokers tape a fish to unsuspecting peoples backs on April Fool’s Day” and that George Washington’s false teeth were made from “gold, lead, hippo, cow and donkey teeth.”

Anything else you would like to share?
I want to thank Hillary for writing these excellent stories, and also for interviewing me about illustrating her books. I hope you will have as much fun reading them as I did illustrating them.

Oh, and here’s the giveaway part! It’s–drumroll. One high-quality print of an Ellie May illustration signed by Jeffrey Ebbeler AND signed paperback copies of Ellie May on Presidents’ Day and Ellie May on April Fools’ Day (these will be mailed in December) AND PDFs of both books.

How to register to win? Lots of ways. 1) Make a comment here. 2) Follow me on Twitter @hillaryhomzie. 3) Tweet about this and tag me on Twitter @hillaryhomzie 4) retweet my Twitter post about this post. If you do all four things, you will increase your odds of winning but you only need to do one thing in order to get registered. Good luck everyone!

Jeffrey Ebbeler has been creating award-winning art for children for over 15 years. He has illustrated more than forty picture books, including Melvin the Mouth, Captain’s Log: Snowbound and he is both the author and illustrator of George the Hero Hound. Jeffrey has worked as an art director and has done paper engineering for pop-up books. He and his wife, Eileen, both attended the Art Academy of Cincinnati. They have twin daughters, Olivia and Isabel.
www.jeffillustration.com

Hillary Homzie is the author of the forthcoming Ellie May chapter book series (Charlesbridge, Dec 18, 2018), as well as the forthcoming Apple Pie Promises (Sky Pony/Swirl, October 2018), Pumpkin Spice Secrets (Sky Pony/Swirl, October 2017), Queen of Likes (Simon & Schuster MIX 2016), The Hot List (Simon & Schuster MIX 2011) and Things Are Gonna Be Ugly (Simon & Schuster, 2009) as well as the Alien Clones From Outer Space (Simon & Schuster Aladdin 2002) chapter book series. She can be found at hillaryhomzie.com and on her Facebook page as well as on Twitter.