The Boy Born with a Key

Normally, my primary demographic is women between the ages of 13 and 35.  My oldest heroine was Paige Waters in my novel, Rose Red.  She was 27.  Because I write for that demographic, and because my author portrait is intentionally flattering, I feel like a bit of a phony admitting that I'm over 35... and an old boot of a woman to boot.  

It really sucks to be Snow White's mother.  Ugh... I was so pretty for so long.  So talented, so accomplished for my age... Damn it!  I was the fairest in the land.

So, now I have to scooch over and admit that I have a teenage daughter and she's brilliant, beautiful and beyond ANYTHING I COULD HAVE IMAGINED.

My daughter, Kaitlynn, is a talented graphic illustrator.  We've worked together on projects before.  She drew the covers for my books  Whenever You Want and If I Tie U Down.  I dabble in graphic design myself.  I do the graphic design work on my novels even if I get someone else to do the illustration.  Because I'm like this, I've been getting Kaitlynn to practice her graphic illustration and graphic design skills by giving her projects.  I've helped her get short-term contracts to draw caricatures of people and cars aside from book covers.  This book is the largest project I've ever given her.

I had an idea that I should write a children's book and get her to illustrate it, but I'm an idiot.  What could I write about and get her to draw?  I had an idea simmering in my head, and one morning I woke up and I KNEW what I needed to write.  I snapped up a book and started working on the rough draft.  It had to be short because though she might be able to illustrate something much larger eventually, she needed to begin with a short book.  Something within her reach.  She was 15 years old.  I worked on it.  Fifteen minutes later, I had tears rolling down my face.  I also had the final draft.  

Now this time frame is important.  I have always felt that giving the author of a children's book credit before the illustrator was ONE OF THE EVILEST THINGS IN THE UNIVERSE.  It took me 15 minutes to write the book.  It took her an average of five hours to complete each picture.  Also, I didn't whip her into working.  Like me, she has a strong passion for what she wants to create and though we talked about what she should draw when she got stuck, she did these illustrations herself.  It probably took her a hundred hours.  No one made her do it.

And now we have created this beautiful thing together!  I feel like a publisher because I really had to stretch what I knew about publishing to bring this book to life and she has something that is FINISHED!  Think about that word.  Isn't it beautiful?  She has finished a book and it is published!  

As a side note, all profits go to her and her future.  Whether that future is art school or a chocolate bar... we'll see.  

Here's the Amazon link!  And Kaitlynn's Instagram link, if you want to follow her!  Her handle is MissMagicCat.  Enjoy!

Amazon.com:
https://www.amazon.com/Boy.../dp/1990217052/ref=sr_1_8...

INSTAGRAM:

https://www.instagram.com/miss.magicat/