The Creative Shift Podcast with Dan Blank

February 24, 2020

“If you are sharing work that is an extension of you, it will be your best work.”

Recently, I had the pleasure of talking with the ever-insightful Dan Blank of We Grow Media for an episode of his podcast “The Creative Shift.”

Dan has interviewed a slew of writers and artists, analyzing the rewards and challenges that come with choosing a creative path. We discuss my earliest inspirations, my long, winding journey to pursue the career I always wanted, the patchwork I have now to maintain it, and my personal theme for 2020.

About this drawing here…I mention in our talk that when I was a kid, my family lived down the street from New Yorker cartoonist, Donald Reilly—the first professional artist I remember meeting. This is a portrait he drew of me, pre-braces.

Thanks, Dan! “The Creative Shift” podcast is available on iTunes, Google Play, Spotify, Stitcher, and by clicking here.

The IF I WERE A KANGAROO Book Trailer

March 3, 2017

If I were a kangaroo, I'd pick you up and carry you In my pocket, sleepyhead, And hop you gently off to bed. It's time for sleep, and this fun-to-read rhyming tale envisions the bedtime rituals of animals from whales to otters, squirrels to gorillas. So curl up, imagine your favorite animal, and...zzzzzzzzzzz.

It's hard to believe that one month from tomorrow (April 4th) my next picture book, IF I WERE A KANGAROO will be in stores! It seems like yesterday that I was researching sleepy baby animals, such as otters, bats, and wolf spiders.

Earlier this week, generous kidlit ambassador Mr. Schu (Mr. Schu Reads) premiered the trailer I made (also seen above), and shared an interview between author Mylisa Larsen and myself. The two of us have yet to meet in person, but this virtual meeting was a terrific way to start. You can read the interview here. We talk a bit about our creative processes, and I shared my most hilarious bit of art direction, ever.

If you'd like to pre-order a copy of IF I WERE A KANGAROO, click here, or here. It arrives in time for Easter, Passover, and Mothers Day! Nudge, nudge, wink, wink...

"Let's Get Busy" podcast

February 10, 2016

A few weeks ago, Charise Harper and I were interviewed by school librarian extraordinaire, and All the Wonders co-founder, Matthew Winner for his "Let's Get Busy" podcast. We discussed our collaboration for A BIG SURPRISE FOR LITTLE CARD, how the story developed and changed, giving a behind-the-scenes peek at our work processes. Since we live on opposite coasts, Charise and I have yet to meet, so this was the closest we've come. If you've never listened to the podcast before, there's a great archive of interviews with a huge assortment of kidlit folks at All the Wonders.

And as a big surprise for Anna Raff, my friend, the amazing illustrator Lori Richmond drew some of her graphic notes while she listened to the podcast! Lori's first picture book, A Hop is Up will be published by Bloomsbury later this year. Just look at this thing...it's incredible!