Easter is almost here and I thought it might be fun to post the layouts, sketches, and a few pieces of finished artwork and pages from the published book.

After all these many years John and I finally got married on 3 June 2017 in Provincetown, Massachusetts!   Only close friends and family attended the wedding on the private beach of the beautiful Ocean House that we had rented for the occasion.  For us the wedding could not have been more perfect!

Ruby & Rufus was officially published on 18 March 2019!

It’s been quite some time since I’ve posted anything on this blog.   A great deal has happened since my last post ages ago.  Most significantly…I had a massive heart attack in Iceland on our way to Scotland!

We were changing planes at the airport in Reykjavik when the massive heart attack happened.  We had only been on the ground for ten minutes changing planes on our way to Scotland.   The heart attack came out of the blue with no prior warning signs or indications that I might be at risk of having one.  Luckily, a pilot and flight crew from another Icelandair flight saw me collapse and immediately called their 911 before my head even hit the floor.

Two doctors happened to be passing by and immediately began performing CPR on me.  Most likely they saved my life.   I was brought back from the dead five times!   I was taken to the hospital in Reykjavik where I had a quadruple bypass.  I got THE BEST medical care you can imagine!   I was in ICU for one week; CCU for one week; and then spent the third week resting up in our AirBnB until my lungs were completely clear of any traces of pneumonia and we could fly back to the U.S.

I’m happy to report that six months later I’m doing just fine and am pretty much back to normal.  I am getting back into my work routine in the studio.  AND…John and I have started a new Etsy Shop where we’re selling my original artwork, sketches, drawings, colour studies, etc.  In time we will also be selling notecards of my artwork as well as John’s photographs.

I’ll try my best to keep this blog more up-to-date.

I’m having to relearn all the ins and outs of the website, the blog, Instagram, FaceBook, and Twitter!

Ruby & Rufus is finished.  I’m very pleased with the illustrations.  My book designer did a fantastic job with the front cover.   She created the front cover from five (5) separate pieces of art and a layout that I had done.  She made some brilliant decisions—the biggest one was to reverse the layout I had submitted.  Perfect solution!

I am now halfway finished with the illustrations for Pearl!  My goal is to have Pearl wrapped up and delivered to Boston by the end of the month.   Then, while the momentum is still going, I’ll go right onto to finish Pearl’s Lost Pearls.  That leaves only Gus & The Hatchlings to finish and I will be caught up with outstanding book contracts!

My reward to myself after I finish these last three picture books in the Gossie & Friends series is to finish writing the first draft of THE DARK SECRET OF WYTHE’S END.  A novel that I’ve been working on for a couple  years now (but put on hold so that I could concentrate on the finishing the picture books that I owed).

I’ve written eighteen chapters so far and anticipate the book will have around 30-35 chapters.  I’m obsessed with the two families in the story.

Wythe’s End (the rambling family estate) is a character in the story as much as the family members.

This will be a productive  year!

It’s been quite while since I posted anything.

The good news is that I am finally settled back in at the drawing board in the studio. RUBY & RUFUS is finished and is now at my publisher’s offices in Boston. PEARL will be finished in two weeks. Then I can catch my breath before plunging into finishing PEARL’S LOST PEARLS and GUS & THE HATCHLINGS.

I did write a new book for the Gossie & Friends series about a week ago and my editor has signed it up. The new book is titled PEARL & ROO

Ruby & Rufus Production Board.

The finished art.

How a book starts…

Making progress.

Finished piece of art.

 

And here is Pearl & Roo!