Someday I’m going to write and illustrate a children’s book…

I spoke those words to my husband and two young kids as we pulled out of our driveway nearly a decade ago. I’d said them loads of times before. That’s why my oldest daughter responded, “You always say that, Mom.” She spoke with the honest, straight forwardness of youth and her words went right to my heart. 

I’d loved stories and illustrations all my life, had been working on the craft of writing and painting for years but would I ever make a children’s book? I had notebooks full of stories and sketches, but would anyone ever see them besides my family and friends? For the first time I wasn’t sure, and I felt the heaviness of a dream slipping away.

Later that day I told my husband how I was feeling. As a person who delights in creating and is willing to work long hours, I knew I could do the work. But I was intimidated by the publishing world, the communication and business end of creating was daunting. It was a foreign world and I felt more than lost at the idea of stepping into it. I’d always imagined that the right person or people would somehow discover my work and invite me into the publishing world. But so far that hadn’t happened. I’d done outdoor art shows where I hung original paintings and their companion stories on the walls of my tent and watched people wander from story to story, reading the words and enjoying the artwork. The artwork sold. I had an audience. But as yet no one had walked into my tent and said, “I’d like to hire you to create a children’s book.” You may be thinking, of course not! That’s not how it works! And if that’s what you’re thinking, you are correct. 

Here’s an interesting Bible verse that I’ve rarely heard anyone quote: Proverbs 22:13—“The sluggard says, ‘there’s a lion at the door, I’ll be killed in the street.’” I can identify with that idea. I think the verse is saying, when you’re faced with a big, scary challenge, the lazy response is to lay down and die. But isn’t it tempting to do that sometimes? At least figuratively? Lions come in all forms. For me, the business of publishing looked like a lion and as I talked to my husband about it I was leaning towards the idea of giving up before I’d even considered a plan of action.

My husband, a graphic designer, pushed back. He said, “You want to make a book, then let’s make one.” As simple as that. “You write and illustrate it, and I’ll design it and get it printed.” 

“But it’ll cost a lot” I said. “Your book will sell” he responded.

His confidence was contagious. I got started right away. I painted pictures like the ones I’d been selling at outdoor art shows with a theme of light shining bright out of the darkness—pictures of hope winning—and I wrote little stories to go with them. I added some questions to help young readers wonder over the ideas behind the paintings, trying to stir their curiosity. My husband designed the book, chose beautiful paper and worked with a good friend of his to get the book printed and bound. He watched over every detail of the printing process to insure the highest quality. It was expensive but we came up with a plan to pay for it. 

We advertised through word of mouth, social media and by passing around beautifully designed little cards that told the date, time and location of the release party where we would be selling the original artwork from the book. We knew we were taking a risk. There was no guarantee that the artwork would sell. But we knew that my paintings had sold well at shows and we’d decided this was a risk worth taking. 

The night of the release party we were blown away by the response. Way more people came than I would have imagined and nearly all the paintings sold. The sale of the paintings paid for the production of the book that very night and we sold hundreds of books too. It was a joyful event!

I wanted to create a book full of hope, gently pointing upwards to God, the author of all beauty and light. I wanted to stir people’s minds to wonder. And, thanks to my husband’s encouragement and vision, and by taking intentional steps to face the lion of publishing, communication and business planning, we were able to realize my dream. That is how my first written and illustrated book all came together—I sincerely hope you enjoy looking at (and reading) the pages as much as I enjoyed writing and illustrating them!

~ Amy