My wife, Jeanna, and I collaborated on this book. She is the author and I illustrated it. Jeanna wrote a wonderful story about a young girl who embarks on a courageous adventure in a land and time that reminds me of the Middle Ages. When she asked me to draw the pictures for her amazing book I couldn't have been happier. I hope you like them.
I've added some excerpts from the book, where applicable, to show how the story influenced my illustrations.
And… check out the book when you have time. It will be published and launched November 1, 2014!
It will be available nationwide (USA) and highlighted in all Barnes & Noble bookstores.
Overview of the Book
Darien is a creative ten-year-old girl who, like many of us, wishes to escape her dull and predictable life. She loves to read, draw, and daydream, despite her parents’ efforts to teach her to be practical. But when a stormy day brings Darien together with her peculiar neighbor, strange things begin to happen.
Miss Mildred–or Miss Mildew, as she is called behind her back–lives across the street from Darien. Old-fashioned and stern, Miss Mildred agrees to babysit Darien for the day and shares her secret box of mysterious paints. Using the power of her imagination and her painting skills, Darien creates a doorway to another world; a world full of turmoil and unrest. She unexpectedly finds herself in the other world, caught up in a quest to find justice for dragons and humans alike.
Come along with Darien on a magical adventure as she encounters bizarre creatures, confronts a bad-tempered dragon, flees from a wicked king, attempts a daring rescue, and tries to find the courage to believe in something real–herself.
Tonight none of that bothered her. To her, nothing else existed outside of the story that now captured her attention. She turned page after page until her eyes were dry and it got so stuffy under the sheets that it was hard to breathe. In the late hours of the night, long after her parents had done all their normal things—like brushing their teeth and falling asleep on separate sides of their bed—the daughter’s flashlight ran out of power, and she reluctantly closed her eyes.
In a quiet house on a quiet street, a single soft light glowed in an upstairs window. At precisely eight o’clock in the evening, the light blinked out. It appeared that everyone in the house had retired early and gone to sleep. But appearances can be deceiving...
Tiptoeing down the stairs, Darien tried to get a glimpse of her unfortunate houseguest, but all she could see was the swish of a long black coat and two angry black shoes with low heels and pointed toes. Witch’s shoes, she thought. “Darien, quit dawdling or I’ll be late. Come meet our neighbor, who has generously agreed to watch over you today.” Her mother chuckled nervously and said something Darien couldn’t hear. When Darien reached the foyer at the bottom of the stairs, her mother briskly took her arm and placed her in front of Miss Mildred. At first, Darien could only stare at those black shoes, afraid to look the old woman in the face.
