I've been keeping a written journal for nearly 25 years now, and have been wanting to start a blog as something of a visual companion for quite some time. Making it something that would be both public and INTERESTING to the public has kept me from acting on it for years though.

More than anything though, I wanted to start documenting things on a blog when I was starting up on a bigger project as well--as opposed to starting midstream and backtracking. And I am finally at that point, being that I am officially starting to write the second Third Grade Mermaid book in earnest.

This is a "galley" copy of the first Third Grade Mermaid book, published by Scholastic Press. Its release date is January 31, 2017. Like most books, the artwork and writing is completed nearly a year in advance.

So, this blog will certainly follow my process of writing and illustrating a children's novel, but I anticipate it being much more. I hope to give some insight into just how I was able to get into the career I have in the first place, and maybe be able to inspire or motivate others to do the same.