Wishing you were living that author illustrator life? Curious what it’s like? Already consumed by books and looking for a little insight and encouragement? Children’s picture book author and illustrator Shanda McCloskey shares her journey in this interview. Take a breath and grab some coffee because she’s spilling the beans and taking us to school. Just make sure you’ve brought something to write (or draw) with…

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Our special guest today, Shanda McCloskey, is the author and illustrator behind Doll-E 1.0 (Little, Brown and Company – 2018) and T-Bone the Drone (Little, Brown and Company – 2019). She is currently working on illustrations for three additional picture books; Fire Truck vs. Dragon (by Chris Barton – Little, Brown and Company – March 10, 2020), Bedtime Ballet (by Kallie George – Little, Brown BFYR – January 2021), and Little Red Writing Hood and the Big Bad Editor (by Rebecca Rector – Aladdin – Fall 2021). She is represented by Erica Rand Silverman with Stimola Literary Studio. As if she has time to do anything else, Shanda (rhymes with panda) studied art in Atlanta and New York City, taught art to High School students, has two daughters, and is married to a web developer. She graciously stopped by to raise the mysterious book publishing curtains for us to capture a glimpse of what it’s like living that author illustrator life.

Shanda, thank you for treating us and the publishing industry at large with a peak behind the literary curtain! We are moments away from the release of your third book, Firetruck vs. Dragon! I’m sure you’re feeling the whole gambit of possible emotions! Coming off your recent success with Doll-E 1.0 and T-Bone the Drone, and knowing your actively working on illustrations for Bedtime Ballet and Little Red Writing Hood and the Big Bad Editor, how do you find time for all your publishing pursuits AND life outside of work? You must be exceptional with time management. Were you always able to juggle multiple projects or has the nature of the beast simply taken hold?

Thanks for inviting me, Rhys! I find time management so interesting, actually. I’ve had to self discover my strengths and weaknesses just by trying things. It seems as though I work best with a lot going on (to feel exciting), but not too much (to feel trapped). So far, I’ve had the luxury of working on one project at a time, but that is now morphing into 1-2 illustration projects alongside personal writing/illustrating projects simultaneously. Only time will tell if I succeed! I have MADE deadlines and I have MISSED deadlines for one reason or another, but I really WANT to be in control, so I keep trying and I do think I’m improving little by little. One of the biggest things I’ve learned that works for me is to set micro deadlines for smaller chunks of the project that lead up to the BIG final deadline.

Micro deadlines make a lot of sense to stay on track and not be overwhelmed by massive, daunting tasks. Firetruck vs. Dragon sounds like a lot of fun and an epic match up. As the illustrator for the book, what has been your primary focus as you weave your story alongside the written story? Have there been any exciting moments or unique challenges on this project?

Well, I met my MY epic match when I tried drawing a fire truck (probably for the first time in my life) for this book! I thought I knew how to draw one pretty much from memory, but I was WRONG. First of all, I learned that fire trucks are actually VERY customized to the areas they serve, so that makes each one very different from another. It was hard to find a “standard” looking truck to model my drawing after. I even had my brother-in-law ex-firefighter over for dinner just so he could help me learn what all the different knobs and whatnots generally are on the side of the truck. I learned there are ladder trucks, and tank trucks, and quint trucks (which do a little of everything), and on and on. So, I pretty much customized Fire Truck the character to my own liking THEN, I had to put this fire truck character into poses… such as snuggling with a quilt! I must say, I am very proud of my snuggly truck in the book.

I would not have guessed this was your first time drawing fire trucks! Regarding his nemesis, there are such a variety of dragons in existing books that range from scary to sweet. What do you hope readers feel about the dragon when they read Firetruck vs. Dragon and how did you settle on just the right appearance?

Hmm. I guess she’s a very human-like dragon that like us, must navigate expectations of others and her own aspirations in the best way she knows how. The story is complex in that way, but she’s always a bright blue burst of fun!

The effort and emotion that goes into bringing a story to life can be all-consuming. With Doll-E 1.0 and T-Bone the Drone quickly growing up on store shelves, how has your interaction with those two stories changed? Are there any similarities or differences that stand out to you when illustrating someone else’s words (such as Chris Barton’s words in Firetruck vs. Dragon) compared to illustrating your own? Is there a sense of freedom in not having to be both author and illustrator or do you prefer holding both roles?

There’s definitely a sense of “I’m not alone in this “ when there’s a masterful author’s words to illustrate. But there’s also NOTHING like having it all in your own head! Both situations are cool in there own way.

That makes a lot of sense. You do a LOT of school visits for your books, which are crafted perfectly for school adoption and activities with kids. The STEM applications are extensive. What was it like doing perhaps your first couple school visits? Others have noted feelings of “impostor syndrome” like they didn’t deserve to be in such positions of influence while others note the glee and bliss associated with getting to work with and present to young minds. Also, have your school visit experiences changed from the beginning to now and could you share what a typical school day visit might be like for those interested in inviting you?

I didn’t realize I’d enjoy school visits as much as I do! The kids feed me this “electric” energy that’s just fun! (Truth be known, I probably couldn’t do it without anti-anxiety medication. I had to start taking it to face some serious health problems concerning my eyes and vision a few years ago. I probably needed it so bad even before my vision scare, and one AWESOME side effect is that I now WANT to talk to to hundreds of kids at a time at schools! Weird right!?

I have 2 presentations. One about robots and my book DOLL-E 1.0 and another about drones and my book T-BONE THE DRONE 🙂 We talk tech, have story time (big kids love this too), draw some characters from my books, and then end with some robo-moves OR a drone flying/flipping demo! All the info is here: https://shandamc.com/school-visits/

Kids are a blast and very honest, so you must be doing a great job with them! Literary careers have high highs and low lows. What have been some of your greatest satisfactions in publishing and some of your most discouraging moments? How have you remained focused and driven through them all?

I do feel like I ride on a literary roller coaster! One day my story is in an auction with 4 big publishing houses and then a few months later I’m discussing a really bad review with my agent and if it was fair. Then, my book gets translated into 3 languages. Then, I realize I’m in hopeless shape to meet an important illustration deadline and I have to face it like a big girl. Um, I don’t know. Maybe I dig roller coasters?!

I think digging roller coasters is a must then to survive in the publishing world. Let’s talk inspiration. Where does your inspiration come from? Are there places or activities that inspire you most?

I tend to be drawn to issues that don’t have answers and the grey areas between black and white. A great strength that’s also a great weakness. For example, I think my STEM-techie picture books (DOLL-E 1.0 and T-BONE THE DRONE) bubbled up because I am in the thick of navigating parenting in the age of tech. I love it AND hate it. After creating these books and as my daughters grow I definitely see the tech/childhood glass half full more often than half empty. Especially because I see my girls being so creative with it! Minecraft, producing/editing videos, digital drawings – Oh the awesome things they are making! But sure, there are some days when I just want to drown all the devices in a lake.

Your love-hate relationship with technology is very relateable! Electronic devices are such a blessing and a curse. If you could ELIMINATE one tech device from the world permanently…what would it be? And if you had to pick your FAVORITE tech device on the planet, which would you choose?

Hmm. I don’t know! … I guess I would eliminate the bad robo-vacuums and pool resources to make one that ACTUALLY WORKS well enough to replace your rolling one. This would automatically be my favorite tech device of all time 🙂

Ha! It does seem like most of the lower end robo-vacuums struggle with dark carpets, pet hair, power cords, and just about everything else. Almost sounds like there is a picture book idea tangled up in there somewhere! Let’s look ahead a bit. What are your top goals and priorities we can expect to see you striving for over the next 2-3 years? And, how might we best keep up with you and your projects?

Over the next few years I hope to get more illustration and author/illustration projects under my belt that I’m really proud of. I have several book ideas that I’d like to also give a real chance. I want to keep visiting schools and building my brand all the while learning to juggle life better and better each year! I also want to continue building http://AuthorVisitCentral.com which is a business I started with my web-developer husband to simplify the book ordering process when an author visits a school.

Thank you for sharing your journey and picture book insight with us, Shanda!

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Happy writing and be sure to keep up with Shanda McCloskey at her website shandamc.com and on Twitter @ShandaMcCloskey.

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