I am excited - and maybe a bit relieved - that my first children's book is complete!
My own cat, Geralt, and I have been hiking in several state parks in central Texas, and it's a magical hobby we share. I don't think people hold Texas in high regard when it comes to geological or ecological beauty, but there are so many interesting and gorgeous landscapes here: cliffs, caves, waterfalls, palms, pines, rivers. I hope this book can shed a tiny bit of light on what this state has to offer, and just maybe inspire a future nature lover.
Like most of my projects, this was an idea for a long time. I read through 20+ children's books (thanks to Austin Public Library and recommendations from the talented artist and mother of lucky littles, Diana Yohe) to get a feel for things like story flow, themes, artwork, layout, etc. Once I reached the bottom of the pile, the text for Bibi flowed out of me all at once. If only I could bottle up that flow energy and open it whenever I need it!
I had seen Alexandria's art thanks to her skill-fostering mother, Jen, an ambient conduit of creativity - and I had kept her filed away as a potential collaborator. Once they agreed to work on Bibi, it was on. Thankfully, they seem to have access to that bottle of flow energy, and for the next 1.5 years, we went back-and-forth on each page. I couldn't ask for better people to work with to bring my story to life!
