Where Do Animals Go for Vacation? explores the humorous notion that animals, like humans, deserve a little downtime of their own. Where did the idea for this book come from?

The original idea came to me several years ago with just one animal, the
turtle. I decided turtles must lead rather uninteresting lives, with one very
low vantage point as they plodded slowly across the ground. So, I thought if they could go anywhere to change their situation, where would that be? Of course, it would have to be high on a mountain, standing up on skis, plummeting at breakneck speeds down the slopes. And their hard shells make them perfectly suited to survive any wipeout totally unscathed.

After I retired from my career as an advertising agency creative director, I decided to research other animals that might, for various reasons, need a break from their daily routine. I edited the list of animals down to the most “deserving.” Their individual stories and images were then created.

What is your background and experience in writing, and how did it help you write Where Do Animals Go for Vacation?

I studied journalism and design at Drake University. Both forms of creativity, words and images, interested me. As I worked my way through a career in advertising, from designer to associate creative director to creative director, I found that I was working more closely with copywriters and ultimately, doing a great deal of copywriting myself. Writing became a very satisfying and rewarding part of my career. I became very confident at putting my words on paper.

The artwork in this book is fantastic. Can you share with us a little bit about your illustration process?

Well, I appreciate the “fantastic” comment. I’ve enjoyed drawing ever since I can remember. It’s an interest I believe I got from my father, an electrical engineer who was a very good renderer.

In my first book, “A Very Chilling Mystery,” all the illustrations were done in watercolor, a medium I was quite familiar with. For “Where Do Animals Go for Vacation?” I decided it was time to try going completely digital.

Once I’d decided which animals to include, I looked for reference photos of each one. Then I did multiple small sketches of every animal until I was satisfied their locations and positions reflected the text properly. From there, I did a large pencil drawing of each one, modifying them as needed. When those were complete, I scanned them into Photoshop … redrew their outline … and applied color and textures in the appropriate watercolor brushes.

It was quite a lengthy learning process, but I loved the fact that I could quickly move or delete anything I didn’t like … and be able adjust colors, saturation, and sharpness. None of which is doable using standard watercolor on illustration board.

What is the next book you are working on, and when will it be available?

That’s a good question. I have seeds of ideas but nothing I’m ready to commit to yet. I do think any further books I write and illustrate will be in narrative form, with a beginning, middle, and conclusion. That will be another bit of uncharted territory for me.

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