Off to the book designers!

June 4, 2025 — I’m not sure who is more relieved between John and me. Last week, John finished the illustrations for Into the Thicket. An advantage of self publishing is that the author and illustrator are able to collaborate. I’ve heard that is not the case with traditional publishing and there are sometimes (often?) discrepancies between the words and the pictures, to the dismay of the writer. I remember reading that sometimes the author wonders whether or not the illustrator even read the book. This was a while ago, so don’t take my word for it. I may be starting a rumor! Maybe (I hope) that has improved somehow.

John was great, running pictures past me and asking for my feedback. A dream collab! As I’ve written previously, and some of you know, John and I worked together at the University of Michigan, mostly for the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. I was in communications and John is the scientific illustrator and graphic artist. He also works for the UM Research Museums, specifically the Museum of Zoology and the Herbarium. 

Two weekends ago, as of this writing, I sent the illustration and manuscript files to BookBaby through their website form. Because they’re designing the book for us, I answered many questions and provided information like font and style preferences. I love fonts. I had lots of fun looking at free Google fonts online again (as I did for How Happy Is a Lark?) And selecting my favorites. Lark uses a font called Love Ya Like a Sister (they have fun names) for the cover and the text throughout.

I’ve given BookBaby a number of my favorites for the book title/cover but my favorite favorite is Henny Penny. Told you they’re fun. Because of the really playful and unique style of Henny Penny, I suggested different ones for the interior book text. If you’re curious, or have a project you’re working on that you’d like a different font for, you can just Google “Google fonts” and most are free. I’ve heard my son use the term “font nerd” recently (not about me) — I don’t think I’m one, but I do love fonts.

Within two to three weeks of receiving the final files and ensuring they have all that they need to begin (this happened last week), we will be emailed a PDF of the book design to review.

AAAAIIIEEEEE!

That’s me screaming with excitement. If we don’t have any adjustments to request, we’ll receive a limited number of author copies about a week later. Presales will begin two weeks after that, meaning books can be preordered from online sites like Bookshop.org, BookBaby Bookshop, and book store websites. I’ll post links on my author website, which I’ll be updating to include both books. I’m projecting late June to announce presales. Those who preorder will be among the first to receive a copy of Into the Thicket. Preorders help book sellers know how many books to print ahead of time and make future projections. They also really help a book’s visibility online, so all presales are super appreciated! Books will begin to ship

I’m looking forward to seeing the cover design BookBaby comes up with. John created a watercolor illustration for the cover. I’m really excited to do a cover reveal with all of you and hear what you think! I don’t think this is a spoiler, but the owner of Adventure, Ink, said, “It’s Velveteen Rabbitish,” which I loved. I gave Laura a sneak peek at my recent book event there.

As you may have seen in some of the teaser illustrations on my social media and in this blog, John brilliantly created sketches and watercolor art. The words and characters spring into life from the story. There are a number of different settings throughout the book, but because a number of them feature the same characters and similar settings, he did an exceptional job of varying the perspectives in the illustrations to keep them interesting. You’ll see what I mean soon, I hope.

Something I want to include here is the task I was assigned today when I volunteered at Mott Children’s Hospital’s NICU department (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit). It was just about THE BEST activity to be assigned. I called it spreading teddy bear joy around the NICU to all the babies. The bears were from the Child and Family Life Center because of the Mott Golf Classic, an annual fundraiser. I received so many smiles and much appreciation today, it was an unexpected joy.

Last and not least, I am happy to have been invited to take part in the Kids Summer Reading Program at Booksweet, Ann Arbor. I booked it for 2 pm, Friday, August 22, to ensure I’d have copies of my book on hand. 

My next blog post will likely be the cover reveal, with few words, but I think it’s worth its own post. 

I hope you are able to enjoy this beautiful weather we’re having, at least in this part of Michigan. Our backyard is a haven for birds, bees, small mammals, and we’re beginning to see more butterflies. Our pollinator garden has sprung back to life. It’s such a joy to see what’s blooming and who’s visiting our garden. Currently, many small rabbits! I think they’re also excited for Into the Thicket’s release.