What would you do if you weren’t an author or artist?

I'm like a sky diver without a back up parachute-- I don't know! I sure hope this parachute works! Seriously, the other thing I love doing is teaching. I'd also like to write and perform songs for kids, or make movies.

What is your favorite question a child has ever asked you?

"Why don't you draw nostrils?" It made me laugh, but also made me a more sympathetic artist by helping me remember to see things from a child's point of view. When you are looking up at people from a child's level, by golly, you see nostrils!

What would you want as an epitaph?

He drew nostrils.

Do you think that writing/illustrating is an innate talent or something that can be learned?

I believe God gives everybody innate skills and talents, but like seeds, they need to be nurtured to fully develop. Whether you are a doctor, an engineer, a basketball player, or a teacher, it takes a lot of effort and perseverance to become good at it. The important thing is to find what you love to do. Listen to what other people tell you you're good at. Learn all you can, work hard, and pour yourself into it. Other people will be blessed, and you will have a lot of fun along the way.

How would you describe your writing or artistic style?

I don't think about style very much, other than trying to match the art style to the tone of the story. My goal is to find the simplest, most fun, and memorable way to express the ideas and emotions in the story. 

Where do you get your ideas?

The trigger for stories and art can be anything-- a situation, a mood, a character, a color, a title or even just a name. Once something catches my attention, I play around with it like it was a lump of playdough and ask, "What would happen if.....?" For example, one day my family was stuck in heavy traffic behind a pick-up truck with a guy sitting on a couch in the back. That was the beginning of He Came with the Couch.

What disasters have you faced on your way to success?

I got so sick one year I was in bed for almost 6 months, then could only work two hours a day for another 6 months.

The Tooth Fairy book was another hard experience.  After painting half the book, with only two weeks left on my art deadline, I realized the art was dull, the character I had designed was boring, and I was in big trouble!   I had to redesign the Tooth Fairy very quickly (she is based on a little girl in my church named Aubrey), then redesign most of the book with a new color scheme.   With a small extension of the deadline, everything finally came together. 

What were you like as a child?

Brilliant, charming, polite, mature, handsome, generous to a fault, and extraordinarily humble.

What childhood experiences have influenced your writing or art?

The crunch of leaves under my feet on the way to school, the raucous calling of blue jays in the Maple trees in our yard, the clanging of the garbage cans when the garbage men came on chilly mornings under my window. Love for sights, sounds, textures, colors and moods influence what I aspire to become as an artist and writer. My Dad has a great sense of humor and Mom loves to laugh. I loved watching Looney Tunes, Peanuts, and the Muppets growing up. In each case, there was a combination of humor and heart.

Who is your favorite adult author?

I enjoy poems by Gerard Manley Hopkins, Robert Frost, Emily Dickinson, and others. My wife and I have read all the Sherlock Holmes stories together. Our family listens to the Wind in the Willows every year at Christmas time, with the lights down low, we pile up pillows and blankets on the dark living room floor, sipping hot chocolate, and float away on the river with Ratty and Mole. I also love books on theology, especially by C.S. Lewis, G.K. Chesterton, and John Piper.