Pelican Fall Catalog

The new Pelican Fall Catalog is out, and the book I illustrated, The Christmas Cats, is in the children's listings! Big excitement. I hope that you all add it to your Christmas list.

the freelance life

yesterday I finally downloaded the right plug-in to open the new Pelican Publishing fall catalog. The book that I illustrated in January through March of this year is in it, The Christmas Cats! Although I've done three other books, this is my first book with a major publisher. I am 58 years old.

I have had a long life in the freelance trenches.

As anyone who lives here can tell you, it's not a boring place.

Throughout my years in the trenches, I have been a greeting card illustrator, a sign painter, a graphic artist, an advertising illustrator, jewelry designer, product developer, puppeteer, teacher, painter and candlestick maker. And that is just some of my jobs in the visual arts. I've also been an actress, musician, rock singer, TV host, writer, on-air psychologist, and black belt.

Also a private investigator, girl scout and twice divorced mother and granny.

I'm leaving out a lot of stuff, but you get the point. Anyway, the real point is that there are a lot of us out here, still carrying our dreams close to our hearts, still pushing to stay in the game, working when everyone else has gone to the movies, and taking an hour to change something back and forth a hundred times until it's just right. Some of us will make it, some of us won't. We will all go down fighting.

I'd like to share the trials, triumphs, and daily wear and tear with any of you who are listening.

I'd like to hear from people who have something of their own to share.

The one thing I have learned from a life of freelance is that community is essential to survive the trenches. We can help each other. And we can laugh together.

fight the good fight, my fellow warriors in the trenches. We are in this together.