My "mission", if you can call it that, is to connect with my readers on an emotional level and have them come away with a stronger impression of the basic message in the story I am illustrating.

I try to use models at least for the main characters because of the nature of my art. I tend to focus on the humanity of my subjects, the details of expression that add a certain reality to the work. Real faces = real art. That's the goal anyway.

The approach to "building" a story with words and phrases is no different than "building" a painting with brushes and pigments.

I will always be an artist first. I see my writing as an extension of my illustrating.

I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about your books than you do!

My method is subtraction. I use erasers to make the images in my paintings. You really have to see it to fully get it, but it is basically erasing shapes from a background of paint.

My advice to writers is: READ! A lot. Then read some more. read, read, read, read!