Scary, Scary Sasha vs. Illustrations

Illustrations obviously tell the majority of a story in a children’s picture book. But in the case of “Scary, Scary Sasha,” I worked closely with the illustrator to ensure the images depicted aspects of my childhood, as well as some of her own experiences with fear.

Blanket Fiend

I was one of those children who had a “security blanket.” According to my mother and father, I dragged that blanket around with me everywhere I went.  In fact, they said I couldn’t sleep without it. When I started writing this book, I wanted at least one of the characters to have a favorite blanket. So, it happened to be Dylan, Sasha’s younger brother. Till this day, I have several blankets that I use on a regular basis.

Motherly Characteristics

Although my mother had a short, stylish haircut in her later years, she often wore her hair in a bun during the 70s and 80s, which is displayed throughout the book. However, I never gave the illustrator in any direction on how Sasha’s mother should look. In fact, he almost perfected her appearance by illustrating not only the hair style but her collarbone, earring shape, and physique.

Green Thumb

Since my mother had a “green thumb,” we always had a garden full of different types of vegetables, As a child, I would watch her plant seeds and till the ground. However, I also noticed all the bugs that would occasionally visit the garden while she tended to it, which helped developed my “slight” fear of bugs. Because of this, I instructed the illustrator to create a lush garden with a wooden arch that reads, “Mama’s Garden.” Additionally, I also told the illustrator to add carved birds to the top of the arch in memory of my mother, whose nickname was “Bird.”

Flies Love Me

I think we all have experienced moments when we were eating
and noticed a little something in our food. I remember eating Lucky Charms (my favorite cereal in the 80s) and finding a fly floating in my cereal. And I recalled a time when I brought home a hoagie (a well-known sandwich on the East Coast) after returning from a trip to Philadelphia to
visit family and later finding a fly wedge in between a piece of lettuce and slices of turkey. I was obviously disappointed in both scenarios, which also  created my “slight” fear of bugs.

Great Minds Look Alike

During the illustration stage, I had to tell the illustrator how I wanted Sasha to look. First, she was going to have to long braids that flowed down past her shoulders, but I didn’t like how she turned out. Then, I decided that Sasha would wear glasses and a fairly large afro puff/bun, but I had a hard time actually visualizing those characteristics throughout the book. So, I became a
little frustrated and sent the illustrator this photo of me when I was in the second grade and said, “Just use this pic and work with it.”

Author Q & A

Since I introduced “Scary, Scary Sasha” to the world, people ask me all sorts of questions about the book, my writing and editing abilities, and Bird’s Love as a whole. So, I decided to answer some of the most commonly asked questions below.

When did you realize you enjoyed writing and editing?
I was two years old when I learned I like to write. Then, in the fourth grade, I started writing short stories. By high school, I gained an interest in journalism and eventually went to college and became a writer and editor in chief of the university newspaper.

What encouraged you to write a children’s picture book?
From 2008 to 2010, I was an assistant editor for an educational publisher and had to review a variety of children’s picture books. As I perused each book, I thought, “These books are adorable — simple and straightforward. How hard can it be to write one?” Actually, it’s quite difficult. But I found joy in the challenge of developing ideas for a book, which later turned into the full-fledged picture book, “Scary, Scary Sasha.” 

Is “Scary, Scary Sasha” about you?
Yes, kind of. Parts of the story illustrate some of my childhood experiences. My
mother had a garden in the backyard, and I would watch her plant all types of
vegetable plants, including collard greens, cabbage, cherry tomatoes, kale, cucumbers, and more. She would show me some of the insects that commonly lived in the garden. And yes, I was scared to walk through it at times, but she wasn’t, of course.

How long did it take to write the picture
book?
Surprisingly, it took approximately 5 years. I stopped writing for about two of the 5 years, due to my mother’s death. But once I was better emotionally, I started writing again and revised it so many times until I felt it was right. 

How did you choose “fear” as the story idea for “Scary, Scary Sasha”?
I brainstormed different topics by writing down anything and everything that came
to mind. I happened to write down “fear” and realized that it is something
everyone seems to face at some point in their lives, including me! After careful consideration, I decided “fear” was an excellent focus for a children’s picture
book.  

Do you plan to write more picture books?
Yes! I have written several stories that I need to revise. Hopefully, they will join
“Scary, Scary Sasha” soon.

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Bird's Love

Scary, Scary Sasha Picture Book

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