01 Oct Happy Book Birthday to Laurie Smollett Kutscera and MAYA’S TREASURE!

I’m excited to celebrate the book birthday of Maya’s Treasure, a gorgeous book by my friend, author/illustrator, Laurie Smollett Kutscera! If you’ve read this blog before, you’ll know that I am in absolute awe of author/illustrators, and Laurie is no exception. Her talent for crafting both words and art makes for a beautiful, meaningful book. So, let’s get on with the celebration!

Laurie, welcome to “Writing Outside the Lines,” and HAPPY BOOK BIRTHDAY!

Thank you, Ellen; it’s wonderful to be here with you!

I love the theme that beauty can be found anywhere if you look for it. Can you tell us a little about the book, how you got the idea, and if there is a backstory?

MAYA’S TREASURE was inspired by a very dear friend, Enid. She was a huge part of my adult life. She and her husband lived across the street, and when we moved here 28 years ago, they quickly became family. Wherever we were, whether it was along the Hudson River, or Grand Lakes Stream Maine, or just traveling down a quiet road near our home, Enid would always notice something remarkable happening that the rest of us were not paying attention to. She saw beauty in everything. Having her in my life filled a deep void, and when she passed away, I went into a state of mourning that lasted quite a while. That’s when the words came to me. I sat down and began writing this story about a girl, guided by her grandmother’s words, who finds purpose in the shells used to make jewelry that her sister deems ugly.

I’m sorry for your loss, Laurie.  I know that Enid is proud of you and honored that you made something so beautiful in her memory.  I know you said the words came to you in your state of mourning. Did the vision for the art come at the same time? 

No. I actually struggled for a while to find the right medium to illustrate MAYA. I started out playing with colored pencils, then tried watercolor and pencils, but it wasn’t vivid enough. I needed dramatic skies. Finally, I began experimenting with pastel and pastel pencils which I touched up in photoshop and got the results I was looking for.

Well, you certainly hit it. It is gorgeous! 

 Will you explain the process of creating this book?

There is a bit of magic woven into MAYA’S TREASURE, and yet in some inexplicable way, I feel it has enveloped this whole project. I had just joined 12×12 and was a little nervous about sharing my work in the forum. Was I good enough to be here? Would anyone laugh at my idea? But I was soon put at ease by everyone’s comments. They were so generous with their suggestions, I got some excellent feedback, and someone mentioned they cried at the end. I remember thinking how fortunate I was to have finally found a place where I could learn and strengthen my writing skills. I soon joined a small critique group through 12×12 where I continued to work on the manuscript. I did a few rough sketches and began working on a dummy to see how the text and illustrations flowed. There were a few sketches that I really loved, but during the editing process— just like a manuscript— I had to kill a few of those ‘illustration darlings’ (is that even a thing? If not, it should be! )At this stage I still didn’t have a model, only a sense of what Maya should look like. And then something unexplainably wonderful happened. I went to get my hair done, and my hairdresser, Nellie, had her granddaughter visit the salon for the day. I couldn’t believe my eyes! This 9-year old sitting in the chair next to me looked JUST like my vision of Maya.

With Nellie’s permission, I took a few shots of her with my phone then called her the next day and invited myself over to her house to take more photos of Camila. It became a family affair. I spent an afternoon there, and with the help of Nellie, her daughter Nicole, and Camila, I recreated all the poses I had sketched for the dummy.

Oh my goodness! Maya (um..Camila) is adorable! 

In the story, Maya’s grandmother makes her a shell necklace. Camila’s mom looked at the sketch and said, “Camila has a necklace just like this!” And with that, she ran up to her room grabbed it, and placed it on her daughter’s neck. I still think about that moment when she hung it on her daughter’s neck—the very same necklace I had drawn! Coincidence? I don’t think so! I left with all the photos I would need and made some special friends in the process.
Back in my studio, I began working in pastel, which gave me the saturated colors I was looking for. But one of the drawbacks with pastel is you can’t get really detailed. So, some of the illustrations were created in extra-large sections which I scanned in pieces and connected in Photoshop. There I was able to add detail that was missing.

That is such a lovely story. I do believe magic was involved!

Do you revise the words and art separately, or do you do it concurrently? 

I tend to go back and forth, editing text, adding some to the art— or vice versa until it feels right. Of course, it always helps to have another set of eyes. I am grateful for my extremely talented critique partners.

Yes, yay for critique partners! 

Did you start out as an artist before you decided to write? What was your road to becoming an author/illustrator?

I began my career as a graphic designer and illustrator. My dream was to be a picture book illustrator. I illustrated my first picture book, Ravita and The Land of Unknown Shadows, in 1994. Although I loved writing, I held myself back for a long time. Isn’t that an awful thing to do? I have a lot of very talented writer friends, and when I finally gained the courage to start writing, they were all incredibly supportive. It gave me the confidence I needed to continue. I began taking essay and memoir writing classes, then moved into middle grade.  In 2017 I discovered 12×12, Tara Lazar’s Storystorm, Vivian Kirkland’s 50 Precious Words, and the Children’s Book Academy. Since then, I have connected with so many amazingly gifted and generous authors and illustrators.

Maya’s Treasure isn’t your debut as an author/illustrator. Do you feel any different with this book than you did with Misadventures of a Magician’s Son?  Were they very different to write?

That’s an interesting question. I’ve been asking myself the same thing. I guess it’s like having kids, or in my case pets. You love them all, but differently. Misadventures took me ten years to complete. Actually five, but I was only able to work on it in the winter months-in our off-season. I think the big difference is, I am a pantser. I’d sit down and begin writing with no idea what was ahead! There were many scenes in “Misadventures” where I myself could not wait to see what would happen next! That is the truth. With Maya’s Treasure, I knew how it would end, but getting there was the challenge. Creating a satisfying arc took some time.

You mentioned something about the “off season.” Can you tell us something about that and how you are able to squeeze in time for your creative endeavors?

I was extremely ambitious in my twenties. I started freelancing as a graphic designer and illustrator and built a strong client base by my early thirties. Then I fell in love with a soon-to-be ships’ captain! We spent summers on a 28 ft live-a-board cabin cruiser and came up with an idea that literally changed the course of both our lives. We created a luxury dinner cruise yacht from an old 85′ neglected mahogany fishing boat and spent the last 23 years hosting 3-4 hour cruises from Chelsea Piers in NYC. It has been an amazing adventure as we traveled through the Intracoastal waterway south to host events in Florida during the winters. It was a spectacular experience. But after a few year-round seasons, I decided I needed the winters for myself- to create and write and illustrate. Before I realized how much I needed it, I fell into a depression not understanding that I had given up a vital part of myself. So now we operate from April-November and I get the rest of the year to write, draw and work on my own projects. During the busy season, I try to squeeze in creative bursts on the weekends “if” the phone stops ringing. LOL

That’s amazing! What do you feel is the hardest part about the “publishing business”?

Waiting! Before I had an agent, I would query and wait. Now that I have an agent, he has begun subbing one of several projects we have ready…and again…we wait. I’m not a patient person, but I’m learning to be.

Ah yes, the waiting. 

But on a positive note, what do you think the best part of this business is?

I love the process of writing and being immersed in my artwork. But as I sit here writing this, I have a copy of Maya’s Treasure in front of me. Without a doubt, the best part is holding in your hands, your published book. The finished product, the fruits of your labor. Layers of emotions continue to rise in me. There are no words to describe what this feels like. I hope everyone on this journey gets to experience this moment!

I agree!
And for those people who live in the area, Laurie has a special request. 

Come visit the Rye Children’s Book Festival on October 10^th from 10-4 where I’ll be signing copies of Maya’s Treasure along with a group of wonderful authors and illustrators!

I wish I lived closer! Laurie, thank you so much. This has been fascinating.

Please see below to follow Laurie on social media and see what else she’s up to. Check out her website to see where you can buy Maya’s Treasure as well as her other books. 

Laurie Smollett Kutscera
Author & Illustrator
website: LSKillustration.com
twitter:@lkutscera

instagram:lauriesmollettkutscera

AND NOW…It is Laurie’s Book Birthday, but she’s giving YOU a gift!

Laurie is generously giving a copy of her book to one lucky winner. All you have to do is comment on this blog post. If you are a follower, please let me know, and you’ll get two chances to win (so if you are not a follower now, this is a good time to sign up! )

Until next time,

Ellen

—————————————————————————-

Please visit my website, https://ellenleventhal.com/ to find out more about me, my books, and my school visits!