About three months ago, I had said we had roughly sixteen weeks til it was time to publish the book. That felt insane to write then and it feels the same way even now.
Today is a BIG day but before I elaborate, I would love to catch you up on the last couple months.
March came in like a lamb and certainly left like a lion. For those of you living anywhere on this planet, you are aware that we just got hit by a worldwide pandemic. My world got turned and twisted upside down in terms of routine and focus. I became a full time stay at home Mom again 24 hours a day/7 days a week since school was out and the possibility of working with people or kids was zip to none.
In terms of my book, this was not a bad thing. I was in the illustration process so overall, I did not need a huge focus. Let's chat about that though!
The illustration process went way smoother than I could have imagined. I was consistently able to message Sarah and request/recommend ideas. She was open to it all and her turnaround time was impressive. I never felt confused or lost by what she was doing or what came next. She made sure every email included a list of what to expect and she always reassured me that I could make changes. This left me feeling in control, confident and apart of the process.
I did not need to change much aside from small details or color suggestions. At one point, I felt the main hue of the book was blue and while I understood that, it wasn't what I had wanted. BOOM! Within days, it was all colorful.
Since I am not an artist, I never realized the different layers to book illustrations. Sarah had placed them into a file where I could see the images from beginning stages to the final stages. I felt the book coming to life.
I gave my parents and mother in law a sneak peek of some of the half done illustrations. They were so excited! I let James, my husband, view all the illustrations with me. We were both really thrilled by the illustrations so far.
Once she was done, it was time to find out what size my book would be, which language it would be published in [bilingual or separate editions] and putting the book together formally.
When Sarah was done with all the illustrations, she put them together in a file to view it as a book. I loved it all!
Stay tuned for what happened next!