AN INTERVIEW WITH

AUTHOR-ILLUSTRATOR AMANDA DAVIS 

ABOUT

SOMETIMES STORMY

 

 

 

 

 

INTERVIEW:

 

GOODREADSWITHRONNA: Welcome to the blog, Amanda! What was your inspiration for Sometimes Stormy?

 

AMANDA DAVIS: Sometimes Stormy started out as a rhyming poem that I wrote my freshman year of college called, Monster. The poem explored the idea of what it was like to live with a father who struggled with alcohol use disorder. That’s part of my life story and an experience that has shaped who I am today and my passion for telling stories that some might consider difficult. I view these stories as essential. Throughout my journey trying to make sense of this experience, I’ve done much research on the topic to better help me understand the disease and its repercussions on those who it affects. Also, as a former educator, this lived experience helped me relate to my students who were going through similar situations in their homes and help them use art and writing to navigate the challenges and cope with a situation that is out of their control. Recognizing there was a lack of contemporary, age-appropriate books to turn to on the topic, Sometimes Stormy provides an empathetic exploration of this ‘storm’ and highlights ways for children to cope, understand, and manage the anxiety and stress of living with a loved one who struggles with a substance use disorder. I hope Sometimes Stormy fills the gap in the market of contemporary books that touch upon alcohol use disorder and helps families and children feel less alone in their challenges. I wish there was a book or books that were given to me when I was younger to help me understand the storm in my home. I’m excited I’ll be able to offer this as a resource to readers in need.

 

GRWR: How do you separate yourself from the emotions of this serious topic when creating the art, or do you find it actually helps, and if so, why?

 

AD: I think living and creating with the emotions flowing helps me continue with the work, even when it starts to feel to heavy. Those emotions are my Why. Why I wrote that first poem. Why I wanted to make it into a children’s book. Why I create. I like to think of those emotions as my little friend who sits right alongside me while I create, reminding me that when it gets hard or frustrating, there are children and families out there who need this story. It will give them hope and feel less alone. This keeps me going.

 

 

 

 

GRWR: What are the new challenges and rewards of being an author-illustrator?

AD: Challenges: It’s double the work and triple the time haa! I know this is an obvious answer but I can really feel the difference. For my author only stories, when I’m done revising the story with my editor, I send it off and play the waiting game until we see sketches or hear from the illustrator. This frees up time to work on other stories or focus on other aspects of my creative career like mentoring, critiquing clients’ work, and school visits. As author and illustrator, you don’t have that time after you submit the final manuscript. You’re right onto working on the illustrations and most likely starting marketing efforts while working on final art. I’m also finding that revising my illustrations takes longer than revising my manuscript. It’s a different and more tedious process for me.

 

Rewards: It’s been a wonderful experience working with an art director and design team to give me feedback on my work and help me improve. I’ve learned so much and am grateful to Courtenay Fletcher, Senior Graphic Designer at Teacher Created Materials, for all her insights. I also leaned on my talented critique groups for feedback, which was awesome. They’re always my go-to! I truly love getting caught up in the flow of illustrating and creative problem-solving. When something clicks, whether it’s finding the right color, gesture, or composition, there is a great sense of satisfaction. I think it’s going to be amazing once I hold the book in my hands and get to see my art in a book!! It still amazes me that as creators we literally make something out of nothing. DREAM COME TRUE!

 

GRWR: Congratulations on your debut as an author-illustrator, Amanda! Thanks for taking the time to share your journey with us.

 

All artwork © Amanda Davis, from the book Sometimes Stormy.

AMANDA DAVIS BIO:

Amanda Davis is a teacher, artist, writer, and innovator who uses her words and pictures to light up the world with kindness. Amanda is the author of the award-winning picture books, 30,000 Stitches: The Inspiring Story of the National 9/11 Flag (illustrated by Sally Wern Comport), and Moonlight Memories (illustrated by Michelle Jing Chan).  SOMETIMES STORMY is her author-illustrator debut, and she has three more unannounced picture books on the way. Learn more about Amanda on her website and Instagram, Twitter (X) and BlueSky.

 

 

 

PREORDER SOMETIMES STORMY:

Amanda is offering a signed copy of the book plus an art print.

Here is the preorder link: https://www.silverunicornbooks.com/item/iO57odvj2irvkIGI0UatUA