Interview and Giveaway with Author-illustrator Mary Sullivan

Hello and welcome to my very first blog post. Today I have the oh-so talented author-illustrator, Mary Sullivan. I hand-picked Mary to interview because out of the 440 picture books I’ve read in the past year, UP ON BOB is one of the few that have stuck with me. If you haven’t read it yet, well, then you have work to do. But don’t worry, in this case the work is not hard. I promise you these punchy sentences and vibrant illustrations will make you smile. 

But before we dive in, I want to share a story that is sure to warm your heart. It was brought to my attention by one of my very talented critique partners, Caroline Mundy. Millie, a jack-russell mix rescue, found herself in a rather murky situation. Caught in the mudflats in Havant, Hampshire and in danger of being swallowed by the tide, rescuers managed to save her by attaching a sausage to a drone. Now if that’s not heartwarming, I don’t know what is.

Photo courtesy of Denmead Drone Search & Rescue/Co

You can read more about Millie’s bratwurst rescue here. 

Okay, let’s get to it. 

Where do you currently live and what is one of your favorite things about it? 

I live just north of Austin Texas in Cedar Park.

I live on a hill with a view of the horizon. The sunsets are amazing. That is my favorite thing. 

It’s up on a hill that I love to be.

Reading a book, under a tree.

            ~MS

Wow, that sounds perfect. I love sunsets. Viewing them over the horizon must really help inspire your creative juices. Speaking of inspiration, can you tell us what inspired Bob? 

Yes! 

If I do not shut the bedroom doors when I leave the house, my dog Gemma gets up on the bed, pulls down the covers, and tosses the pillows off of the bed. Every single time. 

Also, I met a chubby dachshund named Bob. I wanted to use that name in a book. The cat just sort of happened. 

The drawing below was done in 2013! You can see that a dog messing up the bed has been on my mind for a long time. It didn’t come together as a book until recently.

These drawings are just darling and that is Bob to a T. How incredible that you had these sketches in 2013 that led to the publication of your book in 2020! Can you give us a peek into your creative process? Did the idea for UP ON BOB come to you in words or with these illustrations? 

My creative process is so organic. Mostly, ideas come to me when I’m walking or watching my dogs. 

Words come to me first. Or phrases. But they are always inspired by visuals. I remember coming home one day and looking at my dog after she had messed up my bed and saying out loud, 

“The work is hard, but Gemma does not mind. Gemma likes hard work. Hard work pays off.” And there it was!  It all kind of blossomed from that. 

I never ever say to myself…. “Hmmm…I’m going to write a book about this or that. That’s just not how it works for me. I have to see something or hear something. And that’s why walking and observing is so important to my creative process. 

I am the same way. Nothing crushes my creative process more than trying to plan my stories. I love writing ideas that just pop in my head and then showing them off to my critique groups. I can’t say they are always a hit, but my cp’s support me no matter what garbage I throw their way. Can you tell us what your critique group thought of Bob? 

I’ve never had a critique group. I have always worked alone. I’m just such an introvert. It works for me. 

Oh, wow! So all of this beautiful work comes without any help? You are certainly gifted. I want to congratulate you on having so many incredible picture books out in the world. Is there anything new on the horizon? Exciting news, stories brewing, anything else? 

Thanks! I’m working on a few other books. But have not submitted them to my editor yet. I’m just not ready. This pandemic has been hard on me. My husband started working at home….and I probably don’t need to explain why that has had an effect on my creativity. Nothing bad about husbands…just having someone in your creative cozy space……very hard. We are currently putting the finishing touches on my backyard studio. So that’s exciting. 

Right now, I’m enjoying doing some work for educational publishers and smaller publishers. 

Currently, I’m illustrating a book with Sleeping Bear Press. 

Toby Tootles by Stephanie Gibeault @GibeaultWrites. It’s a funny one.

I enjoy doing work for other authors. It kinda frees me up a bit….mentally. 

Oh, The Ghouls Guide to Good Grammar came out last year and it’s soooo funny. 

I’m laughing at the thought of husbands in our creative cozy spaces. Nothing freezes me up faster. I’m sure your backyard studio will be the perfect escape. I think I can speak for many of us when I say we cannot wait to see TOBY TOOTLES. It sure sounds like you are keeping busy. Do you have any tips or words of wisdom for your fellow authors and author-illustrators? 

For many years, I wrote and made dummies just for fun. Just for the pure joy of it. I didn’t know anything about picture book publishing or awards or anything! When I won the Geisel Honor for BALL, I literally had to google it because I had never heard of it. (I know….craaaazy innocent) Back then, I wrote without any expectations. Everyday, I write because I CAN’T NOT write! The publishing part is absolutely not any part of my thought process. 

So I guess my advice would be to try hard to write without the goal of being published. I hear so many writers and illustrators saying their dream is to be published. Write because YOU love to write and because you believe in your story. Not for any other reason.  

Mary, this is honestly the best advice. The very first thing on all of our minds should be our love for writing. Published or not, writing should bring you joy. And congratulations on winning the Geisel Honor for BALL! That must have been an incredible surprise.

Thank you so much for spending this time with us. 

Mary Sullivan lives in Austin Texas. She is constantly inspired by her dogs. Her days are spent working on her many book ideas. She does not care for travel. Instead she prefers to be at home, hunkering down on a sunny porch with some green tea.

Outside of working on her books, Mary loves hiking, drawing for educational publishers, and cooking. 

Books written and illustrated by Mary Sullivan

BALL A Geisel Honor winner 2014.

TREAT 

Frankie 

Nobody’s Duck

Up on Bob 

Duck Duck Moose

Books illustrated by Mary Sullivan

Oliver’s Must Do List

My Name is Wakawakaloch

Ghouls Guide to Grammar.

You can follow Mary on:

www.Marysullivan.com

@sullivandraws

https://www.instagram.com/sullivandraws/

GIVEAWAY!

Mary is offering a giveaway of UP ON BOB (to US entries only) OR a zoom call with you and your critique group. Winners choice. 

To enter for the critique:

Retweet or quote retweet and tag a friend on Twitter.

That’s it. Thank you all for reading. I hope you enjoyed this interview as much as I did. 

Lindsey is the creator of two imaginative little girls, the wife of an extreme sport enthusiast, and a member of many picture book critique groups. In her spare time, she enjoys watching webinars, attending conferences, and borrowing outrageous amounts of picture books from her local library.