Katie Newell - katie@fieldstonepress.com
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Katie Newell has spent more than fifteen years in a variety of creative roles. She has worked in marketing as a multi-media and web designer, while also tackling freelance design projects, from print collateral to editing and motion graphics for promotional videos.
Katie attended Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Michigan, where she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts with an illustration emphasis in 2002. Her illustration work is still featured in several campus buildings.
Outside of the corporate and freelance world, Katie and her husband of fourteen years keep busy raising their family, which includes a son, two daughters, and a twelve year old terrier who still thinks she’s a puppy. Coincidently, Katie’s children were the inspiration for I’d Rather Be A Dragon, her first picture book, for which she penned both the story and illustrations. Katie and her family reside just outside of Grand Rapids, Michigan.
To learn more, visit fieldstonepress.com
Why did you decide to write this story?
I have always wanted to write and illustrate, but in the busyness of everyday life with family and work, it was put on the back-burner for a number of years. In 2015, I kept getting the sense that it was time to bring that dream back to the forefront. I had an idea for a couple images in my head already, so that's where it started, with two illustrations. The story evolved later. Put simply, my kids inspired me to write this book, not only because they are incredibly creative and full of ideas, but also because I wanted them to see how much work it is to take something from an idea to completion.
What's your process for writing and illustrating?
I think in images first. I'll have a picture that sticks in my head for a while and feels like it's part of a story, although I have no idea what the story is. I try to take that image and put it on paper, as close to what I initially imagined as possible. For I'd Rather Be a Dragon I started with two illustrations, and they literally sat completed for six months before writing the story. I suppose my method isn't the most efficient, but part of what I enjoy so much about creativity is that something unexpected can come from it.
What do you hope to accomplish with this book?
My main goal was to complete the story and get a number of copies to family, friends, and a few local community businesses. I hope that kids identify with the story on a number of different levels, and that they can start thinking about what talents and qualities they have that make them unique.
Do you want to write more stories?
Most definitely! I've learned so much going through this process, and have a ton of ideas for other books.
Would you rather be a dragon?
Definitely yes.
