Welcome to another Q&A on my new illustrated kids storybook, I Can’t Believe My Eyes!, a book to help young kids (ages 4-7) believe in a God they can’t see and to encourage parents and caregivers to use everyday moments to point kids toward biblical truth. I hope my answers to some of the questions I’ve received give you a fun behind-the-scenes look at the creation of the book!
Q: How long did it take you to write the book?
A: I started writing the book in May 2021 and I first began pitching it to publishers in October of that year. So the initial draft took me five months or less. As I recall, I finished the initial rough draft pretty quickly. Once I get inspired, the ideas start flowing! But a lot of extra time was spent tinkering and refining the manuscript before sending it to a publisher. I also spent a good deal of time envisioning what kind of illustrations would go on each spread to bring the text to life.
For this book (and all books), there’s a lot more adjusting and tweaking that goes on between the signing of a contract and a book’s release as the writer and publisher prepare it to send it out into the big, wide world!
The book released in the U.K. in May 2024 and in the U.S. a few months later on Aug. 1. So as you can see, there’s a lot of “hurry up and wait” in publishing!
Q: What’s different about writing a kids picture book compared to some of your other books?
A: Everything! In my publishing career, I’ve had the privilege of writing in a variety of different genres, including devotionals for kids, teens, and adults; devotionals on different topics (Christmas, children’s ministry, sports, etc.); a sports memoir; adult non-fiction (Christian living); an Easter book; a kids Bible; and a sports Bible.
But a kids picture book is WAY different than any of these. With illustrated storybooks, you have to think in terms of the design format. Many storybooks are about 32 pages broken down into 16 spreads. So when writing, the arc of your story narrative has to fit within that framework. And you’re working with a very small amount of words—500 to 750 typically.
You also have to think in terms of the illustrations. Of course, the text has to be touching, funny, and memorable, but the artwork is just as important, if not more so. You have to write with illustrations in mind and let the artwork visually tell the story. The text and art should be symbiotic.
And of course, you’re writing to a young audience that either can’t quite read yet or is just starting to read. So in writing, you have to think in terms of how the book will sound when read aloud, because with most picture books, a parent or caregiver is reading the book to a child.
There’s lots that goes into creating a kids picture book, but it’s one of the most enjoyable writing experiences I’ve ever had!
Q: Why is there so much butter on their bread?
A: Haha! This is a really fun question. In case you haven’t seen the book yet, this refers to a beautiful spread by illustrator Hannah Green near the end of the book in which the dad is talking about faith with his son at the kitchen table while they have a snack and sip on hot cocoa.
A little backstory to help, ahem, set the table for my answer: You’ll probably notice that many of the book’s illustrations have a British feel. That’s not a coincidence! My wonderful publisher, 10Publishing, is based in the U.K. (with an office here in the U.S., too). Additionally, Hannah lives in Yorkshire, a beautiful area in northern England filled with incredible castles, amazing history, and that beautiful English countryside we all hear about. (And from what I’ve seen personally, it lives up to its billing!)
So the book’s illustrations have a wonderful, charming English flavor. And if you know anything about our dear friends “across the pond,” you know they love their toast! I experienced this firsthand when I traveled to England in May to do some book promotion after I Can’t Believe My Eyes! released there. For part of my trip, I stayed with a wonderful British couple. I absolutely loved my time with them and their two boys, and we had a lot of fun discussing U.S./U.K. differences.
One morning, I saw them preparing toast for breakfast. Nothing strange about that, right? But let me tell you, these slices of bread were the biggest I’ve ever seen! I began thinking to myself, How in the world are they going to fit this bread in a toaster? Then I saw the answer: Brits have larger toasters that are specifically made for their huge loaves of bread!
I was also surprised by the level of care that went into the spreading of butter and jam on the toast. Each finished slice is a small work of art. Brits take their buttered toast very seriously! Hence, the big mound of butter on the kitchen table in the book!
Q: Is the jam strawberry?
A: I’m loving all these detailed questions about the kitchen table scene in the book. Haha! You know, I’m not honestly sure. Hannah, the illustrator, could probably answer this better than I could. But by the color of the jam on their bread, it looks like the dad might be eating strawberry while the son is enjoying some marmalade. I’m starting to get hungry . . .