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I was once thrown into the Salt River by a guy named Damian. I forgave this because he is a cool dude with good taste in movies. Then, I heard he was doing something REALLY COOL that did not involve throwing women into rivers.

Damian will be embarking on a one-year, 19,000-mile bike trip from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, all the way to the bottom of the world: Ushuaia, Argentina. He will be doing this solo ride to help raise public awareness of the benefits that regular exercise offers to those battling mental illness. He will raise money for the National Alliance on Mental Illness, specifically their “Hearts and Minds” campaign.

As a diagnosed depressive, how could I not get behind this project? Damian already has two amazing sponsors: Caledonia Spirits and Hero Apicus Nutrition. They’ve been a huge help, but he still needs more funding to make this trip happen.

To donate, head to Damian’s GoFundMe site. For more about this super cool dude and his mission to support mental health awareness, read on …

An H and Five Ws with NAMI Advocate Damian Reusch

How did you come up with the idea for this solo bike adventure?

I wanted to undertake what I considered to be a transformative journey, one that would compare with the “Great American” adventures that used to fill novels and dime store magazines, before advancements in technology seemingly shrank the world to a more user-friendly size.

I have always felt, as the world I live in became more and more connected, a sense of increasing disconnection. I have longed for an experience that will allow me to rediscover the awe I knew as a child, the wonder and fascination I only knew from the books I read and a life I imagined. I have grown tired of living inwardly, with the incessant concern for professional and personal growth … I wanted to live outwardly for a bit, to have focus on a goal outside my personal narrative and perhaps in the process bring back some measure of connection through its fulfillment.

I decided to choose a charity that I felt a connection with and endeavor to begin a journey that people could identify with, and be excited by. People love a story, and though there are fewer today, they especially love adventure stories. I thought that would be an interesting way to try to rekindle people’s spirit of fascination with the world at large, while at the same time raise money for an important and often overlooked cause. The Pan American Highway is the world’s longest motorable road… so why not ditch the car and bike it?

What is your inspiration?

My greatest inspiration is the world as a whole. I remember a few years ago, I was in Austin visiting some friends. They took me to an overlook that was situated over a river next to a roadway. I imagine most people climb up there for a view of a sunset, or the rolling hills, or the slowly crawling river below … but I couldn’t take my eyes off the road and the cars driving on it.

I had been thinking a lot about the idea of a personal narrative, how we are all the stars of our own story, and how constrictive that mentality can be. I began to imagine a sort of story board, drawn like a circuit with lines extending out of each passenger. Each line led to a box, each box splintered into another possibility, and each possibility splintered to another and so on … constantly changing with each passing second, constantly evolving, fracturing, and expanding outward.

That is the world I wish to see, so I see it. An explosion of stories, intertwining and unraveling at every moment, most of it unobserved potential. My narrative became less interesting knowing all that potential was out there waiting for a catalyst to bring so much to fruition.

A trip like this will most likely not bring any measure of “traditional” success, but it will drop me in the center of that stew of unrealized story lines.

What do you hope to achieve?

I hope to have an incredible journey, to experience the world in its most raw form, to meet incredible people and for a moment experience their story. I hope to raise money for a great cause that benefits people who in their own way may feel as lost or disconnected as myself.

Where are you most excited to go?

Ushuaia, Argentina. That will mean I have completed the journey successfully.

When did you realize you had you own mental health issues?

I realized at a very young age. It manifested itself as a reaction to the profound disappointment I had in the people around me, in their inability to see the long view, the larger picture. I became frustrated at first, slowly mired in anger, then boom. I was diagnosed with what is called Intermittent Explosive Disorder. I have never been medicated. I have always found that all of my frustration can be mitigated through an active lifestyle. At times I am obsessively active; at times I struggle. But I am lucky in that I know what I need to maintain a positive balance. That is why I relate so well to the NAMI “Hearts and Minds” Campaign.

Why is mental health so important?

Throughout history, mental illness has been treated like possession or witchcraft, rather than like an illness, which is why it still carries the stigma it does today. The brain is an organ, but it is an organ we lack critical understanding of. That lack of understanding can lead to confusion and eventual disassociation rather than acceptance and healing. We are a thousand steps behind where we should be with regard to the treatment of mental illness, and we are there because of the lack of an open dialogue. The first step is to drive awareness. Mental health should be no more taboo than an infection or a genetic disorder.

I am so, so proud of Damian’s mission. It’s time we all supported him and mental health awareness. Head to GoFundMe right now and become part of the solution. Thank you!

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Beth Cato writes about wild adventures on airships. She writes about mechanical gremlins and sexy (sexy) stewards with long hair. She is a Steampunk Goddess. She is also soft-spoken, beautiful, and fond of spending time with neurotic other writers, namely me.

Our husbands set Beth and I up on a blind date over a year ago, because we were both “artists.” We fell into friendship easily, because indeed, we were both “artists” with quite a lot in common (including a love for British TV). When the news came that her debut, The Clockwork Dagger, had been picked up by Harper Voyager, I was one of the first to hear … and REJOICE! I mean, seriously, if there ever was a reason for celebration!

The Clockwork Dagger will be published September 16, but because I “know people” (um, Beth), I got a look at an ARC. My full review will be posted Thursday, but in the meantime, take a gander behind the red curtain and learn more about a girl who’s about to take steampunk by storm.

An H and Five Ws with Debut Steampunk Author Beth Cato

How did you come up with the world of Clockwork Dagger?

A number of years ago, I wrote a steampunk story I was unable to sell. A while later, I was trying to figure out a new novel concept and I hit on the idea of doing Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express, but on an airship with a healer as the main character. I decided to use the same world from that old short story, though I had barely developed it there. The characters from that story do show up briefly in my novel as well.

Who is your favorite character in your novel?

Oh, that’s such a hard question. I have to say Mrs. Stout. She’s inspired by one of my favorite television characters of all time, Mrs. Slocombe on the British comedy Are You Being Served? Mrs. Stout is a fifty-something woman with a loud voice, loud hair, and loud clothes, but as vibrant as she is, she carries some terrible secrets. She’s so over-the-top with her mannerisms that she’s a delight to write.

What is the best thing about being a writer? Worst thing?

Best thing, no question, is seeing people react emotionally to my writing. If I can make someone cry or feel angry or cheer out loud, it’s the most amazing thing in the world. The worst thing … rejection. Always rejection. Soon enough, I’ll have that in the form of harsh reader reviews, too. I fear my skin will never be thick enough to deal well with that.

Where have you felt most inspired?

I took a cruise to Alaska last summer. One morning, our ship traveled through the fjords to view a glacier. I sat by our open balcony door and wrote in my journal and read a book. We then did a day trip by bus and train from Skagway up into British Columbia. I breathed in that crisp air, as if I could store it in my lungs as long as possible. I knew I needed to write about characters going to these places. In my next book, I hope to do just that, though it will be hard for words to do justice to that wild beauty.

When (if ever) have you wanted to give up on writing?

I have an urban fantasy novel that I wrote and rewrote and wrote again. It was near and dear to my heart. The problem was, I worked on it for ages but I never had anyone critique it an an early stage. When that finally happened, the feedback was devastating. The book, quite simply, did not work. You can’t accept all critiques (some people are just plain wrong) but I knew this person was right.

I spent about three days in a horrible depression. I could barely eat or sleep. I really debated if I should completely give up, but then the next question was, “What am I going to do if I don’t write?” I couldn’t think of anything else. So, I figured, I need to fix this book. I need to prove I can write. I tore the novel apart. I rewrote it yet again. I had it critiqued by a whole group of people. Six months later, that novel is what snared my literary agent.

Why steampunk fantasy?

Adding magic and mythological creatures in with history makes things fresh. I made things a little easier on myself by setting the novel off Earth, so I didn’t need to rely on strict historical details, though a lot of World War I-era research still went into it. I had the chance to think about so many what-ifs: “What if battlefield medical wards could use healing magic alongside standard surgery? What could limit that magic? What if your enemy in trench warfare had fire magic … and airships?”

Airships in particular are a trademark of steampunk. I was obsessive about making them as realistic as possible. I based the principal airship in my book on the infamous Hindenburg, down to the room descriptions and the angles of the promenade windows. For me, those historical details make it more real and believable, even with the heavy reliance on magic. Plus, it’s just plain fun to write and to read!

Learn more about Beth at http://www.bethcato.com, and look forward to my review of The Clockwork Dagger Thursday!

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Chambers Austelle (great name) is a Charleston, South Carolina, native and artist. I own four of her pieces. One—a black and white photograph of a forest that I understand she took while almost falling from a car—was a wedding gift. I have a spooky Halloween painting of a haunted house and two glorious portraits of my dogs.

Sure, I’m an obsessive fangirl, but she’s also my sister-in-law. My brother is a musician, and I find it miraculous that two artists can cohabitate and still love each other without MURDER. (Because seriously, I’m sure Jake wants to just murder me sometimes.)

Chambers is prolific and inspiring. She presses on, despite the difficulties of being an artist (i.e. rejection and emotional meltdowns). It’s time for you to meet her.

An H and Five Ws with Painter/Photographer Chambers Austelle

How did art become your passion? 

I think people love to hear about epiphanies. They want to know that “Ah-HA!” moment. Well, I never had one. The closest I think I’ve ever come to that is when I’ve tried other things and have inevitably realized, ah-ha, I should really just be making art. I think my mother may have realized it was going to be my passion, or already was, when I was seven. I think that was around the time she gave up on my room’s walls or carpet ever staying clean. I’ve always wanted to explore and create new things, using everything as a canvas or platform. I never took it too seriously until I changed my major to Studio Arts and realized that being an artist was a real possibility.

Who is your biggest artistic influence?

Wow. That’s a tough question. Sally Mann hands down set the path for my artistic style in photography. When I was in college, Rothko and Francis Bacon were definitely my favorite contemporary painters. For me, their work was the strongest and most mesmerizing. I know, I know, could their imagery be more different? But for me they’re both extremely meditative in their own way. I am influenced by so many different artists, though. I love images and am constantly looking at different works of art. Currently, I’d have to say the biggest influence award goes to Egon Schiele and Matisse for their use of line and flatness of color.

As an artist, what are you most afraid of?

Failing. My husband is an artist as well, and we talk and joke about how hard the struggle is. If something we’re working on isn’t coming along the way we imagined it, it hits somewhere deep. Being an artist isn’t a job; it’s who you are. So if you fail at a task, you feel you’ve failed as a person. We joke how people who have office jobs (not that office jobs can’t be stressful) probably never go home and cry about how they could’ve stapled those papers better, stacked them in a more aesthetically pleasing way, or made that sticky note a little more compelling. Oh yeah, then there’s that real fear of will we have food and can we pay that bill?

Where have you done your best work?

I have a beautiful studio. It’s the biggest room in the house. It’s filled top to bottom with canvases, weird tools, cameras, and little treasures I might or might not use one day. And everyday I drag what I need out to the kitchen table and set up shop. I love our home, and I guess I feel most comfortable in the most lived in room.

When have you felt most frustrated as an artist? Have you ever wanted to just give it all up and become an accountant?

I get FRUSTRATED with the can opener; I get disappointed with art. When I’m starting a new piece, I am excited. I can see the image in my head and can’t wait for it to be real. I work in layers, and although I have an idea of what the final image should look like, I like to leave room for interpretation and to follow the work itself. It’s extremely rare that the final piece will look like what I had first imagined. This being said, that middle ground also leaves room open for disappointment. I finished “Ann” a couple weeks ago. I was so upset halfway through. I thought I had failed. I left it alone until the next day, in which I worked straight through to the finished product. It’s always a give and take, but it’s always, always worth it.

WHY are you an artist?

I’m an artist because I can’t imagine being anything else. The first art class I took in college was Drawing 1, the prerequisite for all other studio classes. I remember the professor asked how many of us were Studio Art majors. After a whopping two of us had raised our hands, he told us that being an artist was a lifestyle choice, not a job. “Make sure this is what you want,” he said. It’s a conscious decision you’ll have to make everyday. It’s hard to answer this question without giving a cliché answer, but I make art because I love to. Yes it’s hard and scary sometimes. I always have to work to get better. It’s incredibly rewarding, though. It’s my job to create new beauty, whether it’s a contemporary portrait or just a burst of color and pattern.

Learn more about Chambers Austelle at her two websites:

http://www.chambersaustelle.bigcartel.com

http://www.chambersaustelle.wordpress.com

I chose my favorite pieces of her work for this blog post, but there are so many more you need to see.

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For your consideration: Part II of An H and Five Ws with MY DAD, Dave Dobie. (If you missed Part I, click HERE.) Now, read on …

What is wrong with American politics?
What isn’t wrong with American politics? The two party system is absolutely broken. What exists today is open hostility between the two parties. They are incapable of governing fairly or working together in any meaningful way. What we have in Washington today is a herd of arrogant, egotistical, blowhards who simply want to maintain their power, prestige, and influence. If their decisions help the American public, it is purely by accident. Civility no longer exists. It has been replaced by overt antagonism for all opposing points of view, starting from the top down.

America needs to exorcise the self-serving career politicians by instituting term limits. Politicians should be temporary custodians of the legislature, not permanent fixtures. We need dedicated people who truly want to serve their country for a set term and then get back to their private lives. By so doing, actual public servants would be attracted to higher offices rather than the power hungry know-it-alls, who in reality know very little. Politicians governing under term limits would actually make decisions that they felt were good for the country, not their re-election campaigns. We need to remove all incumbents and get some new blood in Washington.

Unfortunately, I don’t have a lot of faith in the American public. We keep sending the same clowns back to Washington at a rate of ninety percent. We complain bitterly and then re-elect the same people. What’s up with that? Throw them all out! Hopefully the electorate is waking up. Remember that politicians are like diapers. They need to be changed often and for the same exact reason.

Where do you feel most at home? Geographical and/or situational.
I feel most at home wherever my residence, my domicile, is. I have lived in numerous cities throughout Michigan and Ohio. I don’t feel any special bond or attachment to any of those places. However, whenever I travel I do eventually start to miss my house and all that it contains. I miss my bed, my TV, my furniture, all the little things I have accumulated over the years. There is comfort, safety, and a sense of security in the familiar, be that personal possessions or one’s daily routine. Vacations and travel are great fun, but as Dorothy said, “There’s no place like home.” In the final analysis, home would be anywhere I was currently living, whether that be Ohio, South Carolina, Arizona, or Timbuktu. Someday we will live in a warmer climate. I hate winter in Ohio. When that happens, I will call that home.

When are you going to give up on the Detroit Lions?
Actually, I already have. It is true that I still root for them to win, but I have no expectations that they will ever be successful for a full season. I am totally convinced that this franchise will never compete for a Super Bowl in my lifetime. It is hard to believe in curses or di

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You never know who you might meet at a writers’ conference. Sure, you’re gonna meet some weirdoes … but there’s also the off chance you might meet someone super cool and interesting, like Ashleen O’Gaea. And who better to do an interview in the month of October?

O’Gaea (pronounce oh-jee-uh) is a Wiccan priestess and author of several books about the religion; now she’s breaking into fiction.  She is also a wife, a mother, and a camper.  O’Gaea lives in Tucson, where there’s a long-established and active Pagan community.  She fancies herself sort of artistic, wishes she could actually dance, and takes her single-malt whisky (preferably without an e) neat. Check out her website at http://www.ashleenogaea.com/.

An H and Five Ws with Wiccan Priestess Ashleen O’Gaea

How did you become a Wiccan Priestess?
Can I blame my mom?  She was a very active volunteer for the Unitarian Church in Portland, and that rubbed off on me.  I was active in the UU Church here for several years, and when we discovered Wicca, it was just natural that I’d start volunteering . . . only there wasn’t a group to volunteer for!  I began to read with the zeal of a convert and started writing about Wicca almost immediately, and probably because of articles in several small ‘zines, many of which are gone now, I was recruited by a local priestess, Delia Morgan, to help found the Tucson Area Wiccan-Pagan Network in 1988.

My HHp (Husband and High Priest) Canyondancer and I formed our first group in ’89 after initiating each other to First Degree at Samhain, and that group became Campsight Coven in 1991.   I was elevated to Third at Litha of 1991 by two eclectic priestesses in the community here; and in June of 2004 I was ordained by the Aquarian Tabernacle Church.  Basically, within a year of finding out that Wicca existed, I felt like I’d always been part of it, and priestessing was never exactly a conscious decision—it was just finding a name for what already felt natural to do.  (And by the way, being a Wiccan priest/ess means for Canyondancer and me what it means to ministers of other religions: we “marry ‘em and bury ‘em” and take care of everything else in between—including, of course, observing the holy days on our faith’s liturgical calendar.)

Who first got you interested in Wicca?
Short answer: our good friend Faerie Moon.

Longer answer: When I was in high school and college, “the occult” was a very popular diversion.  I read Tarot cards and had psychic dreams and all, but I didn’t have any context for any of that other than B-movie stereotypes, and that wasn’t anything I could take seriously.  The TV show “Bewitched” was cute enough, but Samantha still occasionally referred to “the man downstairs,” and that just didn’t light my candles.  People always saw something a little fey about me, and one friend meant to ask if I was superstitious and instead asked if I was supernatural, but it was all kind of jokey and being a little bit psychic was just amusingly weird for a long time.

When ‘dancer and I got married, we chose traditional music for the ceremony—the bridal chorus from Lohengrin—and the organist at the UU Church said it was “too Pagan” for his taste!  And we were celebrating Solstices and Equinoxes and “Mayday” and “Halloween”—so I guess it was pretty predictable that when Faerie Moon showed me Margot Adler’s Drawing Down the Moon and Starhawk’s Spiral Dance,

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I met Sue Ellen Allen via Ignite Phoenix, and she looked like a sweet, gentle, cheerful lady who I wanted to get to know. At the time, I didn’t know her story. Now, I do, and it shocks me. You can Google her name. I dare you. You’ll find a story of fraud, conviction, and seven years of imprisonment, and it is the last thing you would expect. This journey gave her a purpose and a passion, and she is spreading that passion to me and many, many others. She’s written a book about it—The Slumber Party from Hell—that will hit bookshelves August or September of 2010. She is an inspiration, and the rest of this entry belongs to Sue Ellen.

An H and Five Ws with Prison Survivor Sue Ellen Allen

How did you end up in prison?

I think fate put me there. I could tell you a long story about business fraud, lawyers, judges, and investors, but honestly I know it was my journey and I was meant to be there.

Who was your main inspiration behind bars?

When I arrived in prison, I realized how blessed I am. I have had an incredible life of travel, opportunities, love, and friendship. I have a wonderful education. I’ve never been abused nor done drugs. I met too many women there who were victims of the most unthinkable abuse. How do you wrap your mind around young women who were raped by their fathers before they were 13? They start doing drugs to escape the pain and then sell their bodies to pay for the drugs and yet they are the ones who go to prison. They inspired me to coin a motto that I live by now. “Been there. Done that. Now how can I help?” I learned that everyone, everyone has a story of struggle and pain. When you can turn your pain into power by helping someone who is going through what you’ve already experienced, your life will have meaning and be a success.

What was the worst part about prison?

Battling advanced breast cancer and watching my roommate dying was the worst. It still stuns me to think about how some people can be so lacking in compassion for people who are suffering. The last weekend before Gina died, she was too weak to climb up to her bunk. She stayed on mine, and I held her in my arms and said the twenty-third Psalm over and over. “Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me.” That psalm is amazingly powerful and comforting.

People think prison is like the movies with dark corridors and ominous music playing in the background. It’s not. It’s not a happy place, but it is a microcosm of life with good days and bad, friendships, laughter, birthday celebrations, and rollercoasters of emotions, just like life anywhere. I missed my husband. I missed fruits and vegetables. I missed softness. I missed animals and nature.

Where was your first stop after your release?

My friend took me to Paradise Bakery for lunch. I stood at the counter with my mouth open and looked at their huge menu on the wall with all the pictures. So many choices to consider after nearly seven years without choices. I ordered the vegetarian sandwich because it had lots of tomatoes, and I had missed tomatoes desperately. In prison you rarely get fresh veggies. We were allotted 2 paper-thin slices of tomato every six weeks, and when I say paper thin, I mean it.

When did you realize your purpose outside?

When I walked into the prison I knew I wanted to make a difference. Because I was battling cancer, I asked the deputy warden if we could have our own cancer walk for breast cancer month in

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Her name is Mrs. Katie Laver, but to me, she will always be Ms. Nichols. She is an elementary teacher in North Carolina, and she has just been chosen as Teacher of the Year for the 2010–2011 school year. She has her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees, and she has been a teacher since 2004. But Katie is so much more than that. She was my roommate, freshman and junior years of college at Ohio University. She is one of the most important friends I have, and she is a woman I trust to shape the lives of young Americans.

You know me—I’m a literacy advocate to the extreme. I believe the future of our country lies in our children and their educations. Most importantly, I want kids reading, and I’m sorry to say, I don’t always trust our education system. Teachers like Katie Laver not only inspire trust, but they inspire hope. That’s why I just HAD to interview my roomie, friend, and inspiration.

An H and Five Ws with Teacher Extraordinaire Katie Laver

How did you become an early education teacher?

Ask anyone that knows me, it is very hard for me to sit still or do mundane work. I am someone always on the go and always looking for new stimuli. Teaching is a field that allows for creativity and flexibility. Working with children is always unpredictable and inspiring. Getting to know individual students while trying to decipher what I can do, as their educator, to help them grow individually, is a wonderful challenge. I knew from an early age that I wanted to be a teacher. I knew that I wanted to have a career where I felt I was helping people. I had an influential 2^nd grade teacher, Mrs. Bolte, who showed me that learning can be fun and interactive. I was inspired and wanted to make this happen for my students as well.

Who has been your biggest influence in your career?

My mother is an educator, as well as my grandmother and aunt. I grew up around strong, confident, and caring women. Everyday I would watch my mother come home from work, exhausted yet content. After school I would go to her classroom and help her get ready for the next day. I loved the idea that everyday would be different then the last and every year would be a fresh start. I would listen to my mother talk about educational policies or issues that she felt passionate about. I was in awe watching her have deep, meaningful conversations with colleagues or my father about her beliefs or feelings towards specific issues affecting education. She showed me that if I had passion and drive, I too could make a difference in this world.

What is wrong with America’s education system? What is right?

I believe that the problem with America’s education system is the divide between home and school. The old saying, “It takes a village, to raise a child” couldn’t be truer. It is not solely the teachers’ responsibility or solely the parents’ responsibility, it is ours together. Parents being involved in their child’s education show the students that their education is important and supported. Establishing a strong teacher-parent rapport is essential when creating a trusting environment in the classroom. Students need to understand that their parents and teachers do care about their accomplishments and are promoting their learning at home and at school.

What is right about America’s education system? Well call me an optimist but I truly feel that our schools are full of pas

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It’s no secret that I love children’s books. I’ve worked with children’s book authors in a promotional capacity for years, and I believe in the thorough importance of reading to kids as soon as they’re born. It’ll make them read when they’re older, and let’s face it, people who read are smarter and more creative than people who don’t. So … there.

I attended the Tucson Festival of Books back in March, because I’m a book nerd. I had an inspiring, educational time. I got to meet one of my childhood icons, Jon Scieszka (author of The Stinky Cheese Man), and I even had my picture taken with the Berenstain Bears. However, as luck would have it, I also had the chance to see author/illustrator Adam Rex take part in a presentation entitled “Four Funny Guys: Humor in Children’s Books.” And well, Adam Rex is a very, very funny guy.

About Adam Rex: Adam Rex grew up in Phoenix, Arizona, the middle of three children. He was neither the smart one (older brother) or the cute one (younger sister), but he was the one who could draw. He took a lot of art classes as a kid, trying to learn to draw better, and started painting when he was 11. Later he got a BFA from the University of Arizona, and met his physicist wife Marie (who is both the smart and cute one).

Adam and Marie live in Tucson, where Adam draws, paints, writes, spends too much time on the internet, and listens to public radio. Adam is nearsighted, bad at all sports, learning to play the theremin, and usually in need of a shave. He can carry a tune, if you don’t mind the tune getting dropped and stepped on occasionally. He never remembers anyone’s name until he’s heard it at least three times. He likes animals, spacemen, Mexican food, Ethiopian food, monsters, puppets, comic books, 19th century art, skeletons, bugs, and robots.

His first picture book, THE DIRTY COWBOY by Amy Timberlake, was published by FSG in 2003. His picture book FRANKENSTEIN MAKES A SANDWICH, a collection of stories about monsters and their problems, was a New York Times Bestseller. 2007 saw the release of his first novel, THE TRUE MEANING OF SMEKDAY. His second, a book for teens and adults called FAT VAMPIRE, will be published in July 2010.

Garlic and crosses are useless against Adam. Sunlight has been shown to be at least moderately effective. A silver bullet does the trick. Pretty much any bullet, really. Check out his website here: http://www.adamrex.com/.

Now, lucky you, meet Adam Rex …

An H and Five Ws with Author/Illustrator Adam Rex

How did you become a children’s book writer/illustrator?

At 21 I got my first illustration job—some fill-in work on a comic book—and promptly cut down on my class schedule, convinced I’d been given my break and would be busy with freelance work from then on.  Then nothing happened for several months, but I couldn’t expand my class schedule because I’d lost my tuition waiver by changing to part-time status.  But I slowly earned more work, and by the time I graduated (5.5 years after I’d begun), I had regular jobs coming in, mostly from role-playing game companies like TSR, Wizards of the Coast, and White Wolf.  None of it paid very well, so I just did a lot of it, poorly.  <

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