Lately, it would seem that most people have an idea for a children’s book. Lucky for me, over the years I have learned the secret to getting the work done. The secret is that there is no secret. Inspiration may come bursting forth gloriously in the middle of the night but at some point it’s grit and determination that will see you through.

I attended Art Center College of Design at a time when classes in children’s books weren’t yet offered. Maybe because the road to publication was a bit of a mystery, I focused on the more “serious” study of a career in commercial art. My experience as a commercial artist has included work in editorial illustration, stationery, greeting cards and textile design.

A few years ago, when my kids were grown and time permitted, I took a class in children’s book writing and illustrating at Otis College of Art and Design. With a bookshelf full of inspiration from my own and my kids’ youth within reach, I began the process of honing my skills in creating books that a child would want to climb into a lap with.

Nine years of The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators’ conferences and two grandchildren later, I remind myself daily that the joy is in creating for the kids. The prize my eye is on is that someday, one of the books that they pick for themselves or even one of their own children, will be one of mine. Until then, it’s “Do or do not.”