It Cracked Open

Last time I told you the next adventure was stirring in its shell.

It cracked open.

Book Two, James Wolf and the Butterfly, is out now.

This one was an exciting journey. The whole book started with one thought: James getting so much speed on his wagon that he pops onto somebody’s roof. Surfing it. Riding the roofs of houses, ramping from house to house. Such a fantastical thing.

I skateboarded for twenty years. Carving on wavy roofs was always the dream. All these ramps everywhere, just out of reach. Watching pros skate roofs throughout my adolescence really lit something up inside of me. So the thought of my son surfing his wagon across the houses on the hilly road we live on? I had to draw it.

How the story found itself

Like the last book, the journey emerged through the process of drawing. I try not to think about what’s gonna happen at the end. I fully illustrate the book first, then write on top of it and to it.

So when the alligator showed up, I didn’t really know what to do. Luckily, my incredible wife came in with the solution. She always does.

The lessons emerged in the same way as the last book: breathing, blowing out dandelions as a wish, and that wish coming true for him. Really a beautiful thing to see happen.

(For the record: real alligators are super dangerous. Keep your distance and have respect for nature.)

A confession about color

While coloring this book, I explored AI. It was absolutely gorgeous. The color rendition, the beautiful soft palette, the harmonious colors. Really, really tempting to go with. Here are a couple of those explorations:

But owning and being engaged in every part of this is a crucial element, and some really good friends of mine encouraged me not to abandon that. So every page in the book is mine, hand drawn and hand colored. As I keep engaging in the whole process, my skills will inch towards the harmony you see in those explorations. That’s the deal.

The ending? It lands exactly where every good adventure should. That’s all I’m saying.

Get James Wolf and the Butterfly on Amazon

Thanks for being here this early. The wagon’s rolling.