The first time I heard Faye Gibbons voice was when I read her words. They were typed on a 8 1/2” by 11” sheet of paper. It was the manuscript for “Emma Jo’s Song”. Her words captured my imagination and I immediately saw pictures in my head which is what you want if you are going to illustrate a picture book. I loved her story and had great fun coming up with the illustrations.
There are a lot of unwritten rules in children’s book publishing. One of those rules is that writers and illustrators should not communicate, it might interfere with the illustrators creativity. But with a twist of fate, I called Faye Gibbons and heard her voice on the other end of the phone, a nice gentle southern voice. I felt an immediate connection and count her as one of my friends. I was lucky to illustrate two more picture books by Faye, “Full Steam Ahead” and “The Day the Picture Man Came” all three books were published by Boyds Mill Press.
I was very excited to hear that Faye had sold another manuscript to NewSouth Books “Halley”. This book is a young adult novel. I couldn’t wait to read it. I was not disappointed. I was transported back to the Georgia mountains and the hard times of the depression. The story tells how one young woman rises above the the death of a father and the hard times that she finds herself in. It is a great read. It kept me captivated to the very end. If you would like to hear Faye Gibbons voice, I recommend you get the book and read it. You can get it at New South Books or Amazon.
