One of the questions I’m most often asked at Writers’ Conferences is:

How do you find an illustrator for your book?

The simple answer is, I don’t. My publisher does. My job is to write the words, and Zonderkidz’ job is to find the illustrator. And what a treasure they found in Russian artist Elena Selivanova!

Publishers Weekly describes her work in ‘Twas the Evening of Christmas as:

Evocative paintings that feature soft lines and gentle shifts between sunlight, moonglow, starlight, and shadow—as well as light that seems to emanate from the newborn child. Her gauzy, muted palette and shifting perspectives (in one scene, the shepherds are seen from above, through clusters of angels’ wings) fully immerse readers in the unfolding events.

Here’s a peek at the scene they just described:

And her depiction of the three wise men on the cover is just spectacular:
And so, when fellow children’s author, Laura Sassi, suggested we participate in a joint author/ illustrator interview at her stop on the blog tour, I jumped at the chance. Since Elena is Russian, we had to contact her via her agent and use an interpreter, but she gladly answered our questions and gave us a peek into her life.

If you’d like to learn more about Elena, as well as hear about some fun Russian and British Christmas traditions, visit Laura Sassi, where you’ll also be able to enter the latest giveaway of ‘Twas the Evening of Christmas.