Today’s picture book interview includes a story for those who love gardens, the odd or different, a giveaway, and a jaunt with me down memory lane.

Last year I went on a trip of a lifetime to the UK.  You may have heard me mention this before.  It was something my hubby and I had saved up for years to be able to do and it was a whirlwind tour.  Along the way our guide decided that we must make a pitstop at Alnwick to view the gardens at a castle there.  I had no idea that this castle was the one that shows up in films over and over again (like Harry Potter) or what all this town held.  It was just an unannounced stop one morning on the way to somewhere else.

We took a quick stroll through a gorgeously elaborate garden (it really is stunning!) with many different sections (magical tree houses, rope bridges, a fairy tale kiddie play land with giant mushrooms, etc.) and passed by one section that you had to pay to enter and explore.  We had no time, but I did manage to take a picture of my hubby in front of the entryway (and the water fountain within), as well as a stunning forged metal gate on another side of it.  In fact, I was a bit obsessed with that gate (which I just realized today was stamped with a website of the maker on the flower I took a closeup picture of–I’ve been trying to read that stamp for over a year now!).

Little did I know that those gates also guarded the infamous poison garden of Alnwick Castle that would inspire Christy Mandin to write and illustrate the story that we will be talking about today.  I had no idea until I read the back matter in Christy’s book that was what I was missing (though my hubby said he already knew that).  I was SO close, yet I only saw it from the outside!  Funnily enough, the poison garden was NOT always a part of the estate, but financial troubles made the Duchess come up with a cunning plan to draw in tourists.  If you watch the videos linked within here, you too will see some of the wonder of this amazing garden.  It’s no surprise that Christy was inspired!

Christy Mandin is the author and illustrator of multiple picture books. She’s grown many interesting plants in her garden over the years but, so far, none with teeth or tentacles. She currently lives in Georgia with her husband and four children. You can learn more about Christy at her website or by following her on Instagram or on Twitter.

MILLIE FLEUR’S POISON GARDEN introduces us to the delightful character or Millie Fleur who is different and find joy in just being herself.  This doesn’t go over well when she plants strange things in the garden at her new house and the cookie cutter town she is now living in doesn’t like it.  The HOA strikes, the town threatens, etc.  BUT Millie Fleur is determined to show them that there’s nothing wrong with her garden.  The plant names and illustrations, both created by Christy, are SO creative.  I just loved pouring over every single illustration to find them all (and giggled quite frequently while doing so).  I suspect that young readers will do the exact same thing.

Welcome Christy!

Me: Can you share about your journey? When did you start creating art and/or writing?  How did that bring you to where you are now as an author-illustrator?

Christy: I am an only child and grew up in rural Georgia in the 80s and 90s. The country isn’t “walkable” like a city so neighbor kids weren’t found in abundance. We didn’t have cable or satellite TV, only what came through the airwaves on the regular television. And the rise of home internet hadn’t happened yet. So, I spent a lot of time in my own imagination – drawing, reading, creating, and watching reruns of The Addams Family, The Munsters, I Love Lucy, and The Disney Sunday Movie specials on ABC. I knew I wanted to be an artist from an early age. But I believed all that nonsense about “art not being a real job” for much of my young adulthood.

I lived a thousand lives and explored all manner of careers until I became so frustrated by not creating that I finally gave in. I landed a job creating art for retailers but that kind of art was missing a narrative quality that I craved. So I started illustrating mock book covers and little narrative scenes in my spare time and sharing them on social media. An editor from HarperCollins saw my art on instagram and reached out and I landed my first two-book deal! I’m not sure social media really works like that anymore. I feel really lucky.

Me: I love the concept of a girl planting a garden full of creepy plants. What gave you the idea for this story?

Christy: I’ve always loved The Original New Yorker cartoons of Charles Addams and how you had to really look for the gag in his art sometimes. And, the scenes where Morticia Addams feeds her carnivorous plant, Cleopatra, on The Addams Family TV series were always some of my favorites. So, when I stumbled upon an article about a real life poison garden planted by the Duchess of Northumberland in England, I knew that I wanted to write a story with the same vibes. My very next thought was, “Will a publisher even look at a picture book with the word “poison” in the title?!” Turns out, yes, enthusiastically!

Me: What did your illustration process for this book look like?  Are you a traditional or a digital artist?  Or do you use a blend of both? 

Christy: My illustration process usually starts with a character design, even before I really have a story. It’s hard for me to write a story without really knowing who my character is and what they want. So I try to really refine my main character first. Then it’s on to character sheets full of poses and expressions. Seeing the character “doing things” and having a full range of emotions on the page often helps me move through the process of writing a first draft. I love the feel of real materials but, because I have a house full of kids and work on the go, I work digitally. Getting out the paints and supplies and being all over the place was a barrier to being able to create. So I use Procreate on the ipad and try to utilize different digital textures to feel less digital.

Me: I absolutely adore all of the plant names and designs all throughout the story.  Not to mention, for “creepy” plants, you made them look so adorable!  How did you think of so many different original and creative plants?  Did you base them on real plants or just let your imagination run wild?

Christy: My creation process for writing and illustrating involves a LOT of post-it notes and aqua notes (a waterproof notepad and pencil I keep in the shower – where I get my best ideas). To create the plant names I started a list of spooky and gross attributes and a list of real life plant names that sounded fun on their own and Frankensteined them together. For instance, on my real life plant list I had plants like milkweed, nettle, fig, toothwort, tansy, and gilliflower. And on my attributes list I had sticky, slimy, sore, curdled, rotten, tentacled, and fanged. The lists were both quite long and not all the combinations I loved made it into the first book. But some made it into the next book. 😉 And maybe I’ll have enough Frankensteined plants for future books.

Me: That’s so fun!  Which was harder: writing or illustrating this story?

Christy: That’s always a tricky question for me to answer because the two are so different and I feel like I have to be a completely different person to do both. So my short answer is they were both hard. But I’ll tell you this. Author-Me almost never considers how Illustrator-Me is going to draw the thing that was written. Curdled Milkweed sounded brilliant to Author-Me. But Illustrator-Me almost didn’t pull it off. A lot of wringing of hands until that one finally made it onto the page.

Me: Any advice for other new picture book writers and/or illustrators? 

Christy: Keep your eyes on your own paper. I mean that in the most loving way possible. Because comparison will kill your creativity and this industry is fully subjective and very much a mystery even to the people in charge. What “hits” is equal parts hard work and luck. We’re all just out here trying to read the tea leaves on what the next big thing might be. And that makes it hard to hear your own voice. It’s easy to get caught up in “how good” you are compared to someone else and “trying to make it.” That’s a slippery slope. Just create the thing, send it out into the world, hope for the best, and get to work creating the next thing. It’s a numbers game. Create a LOT. And then create some more. 

Me: That is SUCH great advice!  Any other projects we can look forward to seeing from you in the future?

Christy: The next Millie Fleur book, Millie Fleur Saves the Night, publishes with Scholastic summer 2025. I also have a non-fictionish picture book, Bittersweet, about Operation Little Vittles and how one pilot’s small act of kindness sweetened the lives of children in post-war Berlin during the airlift in 1948, publishing with Simon & Schuster fall 2025. And a couple more things in the works that have yet to be announced.

I can’t wait to read those!  Thank you for stopping by my blog today Christy.

But wait, dear readers, there’s more!  Christy has also offered to giveaway TWO copies of her book (US contestants only).  You can enter the rafflecopter here.