The summer is really heating up, well maybe not for U-20 Canadian soccer team, but for me the writing deadlines are rushing forward at breakneck speed. The result? Not much time to blog around here. So, in advance, please forgive the impending silence.

But I did have a chance to get away from the soccer action and the computer long enough to have a coffee with Patricia Storms (aka the Queen of BookLust.) We met up because in a totally cool set of pleasant circumstances, she is illustrating my forthcoming book on democracy for Capstone Press. It’s rare that I even know, let alone live a few blocks away, from the illustrators I work with on my educational books. So, this was a great chance for me to get a sneak peak at her sketches for the vast amount of gag jokes I created for the book.

While I won’t comment on the quality of some of the jokes (you try coming up with 30 + jokes on democracy!), I will say that Patricia’s sketches look amazing. It was a real treat to see the little touches and flourishes a talented illustrator can add to your words to make them come alive.

If you want to get a glimpse at some of Patricia’s work buy her book 13 Ghosts of Halloween when it comes out in the fall or check out her illustration site. To get a close up look at the brain behind the pen, read subscribe to her fantastic blog, BookLust.