Featured Illustrator: Amy Lynn Spitzley

 Viola, Scrapbook, Wall Drugs notepad, scoliosis, "the Englishman," and covers: Author/illustrator Amy Lynn Spitzley

Charlie Barshaw coordinates our regular Writer Spotlight feature and interviews writers of SCBWI-MI. In this piece, meet writer/illustrator  Amy Lynn Spitzley.

Banner for The Mitten for 2026. Amy describes it as follows: It's mixed media, and the original piece is called The Long Journey. I may have been influenced by 

childhood memories of Leo Lionni, and my love of Redwall books. Fun fact about this one--the mice are made of homemade paper, some of which I made myself. 

Viola Doyle or An Unconventional Gift

3.83 avg rating — 52 ratings — published 2014 — 3 editions

I hadn’t heard of this title, which I think you wrote first but published after The Scrapbook of My Revolution?  Decent ratings, too.  How did a hatpin play into Viola?

Well, originally because I was going to this writing group every week, and they did stream-of-consciousness writing. This was back when my 26-year-old daughter was an infant, playing on a blanket in the corner of Horizon Books, where we used to meet. 

One time the facilitator brought in a bag of jewelry and told us to pick one and come up with something to write without stopping to think about it. As stopping to think isn’t something I tend to do, I immediately came up with this young woman, riding her bike through a park with her hair streaming behind her and not caring what her fellow park-people thought. That was the beginning of Viola Doyle. 

As for what the pin does in the story? It’s magical, of course. What else would it be? 

I was a beta reader for your Scrapbook. Seems I remember the Malians were tall and strong, and good-hearted people who took on some blatant racism and alienism from bad hombres.

How badly did I mis-remember?

Not bad. That’s the Athletics. They were the physical ones. All of them tended to be super-healthy, though. There were Athletics, Sensitives, Camos, and Manipulatives. Amber, the MC of Scrapbook, was a Sensitive. She could read emotions. 

I may as well say it up front. I'm Malian. Yeah, one of the freaks. I've got gold skin and the ability to read emotions. It's great fun, too, believe me. Yeah, right. Anger. Frustration. Desire. Try reading those all day. But I'm not the only one who's frustrated. We're all mixed-up and sick of the bad press and attacks and everything else from Regulars. Things are changing, though. I'm getting other Malians in my school together. We might be able to show people that we're just as human as they are...unless one of my best supporters is really public enemy number one.

Did you have plans for future Malian stories?

I don’t. I feel like that field is all played out, you know? When I came up with Scrapbook it felt different. Now YA is crawling with angsty power-people. I’m not complaining about that–I’ve read quite a few of those books myself, and my daughter (same one from the bookstore baby blanket!) is a teen librarian, but I don’t want to do what everyone else is doing. I never liked that idea.

I know I entered a story in the Young Authors competition in 6th grade. That same year, when I was 12, we went out west for a vacation and I got a little notepad with blue flowers on it at Wall Drug Store and started writing. I kept track of the amount of animals I saw—several herds of buffalo, 20 prairie dogs, that sort of thing. That was really the beginning.

A Wall Drug notepad w/blue flowers. What did having that notepad on that exciting trip awaken in the writer and artist in you?

Bathtub Gnome

Um. Well. I guess it just showed me that writing could be fun. I loved that notebook. I looked for things to write about. I guess observation and the act of putting pen to paper hadn’t really been linked till then. 

Revising a story called The Midnight Trees. It’s the edgiest thing I’ve ever done, about people in a society where the rich ones live high in the trees and the regular ones live on the ground. There’s a drug called Stem that’s distilled from the same trees, and it’s getting most of the society hooked. A few people are trying to figure out how to combat this, including a brothel-owner’s daughter named Angel.

You said you liked drawing trees? What do you find about trees that’s so alluring? Would you be a treetop dweller or a “groundie”?

I love trees! Trees, wind, clouds, water, books. Those are my Things. I need them to be anything like a functional Amy. Well, and my people, too, of course, but that’s a given. I think I’d like to live in the treetops because of the wind, but in that story, the upper levels were for the elite, and I wouldn’t be that. Really I’d want the freedom to move between the two. I wouldn’t do well in Hierro. 

My character, Angel, comes out all right in the end, after tackling elitism and drug abuse. It’s a bit dark. I think I’d have to go in with a humor brush and lighten things up a bit. I do not believe this world needs more gloom and doom. Nope, nope, nope! 

I haven't worked much on the Midnight Trees story, just because it is so dark. I like elements of it, but I've been gravitating more towards a retelling of an old Russian story I wrote about 15 years ago. I'd like to clean that up and get it out in the world, probably more than the Midnight Trees story. It feels lighter, more fun, and even more wholesome--though ick, what a word--and more like something I'd like to read myself nowadays.

All this without mentioning your portfolio. You’re a prolific artist with a large toybox of tools. Are you supporting yourself as a freelance artist?

I am not. I’d love to though! Man, the retail world is NOT where it’s at. I’m on disability for severe scoliosis too. Being able to support myself doing something I actually love would be  absolutely wonderful.  I am open to partnerships/advice and even perhaps a bit of soul-selling, should anyone be interested. I’m sure I’ve got extra soul stored away somewhere! 

I make art that amuses, beautifies, and maybe inspires a little thought. I use whatever is fun for me--collage, acrylic, watercolor brush pens, pencil, colored pencil, and gel pens. I've done woodburning and murals and sidewalk art. I specialize in portraits, trees, and anthropomorphic animals.

Tell us what it takes to conceive a giant piece of art, find a wall to paint it on, and then deal with ladders and paint and weather? 

Honestly, I’ve never done an outdoor mural, and I can’t really do indoor ones or sidewalk art anymore, because of the aforementioned Stupid Scoliosis.

As I age, my art changes. My portrait women have gray hair now, and my animals are more intricate.

How intricate are your animals?

Huh. Fairly intricate. I’m not a photorealist, though I admire the level of detail they get! I like putting human expressions on animals. I’d give myself a good B or B+ for my animal art.

I'm very influenced by Redwall books, as well as people like Jan Brett for the beauty and Leo Lionni for the collage look of things. 

You lovingly refer to your husband as “the Englishman,” and your son and daughter are the apples of your FB eye. Despite the plague of tourists, you’ve got a pretty good life in Traverse City. Are you a traveler, or a home-body?

Ha! They have their moments. My husband and son are on the autism spectrum, and my daughter probably touches the tip of the scale, too. I like to say that the Godfreys are Autistic and the Spitzley is Artistic. It makes for an interesting, though sometimes frustrating, household! 

I like the idea of travel, but I have anxiety. I don’t like not knowing where I’m going to eat or how things are going to play out. At the same time, I tend to be impulsive and restless. It can become kind of a mental mess. I’d love to figure it out a bit more and try to travel, but there’s also a money issue at play. So…I guess I’m not really a traveler or a homebody. I’m just an Amy.

What’s next for Amy Lynn Spitzley?

Good question! Let me know if you figure it out before I do. 

Also, I should have mentioned somewhere that I would really really LOVE to get work as a book cover illustrator, and I think my work would be suited to that, but I cannot seem to break into it to save my life! Most frustrating. 

Please share any social media:

Instagram Amy Spitzley, artist

Facebook Amy Lynn Spitzley 

Website: amyspitz.wixsite.com/artwork-of-amy-lynn.  

Illustrator Spotlight: Gijsbert (Nick) van Frankenhuyzen

Horses, sketchbook, Dad's contract, Sleeping Bear, Isle Royale storm, and Erica the welder: Illustrator Gijsbert (Nick) van Frankenhuyzen

Charlie Barshaw coordinates our regular Writer Spotlight feature and interviews children's book creators. In this piece, meet illustrator Nick van Frankenhuyzen.

I’ll admit, I don’t know my geography. Netherlands is a country, and Amsterdam is its capital, and the people are called Dutch; I learned all that on Google. You were one of seven van Frankenhuyzen siblings, what do you remember of growing up in your native country?

One of 8 siblings, 4 boys and 4 girls. I remember spending all my time outside as a very young boy, even playing in the rubble from World War Two. We had moved  from Goes where I was born, to Wageningen in 1956 because my Dad got a job as an entomologist at the Plant Protection Service based in that city. Four years later we moved to the outskirts of the city, to a new home, very close to the woods. We all spent a lot of time there, good memories.

Always drawing as a young boy, his father encouraged Gijsbert to make art his career. After high school, he attended and graduated from the Royal Academy of Arts in Arnhem, Holland. That’s a big step, supporting your art. Do you remember your first piece of art? What did you like to draw when you were a young artist?  

One thing Dad told all us kids growing up: Make your hobby your career.  My hobby was drawing. Especially horses, but I drew everything that looked interesting to me.

This is what happened:  On my fifth birthday,  my Grandma gave me a Big Box full of crayons, big fat juicy ones.  And I produced a 3 feet high by 12 feet long “mural” in the hallway of our home. My first piece of art. I was proud of it, my Dad was not, to say the least.  

The next day he gives me a sketch book and says; Next time you want to draw,  do it in here. No more drawing on the wall!  A week later my sketch book was full. What should I do? Back to drawing on the wall?  Dad had a better solution. "When your sketch book is full, you give it to me and I will get you a new one.”   

This was very special. Remember, it’s ten years after World War Two. People were poor. All us kids only got presents for a birthday and Christmas. Twice a year. That’s it.   I return my full sketch book to my Dad, I get a new one? The more I draw, the more new presents I get?  Yes, that’s how this worked out. A new book every week.  Dad dated those many books and saved them.

My drawings at this young age were just like any other kids, it was the ‘every day’ drawing that changed things slowly, I got better and better. My (crayon) grandmother was the first person that bought a “painting” from me, I was eleven years old. It was a painting of a horse in a field near where we lived.

Young Nick

At 17  I am ready to go to art school. And then Dad handed me a contract with 3 points: 

Point 1: I can go to Art school, but I have to choose a profession, I could not become just an artist.  

Point 2: If I got accepted, I  had to finish; I could not drop out (Art school was a 5 years, 8.30 am till 4 pm, 5 days a week.)  

Point 3: I had to live at home.  I could not go live in an old house with a bunch of other art students.  

Without the contract there would be no art school  so I signed the contract. I know now that I graduated 5 years later, because I had to follow those rules. Dad was right. I’m glad I’d signed that contract, even though I did not like it.

Shortly after my graduation I got a good paying job at an advertisement agency, making commercial art, layout, design, type setting, photography, illustrating etc.  I had learned it all in art school.  

I was a working artist, but after a year I knew I did not want to do this much longer.. Commercial art was not for me..( I did learn how to work very fast.)

You immigrated to the United States in 1976. What was the impetus for moving across the ocean to Michigan?

In 1974 I visited a friend in Michigan and loved it. So much room, compared to a very crowded Netherlands. (The Netherlands  has 18 million people and is 6 times smaller than Michigan with 10 million people) 

On my visit I saw a copy of the Michigan Natural  Resources Magazine. This Magazine was what I was looking for, I could do this. One year later after many letters and phone calls I got an invitation to come talk about everything.                                           

I got the job and immigrated to Michigan in 1976 , to become the Art Director of the magazine. For the next 17 years I worked for this Magazine, doing the lay out, paintings, photography, dealing with the printer etc. 17 very good years. 

Till Engler killed the Magazine in 1993 . He called it a ‘useless publication’  After 64 years he killed it. And I am unemployed now.  

I decided to build my own studio and start painting. The next 3 years I worked for MSU, Fort Michilimackinac, Fort Mackinac  murals and exhibits and many other businesses and school and libraries. I was was busy again.

 In 1995, he illustrated his first children's book, The Legend of Sleeping Bear, finally fulfilling his dream of illustrating children's books. Had you wanted to illustrate children’s books all along? Which children’s book illustrators inspired you while growing up?

I was asked by a publishing company called Sleeping BearPress to illustrate The Legend of Sleeping Bear. SBP was a golf book publisher and not doing well. They wanted to get their name out, get noticed. 

They figured that if they did the Legend of Sleeping Bear they would get recognition. They were only going to do one children’s book. Well, it took off and changed SBP to print nothing but children’s books from then on.

When I grew up there were not many children’s books that were illustrated. But at about 12 years old I did see an illustrated book and I thought, that would be fun.  

And one day in 1997 SBP asked me to illustrate their first Children’s book. In about a 20 year span, I illustrated 35 books.

 

I retired from illustrating a couple of years ago. To do things for myself, without deadlines, things just for me. Like working on my prairies and photographing everything in our backyard. I can spend hours in my blinds taking pictures.

"Finally after eight days of blue skies and sunshine, a thunderstorm shook the cabin during the night. It rained so hard, water leaked through the cabin roof... It's nine o'clock and the waves on the lake must be 10 feet tall. It's cold, rainy, and very windy. I asked for it. I got it, but now I don't know if I want it... The lake is very impressive now, white caps everywhere, waves crashing into rocks, places where I was standing yesterday are now under water. I went out and did three paintings during the storm, weighing my easel down with rocks."

That’s an excerpt of notes you took while artist-in-residence at Isle Royale in 1992. How do you paint in a raging thunderstorm?

I waited till there was a break in the rain (you can still paint with oils in a little rain) It’s the wind that is the problem. I would hang a backpack filled with rocks under my easel) It worked.

The solitude of this place is the most appealing thing about Isle Royale. I have never painted uninterrupted that much in my life. It was an opportunity of a lifetime and a challenge to transfer such overpowering landscapes to canvas." More than 30 years since, have you been able to focus on art the same way?

No, Isle Royale‘s painting excursion was the best so far in all of my life, 27 paintings in 21 days.

He started illustrating children’s books in 1998 and has done a total of 34 books.  Does Sleeping Bear Press print all your books?

I did a total of 35 books, of which 5 were done by Robbyn and me. Robbyn also wrote an alphabet book about bees, illustrated by someone else because I did not think I could do it justice.   All my books are through SBP. They send me manuscripts and I start painting. SBP was my only publisher.

How did you meet Robbyn Smith? (Please be aware that I asked her that question about you.)

My story would be the same and I like for her to tell it.

It seems like you deliberately chose Michigan. Is it similar in climate to the Netherlands?

It was Michigan because that’s where the Michigan Natural Resources Magazine was located, in the DNR buildings in Lansing.  I also think that Michigan is one of the best States (Great Lakes for one thing)

I love  Michigan.                                                                                   

The Netherlands gets way more rain during the year and less snow than Michigan.

You're an illustrator, but have you ever considered writing?

I don’t write, I only illustrate. There are days that my English, my second language, is not so good, especially when I spent time writing letters in Dutch to my brothers and sisters. That’s the time I speak two languages badly. So no writing for me. 

Gijsbert van Frankenhuyzen. How often, and how badly, does your name get mangled?

Daily,  it’s even misspelt on my driver’s license (not my fault).

Van Frankenhuyzen is an unusual-enough name so that one might figure that Kees and Bea, and badass welder Erica, and Colorado dentist Jan van Frankehuyzen were related. Do you know any of them?

The last name van Frankenhuyzen belongs to my direct family. There are more, if they are spelled different it’s not my family, If it is exactly the same it is my family. Like Kees. That’s one of my brothers who lives in SSMarie in Canada.  It has to be just like this: van Frankenhuyzen 

I am pretty sure that I am the only Gijsbert van Frankenhuyzen in the United States of America (and I married Robbyn Smith)

I checked the Jan van Frankenhuyzens and all of them are family, one is my brother Jan.  I could not find a Jan who is a dentist. Welder Erica could be but I got stuck looking her up. Since the Internet I have been contacted by several van Frankenhuyzens ... all family. All same spelling. 

I have been out of the country for 50 years and lots of family has been born since 1976, more generations I don’t know about. People I have never met.

You and Robbyn bought some land and returned it to its original prairie.  What’s your philosophy about humans and land management?

We put our whole property (40 acres) in a Mid Michigan Land Conservancy . That means it can never be developed- for ever. Even after we’re gone. We’re doing this for our grandchildren and their grandchildren. 

Nature is very important for us. There will be no gas station or Walmart on this property- ever. We have 5 wildlife ponds with wood duck nesting boxes, prairies, with 50 bluebird nesting boxes, woodlands and about 5 miles of  trails. 

A neighbor with a 106 acre property that is  connected to our property also joined  MMLC. All this land is now safe from ever being developed. I like to get all my neighbors involved in this.( I’m working on it.)

Which are some of your favorite paintings, and why?

A doe and a fawn

I have a couple of paintings that are not for sale. One is of my youngest daughter Kelly, working on a painting, another one is the last painting I painted for the Magazine ( a doe and a fawn) and a painting I did of Robbyn.  Those are some of my favorites  and you probably know why.

What’s next for Nick van Frankenhuyzen and your wife, Robbyn?

To continue photographing everything around us, grow more wildflowers, stay healthy and vote blue.

Writer Spotlight: Robbyn Smith

 Garden reading, animal rescue, Gijsbert, Hazel Ridge Farm, and bees: author Robbyn Smith

Charlie Barshaw coordinates our regular Writer Spotlight feature and interviews writers of SCBWI. In this piece, meet author and animal caregiver Robbyn Smith.

Robbyn has dedicated much of her life to caring for animals. As a youngster she brought orphan animals home to mend and, as an adult, folks delivered them to her doorstep. Do you remember the animal you brought home to mend? Which animal adoption convinced you to make your life about animal rehabilitation? 

A baby robin was the first and right then and there I knew I loved taking care of animals. A supportive family helps a lot. It’s amazing how many “hurt” critters a kid can find.

Growing up as the middle child in a household with six sisters, she became the “entertainer.” Her elaborate and theatrical storytelling was her way of standing out in a crowd and finding her own voice. How “elaborate and theatrical” did the middle sister get? 

Pranks, plays and shouting to be heard. I remember when electricity went out my mom couldn’t watch her shows. What was going on with “Kim & Bob” in "As the World Turns”? So we acted out their drama. 

I heard an interview of Jennifer Lawrence with Seth Meyers and he asked if she had any acting classes etc. She said no, she just lied a lot as a kid. Same with me, they were not “lies” they were colorful stories.

Her parents encouraged her to make her hobby her career, so with that in mind she attended Michigan State University and became an animal technician where she continued to care for animals. What was the transition like from small animal pests and pets, to livestock and horses? What did the large animals demand from you? Did you ever consider becoming a veterinarian? 

I wanted to be a vet ..was in pre-vet but my math was pitiful and I applied twice to vet school with not spectacular grades. When I came back early for my junior year at MSU I decided that I would apply for a job at all area vet clinics and if I got a job , I would drop out and work at what I loved to do. 

I got a job at the Haslett Animal Hospital and the rest is history. I have since been grandfathered in as a vet technician, due to my many years  working for a vet through my high school & summer college years.

 

Robbyn and Nick

She met her illustrator husband Gijsbert van Frankenhuyzen at the clinic where she worked. Together they share a mutual love of nature. Did you and Gijsbert have a “cute-meet,” or was it more of a “slow burn”? 

It took a year of him courting me before I said yes to a date. Long story short...I thought he was married so I didn’t give him much notice. He was not and after we cleared up that issue, we have been together ever since. Bought our farm in Bath in 1980, married on the farm in fall of 1981.

 

Nature journaling is a part of their daily lives and an enjoyable way to document all the special animals that have been a part of their lives. Ruth journals too, and she estimates she has 4-500 journals. How many journals in the van Frankenhuyzen household? Where do you store them? 

Never put a number on it, but several bookshelves full. I mainly journal my bee work. As a beekeeper w/30 + hives, I have to keep track of each hives health & wellness. Love those bees.

Today, Robbyn visits schools, zoos and nature centers sharing with children and adults the value of journaling, the joy of storytelling and the importance of protecting our natural world. Are most of your school visits solo, or is Nick a constant companion? 

Mixed, but mostly solo. Schools like it when we present together, but we both have so much to share we tend to do separately.

How many school visits happen at your farm? What have you done to make Hazel Ridge Farm comfortable for groups of students? 

We don’t do it anymore, but when we did,  the feedback has always been, “the best field trip ever!” It is hiker-, children- and nature-friendly. What’s not to love.?

 Saving Samantha: A True Story

 Adopted By An Owl: The True Story of Jackson the Owl

Both titles are true stories that happened to you. Do you always have happy endings for your true stories? 

In Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny there was an accident with the deer, but it turned out OK in the end. We have had several sad endings but have not shared them with readers.

 

As wildlife rehabilitators, Gijsbert and Robbyn, with the help of daughters Heather and Kelly, cared for orphaned and injured wildlife for over 20 years. They cared for everything from foxes, fawns, opossums and skunks to raccoons, rabbits, hawks and owls.

He is most proud of his Hazel Ridge Farm children’s book series on which he collaborated with his wife, Robbyn. These true stories, taken from their years of caring for wild animals, are filled with his beautiful illustrations.

What do you care to share about your daughters? Are they still involved in animal rescue? Are they artists like their parents? 

Both girls are creative, Kelly in her writing and Heather in her art. They both love and appreciate nature and value what being out in the woods does for their soul and their mental health.

Robbyn Smith van Frankenhuyzen and her husband Gijsbert. That’s a lot of tricky spelling. Most of that is because of Gijsbert (aka Nick). But Robbyn is an unusual spelling of that name. Your choice, or your parents? 

Mine. I was a pretty straight and narrow kid. The only rebellious thing I did was unofficially change the spelling of my name. I like to be different.

How much of a part did you play in Nick’s Sleeping Bear debut? 

A cheerleader!

Nowadays you’re still with Sleeping Bear. How do you handle the quantity of titles you and Nick, together and separately, have managed to publish? Do you handle physical books, or leave it to the bookstores? 

Both. We do school, library and etc programs so selling our own books at these event is always appreciated...plus profitable.

Would you say you lucked out and/or worked hard to achieve this lifestyle of animal rescue and art? And farm? And family? 

Success at anything is a combination of luck, being in the right place at the right time and hard work. As our parents said, “when you grow up you have to pay the bills. You might as well find something you love to do and make a living at it.” Nick & I are doing just that.

What’s next for Robbyn? 

I love my honeybees. Being a beekeeper (33 hives right now) is my passion and my joy and my meditation. There is always new stuff to learn keeping bees. It’s a joyful challenge.

 

 

 

Book Birthday Blog with Christina Fecher

 

Welcome to SCBWI-MI's Book Birthday Blog!

Where we celebrate new books from Michigan's authors, illustrators and translators.

 

Congratulations to Christina Fecher on the release of Santa's Summer Vacation in Michigan

  

 

How did you come up with the idea for your book?

I started working on this book when my daughter was five–she’s now 16! But as any working mom knows, our dreams often take a backseat to our very full, often overflowing daily lives. At the time, my corporate communications career was growing (still is–yay!) and my husband and I were busy raising our two kids. Like many families, our lives were packed and our time rarely felt like our own.
 
Still, I knew I needed to carve out a little time for myself. Writing a book had always been a dream of mine. So while traveling for work – after catching up on emails and finalizing communications – I didn’t turn on the TV to unwind in my hotel room. Instead, I kept my laptop open, tapped into my imagination, and started writing for me. 
 
During those quiet moments, I often thought about people who rarely get a break: small business owners, corporate spokespeople … and Santa. Santa was a huge fixture in our lives back then, and it suddenly struck me: it was time he went on vacation.
 
The proud lifelong Michigan resident in me knew just the place for his first trip.  

What is something you hope your readers will take away from your book? 

First of all, can I just say how cool it is to be able to talk about “‘my readers?” I hope they enjoy exploring Michigan through the fun rhymes and beautiful illustrations–and that it inspires them to visit these places with their families. 

What was the most difficult part of writing this book? 

Considering it took me a decade to get across the finish line, I’d say that was the most difficult part! But it also made the journey incredibly meaningful, because I’ve truly treasured – and learned from – every step along the way. 
 
If we’re talking specifically about writing, the biggest challenge was making sure the rhymes flowed naturally while still supporting the storyline. There were numerous stops and starts to get it just right. 

What are your marketing plans for the book and where can we find it? 

Thanks to my lifelong career in communications and publicity – and my deep appreciation for what I now call my #AuthorJourney – I began marketing my book long before I even found my illustrator and publisher. 
 
Last summer, I launched a website that features a blog chronicling both my #AuthorJourney and my life in the corporate communications world. Through the blog, I strategically revealed pieces of the book’s development and shared updates with my audience, which I then promoted on my social channels – where most of my marketing takes place right now.
 
I’ve also leaned on my knowledge of the media landscape to pitch my book’s release to reporters, bloggers, and podcasters. It’s incredibly time-consuming, but I’ve already earned coverage in two separate articles, and I’ll be appearing on a local TV station later this week and have two more interviews planned for the near future. I have more work to do here, but I’m pleased with my gains in this short amount of time.
 
In addition, I’ve tapped into my network to build new relationships and leverage existing ones to create opportunities for book signings and readings tied to larger community events. I just hosted my very first author event at the Muskegon Lumberjacks “Read to Succeed Night” hockey game on March 6. It was incredibly successful – especially considering the fans were there to watch hockey – and many left with a copy of my book! 
 
And the momentum is continuing. I have many more events lined up, including several classroom readings during March is Reading Month thanks to many of my friends who are teachers. It’s exciting, but I’ll admit—this level of outreach, promotion, and event planning takes an enormous amount of time and effort and I definitely didn’t quit my day job! Still, it’s been incredibly rewarding to see my book connecting with readers in real life. My friends keep texting me pictures of their children curled up with my book on their lap – and it truly makes my heart soar. That’s what it’s all about!
 
My book is currently available in paperback, hardcover and eBook formats on Amazon, as well as in a few local stores in the Muskegon and Grand Haven area, including Maggie’s Gourmet Foods & Gifts and The Book Cellar. I’m continuing to put in the work to expand where it’s available, so please visit my website for the latest updates on new locations and upcoming events. 

What's next for you?

Once you start, it feels like you can’t stop. My book is doing really well, and I’m using that enthusiasm to fuel my creativity. 
 
Over the summer, I wrote my second book in only three sittings. It’s still a draft that definitely needs some refinement, but my illustrator and publisher are very excited about the manuscript and are eager to continue working together. I’ve also started a third book and am currently in the “noodling” phase for a fourth.
 
This is just so much fun! Don’t get me wrong – it’s absolutely a lot of work. But it’s also  incredibly rewarding and worth every minute.
 
After the ups and downs of the past year – and, in all honestly, the decade it took me to get here – I’m first and foremost focused on my family. They’re the best set of cheerleaders I’ve ever had in my corner. I’m also still focused on my corporate communications career, but am beginning to share what I’ve learned on this journey to help other authors like me. 
 
I don’t know where all of this will lead, but for the first time in my life, I’m embracing the unknown and truly living in this beautiful moment.

More about the book . . .

Santa has traveled the world – but only from high above, speeding through the sky in his sleigh. He’s never truly visited anywhere … until now.

After tiresome preparations at the North Pole leave Santa and his team feeling glum and in need of a well-earned break, they trade their boots for flip flops and head out on their first-ever vacation in hopes of rekindling their holiday spirit. This whimsical tale of adventure is bursting with fun as Santa and the elves explore the exciting sights and sounds of Michigan, the “Mitten State.”

Illustrated by Robin Boyer

Published by: Wilson Lindberg Books, LLC

More about the author . . .

Christina Fecher is a writer, communicator, and proud West Michigander who has always believed in the power of a good story. She graduated from Michigan State University (Go Green!) with a degree in journalism and began her career as a reporter for The Detroit News, where her work earned multiple writing awards. Over the years, she moved into public relations and corporate communications, serving in both state government and the private sector, including Midwest retailer Meijer. In 2025, she embraced a longtime dream to become a children's author and set out to assemble an all-female illustrator and publisher team from the Midwest. Together, they released Santa’s Summer Vacation in Michigan in February 2026.
  
Michigan has always been Christina’s home. She was born and raised in the Mitten and has lived in each of the regions represented in her debut book. That deep sense of place helped inspire Santa’s Summer Vacation in Michigan, along with everyday adventures with her husband, their two active teenagers, and two lively fur babies. When she’s not working on her computer, you can find her cheering her children on from the sidelines, cuddling their dogs she lovingly calls “The Littles,” traveling whenever possible and spending quality time with family and friends.

https://linktr.ee/christinafecherauthor

  

Success Story: Suja Sukumar

My journey into a career in writing happened by accident. I was in my early forties, a full-time physician and mom with two young children, when my sister suggested I enter a short story competition. I didn’t get in but that attempt at writing got me hooked.

My goal was to traditionally publish while providing South Asian diaspora representation. I started with a middle grade mystery, which I ended up shelving after multiple agent rejections. To be honest, this was my fault since I hadn’t done the massive editing and research required before querying.

With my next story, a YA thriller, I joined online critique groups, Critique Circle and Agent Query being examples. I also found beta readers through (then) Twitter and through writing organizations. I researched agents using sites like Manuscript Wish List, specifically looking for ones who accepted my genre and were looking for BIPOC stories. I then sent out queries but ended up with rejections again.

By now, I was left wondering if I should just give up. I barely had any time to write between family and a job that often ran into weekends and nights. But I found I couldn’t stop. Writing gave me a sense of joy and a purpose. I decided to try querying again, this time with a YA fantasy. Unfortunately, this manuscript ended up getting shelved as well.

In 2015, I was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer. The months following passed in a blur of surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. But this also allowed me a new perspective on life, to live each day and continue to go after my dreams.

So, I thought I’d give it one more shot by writing a YA thriller. I went through all the steps of editing, critiquing, beta readers, and researching agents. I had also been applying for mentoring contests during this time and was picked by the wonderful Dana Mele (People Like Us, Summer’s Edge, and the upcoming The Beast You Let In)) as mentee in the Author Mentor Match contest.

Dana helped me polish the story. A few months later, I pitched it in #DVPit on Twitter. One of the agent requests turned into an offer and In December 2018, I signed with my agent.

After months of editing, we began sending submissions to publishers in late 2019. But Covid hit by the second round and so did the rejections. By 2021, I had moved onto another manuscript when we received an email from an editor at Soho Teen; she had previously passed but wanted another look. I signed the contract in Jan 2022 and the YA thriller When Mimi Went Missing was released in Nov 2024. In Sept 2025, it won the Anthony Award for Best YA/Children’s novel.

This is my long and convoluted path to traditional publication, and I thank you for reading. My advice to fellow writers would be to stay involved within the writing community. Their encouragement and words of cheer kept me going. I wish good luck to everyone on this journey.  Keep writing all those wonderful stories!

Suja Sukumar (she/her) is an award-winning author of diverse suspense novels. Her debut YA thriller When Mimi Went Missing won the 2025 Anthony Award for Best YA/Children’s novel and the 2025 Pencraft Award for Best YA General genre. She is a member of SCBWI, Crime Writers of Color, Sisters in Crime, and International Thriller Writers. Apart from being an author, she is also a primary care physician in suburban Detroit, where she lives with her family.