A Christmas Fable was written by Joan Carter later in her life. She read the story to her family on Christmas Eve. After Joan died her daughter and granddaughter decided to publish this lovely story in honor of Joan and all the wonderful memories they have of her. When Debbie, Joan's granddaughter was looking for an illustrator, a mutual friend introduced us and the rest is history! As an artist specializing in nature and animal art the project was perfect for me. I've always wanted to illustrate a book, so I was so happy to be able make a dream come true.

As an animal artist, one of the most challenging parts of the project was depicting the people in the story. I used my dad as the model for St. Nickolas. He loved animals, too, and this is a such fitting tribute to him. 

The inside title page is so pretty with a lovely, old-fashioned text and a detail from the snowy owl page. I actually used the barred owls who visit my yard as the models for this owl. I keep a camera handy and photograph all the creatures who pass through or who live in my woods. I used these photos and the pages in my nature journal to create the characters in the illustrations. Some, like the moose, bears, and coyotes are from visits to Pittsburg, NH or to the Squam Lake Science Center.