Author Spotlight: Sarah MacLeod

Part 2 of 2 for the author spotlight focuses on an aspiring author and illustrator of kids’ books. I’m so excited to get to share some of her work with you today!

Introducing: Sarah MacLeod

Her primary goal is to simply tell a good story. We both agree that there is an indefinable feeling when a story is *chef’s kiss* right. You know what we mean: that satisfied “ahh” in your soul as you close the cover of a beautiful book that reaches into your heart and down to the tips of your toes.

Her books are directed toward elementary-age kids and deal with, as she put it, “classic children’s issues,” such as friendship, not being able to find your favorite article of clothing on a day you must have it, and trying to fit in.

While good stories tend to teach things by their very nature, she desires that her books do so without sacrificing the fun, the whimsy, and the way a good story draws the reader in.

Sarah draws her inspiration from people she knows in real life, but you wouldn’t be able to recognize them in her stories, because a good deal of the time, the main characters are an eclectic group of animals.

For instance, one of her books is about a vulture named Gil McGee who is really good at making shoes. But, as you might guess, the rest of the vultures think that’s absurd and make fun of him.

Of course, this hurts Gil McGee, so he sets off to find a way for his talent to be put to good use and, in the course of the book, finds other animals who become his friends.

Another of her books is about a kid who is trying to make friends at school. In the style of repetitive books that help young readers anticipate what’s coming next in the story, the main character slowly makes friends with the support of his family.

Is anybody else looking at these illustrations and wanting to know the rest of the stories??

Just by looking at these drawings, I want to dive into the world of these characters and find out what happens to them.

Usually Sarah uses colored pencil for her illustrations, but she has done a bit with watercolor too. I love how vibrant the colors are in these illustrations, from a book she is calling Twinkle Toes.

I asked Sarah what she has been learning through the process of creating these books and working toward publishing them. I loved her response!

She said she’s learning that taking risks is worth it. Trying new things is worth it. And life is better when we step out of our comfort zone and risk not being good or perfect at something.

The act of creating is still worth it, even if there is no praise or it’s not the best.

Sarah MacLeod

I think that’s a good lesson for all of us. It can feel scary to try something when you’re not sure if you’ll fall flat on your face or not. But that doesn’t mean the fear of falling (or failing) should stop us.

In the future, Sarah’s goal is to get these beautiful manuscripts published! Once she does publish some of it, it’s going to be such a gift to the world.

She also would be willing to illustrate other books, if the author’s style meshes with hers.

If you’re interested in collaborating with her in any way, you can contact her through email address: macleodsarah49@gmail.com.

In the meantime, enjoy a few more of her illustrations!