Interview by Natalie Zaman
I discovered W. Lyon Martin when I was looking for Pagan-themed books for my children to read. I came upon "An Ordinary Girl, A Magical Child" and was hooked. Lyon, as she is known, paints portraits of honest, relatable characters in stories that show that while pagan life is magical, it's also alot like everyone else's. Her work has gone a long way to dispel the myths about families who practice an earth-based spirituality (and her illustrations are pretty cool too--open her latest book and look for pictures within pictures!)
I was thrilled to meet Lyon at the SCBWI (Society of Chilren's Book Writers and Illustrators) conference in New York earlier this year. Here's what she has to say about writing and drawing with the God and Goddess looking over her shoulder...
NZ How long have you been writing and/or illustrating books for kids?
WLM I have always been an artist, some of my earliest memories are of drawing and painting. I was also quite a prolific writer as a child and kept numerous journals and sketchbooks. My first "official" children's book was published in 2005, but I started writing and painting the pictures in late 2000. Becoming a children's book author/illustrator seemed to be a natural progression of my skills and talents. I concentrated on publishing (both book and magazine) during my training in college during the 80s.
NZ In your latest book, Watchers readers can find pagan imagery woven throughout the illustrations (I love the greenman wall paper and goddess quilt!)--is your own home like this?
WLM Yes. In nearly every room there is something that can be seen as Pagan. As a business person I often have clients in the main areas of the house, most of whom are not Pagan. So far no one has noticed the Pagan aspects of decoration enough to comment on them. I have several altars throughout the house and on the property, but they are integral to the decor and landscape, so only other Pagans will know what they are. There are things like pentagrams of course, but also fairies and gnomes, goats and seashells. There are crystals and chimes, incense burners and candles and tiny statues of Gods and Goddesses. And then there are the shelves and shelves of books. Wiccan and Pagan books are intermingled with gardening books, children's books and sacred texts from other religions. And dragons, lots of them. Plus there are ritual tools in the living room in a glass fronted bookshelf. It's a tiny house, we have a lot of stuff, there's a lot to see.
NZ What got you to start writing Pagan children's books?
WLM Back in the mid 90s I needed a roommate to make the mortgage, and the HPS (High Priestess) of a local coven had just gone through a divorce and needed a place to live. She rented the room. At this time my daughter was a toddler and had a lot of questions about all the coven goings on. I would explain things to her as stories so she could understand them. The HPS overheard many of these conversations and commented that I should make a children's book. I guess she planted a seed. During this time I attended an Imbolc ceremony where we petitioned the Goddess during the ritual. I was going through some personal growth at the time and handed over my life and my will to Her during the ritual. The experience was so intense, it moved me to tears. Anyway, She must have overheard what the HPS said and pushed me very hard in the direction of making a Pagan children's book. I like to say she used a "clue by 4." In fact, the harder I fought against doing it, the harder She pushed. I finally caved after a former client threatened to sue me if I used any of the art work I had created for him during the previous nine years to promote myself. I was effectively unemployable without a portfolio. So I jumped head first into finding a publisher for my first book. I couldn't have done it without my husband's support. Creating children's books has to be a labor of love, because it's very rare indeed to earn a lot of money doing this.
NZ I hear you there. What is a typical day like for a pagan author/illustrator--a typical work day?)
WLM I am usually out of bed and in my studio by 7 am. I check my email and process any orders for autographed books I receive. I pack them up and get them ready for a trip to the post office. I spend some time each day working on promoting the books and finding events to arrange speaking engagements with. If there is any fan mail I answer that, too. Once a week I spend most of a day doing paperwork and bookkeeping tasks. I also still have a limited number of graphic design clients, so I do their web site maintenance, design or printed material design. By this time it's nearly lunch time, so I run the orders for the day over to the post office and mail them, come back home and eat lunch. During this time I also run any family errands that need doing, like laundry or grocery shopping or taking my daughter to an appointment. Then I spend the next 4 or 5 hours drawing or painting. Aside from my picture books, I also illustrate other stories. Most recently, my art work has been licensed as counted cross stitch patterns. One of the things I work on outside of books is the monthly coloring page I send out to my mailing list. Right now I am doing a series called "ABC Lessor Known Goddesses", When I get to Z, I'll start over again with Lessor Known Gods. Eventually, all of these pages will be turned into a coloring book. The latest Goddess as of this writing is Hannahannas, to whom bees are sacred. I am learning a lot by doing the research to find all these Goddesses. Sometimes I think I have found the perfect one only to learn through research something about Her that would make it difficult or inappropriate to illustrate as a coloring page. A typical picture book takes me about two years to finish, most of that time is spent doing revisions. And then there is the endless proofreading.
NZ Wow! Do you sleep? LOL! What is the most challenging aspect for you as a pagan author? What is the most rewarding?
WLM I'd have to say the most challenging is also the most rewarding. That is reaching my audience. Because the Pagan community is so spread out, it's very hard to tell everyone about the Pagan children's books. But when new parents and grandparents discover my books, the letters I get thanking me for what I am doing are priceless. Especially those from the kids themselves.
NZ Where do you find inspiration for your stories and artwork?
WLM Everywhere. All the time. My trouble is staying focused and selecting one project to work on. Right now I have the coloring pages to research and illustrate, I am in the middle of my tour season which goes from April to October (about 14 appearances this year), I have 8 books in various stages of development and also one to finish illustrating which is due out at the end of this year.
NZ What advice can you offer to young pagan authors and/or artists?
WLM Draw and/or write everyday. And develop a thick skin. One thing in this business you will have to accept is that there will be rejections. Lots of them. And once you do get a book accepted, there will be the bad reviews. No matter how good a book you write, there will always be someone who doesn't like it for some reason. You can't take any of it personally or you'll shrivel up into a small ball and hide in a cave.
NZ Tell us about future projects you're working on. Any personal appearances coming up?
WLM
Here's where I'll be for the rest of the year--Stop by and see me!
June 7-8 Workshop and book signing; Pagan Picnic 2008, St. Louis, MO
June 20-22 Book readings and signing; Litha Fire Fest; Boiling Springs State
Park, Woodard, OK
July 4-7 Workshop and book signing; Mid Summer Madness, Ozark Avalon, Boonville,
MO
Sept. 11-14 Workshop and book signing; Gaea Goddess Gathering 2008; Camp
Gaea, KS
Oct. 10-12 Workshops and book signing; Soule Fest, Elk Creek, MO
Oct. 16-19 PRE RELEASE PARTY: Rabbit's Song at Festival Of Souls, Meeman-Shelby
State Park, Millington, TN
At the appearances, as well as giving workshops, this year I've added book readings. I read from my three books, "An Ordinary Girl, A Magical Child," "Aidan's First Full Moon Circle," "Watchers," and from an assortment of Pagan friendly picture books from my own collection. Next year my new book, "Rabbit's Song," Written by SJ Tucker and Trudy Herring, will be added to the line-up.
In the works is another Magical Child story. This one has a working title of Alarey's Harvest and is a story of a heathen child's participation in a bløt. It is still in the beginning stages. I am also working on a book for Pagan parents with author Ashleen O'Gaea. This book will teach the techniques in creating meaningful ritual for our children. We hope to start looking for a publisher in early 2009. I am also working on the manuscript for a young adult fantasy fiction. I manage to keep very busy.
NZ I'll say! What has been the most magical moment in your life thus far?
WLM It's so hard to say. But right now, I'd have to pick the coming of my daughter. I was told I'd never be able to have children, but Goddess wasn't listening to the doctors and decided I'd be a good mommy. ;)
NZ What's your favorite Sabbat and why, and what do you do to celebrate?
WLM My favorite time of year has always been the fall, so I'd have to say Mabon. I love the relief from the summer heat, and the abundance of fresh produce on every corner. The chill in the air of the approaching winter makes me feel super alive for some reason. After I started making picture books, this is also the time of year when I dive head first into completing the next book. It's an intensely creative period for me. I also get to spend more time with my family. After a summer of traveling around the country, I enjoy not having to be somewhere away from home.
Learn more about Lyon at her webiste, Magical Child Hand Crafted Pagan. Surf around and check out the kids' section!
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