Author spotlight August 2021

 Author Spotlight August 2021

  

Biography

Cheryl Cheatham is an award-winning children’s book author and illustrator. She has published 2 books, Perry the Sheep – The Search for The Magical Rainbow and Yaya the Sheep – Super Silly, Furry, Friends with a matching coloring book. Cheryl’s books are fun, silly, adventurous, and full of imagination. Cheryl loves writing and illustrating books with adorable animals and adventures that make kids smile. Cheryl loves giving back to her community. For each book sold, a book and the matching coloring book is donated to SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital and many other local children in need of a smile. Cheryl is a proud grandma, aka Yaya, of 3 little girls who love reading books that spread love, hope, and kindness.

Questions

Who was the inspiration for you to become an author?

My inspiration is my 3 little granddaughters.  When Covid put our family on lockdown our time together completely changed.  In order to stay close with them I would draw silly pictures and send them to the kids.  I have always been creative, and this was my way of staying connected the best way I knew how.

How did you come up with such a wonderful character for your book?

I have always loved animals. Farm animals just make me smile.  My granddaughters call me Yaya, which means grandma.  While drawing for my granddaughters this adorable sheep and animal friends just came to life.  I have 3 sheep characters, Perry, Polly, and Yaya.  Yaya is the nurturing one who looks after her little friends.  I feel that I am Yaya the Sheep and hopefully putting a smile on every little face that reads my books.

Please tell us a bit about the process, you went through to write this book?

After I had over 100 drawings and more ideas than my brain should have, I started with a layout of my ideas and drawings.  I wanted to tell a story that children would love.  Yaya The Sheep has over 30 different adorable animals that explore 17 silly, fun, exciting jobs.  For example, would you like to be a hot air balloon pilot, a butterfly catcher, an astronaut, or a superhero?  Each job is an adventure where you will learn something, so I had to learn things first.  I now know how many whiskers a cat has on each side of their face.  After each adventure was picked, I paired it with a specific animal, flower, and sun.  Every adventure is a discovery of what the world has to offer.

 What encouraged you to share part of your profits with a charitable organization?

There are so many children in hospitals all over the world.  I think I am a very compassionate person.  I wanted to do something, anything to help these kids.  I thought if I could put a smile on their face with my silly books, I will be doing my part in making the world a little kinder.  I contacted SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital in St. Louis, MO, my hometown, and asked if they accepted books during this crazy Covid time we live in.  Their answer was a big YES.  For every Yaya the Sheep book I sell I donate a Yaya the Sheep book AND a matching Yaya the Sheep Coloring Book.

 

If you can go back in time and change a moment in your life, what would it be?

There are many things I would change about my life, but number 1 would be trying to save my mom’s life.  My mom died of a brain aneurysm and if I had a crystal ball, I would have had her at the hospital in time to save her.  Every experience we go thru influences the person we are.  I hope I learned that you never know what the future holds so you better use your time wisely.

What made you decide to become an author/illustrator?

After my animal drawings took on a life of their own, I developed an obsession with them.  I spend hours a day creating ways to make one drawing cuter than the one before it.  Initially I just wanted to share this with my family until I realized kids really love my stories and drawings.  There is definitely satisfaction in picking up a physical book that I wrote and illustrated every single detail.  If my books can make kids smile and giggle, then my time has been spent in a positive way.

 Do you have any wise words for new authors?

You better LOVE what you are doing.  Writing and illustrating a book is incredibly time consuming, stressful, expensive but also gratifying, awesome, and fulfilling.  Pick a subject that you want to spend a lot of time with.  You will be eating, sleeping, and breathing this subject for months or years.

What medium did you use to illustrate your book?

I hand draw all my pictures with a pencil.  When I get it perfect, I outline with a thin point black permanent marker.  The real fun begins when I start coloring.  I use colored pencils for everything.  Each drawing is very colorful, and very imaginative.  Not many giraffes are pink!

What was harder for you writing the story, illustrating, or marketing?

I love to draw and create stories.  I greatly dislike marketing.  With the social media craze, life’s events and stories move at warp speed.  Getting your book noticed is very difficult.  I am still trying to figure it out!

 Please share some wise words for your community?

There is a lot of stress in the world today.  Take time to appreciate and enjoy your child with a fun, silly, book.  Kids smiles are contagious, let’s spread that!

 

Thank you very much Cheryl. 

Spots available for the rest of the year, please contact me if you are intersted.