October Theme: Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams Talk Inspiration

 

Joan: I love the view from my office window (above). Good thing, since I spend a lot of time here looking at it. I love all the green. I obsess over my hummingbird feeder, bird feeder, and bird bath. (Who knew that hummingbirds engage in constant battles, each guarding the feeder for themselves?) When the weather's wild, I can see it whipping through the trees in the distance, coming my way. This time of year, acorns rain down and autumn leaves flutter around like big snowflakes. We live in an old neighborhood of 70 families. There are October hayrides, December holiday potlucks, lots of neighbors out walking, and a modest lake in the center of it all. This peaceful setting is calming when work is hectic. By the way, in case you're wondering about my split keyboard, here's a closer look. I bought it on Amazon--a Kinesis Freestyle.

Suzanne: Since my office is on the side of my house and has no view, I compensate with lots of pictures of my family (in magnetic frames stuck to the side of my filing cabinet), and framed illustrations from some of my picture books. (Left: illus. by Steven Kellogg for Library Lil.  Right: by Barbara Olsen for The Witch Casts a Spell.) My suburban neighborhood is very green with lots of tall pines and fir trees, as you might expect in the Pacific Northwest since we get plenty of rain. Before I quit my "day job" as an elementary school librarian to write full-time, I worked at a school that was only three-quarters of a mile from where I live. I still occasionally run into former students (now grown up) at neighborhood businesses. One of my favorite things about my snug little office is the entryway below. When you open the door, you have to go around the corner to see my desk. That little entryway makes my office feel more private. The framed illustrations in the entryway are by Abby Carter for Edwin and Emily and Tedd Arnold for My Dog Never Says Please. On the table is an award for Library Lil from the New Mexico State Library Association,