Mokena Illustrator Kickstarts Publication of Latest Book

Mokena artist and author Sue Shanahan has been working on her children’s book, “Glory in the Morning,” for more than 10 years. She is currently finishing the final illustration.

“I just kept feeling this book was inside me,” said Shanahan.

“Glory in the Morning,” is a traditional fairytale set in the modern day. It tells the story of little girl who discovers a fairy living in her garden. A troll has cast a spell on the fairy and, in order to survive, she must be seen by two people at the same time.

Shanahan says that the story is really about trusting your intuition.

“Seeing with your eyes isn’t the only way we see,” said Shanahan. “We see with our hearts also.”

Shanahan has sold artwork to Oprah Winfrey and received praise from Hilary Clinton for her portrait of Clinton’s daughter, Chelsea.

“Her art is absolutely gorgeous,” said Shanahan’s editor, Simone Kaplan. “It’s just extraordinary.”

However, Shanahan has faced challenges getting her work published. Her first book, “Love You to the Moon and Back,” was published as an interactive app and is available on iBooks.

“Publishing is changing so much, it’s extremely hard to get your foot in the door,” said Shanahan.

Shanahan hopes to see “Glory in the Morning” published both digitally and as a traditional book.

She is currently using Kickstarter, a crowd-funding website, to cover the book's publishing costs. Shanahan’s campaign recently reached the $3,500 mark, which covers the cost to publish a digital edition. In order for her to publish hardcover copies of the book, she needs to raise an additional $4,000.

Shanahan’s Kickstarter campaign ends Nov. 5. To contribute to her publishing fund, visit the campaign website. 

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