Wright on Time Books

Here is Tanja, in her home studio, next to a draft of the Wright on Time: Wyoming, Book 3 cover painting.

I recently had the chance to ask Tanja a few questions. Here are her answers:

Lisa: Tell us a little bit about yourself.

Tanja: I was born in Germany then moved to the suburbs of Melbourne, Australia, when I was 11, where I actually learned English. Since I was little I have always loved drawing but never really knew that illustration was a career option. As a result I ended up with a career in Graphic Design. This field is actually a great background for illustration. Learning about composition, color, layout, and type can be directly applied to illustration. Eventually, my love for illustration caused me to leave my job, and work as a freelance designer while working on my illustration portfolio.

I now live near Phoenix, Arizona, with my husband Kevin, my daughters Isabelle and Zoe, and our zoo which is made up of two Golden Retrievers and four cats.

Lisa: Please list all the published books you have worked on.

Tanja: Published books:

2010 – “Wright on Time: Wyoming, Book 3” – Do Life Right, Inc. – Chapter Book Series
2009 – “Wright on Time : Utah, Book 2” – Do Life Right, Inc. – Chapter Book Series
2009 – “Wright on Time: Arizona, Book 1” – Do Life Right, Inc. – Chapter Book Series
2009 – “The Adventures of Salt & Soap in the Grand Canyon” – The Grand Canyon Association – Picture Book
2007 – “There’s a Coqui in My Shoe!” – ChiChi Rodriguez Books – Picture Book

I have also designed the book Jackets for several other books, and have another book due out later this year.

Check out my website to see more!

Lisa: How long have you been an artist?

Tanja: I have been an artist my whole life. I recently found a photo of myself when I was three that showed me holding a pencil and profusely coloring. However, I have been working professionally as an illustrator for the past 7+ years.

Lisa: What is your educational background like?

Tanja: I went to art school in Australia where I focused on Graphic Design. I also have a degree in Computer Animation.

Lisa: Who or what is your biggest artistic influence?

Tanja: There are many artists and illustrators throughout history that I admire greatly. Some of the older illustration masters that inspire are Arthur Rackham, Edmund Dulac and Anton Piek to name but a few. Some of my more contemporary inspirations are Graeme Base, P.J. Lynch, David Shannon and David Wiesner. Generally I love art and I can find inspiration everywhere.

Lisa: How do you spend your days?

Tanja: My main job other than illustrating is looking after my two girls. Isabelle is 6 and Zoe is 2 and a half. They are not always cooperative when it comes to my working during the day. Throughout the day I drive Izzy to school and pick her up, I drive both of them to swim and dance lessons, I help out at Izzy’s school and present “Art Masterpiece” to her class, and I do many other things. When it comes to my illustration, I mostly work during nap-time, in the evenings and on the weekends. I sketch, revise drawings, paint, ink, reply to emails, speak with my publishers and other clients, get paintings ready for upcoming shows and the Tempe Public Library, organize illustration meetings and events for the AZ chapter of the SCBWI, etc. The bottom line is that every day is different but there are always lots of things going on.

Lisa: What medium do you like to work in the most?

Tanja: I work in a couple of different mediums. I love the versatility of Acrylic paints and so used them quite frequently. I also love working in pen and ink. Watercolor is another fun medium to use and I have recently discovered acrylic gouache. Usually, the project that I am working on will determine which medium I end up using.

Lisa: What have you never illustrated/drawn/painted that you’ve always wanted to?

Tanja: When I was little other than being crazy about horses, I was also in love with fairies. I would love to paint some fairies some time or maybe work on a project about them.

[Lisa's comment: Just wait for "Wright on Time: Iowa, Book 6" to see a cool fairy! There will be horses in at least one future Wright on Time book, too!]

Lisa: What are the books you have coming out soon?

Tanja: I am currently working on two books. Right now I’m am finishing up the artwork for the third “Wright on Time” book [this is now DONE and at the printers]. Also, I am working on a picture book with Raven Tree Press that is scheduled for release in Spring of 2011.

Lisa: Any advice to aspiring artists and illustrators out there?

Tanja: Stick with it and do what you love, but most of all draw, draw, draw. Have a sketch book and draw everything and everyone. The more you draw, the better you get.

Have you seen either of the Wright on Time book trailers yet? Click here to see the movie for Wright on Time: Arizona.

Here is the new one for Wright on Time: Utah!

Come beat the summer sun and spend afternoons delving into the magical world of fiction writing!

LOCATION: Sahuarita Arts Center, 18825 La Canada, Sahuarita, AZ 85629

CAMP 1: Beginning Creative Writing, ages 7+ or with permission of instructor

• Dates: June 21-24, Monday-Thursday OR July 19-22, Monday-Thursday
• Time: 11:00AM-2:00PM, Bring your own snack/lunch and drink
• This camp includes how to spot elements of good storytelling, finding voice, dynamics of critiquing, editing basics, deciding on illustrations (and creating some), and much more! This class is geared toward children.

CAMP 2: Intermediate Creative Writing, ages 9+ or with permission of instructor

• Dates: June 28-July 1, Monday-Thursday
• Time: 11:00AM-2:00PM, Bring your own snack/lunch and drink
• This camp includes further in-depth storytelling techniques, playing with overall story arc, adding in secondary story arcs, additional editing techniques, briefly discussing how to submit to publishers/agents, and much more! At the end of this camp, campers will have the chance to turn their writing into a physical book! This class is geared toward children who have either taken the first class, or already have written a lot of fiction.

CAMP 3: Advanced Creative Writing, 11+ (including adults) or with permission of instructor

• Dates: July 6-July 8 (Tuesday-Thursday) AND July 12-13 (Monday-Tuesday)
• Time: 11:00AM-2:00PM, Bring your own snack/lunch and drink
• This camp includes even further in-depth storytelling and editing techniques, learning how to give and take critique advice, how to make a tagline and synopsis, a professional critique of manuscript after the class (valued at $60/hour), and much more! Those in this class will be able to e-mail Lisa for the rest of the summer with their writing questions at no additional cost. This class is geared toward those serious about writing as a career.

DATES:

• Dates are listed above for Summer 2010 camps.
• Please contact Lisa stating your interest for additional private or group classes this fall.

COST:

• $150 per person ($125 for Sahuarita Dance students, $110 for second person in the same family)
• Payments of cash, check, or credit card (through PayPal) accepted. All due in full one week before class.
• No refunds for missed classes.

ABOUT LISA:

• Lisa is a published author who has lived in Sahuarita, AZ for 5.5 years. Her Wright on Time series of children’s chapter books have been a big hit with children, parents, and teachers all over the world. Wright on Time: Wyoming, Book 3 is coming out this summer. Lisa is the mother of two always homeschooled daughters, has been a Girl Scout leader for 9 years, and has been winning writing awards since she was nine.

Can’t make the summer sessions? Stay tuned for Lisa’s once a week fall classes. Please fill out the contact form to show your interest.

I’m often asked why the kid characters, Aidan and Nadia, in the Wright on Time books are homeschooled. The biggest reason for this is that my own children are homeschooled and so are most of their friends. Many of them have told me many many times how they’ve always wished that there were books about kids like them in the fiction sections of their libraries and bookstores. This is a hugely lacking area for the 2.2 million homeschooling families in the United States of America!

The following books are books that are “Do Life Right Approved“. This means that homeschooled children who I know have read these books and have declared the homeschooled characters to be a realistic interpretation of homeschoolers by today’s homeschooling standards.

If you know of another book that is not on this list, please let us know! We’d love to read it. The book needs to (1) have been written within the past 10-15 (ideally a lot less) years (anything older than that does not accurately portray how homeschoolers today actually live); (2) contain at least one main character who is an actual full-time homeschooler (not a neglected child left on their own or a child who attends an “alternative” school on or off stage); (3) the main homeschooled character needs to be a homeschooler at the beginning, middle and end of the book; and (4) school in any form cannot be a primary focus of the book, nor the background environment of the story. If you are the author of such a book that isn’t listed, we accept copies for our review (we guarantee at least four homeschoolers will review it and collectively write a review). Contact us here for mailing address, etc. We review within a month or less of receiving.

Have a manuscript that fits this that you’ve been trying to get published? Submit it to Do Life Right, Inc.!

Children’s Picture Books and Early Readers:

• I Am Learning All the Time by Rain Fordyce

Children’s Chapter Books and “Middle Grade”:

• Wright on Time: Arizona, Book 1 by Lisa M. Cottrell-Bentley
• Wright on Time: Utah, Book 2 by Lisa M. Cottrell-Bentley
• Nim’s Island by Wendy Orr (the movie has Nim as a homeschooled character, but the book has her as an abandoned orphan)

Young Adult (YA)/Teen-Friendly Books:

• Surviving the Applewhites by Stephanie Tolan (we all love this book!)
• Skellig by David Almond (not one we actually liked, but there is a realistic homeschooler in it)
• Stargirl and Love, Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli (these aren’t very realistic according to the homeschoolers I know, as they are full of “school girl angst” that just doesn’t exist in homeschooolers, but we were desperate to list something more here…)
• The Seer by Krisula Gosdis Moyer (we haven’t read this one yet; review to come soon)

Why didn’t we list older books? We didn’t list books older than 15 years because they do not accurately portray homeschoolers of today. If you are wanting an historical novel, there are many to choose from with kid characters who didn’t go to school (those lists can be found on many other sites and show a completely different way of life than what homeschooling is today). Lack of school does not equal homeschooled! As far as we know, this is the only list of fictional books today where homeschoolers can read and identify themselves in them. How fun for them!

I was a happy guest today on “Robin Falls Kids” special “Holiday’s Author Readings” show. The show is 2 hours long and each guest read from one of their books for about 4 minutes.  I am on it at about the 1 hour 22 minute mark.

Click here to listen to the November 30, 2009 “Robin Falls Kids ‘Holiday’s Author Readings’” show.