Congratulations to Barbara McClintock on the gorgeous illustrations for WHERE ARE YOU, BRONTË? by Tomie DePaola. To celebrate, we asked Barbara a few questions about her illustrating career, the meaning behind this project, and more.

Over the years, I've sent you many manuscripts from editors and art directors who want you to illustrate books they've signed up. What is your process when you get a potential manuscript from me? What did you think when you first saw BRONTË?

Hi Jennie! Thanks for having me as your website guest! Your usual process is sending me an email message that you have a manuscript for me to consider - and even if you're jumping up and down and love the manuscript, you stay calmly neutral so that my response to the manuscript is all my own. (I'm always amazed how you can do that! ) I loved WHERE ARE YOU, BRONTË? the instant I read it! The writing was so simply beautiful and enormously powerful at the same time. I'd just lost my dear cat Emma, so the subject of the loss of a pet who had been such a deep part of Tomie's life and heart struck home right away. I knew I wanted to explore and share that subject through my artwork and was honored to think I'd be paired with this last complete manuscript written by one of the world's favorite author/illustrators.

What questions do you have for me when you're considering taking on a project? Did you have any specific questions about this manuscript before I responded to S&S that you were seriously interested?

I rely on your thoughts about how a manuscript might fit in with an overall vision for my career.

You work with me to schedule my projects - what is the delivery date for the art to the publisher, how long do I estimate I realistically need to complete the art? Because we've worked together for so long, you have a good sense of my work process, and we can bounce around ideas about my initial stylistic approach to the illustrations, and figure out an appropriate time frame for both the conceptual part of figuring out what that approach will be and the actual creating of sketches and finished art. Because the BRONTË text was so short, I needed to extend the story arch visually. It was a huge help to talk about that with you.

In your artistic process, sometimes if you come to a challenge, it's best to pause and do something else. Did you have any of those moments when working on this text? What part or parts?

Because I wanted to fill out the story and visually describe the Tomie character's response to Brontë, and Brontë to Tomie, it took time and thought to properly nuance the visual narrative to not be too heavy handed or swamp the delicacy of the written text. Early on, I found Raymond Brigg's The Snowman to be a good inspiration for finding that quiet narrative extension. How many images should I draw to show the growing relationship between dog and man? What details could I include that would define Tomie's and Brontë's characters? And how did all of those things change over time as both Tomie and Brontë - especially Brontë - age? Even if I thought I had it right, I'd step away and do something neutral, like go to a yoga class or take a walk or sit outside in the garden or go on the Zappos site and look at shoes for a while, and go back to my studio with a fresh perspective. It takes time to get something to really work, and you have to respect that process.

What sort of challenges make you get in contact with me for advice or to step in and advocate for you?

What everyone says about the role of an agent in a creator's life is true - you're part lawyer, part negotiator, part sales person, part second set of eyes on a project, and - very very big - part therapist and support person! You've been very good at talking me off the edge of many cliffs!

On rare occasions, you might step in and share an insight with an editor on my behalf, or vice versa - you're also there for the editor as well. An editor and creator are working very closely on a project, and sometimes having a neutral voice enter in can be very useful. I always know you have my back and will step in if I need you for anything!

Was there any part of this text that you worked on, and then afterwards you had an "aha" moment when you figured out a way to improve it? If so, what part(s) did you go back and redo?

This goes back to your earlier question about stepping away and coming back to a work conundrum with fresh eyes. The last part of the book deals with Tomie's grief after Brontë has died. Crafting the visual narrative for those last few lines: 'The day you left me, I knew I would miss you. And I did. Every day, every night. But then I knew you were right here, still with me, in my heart forever.' filled up pages. Grief is slow, and I wanted to follow Tomie through the low points, the 'aha' moment and that sense of purpose, relief and a kind of joy when he realizes that Brontë is there for him in another form that is a forever form. He finds solace and a way forward in grief by being creative, which was who he was, The very ending scene where Tomie dreams of Brontë came after a lot of thought, trial and error. I needed to display the concept of memory, and finding it in a dream, when we're most vulnerable and open, ultimately seemed like the right way to go.

Do you have anything else to add about your relationship with me as your agent and working on this book? Was there anything specific that I did that you felt was a big help?

Perhaps the biggest challenge of illustrating this book - other than the feeling of terror that I was taking over the illustrator role for one of the most famous illustrators in children's books - was living with the theme of grief over the year or so that it took me to create the artwork. Knowing I could reach out to you at any time, and you'd be there to listen and console and support and make me laugh was golden.

WHERE ARE YOU, BRONTË? is available online and in bookstores everywhere now!

Celebrating the Release of WHERE ARE YOU, BRONTË? Interview with Illustrator Barbara McClintock