Interview with Jo Rioux: Celebrating the Release of CAT'S CRADLE: SURI'S DRAGON

This release is the final installment of your CAT’S CRADLE trilogy. How do you
feel about coming to the end of this journey?
I've always found the ending of stories bittersweet, and that certainly includes my own. I grew attached to these characters and I'm a little sad to close the cover on them. But I'm happy I was able to give them life for three books— and my drawing hand is happy to get a break!

How much of the trilogy did you know when you began writing the first CAT’S CRADLE novel? Did you have the complete story arc for all three books in mind, or did you have only a loose idea of how the story would continue in books 2 and 3? How much of your original idea changed in the process?
I only had a loose idea, and with hindsight I realize I should have given myself more structure. I had enough story ideas for probably eight or nine books, and condensing it to three left me with some loose ends that I wished to tie up better. The feel of the story remained very much the same though— a spooky, fun and light-hearted but with a few serious threads weaved throughout. 

This trilogy is your first time both illustrating and writing. What are some unique challenges you discovered in doing so? Any big lessons?
You never really know if a story will work until you get it out of your head and onto paper. That can be scary, because sometimes you've thought about a particular story for years, and making major changes to it can feel like a betrayal. But I can attest that the changes were worth it every time I've made them!

What is your process as both the author and illustrator like? Do you come up with the prose before illustrating, or do the text and art usually progress in tandem?
I like to have a solid script before I move to illustrating. The drawing is the most labor intensive part of the comic, and I would hate to spend time on sketches that I would toss out later. My drawing hand would complain!

Writing a series allows more time for your readers to develop relationships with the characters and a connection to your world. Have you had any particularly memorable interactions with readers over the years?
I particularly love getting pictures of readers dressed up as my characters for Halloween! There's something so heartwarming about seeing them come to life like that! 

As the illustrator, you have the power to create a distinct visual world for the series. What were some of your inspirations for Suri’s world? Was there any particular aesthetic or mood you wanted to evoke?
I was going for "spooky fairy tale with a hint of slavic folklore," if that's not too specific!

Was there any specific person or pet that inspired you to create Suri? How did you come up with her?
The first character that I came up with was actually Byron, and that's because he was based on a real life dog of the same name! I created Suri to be Byron's companion, and she went through quite an evolution. At first I had her as a shy, reluctant heroine, but I found I wasn’t having much fun writing her story. When I changed her into a plucky, intrepid monster tamer, I began having so much fun writing her scenes that she became the main character. That taught me early on to listen to my characters— they can guide you in surprising, wonderful directions!

What element of the Cat’s Cradle world do you most wish were a part of our own world?
I'd love some golden twine to grant me magical powers! Ever since I was little I wanted to be a witch. I'm still holding out hope, but creating comics is probably the closest thing to magic in this universe. 

While this is the end of the trilogy, do you ever see yourself returning to the CAT’S CRADLE universe in the future?
I hope so! There's a great chemistry between Suri, Byron, Caglio and Kolya— I can put them in a scene together and just have fun seeing how they react. I'd like to come back to them in a few years and see what they would do next!

CAT'S CRADLE: SURI'S DRAGON is available for purchase now through First Second Books.