And
what is my real name?
__
Shirley
Hillard. I have lived nine lives.
Tell
us about the first life.
__
I
grew up in Ft. Worth, Texas, where I lived an idyllic
childhood with my wonderful parents, Charlie and Mary
Jane Hillard, and my little brother who became a famous
pilot, Charlie R. Hillard. None of them are alive now,
but I still miss them every day.
What
was your favorite thing to do when you were a child?
__
I
spent summers riding my horse Buster bareback through
the acres of woods near my house and winters designing
my own paper dolls. I had a dog named Pepper who loved
to chase my bird, Salty.
__
In
elementary school I was the school “artist”,
and in Junior High School I won a national award in art.
I even won a medal at summer camp for drawing (yes, there
is such a thing.)
And
some of the other lives?
__
I
studied painting at the San Francisco Art Institute in
the late 60’s and danced barefoot in the park when
the Grateful Dead was just a local band. Back in Texas
I started an art center called Mana Workshop.
__
In
the late 70’s I got a Master of Fine Arts degree
from Texas Woman’s University. I have taught art
at the Ft. Worth Museum of Modern Art in Ft. Worth, the
Ft. Worth Museum of Science and History, and the University
of Texas at Arlington.
__
I
returned to California in 1980, did post-graduate studies
at California College of Arts and Crafts and had a large
art studio where I created sculpture installations. In
the late 80’s when the writing bug bit me, I began
to write plays and films and moved to Hollywood.
What
movie did you write?
__
SEASON
OF CHANGE is about a young girl growing up in Montana
in 1946. It won Best Family Film in the Santa Clarita
Film Festival and the Bronze Award in the Houston Film
Festival. The DVD of this movie can be bought on Amazon.
What
musicals did you write?
__
My
most recent musical, which I co-wrote and produced, THERE’S
NO PLACE LIKE HOLLYWOOD, was nominated as Best Small Musical
for the 2001 Ovation Awards. Hopefully, this musical will
be revived in Hollywood very soon!
Why
did you decide to write children’s picture books?
__
Always, despite these
other activities, I knew in the back of my mind that I
would someday design children’s books, and now that
day is at hand.
How
did the story for “ONE BIG HUG” come about?
__
When
my grandson Matthew was very little, around two or three
years old, we were all living on Bainbridge Island, across
the bay from Seattle. His house was just across the yard
from my house, so I saw him all the time. We used to take
the ferry to Seattle, a long ride, and we played games
we made up.
__
Matthew
wanted to know how much I loved him. I would start out
saying “as much as one big hug.” But he wanted
more. So I would up the ante, and say “I love you
as much as two bugs in a rug.” But he still wanted
more. So the game got sillier, and bigger. “As much
as four doggies on a flea.” “ As much as seven
elephants up a tree.” You get the idea.
__
Matthew
is 6’2 now and graduating from high school in Austin,
Texas.
Tell
us the story behind writing “WHO’S NOT ASLEEP?
__
When
I first started this book, my daughter, who had given
up on ever having children, became pregnant. We were all
overjoyed. But her baby, a little girl named Sara, was
born with cerebral palsy, and was not expected to live.
The doctors said if she did live, she probably wouldn’t
see or hear or speak or walk. Those early months of her
life, when every day was a crisis, I continued to work
on “WHO’S NOT ASLEEP?”, and dedicated
the book to her, (“To Sara, who is a miracle in
every way”) not knowing if she would live long enough
to see it.
__
Just after “WHO’S NOT ASLEEP?” was published,
nearly one year after Sara’s birth, my daughter
read it out loud to her. Sara was able to see the pictures,
hear the words, and smiled as she listened. Although Sara
is still unable to sit up or stand, we are hoping for
more miracles.
What’s
next?
__
I
am working hard on “Zero, the Christmas Hero”
at the moment. My son thinks this is my “best”
book.
__
I
think if I can manage to finish all the books I want to
write before I die, I’ll be lucky. I feel I am doing
what I was born to do when I am drawing and painting these
books.
__
I
hope you will enjoy reading my books as much as I enjoy
making them.
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