Welcome to Sky and the Sea

A new journey begins: publishing, art, news, and tips

Ahoy there

It’s been a while. I set my newsletter aside for a time, but now I’m back on a fresh platform with new stuff to share about art, writing, and books!

You’re receiving this message because you signed up for my newsletter at some point, and I hope you’ll stay as I set sail on this new journey here on Substack.

Here’s the type of content you can expect to find here:

• ✏️ Publishing process: Behind-the-scenes stuff about revising, sketching, dummies, writing pitches, slogging through synopses, and more

• 📚 Book news: I mean, I gotta do it—promo stops for no one

• 🎨 Illustration: Art that isn’t tied to a book at all; it’s just art

• 👀 Tips n bits: Random tidbits like art techniques and what I’ve learned from being an independent artist for a decade before pivoting to publishing

I might throw in some other stuff too as I go on (maybe even a rant n’ rave now and then). Let me know what you want to read about: craft, techniques, publishing things, art things, or whatever else.

A bit about me

I’m Skylaar Amann, a children’s book author and illustrator. I was an artist for, like, forever before that, and I used to make zines and ocean art a lot.

Now I mostly make books. Here’s what I’ve been up to:

🐋 Lloyd Finds His Whalesong: My first picture book came out during the height of the pandemic in 2020. Yes, that was as fun as you’re imagining.

🦕 Smile, Sophia: This book is about a girl who’s unapologetically herself—especially when it comes to smiling and dinosaur bones. Spoiler alert: She only smiles when she feels like it. Smile, Sophia is an ALA 2023 Rise: A Feminist Book Project honoree!

🕳️ Alone Sometimes: Everybody Needs a Hole in the Ground: This one is coming next year! It’s about a kid who needs some alone time to decompress, and a hole in the backyard is the perfect spot to do it. I’ll have more to share about this one in the coming months!

🌊 Mysterious unannounced next project: I guess you’ll just have to stay tuned!

What’s next?

I’ll be in touch on occasion, especially to share book news, but I promise not to spam your inbox. I’m also interested in what you’d like to hear from me. How I make a picture book? What it’s like working with an editor or art director? Other stuff? Let me know in the comments!

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