Meet the Illustrator: Donelle Lacy

Hello, everyone!

I'm Donelle, newest member of Operation Awesome, and giddy first-timer to a group blog. (Yay!)

I'm an illustrator and sci-fi/fantasy author. I love connecting online and in person with readers, writers, and creators alike. My favorite creative partners include writers, gamers, artists, and imaginative people from pretty much anywhere.

Superpowers:
Armed with an MFA in Illustration, I draw images suitable for children's books (including YA and middle-grade covers), coloring books, and graphic novels. The project I'm currently shopping around is an ocean-themed fantasy coloring book entitled Dangerous Sea which depicts scenes of adventure, danger, and beauty of the deep in a graphic novel/comic book style.

I write historical fantasy YA and short stories. I've also fallen heavily in love with flash fiction, marrying it to a steampunk experiment I like to call The Adventures of Captain Trav. These Trav nuggets show up from time-to-time in the Flash Fiction Challenge on the Absolute Write forums. Once I spruce them up, I'm sure you'll see them other places too.

Mild-mannered alter ego: 
Most creative folk have a day job that brings in a steady paycheck while they do work on the side. I'm blessed that mine is being a library clerk. While in this job, I've fed on fantasy YA and any strange and unusual darlings hugging the shelf. A few of my favorite authors are Terry Pratchett, Frances Hardinge, and Catherynne Valente. I've been known to abuse the #amreading tag on twitter. If you do too, feel free to hit me up.

Backstory:
I'm a former PK (preacher's kid) of an Apostolic Pentecostal minister who was also a history teacher. I was born and now live in Ohio, but my family traveled many states during my father's ministry. Each of my siblings was born in a different state. Since my dad passed, my growing, tight-knit family now includes several nephews, one yappy, small dog, and a few longsuffering cats. I love different styles of music, starry skies, wintry nights, Lapsang Souchong tea, wintergreen Canada mints, and any means of stepping into a fictional world.

You can stop by my personal blog A Little Dversion
Find me on Twitter
on Instagram
Pinterest
and also my Illustration website