Congratulations to Lynda Throop on your recent win of the Best Children’s Picture Book, 2024, from the Word Guild, Canada. You must be so thrilled that your first book received this recognition, but I know that you have been a creator and designer for many years. Your webpage, Happy Lamb Felted Creations, proves this. I love sheep and birds and especially love your intricate designs of little chickadees.
But today, I’d like to focus on your book!
How did your journey with wool, felting, and sheep begin?
My journey into felting began in late 2018. A friend introduced me to it. At first, I didn't enjoy it, but as I kept playing with the needles and the wool, I discovered that I could sculpt it into anything I liked. I experimented with some birds that are quite funny to look at now. But with anything, the more you do it, the more you discover and improve. As far as sheep, well, one of my best friends and her husband had a sheep farm in Barrie, Ontario. I spent many hours out there watching the sheep and how my friend, their shepherd, interacted with them. I have been a painter for many years, so I drew and painted them, and it was just a natural progression to make them with wool. I don't have any sheep, but I bought beautiful wool sheared from an ewe, cleaned it, and have dyed some of it. I use the whitest bits for my sheep creations.
How long did it take you to create: "What's So Special About a Sheep?
The writing of What's So Special about a Sheep happened during Covid. I was learning to co-create with God on my projects instead of just slugging them out alone. The story started long and detailed, and then I just kept pulling out the parts that were not needed until they came down to a length perfect for a children's book. I didn't think I would publish it, so I just played with it for a year or so. I joined a writing group through The Word Guild, which helped me understand the genre better, but I put the story away and moved on to other things. But the Lord would not let me forget for long; He kept leading me to work on illustrations for it, so I started experimenting with wool "paintings." I came up with a couple of illustrations for pages for my book. Then, someone mentioned a new Christian publisher in Halifax that dealt with children's books. In May of 2023, I connected with Emily Pelley, and she loved the story. I started the illustrations in June and finished them in September. I had them photographed and then designed the book, and it was published in November. It was a whirlwind for a few months, and I felted hours and hours every day!
As an artist and now an author, what advice would you give to other aspiring creators?
I would advise others wanting to move in the direction of creating stories to find a community of writers to be with. I first found a little critique group and then a writing group of experienced writers. I felt for a long time that I wasn't a real writer because I wrote for children and wasn't published, but being in a group, I was encouraged and helped. I met a lady who was training to be a book coach, and she needed writers to work with for her course work. Children's writing wasn't her main focus, but it was so great to bounce ideas off someone and receive feedback and encouragement. There were a lot of editing details that I didn't understand, and it was a great help. The most important thing is to ask your heavenly Father for guidance and direction. Many days, when I was stuck at the keyboard, I just asked Him to help me untangle my thoughts and find the right words. He never failed to help.
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