Let’s Launch this Book Together
I assumed that launching my next coloring book would be simple. I’ve done it before, I know the steps, I have the experience, so surely I can build on that knowledge, right?
I didn’t factor in one major change. I have started to unmask my neurodivergence. I welcome accommodation, and—frustrating but essential—accept limitations. So when I faced the jumble of tasks that needed to be squished into a marketing campaign, I let them stay in a pile. I stared at them and thought—maybe I don’t need to be great at this. My executive functioning and task sequencing and overwhelm threshold all say “please don’t pretend anymore.” Maybe I don’t have to force myself to have it all together. Or at least PRETEND to myself that I can have it all together if I only try hard enough.
I would far rather have a beautiful book that I am proud of.
Let me tell you about the book.
My new coloring book is called Creative Escapes: Treehouse Coloring. Inside you’ll find 36 coloring pages. I started designing them ages ago now—I’ll have to dig into my file info to rediscover exactly when—and if you are in my creative-life circle you’ll know that treehouses show up in my work quite regularly. Homes in general. It’s how I circle around the question of belonging. Where do we feel at home? Where do we feel most ourselves? How do we engage our whole selves, creativity, imagination, and all, as we shape our daily lives?
At least for me, these big questions all are right at home in the act of coloring. Coloring is a grounding experience. You sit your body in a space, settle into the present, and listen to the scratch of a colored pencil on the page. This is a small, beautiful hint at the experience of belonging.
My Creative Escapes treehouses are sweet, surreal, and silly. In the book you’ll find a lemon tree topped with a lemonade stand, a library complete with cozy chair, and a mushroom-covered stump that a faerie surely lives in. Each page is a cozy hideaway where childlike wonder can grow. This book is for anyone who wants to enjoy a little magic.
To help me finalize the manuscript I printed off all 36 coloring pages! They were so fun to arrange, edit, and color.
Here’s what I’m proud of.
Creative Escapes represents a few areas of growth.
I listened to feedback and thickened my lines. I draw coloring pages digitally, and this time I stuck with monoline, the simplest, smoothest brush I could possibly choose. For additional consistency, I preset three brush sizes. Small, medium, and large. The deeper I got into the project, the more I used the medium and large brush sizes. I kept my images simple enough to feel inviting and accessible, and complex enough to tell a story or evoke a feeling.
I simplified the book’s theme. I have a habit of overthinking things—and honestly, to me it just feels like thinking. I get excited about layers, connections, possibilities, and—before I know it I’ve complicated things so much that others aren’t sure where to start. So this time I kept the theme work more accessible. Treehouses. They hold a particular magic for me. And I hope they do for you too. To make sure I still enjoyed the theme, despite its pared down simplicity, I let some of my images lean into the surreal. The coloring pages have enough strangeness, energy, silliness, imagination, and joy to keep me flipping through the book again and again going “oh my gosh, I drew these!” I hope you feel the same. But you go “oh my gosh, I get to color these!” instead, lol.
I never rushed the process. There are no filler pages. Every single page—from the cactus wren observatory to the squirrel’s basketball court—is designed specifically for this book. If you want to know which pages these are, you’re just gonna have to buy the book when it comes out!
As usual, I ordered a proof copy (seen above) so I could check color, alignment, and image quality. I caught four small design issues and fixed them. It feels amazing moving forward with publication knowing I have done my darndest to put out the best book I can possibly create.
The launch timeline!
I got the proof on Thursday, February 26th and was so excited by how amazing the cover and the frontmatter and the pages came out. It’s finally time to get this book out into the world!
Publication will be on March 18th, 2026.
Celebration? TBD. How would you celebrate?
I’m finally getting to the end of my to-do list! It’s finally time to do the thing that I struggle with most. Marketing.
Here’s what you can do.
The most obvious call to action is for you to buy the book. I will link it here when it’s out (coming soon!) and I’ll also create another update to share the good news.
Please consider buying for friends who need a little reminder to take care of themselves, for children who love a bit of fantasy, for family members you want to spend some quality time with, for neighbors and for their kids. Consider birthdays, holidays, and the “just because I thought of you” whim.
When you’ve purchased the book, leave a review on amazon. This one is more of a big deal than you’d think. Every review is a vote in my favor. It’s your way of telling the buyers: “hey, you are getting quality. Every page is made with so much love. This artist is someone you can trust.”
Even if you can’t purchase anything right now, tell your friends about it. Share my youtube videos, my instagram posts, and subscribe to my newsletter. I have a youtube video giving some of the BTS processing that goes into launching a book (see it here) and supporting that video by viewing, commenting, and liking, will go a long way toward pushing this book into the algo. I will hopefully have more videos on this book soon :)
Launching this book together!
I was so excited about getting the proof copy in the mail that I brought it to school pick up. We stood on a bit of grass outside the gate. I shoved the book in my friends’ faces, not even trying to temper my happy energy. “It came right as I was leaving the house!” I watched them flip through. Parents pointed out their favorite pages, kids did too. Each favorite page differed, depending on what caught their imagination.
The art I create is a treasure even when it’s just on my desk, unshared. But there is something special about seeing my work in people’s hands. That’s why, despite my limited social battery, I take my art to events and hand-sell journals, stickers, cards, and of course my coloring books.
I can’t wait to see this book in your hands. I can’t wait to see how you and your kids color the pages. I can’t wait to share these pages with my therapeutic art group as we chat about self-care and belonging. Thank you for reading this far and for sticking with me in my jumble of a marketing process. Every bit of support this book gets is such a gift.
Creative Escapes comes out on Wednesday, March 18th. Thank you for supporting me and my work!
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