In just a few years Jennifer Fosberry has gone from a career in engineering to one as a children’s book author, a change with a few unusual leaps.
Fosberry was born in a small town in the East, where her mother worked as a librarian and her father owned a pharmacy. Both encouraged her into their fields of study – humanities and science. She entered a liberal arts college and earned a degree in physics.
“I found out I loved quantum theory and all the science,” she said in a phone interview with the Deseret News from her home in California. “It was a challenge but I loved it and did well at it.”
Moving to California she accepted an engineering position as an IT project manager. Her 10 years there were interrupted by a brief residence in Costa Rica. Three children later she outlined a simple story for a picture book, which she decided to self-publish.
“I had been an organized project manager,” Fosberry said. “I knew I could publish it on my own.”
Many potential writers dream of self-publishing and Fosberry’s intention wasn’t unusual, but the outcome took her in far reaching directions.
She searched for an artist online to illustrate her story and found Mike Litwin in North Carolina. Their communication by e-mail began, and they collaborated on “My Name is Not Isabella,” about a young girl thinking of temporarily becoming someone else and doing good things.
“Our styles and ideas meshed,” Fosberry said about her work with Litwin. “He sent me drafts and I gave my feedback.”
She found self-publishing and promotion more difficult than initially thought. When the new idea for “My Name is Not Alexander” came along, she readily accepted the input and contract from a publisher. Again, Litwin designed the ideas of a child who dreams big.
“There were a few suggestions that I made,” Fosberry said.
Generally, however, Litwin maintained the flavor of the text as he developed a red-haired boy with ideas of what it means to be proud, brave, smooth and great in life.
“We’ve never met in person, but we certainly have the Internet flying back and forth,” Fosberry said.
She knows their collaboration makes for an unusual relationship between author and artist.
“Most never meet and suggestions from the author rarely are accepted as the artist does the creation on paper,” she said.
She is influenced by writers such as Dr. Seuss and the recent works of Mo Willems.
“Getting the text down to the simplest terms is by far the most difficult in writing,” Fosberry said. “My first drafts were long and wordy. Chopping out most of it made the story what it is today.”
Her own children — a third-grader, kindergartner and toddler — keep her busy, but her mind continues to stir around ideas for books. She is dabbling with an idea for a chapter book while being a stay-at-home mom and making author tours.
Fosberry will be signing books in Salt Lake City on March 19 and will continue across the country, her tour ending in Florida.
Marilou Sorenson is a retired University of Utah professor.
E-mail: marilousorensen@ymail.com