We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Wendy Elliott a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Wendy, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Going back to the beginning – how did you come up with the idea in the first place?

The business aspect of publishing Sid the Sasquatch was secondary to the idea’s origination. I have been a writer at heart, whether good or bad, since I was very young. Sometimes words and ideas just pour out of me. I love those moments, I could sit in them forever. When it happens, it’s like a force of nature taking over, and I’m left with pure, unfiltered adrenaline when I’m done. I came up with the idea of writing a book about a sasquatch over 17 years ago, simply because I loved the legendary creature. The idea evolved into a children’s book while on a road trip through the Colorado mountains in 2008 with my oldest daughter. We mused about a possible story, and I urged her to help write it, but she wasn’t interested at the time. So the idea never quite took flight until late 2013, when a spark went off and I found my true voice for children’s stories.

Wendy, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I grew up a shy girl, inundated with self-esteem issues, in the suburbs of Kansas City, Missouri. Writing was a way for me to cope with my internal struggles as a young girl. I have always been attracted to the arts. My hobbies include collecting, painting from time to time, and, of course, writing. Always writing. I have a wicked sense of humor, sometimes a bit on the dark side. I tend to find humor in things many people don’t. Whether or not that is a flaw, I don’t know. I’m not sure what first attracted me to cryptids—perhaps the mystery of it all. Or perhaps the idea that there is more to this existence than what is right in front of us—regardless of what spawned my obsession with cryptids, it only made sense that I would eventually bring them into my creative processes.

I decided in 2014 that I would take the risk of publishing this book after some encouragement from a friend. The act of publishing a book was a lifelong dream of mine; the subject matter was irrelevant. So it didn’t take too much convincing for me to dive into the process of having it published.

The first step to any successful project is to identify your ultimate goal; the second is research. Taking the time to adequately research is the key to truly achieving a successful outcome. Once you have a good outline, you take it one step at a time until you reach the end goal. For me, the first goal (made up of many process steps) was achieved when I held my first copy of Sid the Sasquatch in my hands. In June 2016, there I was, flipping through the colorful pages and running my fingers over the delightfully charming illustrations by my incredibly talented partner on the project, Joseph Cowman. Seeing the curious little bigfooted character I had created in my mind so many years before staring back at me was exhilarating! But that was not the end goal. That was the first goal. The end goal is to have several Sid the Sasquatch books lined up on my bookshelf someday. Everything takes time.

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

When I first began this journey, financial resources were lacking. So I looked to creative funding sites for a way to launch the project. I then created a Kickstarter campaign, which allowed friends, family, and creative enthusiasts to pre-order books that had yet to be created. The success of the campaign was modest, but it was enough to get started.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I was over a year into the project working with an illustrator whom I adored; his talent is astounding, and he’s a dear friend from my high school days when I had to pivot and invest in hiring a professional illustrator instead. I loved the idea of creating this with my long-time friend, but life’s challenges got in the way, and his heart was not as invested in it as mine was. Ultimately, however, sometimes things do happen for a reason, and that is what led me to meet Joseph Cowman. His work is like magic jumping off the page! So in the end, the difficult decision to move in a new direction was the absolute best thing for the project. He plucked Sid the Sasquatch’s essence right out of my imagination and brought him to life for all to enjoy!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.sidthesasquatch.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sidthesasquatch/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sidthesasquatch
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/sidthesasquatch
• Youtube: https://youtu.be/e6hNmkRKEUo