Johanna Taylor is an American freelance illustrator, concept artist, graphic designer, and comic artist based in Salt Lake City. She is the creator of the debut YA fantasy graphic novel THE GHOSTKEEPER, published by Penguin Putnam in July 2024, which received a starred review from Kirkus. Johanna enjoys creating stories with folkloric themes, mental health narratives, dark comedies, historical fantasies, magical realism, and D&D-style adventures. She can be found online at johannamation.com and at @johannamation on most social media platforms. Rapunzel Reads: One of the things I loved most about The Ghostkeeper was the art, particularly with regard to the blue-tinged ghosts and their dialogue. How did you go about developing the visual aspects of this story? Johanna Taylor: Before I even started writing the story, I made a few preliminary illustrations of Dorian and the ghosts to establish a general vibe and aesthetic for the visuals. I tried a couple different color combinations to see what felt right, and in my original pitch the ghosts were a vibrant turquoise color, but that color doesn't print very well in physical books so I pivoted to a bluer hue. I also used a lot of references from Victorian architecture, particularly Edinburgh Scotland, which is primarily made up of brown, yellow and gray, and that helped the ghosts to appear more vibrant in comparison! Rapunzel Reads: What books inspired you when you were growing up? Johanna Taylor: As a kid, I read a lot of Bruce Coville books, Calvin and Hobbes, and Archie | Author photo credit Johanna Taylor |
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Mrs. Bunny lives in Rabbitville in the Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. She is married to Mr. Bunny and has twelve children.
Rapunzel Reads: We understand your translator has won an impressive array of human awards for her work. Have you been similarly recognized in rabbit literary circles? Mrs. Bunny: Well, the hat club is very fond of saying, Mrs. Bunny, you make a swell hat. They don’t mean, me, myself. I do not sit on people’s heads and hope for rain. They mean I create a swell one. Does that count? Yes, I’ve decided, it does. Rapunzel Reads: Are you still in touch with Madeline? How is she doing? Mrs. Bunny: Of course she is doing splendidly and she hasn’t aged one iota since the last time you read the book. Nor has Mrs. Bunny. No wrinkle cream needed here! Rapunzel Reads: Have you made any progress lately on getting your assumedly copious number of later volumes translated for human markets? Mrs. Bunny: Well, the human market really wouldn’t be anyone’s ambition, so full of opinions and people in badly trimmed hats. And not enough carrots. And the last time Mr. Bunny hopped through a human market someone chased him with a cleaver. Yes, it’s true! I know, I couldn’t believe it either.
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