Welcome to "Meet the Authors & Illustrators." Here you'll find a quick one-page biography for our authors and illustrators, as well as links to their brochures and websites.
Steven Lessman ---After Steve spends time with them, students will know they “can do it”, that they are special, and they have what it takes to be the next generation of American heroes.
Background
Steve grew up in Bartlesville, Oklahoma during the 1970’s.Hunting for pop bottles to get a nickel and keeping grass stains off his bell-bottoms were life’s biggest worries.Steve always had a way with words, whether talking his way out of trouble, telling funny stories, or encouraging those he met.
Over the years, Steve learned how powerful words could be.There were instrumental people in his life that inspired and encouraged him with simple phrases such as,“I am proud of you”, “ You can do it”, and “You are good at…”.
Winner of the 2009 Oklahoma Book Award for her novel, Spy! Anna Myers claims to have been born at Pinky George’s Liquor Store in Whiteface, Texas, but she admits her birth was not as racy as it sounds.When her father wastransferred from Oklahoma to work in the oilfields where there was not enough housing to accommodate the boom in population, the family lived for a while in a small house that had once housed Pinky George’s establishment.The sign was still embedded in the side of the house.She also enjoys stating that she was married at Woodstock, but if you press her, she will tell the rest of the story.
Anna published her first story before she learned to write, dictating her manuscript to one of her older sisters.She chose men’s action adventure as her genre and titled it The Long Bearded Man. The venture was a commercial success because she charged each of her older siblings, including the one who wrote it down for her, a quarter a piece to read it.There were five of them, and $1.25 was big money.She decided right then to be a writer. Read More...
Chris Nick --- was born and raised in rural Oklahoma and swears his childhood was right out of one of his favorite movies, "The Sandlot." One of the best gifts he ever recieved as a kid (besides his GI Joe) was a full box of crayons with the sharpener in the back. Christopher's first published image was a collectable plate (that he broke) and he used one of his vivid childhood memories for its image. His art has appeared worldwide on puzzles, plates, books, magazines, textiles, cards, and numerous collectables. Christopher's most recent ALA poster titled "Set Sail" came out in spring 2009. Chris is very grateful to have several original oil paintings in the permanent collection of the Oklahoma State Capitol and he lives in Oklahoma City with his wife and their three Dogs.
Background
Chris Nick received his formal art training at the Atelier LeSueuer in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Atelier school system is based on the curriculum of training the artist in the tradition of the old masters. His training descends directly from the 17th century artist Jacques-Louis David. Chris was able to refine his skills by copying old master paintings in the collection of the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. After completing several highly finished copies, he continued his training by apprenticing in the studio of the nationally-known illustrator Mike Wimmer (All the Places to Love, Babe Ruth, Will Rogers). Chris became Mr. Wimmer's full time assistant before branching out on his own as a full time professional artist. After several years of freelancing in his home's backyard studio, Chris' client list continues to grow. He has worked successfully with numerous publishing houses such as: Simon-Schuster, Holt-Reinhart-Winston, Scholastic and American Greeting. His most recent advertising campaign has been with McDonalds and Dr. Pepper's 35th anniversary poster. Read More . . . Website: CNickStudio.com
