I’ve said I wanted to interview kidlit creatives who I don’t know and I meant it. This week, I’m finally doing just that! Nancy and I have never met (though I did reach out to her at the suggestion of a mutual friend), and I am so excited to learn about her. Not only is Nancy a picture book writer… she’s also an illustrator. As the first illustrator I’ll be interviewing for the blog, I’m eager to hear about her experiences. I find it helpful to learn all the ways writers/illustrators are navigating the publishing world because there are so many different paths. (There are also similar paths! For example, you’ll notice Nancy mentions the Children’s Literature Conference at Rutgers, which Luce mentioned last interview. This is a true a coincidence! I’d never heard of this program, and now it’s another potential path.)
Let’s meet Nancy!
NANCY STARK LEE (she/her) writes and illustrates picture books in sunny San Diego, California. Largely self-taught, she works in both traditional and digital media. A 2023 PB Rising Stars Mentee Alum and active SCBWI San Diego member, she won illustration awards in 2020 and 2024. In 2023, she received a Library of Congress fellowship to research a picture book biography project in its Asian archives. Originally from Vancouver, Canada, Nancy earned her PhD in Communication from UC San Diego, where she taught about children’s media and consumerism. She now splits her time between creating picture books, coaching dissertation writers, and playing classical piano (but aspiring to learn jazz one day).
Q: WHEN DID YOU START WRITING/ILLUSTRATING PICTURE BOOKS?
Around 2016. Time sure flies!
Q: WHY DID YOU START WRITING/ILLUSTRATING PICTURE BOOKS?
Reading picture books to my young daughter sparked my interest in the genre. I’d been making art since childhood and had stories to tell, both visually and verbally. Around the same time, I started teaching children’s media at UCSD, which really deepened my curiosity about the form. A friend saw my artwork and encouraged me to try. She felt my style was kid-friendly. I was hesitant about publishing at first. I had heard it was daunting to break in. But I was intrigued and started researching online. I taught myself the basics and created my first picture book dummy.
The real turning point came when I discovered the Children’s Literature One-on-One Plus Conference at Rutgers. I submitted my work for review and got accepted, which was surprising given how much I still had to learn. The conference gave me feedback I couldn’t have found online and introduced me to the SCBWI — that opened up a whole new world. I felt like a sponge in those early days, absorbing so much. I’m still learning and working on my craft through workshops, courses, and mentorships.
Q: YOU MENTIONED MAKING ART SINCE CHILDHOOD. DID YOU START ILLUSTRATING BEFORE YOU STARTED WRITING? OR HAVE THE TWO ALWAYS GONE HAND IN HAND FOR YOU?
The two have always been hand in hand for me. I got into picture books specifically because I wanted to illustrate my own stories. As for which comes first in my process — early on, I’d write everything down and then illustrate once the story was fleshed out. But these days, inspiration can strike from either direction. I actually have two story ideas brewing right now, both sparked by concepts I painted a few years ago.
Q: WHAT DO YOU WRITE/ILLUSTRATE?
Humor, definitely. Kids deserve stories they’ll want to read again and again, and most of my work has humor woven through. Also diversity. Growing up, I rarely saw books featuring Asian characters or other minorities as main characters. I loved reading THE FIVE CHINESE BROTHERS as a kid, but looking back, I cringe at the stereotypes and “orientalization” of the characters. When I started making picture books, diversity was just gaining traction in publishing. My first dummy – the one that got accepted by the Rutgers conference – was a funny retelling of a tale about my father as a boy in China. My stories still reflect my concern about representation. I’m currently working on a dummy for a story about disability, inspired by my family. But I’m also discovering I really love drawing animals, so I’m exploring how to combine that with my other inspirations.
Q: WHAT IS YOUR CURRENT FAVORITE PICTURE BOOK? WHY?
It has to be POO-DUNIT? A FOREST FLOOR MYSTERY written by Katelyn Aronson and illustrated by Stephanie Laberis. It’s laugh-out-loud funny! And kids get to learn about the environment, too. Also, I’m a fan of anything by David Weisner and Jon Klassen.
Q: WHAT’S BEEN THE BEST PART OF THE JOURNEY TOWARD PUBLICATION SO FAR?
Growing as a writer and illustrator. Overcoming the feeling that I’m not a “real” artist because I didn’t get an MFA.
Q: WHAT’S BEEN THE HARDEST PART OF THE JOURNEY SO FAR?
Several agents have asked to see my work, but ultimately decided it wasn’t the right fit for their lists. It’s disappointing, but I’ve learned that finding the right agent match matters more than just getting representation.
Q: WHAT’S BEEN YOUR MOST VALUABLE RESOURCE?
My PB Rising Stars mentorship was transformative. It was an honor to be selected from such fierce competition. My mentor and I focused mainly on my portfolio over four months, and she really helped me figure out what defines my illustration style, something that continues to evolve. My kidlit friends have been invaluable, too. Their support and insights on my work have been crucial to my growth as an author-illustrator.
Q: CELEBRATE YOURSELF! WHICH WRITING/ILLUSTRATING ACCOMPLISHMENT MAKES YOU FEEL THE PROUDEST?
Teaching myself Procreate took time — several years to really grasp it — but now I’m very comfortable with the digital drawing app. I’m especially proud that my digital work won me the SCBWI San Diego Own Voices Grant for Best Illustrator in 2024.
Q: HOW DO YOU HANDLE REJECTION?
I’m like Dora the Blue Tang from Finding Nemo — “just keep swimming, just keep swimming.” And I mean it literally too; I love swimming. My early morning swims are like moving meditation. I usually swim a mile and leave the pool feeling tranquil. Rejection can discourage you, but you learn to take it in stride. And take a break from querying if you need to. It’s okay to step away.
Q: WHAT KEEPS YOU WRITING/ILLUSTRATING?
I feel full of ideas I need to get out on paper. Half of them never make it past my brain, but some do. And some really compel me to illustrate them. Many of my stories are inspired by my family, but lately I’ve been drawn to adding fantasy elements. I feel like I have stories worth telling.
Q: WHAT HAS WAITING FOR YOUR “YES” TAUGHT YOU?
That the pleasure and satisfaction of creating a picture book are separate from the desire to publish.
When I first started out, I was into the craft, but also super eager to get published. Because of that, I made rookie mistakes. I actually had an editor at a Big 5 imprint interested in seeing a revision of my first dummy, but I didn’t really understand how revise-and-resubmits worked. Looking back, I think I rushed it — I hadn’t quite figured out how to pull together all the elements of visual storytelling. And there are a lot of them! Drawing well isn’t enough. You need to think narratively, and there are picture book conventions you have to master to tell a story successfully. Needless to say, that editor passed. But my first dummy clearly had potential.
My skills have grown a lot since then. The projects I’m working on now have real legs. They’ve garnered favorable interest and very encouraging feedback. I’m focused on crafting the best versions of my stories and creating illustrations that will really make my portfolio shine. At the end of the day, that’s what keeps me going — focusing on producing the best work I can. I want to get published, but that’s not what drives me. I love doing the work and mastering this fascinating genre.
Thank you for discussing your creative process, Nancy! You’re not the first interviewee to mention writing for the satisfaction of it. For the joy of it. Yet, it’s possible for that joy to ebb. This has happened to me at times… because I put the goal of publication above the act of creating and expressing myself. It happens easily. After all, whenever I reveal I write picture books, one of the first questions I get is: “Are you published?” And when I say no: “Have you considered self-publishing?” As a child, I simply wrote because I wanted to write. Publication wasn’t a factor. I’ve been trying to find that feeling again… and this week, for me, I found it in rhyming. I pulled a dusty rhyming story off the shelf (a.k.a. a folder on my desktop) and started revising. As I jumped between screens (avoiding email!), looking up words in the dictionary, noting stresses, counting feet – everything slowed down. I was so focused I lost track of time. And I love that feeling. I love wandering and getting lost on the page.
In case anyone out there (me) needs the reminder… you can find that joy again.
If you’d like to keep in touch with Nancy, you can follow her on Instagram at @NancyStarkLee or on BlueSky at @DrNancyDraws.bsky.social. This week, I’m giving away a picture book query critique! In order to enter, subscribe to the newsletter! Everyone who’s subscribed by 11:59PM PT on November 17th, 2025 is eligible to win. (No purchase necessary. You must be 18+ to enter.)
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