It’s been 2 years since the publication of Roku & Tanza—and 4 years since it’s inception when I was working as a yacht stewardess and doing the illustrations during my free time back in my boat cabin! Yes, I was literally drawing these illustrations UNDER THE SEA (at the water line). Think “Free Willy” + “The Little Mermaid” + the 2018 unprecedented story of J35 orca mother Tahlequah (who I dedicated the story to)—that’s the sugar of vision that make this cake so sweet! But the many cups of flour (manuel labor) is what made those visions come to life: the +100 hours of illustrations. 🤪⏳ Having a vision is half the artistic skill set, the other is executing it. With no team around me I had to become my own by necessity—wearing many “hats” to get the job done. No wonder my name Whitney means “White Island”. Perhaps it is a metaphor for always being surrounded by blank white paper with no one in site ever since I was little? Amazing how our names manifest our lives sometimes….

As a self-published author and being my own marketing agent it was a hustle getting it out into the world: a grassroots effort, emerging from my roots in the Pacific Northwest and now enjoyed across the country! I have stock lists in book stores across Washington, Alaska, Colorado, Virginia, Florida, and New England! Thankyou to all my customers and bookstores who have bought this piece of work—it is sure to remain a classic in my collective of children’s books! Not to mention the new Roku & Tanza SEQUEL (that I’ve been working on for over 15 months) coming out in April!’ 🤍🖤💙 #whitneylanderson