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When you write, do you visualize what is happening? When you draw, do you hear the words?

"I do visualize the events that I write about, and then try to capture that with words. I don’t hear text when I draw, though. Drawing comes much more intuitively to me than writing; for me, drawing isn’t related to the part of the brain that orders things into words and sentences.

"I’m much more likely to get a sketch right on the first try than a paragraph. But then again, I think there are very few people who get their paragraphs right on the first try. The key to most good writing is a lot of rewriting."

A native Texan, Brian Floca attended Brown University, where he double-majored in art and history; he also took classes at the nearby Rhode Island School of Design. Mr. Floca made his children’s books debut in 1993 illustrating Avi’s graphic novel City of Light, City of Dark, a Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year. He has since illustrated nearly twenty books, including Avi’s Boston Globe-Horn Book Award winner Poppy, along with Avi’s other Poppy books; Megan McDonald’s The Hinky-Pink, an ALA Notable Children’s Book; and Patricia MacLachlan’s The True Gift (2009). Most recently Brian has written and illustrated Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11, a New York Times Best Illustrated Book of the Year, praised by Kirkus Reviews in a starred review as “breathtaking, thrilling, and perfect.” His other books include two ALA Notable Children’s Books, The Racecar Alphabet and Lightship (also a Sibert Award Honor Book). Brian lives in Brooklyn, New York. You can visit his website at brianfloca.com