The Author
Cassidy Shankleton grew up in the wooded hillsides of Boyne City, Michigan. Her days were spent reading comic books and the Sunday funnies. Her skills lie in graphic design and digital illustration. She has worked for several organizations as a graphic designer and as staff illustrator for the Alma College student-run newspaper. She will graduate in April 2016 from Alma College with a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree - an emphasis in Graphic Design and Illustration - and a minor in New Media Studies.
Check out Cassidy's other work on her personal website:
The Story
Also noted in the Concept area of the Process Page, this graphic novel found its start almost four years ago. It was in late 2012 that I began brainstorming ideas and piecing together a narrative. I had no idea how or if I was going to present the story until late 2014 when I decided it would be a graphic novel.
This story was inspired by experience. For those of you who have read it (if you're on this page and you haven't, what are you doing? It's only 44 pages - no words) you have probably recognized the sadness present in the book. It was inspired by my own family's history: The young, sickly boy character represents a combination of my younger and older brothers. My younger brother has a heart defect and has spent a lot of time in the hospital for that (but after several surgeries, he is doing very well). My older brother also had a heart defect, but he passed away very young. In a way, I wanted the boy's ending in the story to reflect my wish for my brother and all sick kids; that his last moments on this planet were enjoyable and that his death wasn't scary.
I also know that my brother's death had a very strong impact on my parents. The mother in the story represents them. The fact that she is able to receive the card from her son gives her closure. That is something a lot of parents of sick children don't get to have. Losing a child is the worst thing that could happen to a parent, but knowing that their child loved them might help ease the pain in the end.
I encourage those reading this story to interpret it in their own way. I purposefully explained very little so that readers can apply their own beliefs to the narrative.
In the end, I just wanted to tell a story - a story describing my wish that these children are not scared or alone when they pass on. Even if it's not true, I still desperately want it to be. And this book is one way of fulfilling that wish.