Peace at the Dental Office is not only helping to put children at ease during a dentist appointment, but adults as well. The book was also written to interest youth in pursuing dentistry as a career. It is the first in the series of Ella’s Greatest Adventures, which is also a company, founded by Ashley N. Thompson. The medical lab professional and Biology graduate has always been passionate about oral health, child development, and literacy. While Thompson was determined to make and publish Peace at the Dental Office, a two-year process, she realized she couldn’t do it all alone and enlisted the help of illustrator, Cristine Evaristo. In a quote from our conversation, she provides insight into her journey of securing the right one for the job.
“When I first wrote Peace at the Dental Office, I was actually trying to draw the illustrations myself, but as I started drawing, I said ‘uh, maybe I need someone with more experience,’” Thompson told So Booking Cool. “At first, it was kind of hard to find an illustrator because Ella’s Greatest Adventures is a faith-based book, and I guess a lot of illustrators didn’t really want to draw a Christian themed-book, so I actually went on Facebook and that’s how I found Cristine, who lives in the Philippines.”
Listen to the interview to learn more about Thompson, Ella McCutie and the future plans for the character’s adventures, how Thompson combats introversion and fear of public speaking, author events, the Christian book genre, and more! For more information, visit Ella’s Greatest Adventures‘ official website.