In the sixth instalment of the Sueño Bay Adventures graphic novel series, Kay fights her fear of kayaking to join her friends on a kids-only paddle up the coast. Unbeknownst to the group, Kay has a secret goal: to find the missing person whose ship disappeared weeks before.
Hear about the inspiration behind the series, what the creation process looks like and what’s coming next from author-and-illustrator duo Nancy Deas and Mike Deas.
What was the original inspiration behind the Sueño Bay Adventures series?
When we began the Sueño Bay Adventure series, we set out to create a wild world that readers could lose themselves in. We were both raised in BC’s Southern Gulf Islands, where we spent much of our childhoods outside and exploring. We also really enjoy and are inspired by adventure stories that are fantastical while staying grounded in a realistic-feeling setting. We wanted to create a story that portrayed children as capable and curious, and we wanted to encourage readers to really know and care for their home places.
What is your process when creating a graphic novel as a writer/illustrator duo?
The fact that we live and work in the same place allows our process to remain very flexible and fluid. We try not to dismiss any ideas as we find some of the most outlandish ideas are the ones that we end up liking the most. We constantly check in with each other and share ideas. Once we have a basic story structure that we are happy with, we start laying it out in comic form. For dialogue-driven sections, a written script leads the way, followed by illustrations to create the pages. For action-driven areas of the story we rough out illustrations and panels and add the dialogue after.
The supernatural fantasy elements in this series are quite unique. How did you come up with Moon Creatures?
We love stories that have a fantastical element but feel rooted in real life—as if the fantastical elements could really exist. We started out thinking of a world or island that has more traditional mythical creatures, like sea monsters and sasquatch, and we slowly worked them into what became our Moon Creatures. Though we’ve tried to keep all the Moon Creatures quite different, they have a few common features: they need moon crystals to survive, they are often mischievous and they are all hairy.
Do you have a favorite character? Or a favorite character to draw?
Our favorite character is Conker. He sees everything, even the things the other characters miss. Conker is also useful for storytelling elements. He is super fun to draw as he is basically a circle with four legs and two simple colors. He is the only character with yellow eyes!
Can you share anything about the next book in the series?
The next book in the series, Lost Harbor, explores the darker side of the island. The kids pull out their trusty go-cart and team up with the mysterious Jayden Mathers for a hair-raising adventure along an abandoned boardwalk.
Husband-and-wife team Nancy and Mike Deas enjoyed collaborating on this project. Nancy grew up on a farm on Mayne Island, British Columbia, where she wandered forests and beaches. She has a great love of travel and adventure. Nancy holds a bachelor of arts from the University of Victoria. Mike is an author/illustrator of graphic novels, including Dalen and Gole and the Graphic Guide Adventure series. While he grew up with a love of illustrative storytelling, Capilano College’s Commercial Animation program helped Mike fine-tune his drawing skills and animation. Mike, Nancy and their family live on Salt Spring Island, British Columbia, a magical and mysterious island that inspired Sueño Bay.