Q&A with Megan Wagner Lloyd and Michelle Mee Nutter

 

Megan Wagner Lloyd

 

Megan Wagner Lloyd and Michelle Mee Nutter are the author and illustrator of the new middle grade graphic novel Winging It. Their other books include Allergic. Lloyd lives in the Washington, D.C., area, and Nutter lives in Boston. 

 

Q: What inspired you to create Winging It, and how did you create your character Luna?

 

MWL: After moving to the East Coast, I learned about the beautiful luna moth, only found on the eastern side of the US. I wondered if I could build a story around someone who moved across the country--like me--and really wanted to see the elusive luna moth in person. It only made sense to name this character Luna!

 

Because I wanted Luna to have a really strong connection to nature at the end of the story, I decided to make her a very indoorsy person at the beginning of the book, so that she could have a strong character arc. 

Michelle Mee Nutter

 

MMN : Megan's manuscript did such a wonderful job highlighting the little adventures you can have in your own neighborhood, and I got really inspired by the setting as a whole.

 

Luna's curiosity and growing adventurous side was a big jumping off point for me and I resonated with her personality a lot. It was fun to draw a character that is stepping out of her comfort zone and embracing change, even if they're uncertain about it all. 

 

Q: Did you need to do much research to create the book, and if so, did you learn anything that especially surprised you?

 

MWL: It was really fun learning about the moths that live in the D.C. area. I was surprised at the gorgeous variety. Recently I saw a hummingbird clearwing moth in my front yard and was able to recognize it right away thanks to working on the book. It felt magical! 

 

MMN : I had a lot of great reference photos kindly provided by Megan. I like to get as much reference material for my illustrations, so that was a massive help.

 

Since I live on the East Coast, I also decided to take a trip to D.C. and the surrounding area to prepare for the book and visit friends. It was a lot of fun and it got me really inspired to get back home to my studio and draw. 

 

Q: How would you describe the relationship between Luna and her grandmother?

 

MWL: They have a lot of trouble relating to each other. There's a generation gap, they've lived on opposite coasts, and there's the loss they both carry. Grandma has memories of her daughter, but Luna never had the chance to get to know her mom. (One of my favorite scenes in the book is when they have the chance to spend some time together during an unexpected storm.)

 

MMN : Their relationship is unfamiliar but so much discovery to be made. It's tough when you feel distant from family when it feels like you should be closer. Luna is learning a lot about herself, a new environment and how she fits in with this new relationship with Grandma Wright. There's a lot of love, but they definitely have their awkward moments and aren't quite connecting at first. 

 

Q: How do the two of you collaborate on your books?

 

MWL: It depends on the book, as we've been getting more collaborative as we go. For Winging It, we sold the idea on pitch together, then I wrote it and Michelle illustrated it, with some back and forth along the way, and working with our awesome editor who helps us keep a shared vision going. 

 

MMN : We've grown stronger as a team over the years and I really enjoy our tag-team process. There are long bursts of independent work where we each focus on our portion of the project but then there are these moments with a lot of brainstorming and creative back and forth. Our collaboration process has evolved too and I'm so excited for what we're working on in the future. 

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

MWL: I recently wrapped up my main writing work on our fourth book and passed that on to Michelle. And we're both at the beginning of some new collaborations that we're really excited about. 

 

MMN: I'm in the sketching phase of our fourth book and as Megan said, we've got some exciting new collaborations in the works as well. 

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

MWL: We had a colorist for Winging It--Dominique Ramsey. She did a really beautiful job!

 

MMN : Yes, our colorist, Dominique knocked it out of the park! Truly beautiful and I'm so grateful she took on the project!

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Megan Wagner Lloyd and Michelle Mee Nutter.