ANN M. MECHAM
ILLUSTRATOR
Starting out at a very young age with a strong interest in art, native Washingtonian, Ann M. Mecham, grew up receiving many positive comments about her budding art creations.
Graduating from the Art Institute of Seattle in 1987, Ann brought her graphic arts talent to the advertising world where she worked for several advertising companies including Market Advertising, Associated Grocers, and Graphic Advertising Services as well as several others. At one point in time for approximately 6 years, she also held drawing classes for adults and children at Michaels Arts & Crafts before moving on to private classes.
Now retired, Ann continues teaching drawing to seniors at the Senior Center in Shelton, WA. When approached to illustrate Bird with the Broken Wing by author Kathleen Kear, Ann, who had done very little cartooning work before, graciously accepted the new challenge with gusto! With her “Never too Old to Learn” attitude, Ann is hard at work drawing the illustrations for their upcoming book— The Best Little Discombobulated Angel.
Ann was also blessed with 4 children (2 boys/2 girls), who have given her 13 grandkids and 2 great grandkids.
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KATHLEEN KEAR
AUTHOR
Making her way as a youngster with her family from the mid-west to the west coast and then finally with her husband to the state of Washington nearly 40 years ago, author Kathleen Kear, always had in the back of her mind the idea that someday she would love to be a book author.
Although she wrote poems and short stories as part of her school work growing up, it wasn’t until she hit adulthood that her writing skills were dusted off once again as a volunteer contributor of girls/boys swim articles to a local paper, Voice of the Valley. The articles led to an over 15 year commitment with the paper as a Free Lance Reporter taking on stories from human interest to investigative - and everywhere in-between!
Then with her 3 kids (1 girl/2 boys) all grown up and grandbabies coming along the way, she was pondering how to break into the book author market when a light bulb went off and voila! She had it!
For years she wanted to share Bird with the Broken Wing with others as it was a delightful story she enjoyed hearing as a child from her grandmother. Digging out the manuscript her grandmother had dictated many, many years ago, she went to work putting the book together.
One day while talking with a friend of many years, the friend suggested her sister-in-law, who was a very talented artist, to be the illustrator. Following their initial meeting, Illustrator Ann M. Mecham agreed to take the challenge of the project head on—and the rest (as they say)—is history.
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