We’ve been holding back our excitement and giddiness in anticipation of this post. But the time has finally come: the books have arrived…and we’re basically famous.
Well, not really. But lately we’ve felt like celebrities around the office because our work has been published in a wonderful children’s book! Yes, the hard work, creative touch and love of BatesMeron can be seen and enjoyed in The Secret Under the Staircase by I.M. Lerner and Catherine L. Osornio.
It all started when co-author I.M. Lerner contacted BatesMeron to help with the layout and illustrations of her soon-to-be-published economic adventure book series, Under the Staircase™ Books. From there, BatesMeron became enthralled with the fun, educational and unique book series.
Written as a mystery adventure, The Secret Under the Staircase seeks to teach children treasured values like personal responsibility, individual liberty and economic freedom. The first volume of the book was published December 2013 and introduces a variety of concepts from American economist Milton Friedman.
Our big office celebrities include Melissa Leonard for her beautiful illustrations, Todd Pierce for his design and layout skills and Rachel Skybetter for her sharp eye and attention to detail. We talked with each of them to hear about their experience and shared below! (WARNING: Some egos have inflated.)
MELISSA
On being a part of the team: “I had a blast working on this book and love the end results. However, the best part about being involved in this project was the reaction of my daughter, Jaiden. I think she was more excited than me—and she even brought the book to school to read to her class.”
RACHEL
On being a part of the team: “Being a part of the Under the Staircase book team was a great way to have my first experience working on a book. I loved helping bring this concept to life, and I know that young readers will love it too!”
On being a celeb: “When it comes to being considered an office celebrity, for the most part everyone treats me the same. I don’t wanna compare my fandom to Beatlemania, but I do see occasional tears of joy from adoring fans—so it’s pretty close.”
TODD
On being a part of the team: “Book layout and design was definitely a new challenge for me to tackle. There are many factors that come into play when you bring a manuscript into layout—so I definitely have a new appreciation for the hard work and dedication that goes into creating books.”
On being a celeb: “I don’t know how to put the emotions into words but I pretty much feel like I’m better than everyone else now. And I’ll be at the bottom of the Chicago “L” stop to sign autographs all next week.“
Eager to get your economics on or just want to see what the series is all about? You can order your own copy of The Secret Under the Staircase here. And stay tuned! There is more to come from BMSD and Under the Staircase Books in the future.
By the way, this was the scene outside our office today. We really can’t go anywhere any more.
Explore more at underthestaircase.com
