Ruth Sanderson's Blog

THE MIRROR OF TRUTH

JULY 15, 2025 I’m currently crafting query letters to agents for my first YA fantasy, THE MIRROR OF TRUTH. This story has been brewing for a very long time. I started the manuscript over ten years ago. I’ve read many retellings of the Snow White fairy tale for readers from Middle Grade to Adult. One thing that always interested me was how the authors handled the magic mirror. Sometimes it was portrayed as evil, sometimes neutral. Rarely did any of the books explore how the mirror was made and how it ended up with Snow White’s stepmother. I grew up playing in an abandoned theme park in the middle of the woods, and there was a stone cottage in it that I imagined was the cottage of the seven dwarves. The memory of that place fueled my love for fairy tales and has haunted me for over fifty years. It inspired me to create my own re-imagining of this well-known story. I started with the premise that a teenage dwarf makes a mirror for the queen. The idea grew and grew and I ended up building a complex dwarf kingdom where my character Ban is a seventh son and heir to the mirror-smith of the realm. As a seventh son he comes into magical powers, and when he delivers a mirror he’s made for the queen in a nearby human kingdom, he offers to cast a spell of truth on the mirror—for a price. And the plot thickens when he botches the spell… Could this possibly be because he is only a half-dwarf? The illustration of the mirror is in scratchboard and I’ve mocked up a possible cover design, though a traditional publisher would likely design it themselves. This would be for a Kickstarter version. I added the color digitally. If you are interested in the publication journey for my book, sign up for my newsletter and choose MIRROR OF TRUTH NEWS. I’ll wait awhile for agents to get back to me, but if I get no takers I’ll illustrate it and do a Kickstarter.

Protected: Free Chapter from The Mirror of Truth

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CLASSES in Writing and Illustrating Picture Books

I haven’t offered classes in writing and illustrating here in Massachusetts for many years. If you are around in July, I’m offering them on Monday and Thursday evenings in Florence, MA. (Near Northampton)

SPRING IS HERE!

My favorite thing to do for the past few years has been to paint outside, “en plein air” as it is called, basically meaning “in the open air.” I will be going out next week for the first time this year, but thought I’d share a few of my paintings from the past. I love to paint apple blossoms and it will be another month or so before those bloom. I did just purchase an apricot tree to plant in my yard…I’ve always wanted a flowering fruit tree! I also love painting flowers and including a few in this post. You can see more in the Portfolio pages under LANDSCAPES. And if you’d like to see my paintings in person for possible purchase, I have my work at West Brookfield Frame and ART. (Picture below) Happy Spring! Four Easthampton scenes– the garage at the Easthampton MA Historical Society, the view of Mt. Tom from near the bike path, Spring Blossoms at Park Hill Orchard, and the purple bench at Nashawanuck Pond. Here is my wall at West Brookfield Art and Frame. 10 East Main StreetWest Brookfield, MA

FAIRY PROCESSION free PDF download

Enjoy printing and coloring this fairy image on your choice of paper. The original painting is “Ride a Cock Horse” from my book Mother Goose and Friends.

FAIRY Procession Free Coloring Page

Enjoy coloring this fairy image on your paper of choice. I recommend drawing paper, watercolor paper, or Bristol cover stock. Look for my grayscale coloring tutorials on YouTube, To see descriptions of all my books, look in Books/Coloring Books. Look in FUN STUFF for my FREE coloring pages in PDF format.

Happy Holidays!

My Father Christmas print was matted and framed by a customer, and she shared this photo of it framed above her mantle. This looks like a Christmas card, doesn’t it? (The print is on 17×22 paper and is on sale in my SHOP for $60 until December 15th)

NANCY DREW

In the early eighties I illustrated a number of Nancy Drew stories for the Wanderer series. I did covers and interior art for #57-#60. I recently partnered with Drewtique, an online shop that has a license to sell items based on the published work. I created quality prints from the covers based on good high resolution scans. You can find them here at DREWTIQUE

New for 2024: FARM ANIMALS BOARD BOOKS

Just released in November 2024! Written by my daughter Whitney, these two boards books were really fun to illustrate. Starring a diverse cast of kids, the stories encourage children to imitate the animal characters along with the characters in the book. ORDER THE SET OF BOOKS with a sketch of an animal in each book. Purchase a signed copy from Interlink Books.

GOOD NIGHT FARM ANIMALS

This sweet and inclusive story encourages children to yawn, stretch, and breathe along with characters in the book as they act out the movements of farm animal friends winding down before bedtime. Can they quack a goodnight song? Curl up like a sleepy kitten? Good Night, Farm Animals is just right for bedtime reading. I had fun collaborating with my daughter, Whitney Sanderson, on this board book and GOOD MORNING FARM ANIMALS. PURCHASE A SIGNED COPY FROM THE PUBLISHER