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Joyce Murdock Feilke
Author Biography
Joyce Murdock Feilke is a retired school counselor in Austin, Texas, where she has lived most of her adult life. She grew up in North Carolina, near the foothills ...view moreAuthor Biography
Joyce Murdock Feilke is a retired school counselor in Austin, Texas, where she has lived most of her adult life. She grew up in North Carolina, near the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, and wanted to become a teacher since her earliest childhood days of playing school with her sister, Jean. Joyce earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education from Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina, and her Master’s Degree in Counseling and Psychology from the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas.
Joyce’s love of storytelling was inspired by her grandmother Bernice Louisa Arthurs Murdock and also by the rich folklore of mountain culture that surrounded her during her college years in North Carolina. She spent many years as a teacher and counselor in high school, both in Texas and also with the Department of Defense Schools in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. However, when Joyce began working with younger children later in her career, she found the perfect audience for her original stories and especially her puppet stories. Now that she has retired, her volunteer work in schools and her young grandchildren continue to inspire her to keep writing and to keep connecting children with imaginative play, since play is a child’s work.
“Becoming a grandmother myself connected me to my earliest memories of the comfort and love my grandmother shared through her stories.”
The Bongo Cat became a favorite of her original stories and was in such demand by other school professionals that she decided to have it published for the local Austin market. Whether presented in book form or puppetry, the rhyming repetition and visual imagery of her inspiring stories will capture children’s hearts while bringing their charming characters to life.
Other stories and rhymes Joyce has composed with local Austin themes that will be published soon are the following:
—Pack Rat and Mr. Bat
—The Hill Country Mouse
—Ballyhoo Blue & Kockle Makes his Debut
—Charming Armadillo and His Girlfriend Named Priscilla
—Grackle Please Don’t Bother Me!
—An Incredible View of the Avenue
—If You Sing at the Table the Chickens Will Die!
—The Dutch Doll
jfeilke@icloud.com
Illustrator
What does a pencil, watercolors, and rescued animals have in common? They are the ingredients of Laura Jackson’s art studio. As a syndicated columnist and artist, Laura’s illustrated pet care tips reached millions of readers. Today, she illustrates books, logos, architectural renderings, and art for organizations that improve the lives of animals.
Uniting years of illustration experience, animal rescue, and dry wit, Laura’s art captures the brilliance of nature. Traditional watercolors provide the medium. Currently, two rescued dogs (and a cat who thinks he’s a dog) provide the magic in Laura’s Texas art studio. See more art at www.rufftales.com and www.straydogstudioart.com.
TriAd Graphic Design
Mollie has been a lifelong artist, starting out working in oils and watercolors while growing up in Kansas and then learning photography and design work while in college. She got her degree from Fort Hays State University in the mid-70s. Mollie was in the initial class of graphic artist graduates with a BFA degree in commercial art, a program that continues to thrive today. She started her own business in 1991 and has not looked back since. Mollie lives in the Central Texas area with her beloved pets while doing freelance/contract work and designs for her own clients.
Mollie is also heavily involved in animal advocacy in her home county by being a founding member of Bastrop County Animal Advocates. She also fosters medical case animals and helps with fundraising for local rescue groups. Mollie is an avid animal lover and advocate and continues to perfect her animal communication skills that benefit animals and their humans.view less