The Multiverse Guild Podcast With Derrick & Wendy Carrick-Hadinger

What if the comics and films you loved as a kid were training you to face the darkness you’d meet as an adult? We sit with Derek and Wendy—an illustrator–author duo whose faith and fandom collide in surprising, life‑giving ways—to explore how humor, grief, and spiritual warfare can live in the same story.

Wendy traces her path from clipping Calvin and Hobbes to building a career in live caricature and self‑publishing picture books and novels. She opens up about losing her father and how that pain became the spark for Somewhere in Between, a supernatural series that uses ghosts to talk candidly about guilt, forgiveness, and the unseen battle against fear and despair. Her take on film is refreshingly direct: the best scenes carry meaning beyond the frame, like the rainbow in E.T. that feels like a covenant of friendship you never outgrow.

Derek’s journey threads through a book‑rich childhood, a lightning‑bolt moment with a pencil line, and a nurse’s close view of human suffering. He brings a Spider‑Man lens to creativity—improvise, endure, care for the little guy—and a frank perspective on spiritual warfare shaped by mistakes he doesn’t hide. Together, they talk about love built on radical honesty, co‑creating children’s books, and launching a podcast to champion artists of faith who still geek out over Star Wars and Monty Python.

We also dive into AI art without the hype. Wendy respects AI as a tool that helps people ship stories, but she defends the irreplaceable experience of live caricature: the easel tilted to the crowd, the gasp as a likeness emerges, the human spark you can’t download. If you feel stuck, their advice is simple and brave—pray a short prayer, remove yourself from the outcome, and take one small step today. Subscribe, share with a friend who loves faith‑infused storytelling, and leave a review with your favorite formative fandom moment so we can feature it next time.

Wendy & Derek Lbrary Link

 https://www.cawpublishing.com/#/ 

Transcript

Warm Welcome And Intros

SPEAKER_04 0:37

Hey everyone, this is Javier. Welcome to the Compass Chronicles podcast where faith fandom meets faith. I am excited today. I'm here with my co-host Mickey, and we are excited to have an amazing couple with us, Derek and Wendy. And uh we want them to come on and introduce themselves. I want Mickey to say hello first, and then uh we'll introduce this amazing couple, and we're gonna have such an awesome conversation, and we look forward to it.

SPEAKER_00 1:02

So, Mickey, hi everyone, welcome back to Campus Chronicles. Hi, Wendy, hi Derek. We're so excited to have you. Can't hear, can't wait to hear more about everything that you're doing. Um, and I just can't wait to have this conversation. It's gonna be exciting. So, welcome guys.

SPEAKER_06 1:18

Thank you so much for your time.

SPEAKER_04 1:19

Thank you. Awesome. So the floor is yours, guys. Introduce yourselves, tell us what you do, what you like, and we'll move from there.

SPEAKER_01 1:26

All right. Well, let's start just to introduce uh uh myself.

SPEAKER_03 1:30

Yeah, ladies.

Wendy’s Creative Story And Faith

SPEAKER_01 1:31

Okay. I'm a freelance illustrator. I work from home. Um, and uh I've uh I was attracted to this podcast uh because uh I am such a movie buff. I've I've enjoyed movies and film ever since I was I don't know, ever since I saw E.T. on the big screen when I was little. I was hooked. I was hooked. It scared me to death that I went back like I don't know five more times to see the movie again. Oh scary one anymore. How many have how many times have you seen E.T.? Oh you're a newbie. But yeah, I know exactly. But uh, but yeah, every time I was back in the theater, I was like, oh, I'm going back again. But anyway, um uh I've I'm also uh person of faith. I'm a Christian and I've been a Christian also ever since I can remember. Um so I but anyway, as far as my uh the work that I do, I um I as a freelance illustrator, I work mainly like I have like two actually a few different things that I do. I'm a uh caricature artist, I do gigs for parties and stuff like that. Um yeah, I enjoy that so much. Derek's been doing that with me lately too, which is awesome.

SPEAKER_06 2:48

Fun, yeah. Fun, fun.

SPEAKER_01 2:49

Yeah, he's got I've got him on board. And I also love illustrating books, writing and illustrating books, and I got Derek on board of that too.

SPEAKER_03 3:00

Awesome.

SPEAKER_01 3:02

Which is pretty awesome. Like we're such a we've become this creative team together here, which is really, really awesome. And now we decided to like launch our own podcast as well. And it's uh regarding faith and creativity, like melding the two of those together and you know about journeys, overcoming overcoming adversity and all of that. So um, so yeah, I'll give the floor to uh Derek as far as what he does too. Kind of introduced him a little bit already.

SPEAKER_06 3:31

My name is Derek, um middle child, so I've been a bona fide weirdo since I came up.

SPEAKER_05 3:40

Welcome to the club, my friend.

SPEAKER_02 3:42

My daughter's gonna love you.

Derek’s Upbringing And Calling

SPEAKER_06 3:44

Um grew up uh my dad, very devout Christian from military intel, so I was very I was immersed very early on in the Bible. He read it to us all the time, and I knew things about the world that most people weren't privy to, and he judiciously gave out that information, but plenty, and we had no TV in the house for eight years, all these books, all of these creative things, and I'm being the middle child, I got into everything. You're grounded, and he'd always send me in the room with all the books. Well, even later, I was like, Yeah, you're a genius. What do you mean by that? Yeah, he definitely was stuck me in the room, and I read thousands of pages of like you know science, political history, philosophy, the Bible, all of this stuff, and then I started one day. I picked up a pencil drawing this Teddy Rooster belt in the book because he was supposed to draw my portrait and he had to leave to do something. I was watching him draw, and it was the most amazing thing. So I laid down this pencil line, and in my spirit or soul, now that I can think about it, I was laughing with God. I'm laughing, and God's like, ah, you like that, don't you? I'm just imagining this in my head, and I said, God, everything that you made here, I'm putting a line down on it. All of history is in this pencil line. It was the most far out thing, and I was like, I'm an artist. So all of my life I would just stare out windows, draw pictures, ignore teachers, get in trouble, got into music, a lot of classical music down the road that helped in a nursing career to where I meet all the you know, the dregs of life, all these what people would call freaks, the most beautiful people. And all of these disp what I would have felt were disparate things, God used all of these intense experiences. You know, I rebelled against God for a while, explored things in the occult and music, understand all not all too much. I'm glad I know because now I'm very involved in spiritual warfare.

SPEAKER_01 5:48

And um, yeah, just have that understanding of it, you know.

SPEAKER_06 5:53

And all these creative gifts and weird quirks that I could never fit in, God's like, that's because I have chosen you, and you're now going to spiritual warfare, me, Derek. And now when he told me that about a month ago, in my spirit, here we are talking and spreading the joy of his creative process, his sense of humor, making us goofballs and doing things like this. And then then when Wendy and I met, I'd given up on everything. All the guys said, Lord, I'm done. I give my life entirely to you. He says, You are all mine, or you're done. And then he puts in my gut, here, get a credit card, and uh I uh started a thing on Zeus, and I'm like, I'm not this is not me. Why am I doing this? But I had a very strong compulsion. I'm like, God, I I've learned to trust God's voice. So I did it. Just because I'm like praying, I'm like, God, this is funny, I'm about done with this, and then Wendy reaches out.

SPEAKER_01 6:53

Yeah, yeah, on this uh dating website. Yeah, so we got together.

SPEAKER_06 6:58

I drove two hours to meet her, and we parked right next to each other at the exact same time. I looked at her, she smiled at me, and we sat down. And as soon as she talked, I was like, I'm a loved one.

SPEAKER_05 7:09

That's awesome.

Meeting Through Prayer And Trust

SPEAKER_06 7:11

That is awesome. Every day, zero arguments, zero mistrust. I told her every single thing about my entire life, all the good and bad things, and everything. And she's like, you know what? That makes you a real man, and it set this bond of trust. God hates a lying tongue, and I know where it's gotten me in life. My bad decisions, and God's like, Look, I'm giving this to you, I am in command. And I've had the most amazing time of my life. I still don't know how to handle the grace that he has.

SPEAKER_04 7:43

I can't even explain it or even understand all that joy that you have. And yeah, and when you mentioned that whole part about um God being um goofing around with God, that's I think people don't understand that he has a sense of humor.

SPEAKER_05 7:57

Oh, yeah, he does. I mean, look at who he made. We're all here. We're goofball.

SPEAKER_06 8:01

Yeah, you know, he gave joy, love, laughter.

SPEAKER_05 8:04

Why not, right? Yeah, yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_06 8:06

Yeah, Jesus really he chose we when you read through the word, all the the poor, the downtrodden, the wild ones, the radicals. The first one in the old testament was 13 years old, an artist gifted with the Holy Spirit to help build the temple. Who was the first one mentioned with the Holy Spirit? An artist and a freak. There you go.

SPEAKER_04 8:25

So um, that's an amazing story. That could be a whole episode unloaded. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Life story.

SPEAKER_05 8:31

But anyways, I digress, I get wound up with my comments.

SPEAKER_04 8:34

Listen, this show is for you guys. We're here to listen to you, and we're having a great time. But we do have a couple of questions just so people get to know you a little bit, and we go. So uh, one of my follow-up questions was Was there a season you went through together that really stretched your faith and your creativity?

SPEAKER_01 8:52

Faith and creativity.

SPEAKER_06 8:53

Last year, hurricane.

Marriage, Joy, And Radical Honesty

SPEAKER_01 8:55

Oh that was yours. Well, one of you, yeah, there's so many, of course. It was interesting. We were just talking yesterday, someone about seasons. Yes, you know, uh, seasons of faith. Uh, that's that's an interesting question, yeah. Um, I mean, I think about my season of I um like my my my previous marriage. I was just I've been thinking about this a lot lately, about um how like when my faith started to dissipate, and when my I became really challenged with it, and that was like uh the last 10 years of my previous marriage when I was really wanting God to make it. I was like, come on, God, come on, God, can we can we make this work, you know? And because I didn't want my children to be in a broken home, you know. Uh I didn't want that that for them. I and I didn't want that for me, you know, I didn't want any of that. But um, so I I was struggling for over a decade with that. And um, and during that time, my faith plummeted even more when my father passed away. And the reason why it wasn't just because he passed away, it was because I felt so cheated out of um my time with him because I I had went, I got, I went down to North Carolina to visit him in a short period of time while he was in the hospital. I knew he was going downhill. He wasn't in hospice yet at the time, but I um I had one day left in my my my visit, and I was stricken with a terrible flu bug. And I knew him having COPD, I knew I couldn't go and visit him. Uh, I couldn't even I couldn't even go in the room to say goodbye to him. I had I because I I didn't want to make him sicker, I I still had hope that maybe he could get better. And um that was my last chance to see him alive. So after that, um I being I I think I was thinking about this earlier, just thinking how um anger is kind of a mild word for how I felt um uh towards God at that time. I was I was furious, I was disappointed, I was like, why, why would God, you know, cheat me out of this last day that I could have with my father before he passed. Um so it that was like that was when it kind of started to plummet even more. And I started, I never doubted the existence of God. I just doubted if he cared what I wanted at all. You know. Um I and that's how it was for a while. So I've I've been uh I've had a journey of coming out of that, you know. Um I, you know, had hope once uh hope I guess just joining that meeting site one, you know, alone was probably one of those things where also where I was just like thinking, okay, God, you know, let's see. You know, I I'm not meeting anyone the traditional old-fashioned way. I go to I meet hundreds of people doing like caricatures at parties and events. I've met hundreds of people, uh, probably thousands of people. I go to church, you know, I'm not meeting anyone the old-fashioned way. So I'm like, you know, I'm gonna what the heck? Let's see if this works. Let's see if I can find because I'm like, I'm not me, I'm not bumping into my, you know whether you believe in soulmates or not, but it's like I feel like yeah.

SPEAKER_06 12:49

This man prayed, and you were the gift that he answered with.

SPEAKER_03 12:53

That's that's awesome.

SPEAKER_06 12:59

That's awesome. And yeah, I think it's rekindled. So he brought us together. He said, Wendy, I was listening to you. Here's here's the guy that's gonna love you more than any.

SPEAKER_01 13:07

Oh, baby. Oh my god.

SPEAKER_04 13:09

That's beautiful.

SPEAKER_01 13:10

That that's that's an amazing thing. Um, we make everybody sick around us.

SPEAKER_06 13:15

No, not at all. I love my wife so so much. Christ says, Love your wife, and Christ loves the church. Amen. He gave his life for it. He sat there with his mouth shut, and I'm like, I know all of you, and I'm just I love you so much. I'm just gonna stand here and take it. When I look at my wife, man, I can't even describe the love I have for her because it's that type of love. I I put Christ first in everything, and he's like, All right, thanks. I'm gonna give you so much love you can't even handle it.

SPEAKER_00 13:43

Okay, so where was this dating app again? I'm the only single person in the room.

SPEAKER_01 13:49

Um I'm like yeah, C-O-O-S-K, and I was thinking, you know, it's like counterjudices, but I prayed, and that's the gut feeling that got, and it was like we were both yeah, we were both in like the final, like I think we had both given it like three months or something, and we were both in that final month where we're like, you know what? We're I'm not even gonna reply, I'm not even gonna, you know, uh go another month after this. We're both in that stage. And I was in the stage also where I was like, you know what? When we when we finally when we talked on the phone, we like we we we found each other, we talked on the phone that night, and we decided over that night while talking to each other, let's uh yeah, are you available this weekend? Let's let's let's just you know, enough with this texting back and forth mumbo jumbo stuff. Let's just meet each other and see if we feel each, you know, feel that connection face to face, you know.

SPEAKER_00 14:45

Well, I can say just by listening to you too, that you guys have an amazing love language. You guys mesh beautifully together. Thank you so much. You guys radiate, you know, you radiate off of each other, and it's just a wonderful thing. And uh, you know, you meet a lot of married people, you don't always get to see that connection. Yeah, which is just awesome that you have that special bond between you, and it's awesome that you're showing it and sharing it because I think a lot of married couples need to see this, even single single, it it it inspires me to go, hey, there is still hope out there.

SPEAKER_06 15:16

There is always hope. Right. The thing is, I I realized I had to be willing to give up everything about myself that I even cared about and just be. Yeah, and then go about my business, and then all of a sudden, when you're like that, honestly, oh, you're just who you are. And when you someone meets you like that and sees you for who you are and says, Hey, I like you.

Fandom Talk: Spider-Man To Star Wars

SPEAKER_01 15:37

Yeah, yeah, it took it. I mean, my walls were I had such walls around my heart. Uh, I I really did, I really felt like um I know he's gotta leave pretty soon, but um I I'm gonna stay on.

SPEAKER_05 15:53

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. We're gonna talk movies for sure.

SPEAKER_01 15:57

But yeah, but anyway, I was like, I I call him the Kool-Aid man because you know he he like burst it through those walls like, oh yeah, you know, like bricks flying all over the place. And awesome. Like that was what it was like. That's what he did to me, you know. He just broke through those walls around my heart with his authenticity and his like wonderful spirit, and uh it just uh it just blew me away.

SPEAKER_06 16:26

My Daffy Duck has she says, I am Daffy Duck and Combusting through. Hey!

SPEAKER_01 16:32

Yeah, I go to visit him at his at his house, and and he's got these cartoons, this weird cartoon playing. I'm like, okay, this guy's interesting, and then like I'm about ready to leave, you know. That I was I'm like, okay, I yeah, because we lived two hours apart. Oh wow when we and he lived in Columbus, I yeah, I'm up in Cleveland. So uh so I'm I'm I'm about ready to leave. And we still got the YouTube going on, and he puts on Monty Python, uh, and one of my favorite, I think the parrot sketch or something. I know it was parrot sketch or the argument sketch. The argument sketch.

SPEAKER_04 17:12

Oh, that's awesome. Yeah, that was great. That is great. So um I know you have to leave soon, Derek, and I don't want to, but what because we're the show is all about fandom and and and all our love about comics and everything else. So I want to ask you both before you leave, because I know um, what's your favorite comic book if you have one, your favorite cartoon if you have one? Oh man, and how does it affect with your faith and everything else? How do you mix that all together?

SPEAKER_06 17:43

My favorite of all time was Spider-Man. Okay, and I figure in the comics. No, you did not know this. This spidey senses, he's this guy, kind of like I identify the middle child. You're kind of ostracized from everything, you're the weirdo, you got bit by this thing, you got these superpowers, creativity, you know, stuff like that. But it just uh I had my tonsils removed. It was a winter of 78, big blizzard. My dad built an igloo, and my brothers got to sleep in it with him, and I was bummed out that I wasn't there, but my dad knew I loved those comics, so he let me take my stack of comics in there, and I was reading Spider-Man with the Dr. Octopus, and then I saw it on the TV like, wow, I gotta put this down, and I got sucked in. And so, you know, it got me drawing stuff and things like that. So I I just love the pathos to Spider-Man and how he had to creatively come up with things, this mechanical device. He kind of had superpowers, but he was he was more of a nerd.

SPEAKER_03 18:49

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_06 18:50

He wasn't just oh, only kryptonite can get me. He had the deal with all of these right to blend in while being like that. His position in society was rather low and identified. Wow, that's um wow, and uh yeah, it's like Star Wars movies. I really like the Star Wars movies, and later on, you know, Delphine.

SPEAKER_04 19:17

Okay, quick question. The first one, the originals, or the re or the originals, okay, okay, okay.

Comics They’d Create Next

SPEAKER_06 19:22

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, just I'm uh a raw artist. I like that that's that's awesome. It's just um really they're like predictive programming, getting into Gnosticism, this duality, you know, Vader, like really what we're seeing now going on in culture, they were telling us about it back then, and that theme is repeated. So I really get into a lot of sci-fi and weirdness because it tells you a lot of things that uh, if you're not a nerd, you're not gonna care about, but they really give you a lot of information on that stuff. Plus, it's so cool. Draw like I draw monsters, my wife will see me. I'll draw politicians with like weird lizard faces. You know, I try to come up with actually a comic book called The Dysfunctional Hour, where I'm a man doing the news and I talk about the most politically and socially inappropriate things. Ed Haddingston, the reporter, he's always jerky with coffee and saying the thing that people are trying to not say, and he just comes out with it the whole time, you know. That's great. I've been working on ideas like that, especially going out with all the lizard people and things. God having a sense of humor. He's like, Derek, you're you're my screwball, go out and give it to him. So yeah, yeah, I um I wasn't allowed. We didn't have a TV for so many years, so I had to watch the Star Wars and the comics. Those are the things and Muppets. I really love it. Muppets, there you go. Oh, yeah. Awesome.

SPEAKER_02 20:50

Awesome, yes, yeah.

SPEAKER_06 20:52

Floyd on that face doing the thing. Yeah, it was really just to see this whole creative thing going, like, wow, you can create this whole world and entertain yourself, and you don't you don't need anything else, and all these people getting lost in their worlds. I like how we can talk. Yeah, it's a digital interactive tool, but we're looking at each other's faces, we're talking ideas and stuff, and I really like that's amazing.

SPEAKER_04 21:14

Um, anyway, Mickey, you have any questions or a follow-up or oh my gosh, this is so fun.

SPEAKER_00 21:19

I'm having such a good time. What if you were to write a comic, what would it be about?

SPEAKER_06 21:26

Um trying to be a superhero and failing miserably.

SPEAKER_01 21:35

That'd be fun. That'd be a fun um I I guess failing at being a superhero.

SPEAKER_05 21:40

Oh, yeah, there's a lot of us, right? How I go about my life right now, you know. It's like interesting.

SPEAKER_06 21:47

That would be interesting, like going out on all these conquests and everything else and coming home, like being brutalized and realizing how real the world. I know, just a way to poke fun at myself and the world in like the atypical superhero, but in a way, it is a superhero because he can identify with everyone else trying to make a change, but all these unreal things are coming at you to prevent you from doing it. That would be my comic book I would use, and I don't know what I would like that.

SPEAKER_01 22:14

I like that.

SPEAKER_06 22:15

Uh my older brother uh Dushan, uh Dewey's his nickname. I call it Dewey the Delinquent, and it was happening.

SPEAKER_05 22:23

There we go. That sounds like a great comic book, too. You're helping me flesh out ideas. This is awesome, man. I don't want to go to work. That's a great comic book, Dewey the Delinquent. That is awesome. Yeah, let me know when you're gonna put that out.

SPEAKER_06 22:37

I want to get a copy. Hey, we're gonna stay in touch now that we have some ideas. I am gonna get to work on stuff because I sure part of my creative process. I would love to get drive, but when you have only one or two people you know that are intense, this extends the network. Like wow, sure.

SPEAKER_04 22:53

Sure. We are blessed. We are blessed to have you guys here, and we're we're having a great time. I I'll be honest with you, I was a little nervous at the beginning, but like Mickey said, You should be nervous meeting me.

SPEAKER_05 23:03

I'm a weird person. Well, I mean if you ever get to know me, I'm I'm really weird myself.

SPEAKER_04 23:09

So we get along really well.

SPEAKER_05 23:11

That's why we're having such a good time, you know. So we're it's not in all.

SPEAKER_04 23:17

Oh, anyway, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to cut you off. Um, no, no, no, not at all. Uh so Wendy, I leave you now because I know you love movies and yeah, I love it.

SPEAKER_01 23:27

Don't let him talk for a while. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 23:30

So the floor is all yours.

SPEAKER_06 23:33

Oh, I'm gonna say goodbye to everyone.

SPEAKER_04 23:36

All right, Derek, yeah, man. I appreciate you being on here. We definitely will talk again.

SPEAKER_06 23:43

Sorry, we gotta grow up.

SPEAKER_04 23:47

If you don't mind, that's my thumbnail right there. Boom.

Wendy’s Influences And Humor In Comics

SPEAKER_06 23:51

That's my thumbnail. God bless both of you, and I yeah, I look forward to uh more talking. You two are oh yeah, we definitely gotta get together about it.

SPEAKER_05 23:59

Oh yeah, we got some weirdos. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. All nerds, all those geeks gotta geek out together. So amen, amen. All right, brother. Thank you so much, man, for being on. I'm so thankful. Yeah, bye. Take care, Derek. Oh, yeah, thank you so much.

SPEAKER_04 24:17

All right, so Wendy, so what let's start with your well, you said you mentioned ET, but I know there's gotta be other movies or other stuff you like. So especially being an illustrator, that's you know, being in that way. And talk a little bit about that too, as well. I would love to know a little bit about that.

SPEAKER_01 24:35

Sorry, sorry, he was no worries. Oh, yeah. Uh repeat the quest. Sorry, I was a little bit more.

SPEAKER_04 24:42

No, no, so I know that you like DT, but I know that you uh you probably like other movies, and then being an illustrator, you must love comics or or art itself because everyone artist loves art. So uh what what were your inspirations? What made you like how does that work with your faith?

SPEAKER_01 24:58

Well, I'm la I I was I had to laugh while he was talking about Spider-Man. It was like because I was like, oh, so he's he's choosing this really awesome like superhero character, and I was thinking about what I was uh I my uh my comic books that I was surrounded by as a child were gleaned from uh random uh garage sales and things. So I had I had Snuffy Smith, I had Dudley Dewright. Those are great Rocky and Bullwinkle. I was I was I was born in Canada, so I had like Rocky and Bullwinkle and Dudley. I was like, so he's he's got Spider-Man, I've got Dudley Do Wright. It's kind of funny.

SPEAKER_04 25:43

That's fine, it's what we enjoy, right?

Storytelling, Film, And Meaning

SPEAKER_01 25:45

Well that's why I love it because he was such a goofball. He was just like such, you know, he was a Dudley Do Wright and he could he never did right. He was always wrong. He was always messing up and could not do anything right. So I think that's a done. But I guess that's that's why I love the characters. I guess I guess maybe that's why I love uh Derek's idea so much, but the superhero that is so bad at being a superhero. That was Dudley Do right in a way, like he wasn't a superhero. He was uh but he was this mountie that didn't know any how to do his job. But um I guess that's why I loved it because it was such a it really related to my my own, like the whole self-deprecation of Canadians, and you know, just like not taking myself, just not taking yourself seriously, and just um the gold goofballness of it. I love it. So that's what I loved about comics more than anything. I liked I liked to laugh. I wasn't as interested in the superhero ones because they didn't make me laugh. I liked reading con so I I was I was big into Calvin and Hops. Uh when that when that came out, when I would I followed those in the newspapers and the comic section, and the Sunday papers and the daily, I would snip them out and I would collect them. And um I I remember my my uh actually my grandmother or my great grandmother, she had this. We I still have this. There's this container of all these um very old uh comic strips that were cut out of newspapers um called Gadown. It was the called the Gadown comics. No one's ever heard of them. I I I don't even um I wonder if I Google what would show up for them. But they it was uh it was about this dog that um uh and you know very personified dog, and he would just go have all these different things happen to him. It was just uh it with this a dog in this family. It's just about a dog in the family, and um, all these funny things that it was once again another humorous one. So it's just um I would my practice was when I I had this container of these go down comics, this all rolled up in little little rolls and balls. And uh when I was sick, I would take it out and I would spread them all on my bed and I would read them. And that was a kind of a fun little practice I would have. So um, so I guess um being an illustrator, it makes sense that I ended up wanting to be an illustrator more than a fine artist because I love the whole idea of telling stories with pictures. Um that's to me, it was just like hand in hand. I loved I loved writing stories and I loved drawing pictures. And then when I finally sweet, I love you. And I just it just naturally came together for me. I I when I started writing, I was illustrating too. And always been that way for me. So I love, and I guess that's why I love uh uh as time went on and I got interested in movies, I started falling in love with movies. I once again it's stories and and um how they come together and how you can tell a story and have things um communicated within that story and um and find inspiration from those stories. Um I think that's what happened with me with film. I would think about you know with E.T., my first love. Um I it was about um, you know, just about friendship and that rainbow at the end of the movie when E.T. goes off. I would felt like that was him leaving his message of friendship to Elliot on the ground, like thinking, I'll this is you know, I'll remember you forever, uh, even if we never see each other again. Um yeah. I remember thinking that when the rainbow was like crying my eyes out at the end of the movie, of course, with everybody else. Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 30:01

Yeah, E.T.'s uh one of those that no matter what time it's on, you always watch it. Like if you're screening to the TV or then you'll see it like, yeah, why not? It's one of those wholesome fun movies to watch that you know there's not gonna be any real craziness in it.

SPEAKER_01 30:17

And you know what I can't stand though? Oh my gosh, I I made the mistake of trying to get my kids to watch it probably at too early of an age. I was it was around the same age that I watched it, but maybe I don't know. Uh maybe these this generation is just not ready for something like that. And they were terrified by it. Like, dang it, it's supposed to be like come on. So I'm like, come. I want to show it to my uh my stepdaughter now, too. And and and I'm like, she's 13, like she'd better be ready for it. She better like it. Come on, E.T. is lovable, he's not scary. I know he's scary at first, but you fall in love with him. That's the whole thing. Right, right.

Writing Grief And Spiritual Warfare

SPEAKER_04 31:03

That's awesome. That's great. Um, so yeah, um, when you do your illustrations and stuff like that, how does your um faith come into all that you do, like in your illustrations, or you know, how do you reconcile your faith with all that you do if you get a request that that kind of doesn't feel well, or how do you reconcile that stuff?

SPEAKER_01 31:24

Thank you. Yeah, it's uh I once again, I guess the the illustration is all about because I do have two separate things I do with my illustration. One, of course, is my I call it my meat and potatoes uh job, uh, where you know it it it pays the bills and um it's it's but still I'm still creating art, which is great, but uh I'm not necessarily doing I'm I'm not creating what I want to create necessarily, but but it's I'm I'm still enjoying what I'm doing because I'm getting paid to do art, which is great. I mean if that's that's my that's the dream, that's the goal, which I'm very happy about and very blessed for that. Um, but my real passion is uh writing and illustrating books and putting them out in the world. So I self-publish. I've I've been self-publishing since 2012 or 13.

SPEAKER_02 32:15

Oh wow.

Guilt, Forgiveness, And Book Two

SPEAKER_01 32:15

Um so over 10 years now, I guess. And um that's that's my true passion, is and ever since I was a kid, and my has been my dream ever since I was a kid. Um so that's where I put my faith into more than anything, as far as expression of my faith in an artistic way. Uh, I love uh like last year I put out uh a pic, so I do uh mostly picture books, but uh I have done a couple novels um and um they're like supernatural. So I was I wasn't sure like how it was kind of funny, or I th I was like, I thought maybe people of faith would feel a little weird about it because it's about ghosts, it's about the main character is a ghost. But I wanted to, I like it was interesting writing fiction uh for a change, like an actual novel and writing um a fictional novel length book. I did uh I wrote two uh two and then they're there's a series, I need to do a third one, but it was called Somewhere in Between. Um so it's about um you know about a boy he passes away in the first chapter, basically, and then just go through his experiences. And it was a way for me to work through my grief when about you know losing my dad. So it was um, and it was also a way of expressing my faith, strangely enough. I mean, I I I know that the whole idea of ghosts, you know, might be a little some people might oh don't talk about ghosts, you know, whatever. But I I um I had really an interest in it, and I was like thinking a lot of I was doing a lot of research in the experiences that people would have when they temporarily died and would go to heaven and then come back. Um, so I was very interested to see and to learn about those stories and and um and just my own experience with what I wanted to communicate more than anything with those particular stories, those books, was the the issue of spiritual warfare. That was the big one because uh the that was the big thing I wanted because the reason why I wanted to have this character who was in this afterlife and uh in this in-between is so that I could have a character who uh who is human but is able to see and communicate and exp uh and experience uh what is going on with the demons um that are we are surrounded by that feed off of our fear, our depress and our depression, our all these bad feelings that we feel, they feed off of that and they um and they make and they make it worse. Um they it's like they attack us when we are at our weakest. Um and I wanted to talk about that. I wanted to write about that and explore that. And it's I guess it was a way for me to I I always wanted to write a book about I wanted to write about my own experience with depression when I was a teenager, but I didn't I wanted to write about it without writing about it because it was it was I I always try whenever I tried writing about it, it just was ended up feeling so pathetic. And I just didn't I didn't want to go back there. I didn't want to go back in that hole of depression, but I wanted to express it uh and what my feelings were about it, and so fiction was a great way for me to explore that. Um and I feel like there's I love the idea of like we can tell, we can express a lot of truth through the art of fiction. Once again, movies, you know, uh there is so much truth that we can glean through the stories in film and in writing. Um and that's what I love about it, the art of it, you know, and and what the filmmaker or what the what the author is trying to express between the lines, you know. I love that. I love that. And that's what I like to do with my with my writing. I like to see, well, it's not I'm I never want to just tell a story. I want to tell a story and communicate something deeper at the same time. And that those are the movies that I love the most.

SPEAKER_04 36:59

Awesome. You remind me a lot of Frank Peretti.

SPEAKER_01 37:02

Oh my gosh, I people have told me that. Yeah, I've actually I've actually told people my somewhere in between books, they're basically it's like a cross between Stranger Things and This Present Darkness.

SPEAKER_04 37:14

Yes. Which is if anyone has not read those books, it is one of the best books you can read. It's it's amazing, right?

SPEAKER_01 37:22

I really I I'm in the process of reading, uh, reading that book. It's funny because people have told me that before when I when I uh talk about the they tell me, oh my gosh, it sounds like that book.

SPEAKER_04 37:31

I'm like, okay, this present darkness. It's amazing. So yeah, you're in the right, especially I I see where you're going when it comes to fiction. Christians are a little bit hesitant when it comes to fiction. Uh they tend to, but that's what the show's about, so that we can reach that imagination and stuff into what God wants us to do. Um so um, I don't know, Mickey, you have any questions for Wendy? Or I'm just gonna go to the show. No, I think it's wonderful that she's saying that.

SPEAKER_00 37:58

Yeah, I think um it kind of resonates when people write. Um it's kind of a good way to put your emotions on paper without um going through the whole for me. For some people, I I there's people that can express themselves like straight out and be transparent, and there's other people that don't want that transparency necessarily to be seen, but they still want to be heard in a different format. And fiction is a great way to do it. I think that's a great way to sum that up. And I was looking at your books um somewhere in between in fighting the darkness, that that correlation, those two books together. And um, so you are writing a third one to that that series.

Plans For Book Three And Themes

SPEAKER_01 38:35

Yeah, I'm I'm I'm trying to. It's it's one of those, I'm at that stage in my life right now where there are so many things coming at me. And um I'm I'm I'm struggling with the third one because I the third one, uh the the first one was the introduction of the characters and the of the concept of this um this uh spiritual warfare that's going on. The second book I I delved a even I delved deeper into uh another theme of uh forgiveness and self-forgiveness and all of that, where basically the so the first book basically starts with this uh car accident, and that's how the main character dies. The second book starts with the same car accident, but with the other guy who was in the other car who caused the accident that killed this other kid. So he ends up he ends up uh dying too, but he ends up falling into the hands of the bad guys who are like attacking him and and really grabbing onto his the guilt and creating this guilt and and really thri and really uh they hold the guilt that he feels from that accident and is what um pulls him into this bad world um and the the existence of these demon characters. And he he and I my goal with that book was to make sure the reader did not feel just felt it was a torturous thing for me to write because I loved this character, it was a good person and had no reason to torture himself like this, and I wanted the reader to feel that same feeling because the truth is what the reason why he he was he didn't cause the accident because he was drinking or careless or anything, he forgot to take his medication uh for um um oh for crying out loud. Um you know, when when you have uh involuntary uh seizures, seizures yeah, um, and that's why he had the accident. So it was it was no real fault of his own, yet he felt this guilt. So I wanted that to be that was important to me. I wanted him to be a pure, purely guiltless really character who fell into this experience of extreme guilt and self-torture and being tortured by all these demons surrounding him. And uh, so that's what that book really was for me, was you know, there's all these all all these other things that are going on, you know, these fun characters and a lot of lighthearted stuff at the same time. But this one character, uh it was really, oh my gosh, I'm feeling like all who all um jittery just talking about it because it's so it was so emotional and such a a very difficult thing for me to write uh because I felt such emotion for this character, and I wanted the reader to feel that too. And I wanted the reader to want him to not be that way and to heal. I wanted the reader just as badly as I did, you know, wanting wanting him to heal, so that the reader once again can connect and reflect and remember that even our guilt is something that these demons can latch on to and cause bad things to happen in our lives when we refuse to let go and forgive ourselves um for whatever it is that we're hanging on to, you know. Um, so that was a big part of the second book. And then the third book, I really want I it's gonna be once again spiritual warfare, um, but I want it uh to be on one of the main characters that has become like one of the one of the more main characters in the story. Uh, she's modeled after um uh Sadie Sink's character in Stranger Things.

unknown 42:41

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 42:41

See, I use I use her uh as as inspiration. Um and um yeah, Max, the Max character. Um, but you know, she's a very uh very likable character, and um, I think she's gonna end up being the one who gets attacked next time, and it's gonna be a big deal. And um I want to really get into focusing more than ever on the issue of spiritual warfare and uh how susceptible we are to it. Um so yeah, uh once again, I just love the whole like the whole concept of of speaking truth through fiction. And I think that's such a great thing that we uh that people, if you're a filmmaker or a storyteller of any kind, it's it's a wonderful thing to do with your art. Um and an important thing to do with your art, you know. Yeah.

Faith, Fiction, And Resonance

SPEAKER_04 43:39

Like I I think a lot of people can resonate with what you're saying about the guilt part. A lot of people, even when it comes to acceptance of Christ, they feel that guilt like they don't deserve it, or if they did something. Um, I think that resonates with a lot of people. So reading that book will definitely uh touch a lot of people in that way. Um I can see that you have that passion in it. Um and readers will see that when you when people have that passion, people read that and be like, wow, she really isn't like this is really good. But um, and I I love that. I'm you know, I'm a writer myself, Mickey's a writer. We all know that drama and that whole, you know, we want to get our point across uh in a way that we're not offensive but real. So yeah, but and I'm telling everyone, they will have all her links on the bottom of this, everything will be there so that we can uh you Can reach out to Wendy and Derek and um have fun and invite them on your show because they are the coolest people I have ever met. Couple. Um extremely I love nerd couples. I do, trust me. Um, Mickey knows. Um uh I'm the biggest nerd in the world. Um love it, and uh you know that's why we did the podcast because we love nerds and we want nerds to love God too. So you you are an inspiration. Thank you so much. You are definitely inspired me to continue looking at re writing more, and um you have this presence that just motivates people. So you and Derek just hype me up.

SPEAKER_03 45:19

So uh thank you so much.

SPEAKER_04 45:21

Umy or you know, this conversation can go on forever, but yeah, I know, I know, I know.

SPEAKER_00 45:28

I do have one quick question um before we wrap up. Sure. Um again, we will put all your information, your website, and everything will be in the in the in our show notes for everyone to be able to reach you and find you. Um as a character drawing um individual, AI has is now doing that, and people are popping up with their characters all the time. And they're cute. Don't get me wrong, I think they're funny.

SPEAKER_01 45:53

They are cute, I admit, I admit, they're cute. I I've looked at them like, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 45:58

A few times now. Does it bother you though? Now, does it bother you though that that does it feel like that's your competition sometimes? Because I I like AI, but I like real, you know, I like raw authenticity. I like the natural. So I would rather get character drawings from a person like you or Javier, because Javier is really good too. He's a good artist, he knows how to play with stuff, than to have, you know, AI just create whatever they want for me. Does that make sense?

AI Art Versus The Human Touch

SPEAKER_01 46:24

It does. I've thought about that a lot every time I see, like I've been seeing on Facebook people sharing their AI created caricatures. And I look at it and I'm like, that is pretty cool looking. I have to admit it's like it looks really good. It's like, um, but at the same time, you can tell that it's AI. You can tell that it's not created by a person. And I think that's a um that's a good thing. I'm glad that it doesn't look like uh that it that people can tell, everyone can tell that it's AI. AI does seem to so far have this very um distinct look to it. Yes, you can just automatically recognize that as AI. Um, so I like I like that about it at least, um, so that people aren't uh thinking that there's someone out there doing these caricatures. Um personally, for I was I actually I just did uh a gig last week and invited my son to come along with me so that he could learn the trade as well. And um I the I what thing is when it comes to what I do mostly, I I don't do a lot of custom orders, and not because I don't want to, it just haven't I I haven't really marketed myself as much to that. And I've I'm busy enough anyway at home doing my other stuff. Um but what I what I do mostly with the caricatures is the on-site uh quick sketch caricatures that I do at parties and events and things like that. I I believe that that's my I I don't think I'm naive in saying this. I don't believe that that's something that will be replaced with AI. I I mean I'm the thing is I I'll be doing caricatures in the at this party, and then right next to me there'll be a photo booth. And the photo booth, you know, is so I feel like um that's like kind of almost like the AI kind of version of what I just like. People can they're just clicking pictures and you know, it's not exactly AI, but it's um but it's a different experience is a whole other experience. And what I'm doing, I like to tell people when when they're hiring me to do caricatures at an event, I remind them, don't worry if not ever if I don't draw every single person at this party. Not everyone's gonna want a caricature. Plus, what I'm doing isn't just about drawing, isn't just about the product. It's about the experience. People are watching me draw and that's entertainment for people. And uh so I always, when I'm doing these events, I always tilt my, I turn my back to the crowd so that people can see what's on my easel and people can see what I'm doing, because I'm very well aware that that's what that's part of the experience of it, is not just not not only the people having their pictures drawn, but people watching an artist do their thing. And people like that. People like to see that. So I I'd like to think that um that that's the that particular aspect of it cannot be replaced. Okay, because that's the human part of it. And um, so I think I I'm hoping that as AI develops and you know takes over a lot of things, I'm I'm hoping that people will start during that experience and uh journey, people will start um wanting what it's lacking, which is that human mixed human touch. And um yeah, it it takes a little bit of time for people to, you know, people get into it and it's exciting and new and different. And so it it and I do believe it'll take over a lot of things, but um uh for those people who still want that human touch, at least I'm I'm you know, at least us are we artists, and it will uh we'll be irreplaceable in that way because we have that human touch and we have that ability to um connect with our creator and make that magic happen through us, you know.

SPEAKER_04 50:46

That's awesome. Um, and and it's funny because I'm a huge proponent of AI. I use AI and a lot of the stuff I do.

SPEAKER_01 50:54

Um just that's for your like images that you have. Which I think once again, I feel like it's a good tool. It's it's it's a good tool.

SPEAKER_04 51:03

And uh and uh but yeah, as a replacement for no no no no like uh the way I see it is I have all this in my head, but I don't have the skill set to do it.

SPEAKER_02 51:14

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 51:14

So this allows me to release that imagination and that so that's the way I see AI. It helps me create something that I could not normally do or would have to ask someone to do it or pay. So that's where I see it, but I also see the disconnect, the human part of it. You don't feel that natural part of it when you do have it hand-drawn or stuff like that. So I do get that, and uh yeah, I it's always appreciated.

Self‑Publishing, Tools, And Access

SPEAKER_01 51:38

Yeah, I gotta say, to that to that point as well, I I've thought a lot about that because I'm a huge proponent of self-publishing. And uh there are a lot of people who have written books and you know, they can't afford my services as an illustrator, right? And I feel bad about that because I I really do want other people to get their books out there for, you know, I I really I feel for those people because I I do believe in that everyone, every story needs to be told. And if you have to use AI to illustr to have an illustration done for your illustrations done for your book, so be it. You know, there are always going to be those people who and then there are those people who uh want something more that doesn't look like AI, you know. Yeah, but if you but if it's a tool to make your dream happen and to make your thing go, you know, happen. I figure so be it. If if Derek was sitting beside me, he'd probably slap me, but no, he wouldn't slap me. But he wouldn't slap me. But he'd be like, uh, what did she just say?

SPEAKER_04 52:39

Well he'll hear it when he sees the show.

SPEAKER_01 52:43

He's gonna hear the recording. Yeah, yeah, he's gonna hear it. Oh dear, I'm in trouble.

SPEAKER_04 52:47

Oh dear, I got you in trouble.

SPEAKER_01 52:49

I said something good about AI.

SPEAKER_04 52:50

Oh man, especially for someone who loves it. I mean, I do. I really do enjoy the obvious the freedom it gives. But I also understand from an artist's side it does take away a little bit of it. Uh so I have one last question that we want to ask all our guests, and uh we let them open, and that's how we'll end with you answering. So, my question to you, and I'll ask Derek next time I see him. For someone listening who feels completely stuck right now, watch one simple simple step that they can take today to start moving forward.

SPEAKER_02 53:30

Sorry to hit you with that.

SPEAKER_01 53:31

No, no, no. I I I feel like basically you just answered the your own question there. That's why I would say I would say take basically take one step forward, take that one step. If you're like in your craft, in your writing, um sit down and and and and and just start writing. Um, I I I remember a teacher of mine who said there's no such thing as writer's block, you know. People say that something like, well, but but as a writer, you feel it, you know. Right, right, right. And I and really I think it's what stops you is the fear. What if I sit down and I don't have anything to say? What if what I do write is C R A P, you know, and and all it's all about fear, and it just basically trust here here's the okay. So here's what you do. Yeah, you um you you take yourself out of the equation. Take yourself out of the equation. Say, say a little prayer, say like, okay, God, I'm your vessel, I don't know what's gonna come out of me, and I have no control out of it. I don't, you know, how about you know, take the wheel, take my hand, and and um uh uh just um just give it give it to God, I guess, in that way, you know.

One Simple Step To Get Unstuck

SPEAKER_04 54:54

Awesome. And uh with that, we are gonna say adios. And uh we want you to all please um like, subscribe, and share if this episode has touched you, please share it out there. Um, I will have all of uh Wendy's and Derek's stuff in our show notes so you can follow them, give them a follow, show them some love. And again, Wendy and Derek, you're not dead, but thank you so much for being on. We are so blessed, and we look forward to having another conversation with you on the next episode. We're gonna have a lot of fun. This was a lot of fun. Mickey, as always. Mickey, thank you so much for being on. Yes, and uh thank you everyone. God bless the nature Compass Chronicles podcast, and we'll see you at the next one. God bless.

SPEAKER_03 55:42

Bye bye.