Picture Book Buzz - Interview w/Renee LaTulippe and Chuck Gonzales
- Maria Marshall
- Nov 3
- 8 min read
Renée M. LaTulippe is a poet and writer, the founder of the Lyrical Language Lab, and a lifelong theater person.
© Lorenzo David Masini
She lives by the sea in Italy with her husband and three children.
She is the author of the poem picture book The Crab Ballet, illustrated by Cécile Metzger and has poems published in many anthologies, including A Universe of Rainbows, If I Could Choose a Best Day, No World Too Big, Night Wishes, School People, and Thanku: Poems of Gratitude.
For additional information on Renée, check out our earlier interview (here).
Chuck Gonzales is an illustrator and writer of graphic novels for young readers.
He lives in both Providence Rhode Island, and Brooklyn New York. He has illustrated many books, book series, and book covers for clients such as Reycraft Books, Great Minds/Geodes Educational Publishing, Chronicle, Harper Collins, Penguin, Scholastic, and Benchmark Publishing.
Chuck is the author/illustrator of A’Camping We Will Gomez!, Oscar the Mighty, The Aguados On Ice!, and Elena Eco-Hero. He is working on the third book in his Carlos Gomez graphic novel series. The first two books in the series are: Carlos Gomez Freestyles...Heavy on the Style and Carlos Gomez Attack of the Trashcan Zombies.
Their newest middle grade collection of graphic poetry, Limelight: Curtain Up on Poetry Comics!, released on October 28.
Welcome Renée and Chuck,
Hi Maria! Thank you for your interest in our book!
Let’s start with Chuck. Tell us a little about yourself. (Where/when do you illustrate? How long have you been illustrating? What is your favorite type of book to illustrate? )
CHUCK - My husband and I split our time between Brooklyn NY and Providence RI. I have studio space in both. I’ve been an illustrator for quite some time. I started my career in Chicago before moving to NYC in 1995. I worked for a lot of magazines and newspapers (back in the day when they existed) before starting to work at teen and tween magazines and books. I had several columns, including the OMG column for Tiger Beat, which I did for over a decade. A lot of tween girls splitting their pants in front of their crushes.
Then I started to work on serial picture books and encyclopedic series. My favorite was probably The Worst Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Junior Edition for Chronicle Books. I enjoy doing these sorts of books because they give me a chance to be funny and I get to learn things like how to survive an avalanche to knowing when your friend has become a zombie. To directly answer your question, I enjoy books that allow me to find humor in any given situation. Which Limelight: Curtain Up on Poetry Comics! certainly did.
It's wonderful to "meet" you Chuck! What is one of the most fun or unusual places where you’ve illustrated a manuscript or created an illustration?
CHUCK – Like drawing a tree or something? Most of my jobs have been done in my studio, safely at my desk. It’s generally up to me to create the fun, unusual place both visually and with my writing.
Ha! Great answer. Renée, what was your inspiration for Limelight: Curtain Up on Poetry Comics!?
RENÉE – Theater has always been a big part of my life—my first love, you might say. And over the years, I’ve done just about every task a person can do in the theater, from box office, props, lights, sound, scenery, and costumes to acting, directing, producing, and teaching. It was a natural next step to write about it, too! I wrote the poem “Actors on Opening Night” back in 2012 when I was experimenting with poems for two voices, but it wasn’t until 2015 that I dusted it off and set to work writing what ended up being a little “homage” to all those elements of the theater.
What a fun way to create a special book to honor your first love. Chuck, what about the Limelight manuscript appealed to you as an illustrator?
CHUCK – Drawing the humorous situations that these young actors find themselves in. My husband is a stage actor, so I was able to use him as a template.
You did a great job catching the humor and I can just imagine the fun you both had staging some of these scenes. Renée, what encouraged you to use the format of comics for Limelight?
RENÉE – My editor, Yolanda Scott, suggested the format and I just said YES! I had initially envisioned a more painterly approach, but through our discussions about the audience and age range for the book, it became clear that a graphic novel treatment was definitely the way to go.
It really is a super fun way to present these poems. How many revisions did Limelight take for the text or illustrations from your first draft to publication?
RENÉE – I worked on the poems in the spring and summer of 2015, and was fortunate to be mentored in that endeavor by Lee Bennett Hopkins. I’d send him my drafts and he’d send back editorial notes. Sometimes they were little things (huzzah!), and sometimes they were just a “Nope, try again” kind of thing. Haha. The birthing of the poems was usually more difficult than any revisions ever were! Once the manuscript got to Yolanda, there were only a couple of minor tweaks—though she did ask me to write three new poems: the rehearsal piano, the tap shoes, and the scenery.
CHUCK – One big revision. Originally the characters were adults, and there wasn’t a real concept to the show they were putting on. I think having them be young and putting on a musical that spanned 4 very stylish decades was a great tweak.
Sounds like it wasn't too bad and perhaps even a bit of fun making the changes. Renée, what was the toughest aspect of writing Limelight? Were there any particular sections that were particularly tricky to work out? How long did it take to figure out the comics formatting for the manuscript?
RENÉE – There were a few difficult poems—particularly the costumes, the pit orchestra (tough form!), and the applause—but I’d say the comics formatting was the bigger challenge. We wanted to create a story around the poems and have recurring characters, so Yolanda asked me to come up with a concept for a fictitious middle-school production, complete with character notes, different types of musical numbers, an overall plot, and scenery/costume suggestions. (I had a field day with that and probably went overboard writing my new musical!) :D Then Yolanda condensed my concept into the “Musical Decades Revue” idea, and we were off! I know we both felt better about being able to give Chuck a more solid through-line to follow for the illustrations.
I can just imagine how much fun you had creating a new musical! Chuck, what was the toughest part, or biggest challenge, of illustrating Limelight?
CHUCK – Adjusting the characters and art to the tweak was a bit of a challenge. Also keeping track of each actor’s look and attitude was a challenge. The cat was probably the most challenging character. He/she/they kept commanding more play time. Kind of All About Eve, but with a cat.
I really enjoyed the addition of the cat. Renée, when you first saw Chuck’s illustrations did anything amaze or surprise you? Which is your favorite spread?
RENÉE – All of it! It was a thrill to see my words coming to life, and to see the myriad unexpected details Chuck added that pulled everything together. Okay, I admit it — I was especially excited and surprised to see the cat slinking all over the pages (and even on the cover)! The original manuscript included a poem called “Theater Cat,” which was cut even before submission (it simply wasn’t up to snuff). Chuck didn’t even know about that poem, so it really tickled me to discover my cat had made its way into the theater anyway!
Text © Renée M. LaTulippe, 2025. Image © Chuck Gonzales, 2025.
Tonight, Peering at
who am I this powdered face—
reflecting what is
in this sliver illusion?
of silver What
light? is real?
Do I know What
What do I know?
is real, Light
what of silver
illusion? in this sliver,
What is reflecting—
this powdered face who am I
peering at? tonight?
As for a spread, I really like “Dressing Room Mirror” because it captures those quiet moments of anticipation and doubt before you step into the light.
I love the illustration and your excellent reverso poem! Chuck, is there a spread that you were especially excited about or proud of? Which is your favorite spread?
Text © Renée M. LaTulippe, 2025. Image © Chuck Gonzales, 2025.
CHUCK – Drawing the Betty’s Tap Shoes chapter was a lot of fun. I like drawing movement, and it was great looking up different tap techniques. Also capturing the various decades was fun. But probably my favorite spread is the “Pit Orchestra Brag.”
This series of spreads featuring the strings, brass, woodwinds, and percussion is so fun with the use of light, shadow, and interplay with the poem. What was the most rewarding part of the writing, illustrating, or publishing process for Limelight?
RENÉE – The wonderful, talented people I got to work with! I absolutely loved working with Lee on the poems, and then with Yolanda (and the whole amazing team at Charlesbridge!) to bring it all to life.
CHUCK – It was great to help Renée visualize her labor of love.
You both did an amazing job! The book is stunning and so fun to read. Is there anything you want your readers to know or hope they discover about Limelight?
RENÉE – That every aspect of a creative endeavor is worthy and important, whether you are a star on stage or a star behind the scenes.
CHUCK – That theater is a lot of work, dedication and collaboration. So is doing a book about it.
I think you've definitely succeeded in getting this across. Chuck, many illustrators leave treasures or weave their own story (or elements) throughout the illustrations. Did you do this in Limelight: Curtain Up on Poetry Comics!? If so, could you share one or more with us?
CHUCK – About the only Easter eggs I can think of are the various decade fashions. I’m old enough that I lived through each decade. I wasn’t a grade school hippy in the 60s, but I did sport moccasins and a fringe vest...so maybe I was.
Ha! Are there any projects you are working on now that you can share a tidbit with us?
RENÉE – I have a picture book about Italy’s violin forest in the works with Creative Editions and a YA verse novel WIP that also heavily features theater. But what I am really focused on and proud of is writing a story-based curriculum called Hit the Road Geography for my company, Storylark Road. I’ve been writing for the educational market since 2008 and am thrilled to have founded Storylark with a long-time colleague.
CHUCK – I’m currently working on the third Carlos Gomez book. For now, it’s a three-book series for Reycraft Books. The books are semi-autographical; about a rather flamboyant Latino boy growing up in Sioux Falls South Dakota. He deals with school bullying, family dynamics, cultural heritage, and friendships. And they’re funny. Book number two, Attack of the Trashcan Zombies, even has him putting on a school play!
These really sound intriguing. We'll have to keep our eyes open for these books and your future endeavors. Last question, what animal or natural feature (place) do you want to learn more about? Why?
RENÉE – I’m in awe of dramatic geographic and geologic landforms. At the top of my “need to explore” list are the otherworldly fjords and glacial landscapes of Norway and the Arctic Circle.
CHUCK – I’m all about Opossums. They can play dead, they’re fugly, they eat ticks, mosquitoes and chase off rats and mice, they resist snake venom and poisons, and they’re marsupials. Google them playing dead. It’s a hoot. They even release an odor of rotting flesh when playing dead! That’s theatrical dedication.
Thank you, Renée and Chuck, for stopping by and sharing your time and thoughts with us. It was wonderful to chat with you.
Be sure to stop back on Friday for a Perfect Picture Book #PPBF post on Limelight: Curtain Up on Poetry Comics!
To find out more about Renée LaTulippe, or contact her:
Website: https://www.reneelatulippe.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/renee_m_latulippe/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/renee.latulippe
To find out more about Chuck Gonzales, or contact him:
Website: https://chuckgonzales.com/site/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cgonzaillo/
What a great interview and a peek of what's inside Limelight. And both Renee and Chuck have an insider's view of what goes on behind the scenes. This is so good!