by Jennifer Greene-Sullivan
Aging English Major
Today, I signed a contract with someone who already knows how my stories breathe. Joshua Wichterich — the artist who has already illustrated seven of my children’s books — is stepping with me into The Hidden Cove. This time, he will bring Marvin, my shy, selfless manatee to life.
For those of you who have walked this writing journey with me for a while, you already know that this story is different for me. The Hidden Cove is only my second book with a fully personified main character, and Marvin — my sweet, introspective, fictional manatee — has been living quietly in my heart for a long time.
He is not just a character. I wrote him for:
For the child who wonders.
For the child who asks the deep questions.
For the child who seeks Jesus with his or her whole heart.
I have prayed from the beginning that Marvin’s journey of faith would reach those children — the thoughtful ones, the observant ones, the ones who feel deeply and are already listening for the voice of the Lord in ways they may not yet have words to express. Marvin has lived in my manuscripts on Google Docs for months now. Marvin my sweet sea cow has been revised, and waited on, and carried in prayer.
Finally, I get to watch the same artist who has helped shape so many of my stories for children imagine the world where Marvin’s journey unfolds. There is something deeply personal about working with someone who already knows your creative rhythms — someone who understands that when I send a manuscript, I am not just sending text. I am sending prayer, and Joshua knows that about me.
Seven books together creates a kind of creative language between two people. Joshua knows when I say a scene needs to feel like peace. He knows when a character is standing at a spiritual turning point. Ultimately, he knows how much I love expressions that tell the story before the words are even read.
Our project together is not just collaboration. Our work together demonstrates a collaborative trust, and for The Hidden Cove, trust matters.
Because this story is about stepping into the unknown with Jesus, I am thankful that Joshua’s God centered artistic abilities will shape this project. This story is about the quiet places where faith grows. It is about the hidden work of God in a searching heart.
There is a moment in the life of every book when it stops belonging only to the author — not because it is lost, but because it begins to multiply. Joshua does not simply illustrate my stories. He sees them. He enters them. He adds beauty that I could never create on my own. So, today does not feel like a new partnership. It feels like continuing the journey with a friend who has already helped me place truth into the hands of children again and again. Our journey together makes this contract sacred to me.
Because The Hidden Cove has always been about more than a manatee, it is about discipleship, it is about identity, and it is about a child recognizing his or her own longing for Jesus in the pages of a children’s story. With a grateful heart, today I celebrate — not just that Marvin will be illustrated —but that he will be illustrated by someone who understands that this is ministry.
Marvin is no longer waiting in the hidden place. He is on his way to the page, and I cannot wait for you or for me to meet him.
Prayer for the Project
Lord Jesus, thank You for the gift of this story and for the years You have used Joshua and me to place truth into the hands of children. Go before every illustration. Guide every color, every expression, every hidden detail. Let Marvin’s journey reach the children who are already searching for You — the deep thinkers, the quiet observers, the ones who feel alone in their questions. Use this book to whisper Your love to them. Bless our partnership, our obedience, and the work of our hands, so that every page points back to You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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The Aging English Major 