Julee Laurent

Julee Laurent is a mother of two that has spent the last nine years as a freelance journalist. The idea for ‘Lola and Lazlo’ was inspired by two things, first, seeing the collective noun 'A Bevy of Beauties' as a name for a local all female improv group in Chicago. It inspired her to look up other collective nouns as she delved into them she thought they could be crafted into a fun children's adventure. Secondly, a  disagreement with her 14 year old son that ‘Prolly’, ‘Nother’, and ‘LOL’ were not real words; even though they are popular texting language, made her realize a love of words was falling by the wayside. It made her think about how the rise of cell phone use and tablets among very young kids has created a diminished curiosity of the written word, so she wanted to find a new way to instill lessons in language to kids. So she disguised a journey through collective nouns in a book that literally translates the words visually so that kids learn something, and have a fun read. She also included a glossary on the back so that kids don't have to look up a word on their phone and get distracted from the book. Julee has been published in Gannett Press Newpapers, Redbook, Marie Claire, Village Voice Media, Tribune News Papers, DiG Magazine, Censored Magazine, InReview and was a copywriter for Diesel Clothing and Coca-Cola. Right now we they are working on part two of Lola and Lazlo, as well as a book about a little seagull with big dreams!

Dennis Anderson

Dennis Anderson’s artwork is a product of popular culture colliding with his own detailed perspective on the world, which he often views from a fantasy standpoint. His work ranges from artistic chronicles of rock and roll history to strange characters and weird monsters. Introspective and esoteric, Dennis usually combines realistic anatomy with decidedly surreal, organic thoughts and images. Dennis is a graduate of The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale and began his life as a professional artist in the comic book industry. His first comic book ‘Sinister’ was published through Hall of Heroes. His next comic book effort, Gypsy Company was self-published and eventually picked up by Diamond Distributing. Dennis’ art and sculpture have become a favorite at Motor City Comic Con. His featured sculptures in 2013 and 2014, ‘Zombie Toes,’ have sold out every year with a special run being requested for cast members from ‘Walking Dead.’ Dennis’ love for children’s book art is and cartooning is what brought him to the ‘Lola and Lazlo’ project. ​