Jillian Duchnowski

Jillian Duchnowski never received her letter to Hogwarts, but she still believes in magic. These days, coffee is her pixie dust and a somewhat outdated and beat-up laptop is her trusty wand.

She's built a career out of observation, often seeing what others don't see, from inside city halls and courtrooms as a journalist to fairies and dancing statues during a walk through an estate garden. In her latest work, she hopes to spark children's imaginations while growing their vocabularies and their appreciations for one of the gems of Central Illinois.

Online (another great land of make-believe), you can find her on Instagram @jillianduch and on Facebook at facebook.com/jillianduchwrites. Sign up for her newsletter at http://bit.ly/JillianNews and you just might get some free coloring pages.