When Sandra Doran decided to take a walk in her Land O’ Lakes neighborhood one cool fall morning, she had no idea God was sending her on a mission. Stopping in front of a house to admire two sandhill cranes bobbing on their metal posts, she looked up to see the homeowner, Lillian Cucuzza, emerging from the front door. The two began talking and quickly discovered they shared something in common: their love for Jesus. And that was just the beginning.
Over the next two years, the two neighborhood friends learned more about each other. Sandra found out that Lillian was an award-winning photographer. Lillian discovered that Sandra was a published author.
Suddenly it hit them. Why not collaborate on a project?
“I was getting ready to write a children’s book on Jesus as a child, when I thought: Lillian is a nature photographer. What if we posed little children in the midst of beautiful scenery?”
Lillian loved the idea. So Sandra wrote the story, identified the subjects for the book, bought fabric, had the costumes made, and found the props. Lillian researched the best parks in the area, studied sunrise data, and planned the scenes. Then the two arranged for the shoot.
“I wanted the sun coming up over the ocean,” Lillian says, “so we started out early. Our dear Little Jesus character was shivering in his short white robe and bare feet, but he was such a good sport. And God blessed. The shots came out amazing.”
Little Jesus, Did You Know? was barely on the presses when Lillian and Sandra were up and running on
their second project.
“What if we told the story of Daniel and the lion’s den from the lion’s perspective?”
Sandra proposed one day. Many conversations ensued, resulting in a bright, colorful book written in Sandra’s rich, concise style and illustrated with Lillian’s award-winning photographic techniques.
The two are excited to share their work at the upcoming book launch at the Myrtle Lake Baptist Church on October 24 at 6:30pm, open to the public.
“All the praise, honor, and glory goes to God,” says Lillian.
Sandra agrees. “He is the One who is the true Author and Illustrator of our lives and of this book. We can’t wait to see where He takes us next.”