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Bethanie Deeney Murguia graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Rochester with a BA in psychology and fine art. She continued her study at the School of Visual Arts in NY where she received her MFA in illustration. She was awarded a merit scholarship after completing her first year of the program. While in New York, she worked as an art director for Hearst Magazines.

Since relocating to the Bay Area, she has continued to work as an art director for design and marketing firms. Bethanie has created illustrations for toy packaging and various children's publications, including Ladybug and My Big Backyard (National Wildlife Federation). Her paintings and design work have been honored with numerous awards.

Buglette the Messy Sleeper (Tricycle Press/Random House Children's Books) is Bethanie's debut publication as an author and illustrator.

Five Questions with Bethanie:
1. How did the idea for Buglette the Messy Sleeper originate?
I suppose it's not surprising that I wrote a book about sleep at the point in my life when I was getting the least. I was a slightly delirious, sleep-deprived Mama with a newborn and feisty 3-year old when my friend asked me to take a writing workshop. I was too tired to say no. As I started to mull over ideas, I was struck by the contrast between my swaddled newborn who slept so calmly and my 3-year old who thrashed from one end of her bed to the other every night. I began to suspect that my 3-year old was having BIG dreams. And the story of Buglette was born.

2. Tell us a few things people should know about you.
I have a nickname for almost everything. I love pranks. I rode my bike over 30,000 miles in 3 years (yes, that was before I had kids). I love brainteasers. I live in a town that makes me feel like I'm on vacation every day.

3. What medium(s) do you use? Right now, I am working with ink and watercolor. Watercolor has been a constant over the years. It is so fresh and unpredictable that it always feels new to me. You can't make watercolor do something against its will. However, with time (lots of time), I've begun to learn about the colors that I use, how they mix, how they react with water and how they dry. It is always trial and error and I do multiples of most illustrations. The quest for the perfect watercolor painting continues.

4. How do you pronounce your last name? mer GEE ya (with a hard "G" as in "glee"). I think having three vowels in a row really throws people. It is rarely pronounced correctly. On the upside, it helps me to weed out telemarketers very quickly. There is a small town in Spanish Basque country named Murguia.

5. What did you want to be when you grew up? An actress, an architect, a scientist, a diver, a ballerina, a gymnast, a calligrapher, a city dweller, a mountaintop dweller, a treehouse dweller. And, of course, I wanted to make books.

Bethanie Deeney Murguia graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Rochester with a BA in psychology and fine art. She continued her study at the School of Visual Arts in NY where she received her MFA in illustration. She was awarded a merit scholarship after completing her first year of the program. While in New York, she worked as an art director for Hearst Magazines. Since relocating to... More