Creativity abounds in the Chain O’Lakes area

By Sandra Landen Machaj CORRESPONDENT

Is it the serene beauty of the area that attracts creative people to make their homes here? Or do residents of the area become more creative because they live in this beautiful area? It sort of goes back to the old “Which came first the chicken or the egg?”

Whatever the reason, there are a variety of authors, photographers, and other artists who live in the area and are well known for their creative abilities and have been very successful in their arts.

Many of these creative people are your friends and neighbors who share the same everyday life as you, grocery shopping, visiting the library, attending local churches, and sharing cookouts with friends and neighbors. But when they are not being an ordinary citizen of the area, they are exercising their creative juices and producing wonderful books, or unique artwork.

Here are three creative individuals who live here in Lake County. Learn about their work and who these neighbors are.

Michelle Cox

For author Michelle Cox of Grayslake, life is good but very busy. Married and the mother of three boys, she has also just launched the 6th book in her popular Henrietta and Inspector Howard series.

Cox began writing at a young age although these early attempts were not published.

Today her days begin after she sends her family off to school and work, and she retreats to her office where she enjoys the quiet peacefulness of the day and can write in solitude.

“Some authors need activity and prefer to go places where others are around to write,” Cox said. “I prefer to be in a quiet spot where I can concentrate on my writing.”

Her books have been very successful, having won more than 50 awards including some international ones, and have been praised by Kirkus, Library Journal, Publishers Weekly and Booklist. Not a bad way to begin with a first series.

Cox also appears at many conferences and is often on writer’s panels sharing information about writing and her books.

In addition to working on her books, Cox also keeps up her website and maintains a weekly blog through her website www. michellecoxauthor.com.

The blog is titled Novel Notes of Local Lore dedicated to Chicago’s forgotten residents.

The Henrietta and Inspector Howard Series can be thought of as historical novels, mystery novels, or romance novels. However, one would classify them, they would be correct.

The series is placed in Chicago and the north shore in the 1930s when life was different and very formal and class conscious. Not surprising the book is set in this time period as this is Cox’s favorite period of time.

The wealthy lived on the north shore then as many do now and maintained large homes with servants and followed strict rules of etiquette with formal dress for dinner and meals served in dining rooms by servants.

For Cox, she has researched the period well. Even some of her characters come from real life people she has known. Henrietta’s job was based on that of a woman she once met.

When the first book of the series was published, she held its launch at a local bookstore,

This Old Book in Grayslake. She returned to launch the second and third of the series at this same location.

It is not surprising that for the launch of the sixth book of the series, she returned to her home town and held a launch party again at This Old Book Oct. 27. Attracting readers who have enjoyed the earlier books and new readers, the launch parties are always a happy time. Gift prizes also add to the fun of the event.

On Nov. 16, Cox will be publicizing her latest book at Book Cellar in Chicago. She will appear jointly with another local author Mia Manansala. If you missed the launch at This Old Book, take a trip to the Book Cellar for this program.

Michael Brown Michael Brown is a well known photographer. His photography is not the traditional type one is used to seeing, rather he is a lenticular artist who produces unique photographs that change as you meander past them, known as kinetic photos. He also creates dimensional pieces that are 3D photographs that can be viewed with the unaided eye. No special glasses are needed to see the depth.

“The process is called lenticular printmaking. It is based on optical concepts discovered about 100 years ago,” Brown said. “The process is rarely used today due to the cost and complexity of creating the imagery.”

To create the kinetic pictures that change as the viewer walks by, requires taking photos of the exact same scene in different seasons. Finding that exact See CREATIVITY, Page 5