Mars Larkins

Congratulation on your first book. What helped you stay organized in completing this project? What kept you motivated? Who supported you through the journey?

The idea behind Stories of a Girl from Mars started with my artwork for Rock Brain. This was a drawing I created after I remembered how my childhood teacher had a behavior curriculum that taught that being a "Rock Brain", or someone who thinks very rigidly, is a "supervillain taking control of your brain". I didn't like this metaphor, so I decided to draw Rock Brain as a hero, to show that the same traits could be applied to a hero just as easily as they could be applied to a villain. I sent my grandparents a link to a video I made of me drawing it, where I talked about what inspired it. They were blown away by how deep the inspiration was. It was actually their idea for me to write a book with all the stories behind my artwork. I was motivated to complete it because of them, as well as because I wanted to write something to show others in my situation that they aren't alone.

How did it feel to open up to the world about the challenges of growing up with autism? Was it difficult or did it come naturally to you?

Growing up, I had a lot of trouble relating to others. I was so happy to publish Stories of a Girl from Mars because it meant that other kids who have the same issues will have someone to relate to. I've always been a very good writer, even before I appeared to communicate well out loud. Still, it took a lot of time for me to fully come to terms with my story enough for me to write this.

I found your book incredibly empowering. What kind of response have you been getting from your readers?

My readers really like my book! A lot of my readers say it isn't what they expected. They were expecting just a photo book, not an autobiography through art. I try to advertise it for what it is, but it's hard since it doesn't really fall into a specific category. One person at a book signing made a comparison I really liked. He said it reminded him of Raina Telgemeier's books. I think this is a good comparison, because while my book is not in comic format, they are both illustrated autobiographies with an uplifting story behind them. 

What are some of the books that helped you develop your imagination? Who are some of your favorite authors and illustrators?

I really like Meanwhile by Jason Shiga. It is a choose-your-own-adventure comic book.When I was in middle school, I looked up the author and he had a tutorial for how to make your own choose-your-own-adventure comics. I made a lot of them back then, although sadly I threw most, if not all of them away. I also drew a lot of inspiration for my art from the illustrator LavenderTowne. I followed a lot of her art tutorial videos on Youtube when I was younger, which helped me shape my art style today.

Do you have any book signings or exhibits coming up?

Yes actually! I am going to be at many of the Art Walk on Main events on Main Street in Downtown Toms River. These events are hosted through TRAC, or Toms River Artist Community. This organization has been very helpful to my journey as an artist, and I hang a lot of art through their gallery at 53 Main Street, as well as galleries they work with such as Sweetwaters near the Ocean County Mall. I also had a table last year at the Pines at Whiting Fall Festival at Pines Village at 509 County Rd 530, Whiting, New Jersey. This was a small little festival at an elderly community, so people could go for a tour of the building if they had family that needed extra care, as well as so the residents there had something to do that day. I am hoping to do that festival again, as I feel it was a good way to give back to the community. I post a lot of other updates about where my artwork will be on my social media, which you can find in my linktree.

Have you taken art lessons outside school? How does art help you navigate life’s challenges? Can you talk about different forms of art that you like?

When I was in 2nd grade, my teacher had very strict rules, and would often make me sit at my desk with nothing but a pencil and paper and forbid me from talking to or playing with my classmates. This was where I started with art, because it was all I could really do and it helped me cope with life's challenges. Outside of school, I started to get serious about my artwork when I was 14, by joining MAPs. MAPs, or Multiple Animators Projects, are projects on YouTube where one person asks for other animators to claim 5- to 10-second-long parts of a song. There are typically about 20 to 40 of these parts. When they have enough people to fill all the parts with animation, they compile it all together into one animated music video. Usually, MAPs have at least a few rules to tie it all together. MAPs are a very geeky teenager kind of thing and are usually done just for fun. However, they teach a lot of the skills you would need to do art in the real world. I've also met many good friends from this community!

In your book you talk about some very interesting characters and stories that you have written about them. Do you plan to release more books about them in the future?

My first idea for my characters, long before I wrote Stories of a Girl from Mars, was to make it into a visual novel. A visual novel is like an illustrated, interactive eBook. I do hope to create this one day, but I can't promise it'll be done anytime soon because I'd have a lot of work to do to make it a reality. Also, I know a couple children's book authors who are interested in me illustrating their books.