I'm a really big fan of Toronto-based author and illustrator Patricia Storms and her quite awesome blog Booklust, so I'm really excited to have received her most recent book, You're My Guy Because..., as an early Valentine's Day gift.

You're My Guy Because... couples Storms' captivating and amusing illustrations with cute and witty reasons for loving the man in your life. If you've got a man in your life that makes you smile despite all the times he may cause you frustration, this small book is a fantastic way to tell him that you love him.

While we've spoken to Patricia on blogTO before, I decided to ask her a couple of questions specifically about her new book and Valentine's Day.

What gave you the idea to write You're My Guy Because...?
Actually, the core idea of the book was not mine. I was approached by Ilene Barth, publisher of Red Rock Press in NY, a small publishing company that specializes in gift books. Ilene was looking for a cartoonist to create 30 cartoon reasons for You're My Guy Because..., a humorous gift book that a woman could give to that special guy in her life. I sent her three initial concepts, and on the strength of those ideas, she hired me. So the 30 ideas and illustrations are mine, but Ilene came up with the idea for the book. The 30 ideas I created were definitely inspired by my relationship with my husband, who just happens to be named Guy!

How was the process of creating a "gift book" different from your previous experiences in illustration and publishing?
In this situation I was working with a publisher who also acted as the editor. So it wasn't a simple case of throwing out ideas and expecting them to be accepted right away. The editor had final approval of what concepts would get into the book, as well as tweaking some of my writing. However, it was refreshing that I was illustrating my own ideas, as opposed to the words and ideas of others. I don't mind illustrating someone else's words 足 I find it very easy to visualize images for humorous writing or children's books, but there is a different kind of satisfaction in illustrating words that are your own. The project really does feel like it is yours completely.

Why does You're My Guy Because... make the perfect Valentine's Day gift?
I would say that it makes the perfect Valentine's Day gift because it is a gift specifically for a man. Too often on this day, all the hoopla is focused on the woman, and too much is expected of the man to throw down his cash and get some amazing gift for his gal. All the pressure is on him to make her happy. Go into any bookstore or gift shop and what do you see? Valentine's Day merchandise for women. I say, what's the point of Valentine's Day, without a guy, especially your guy, the one who makes who feel special and who is your best friend? It's time to show the guys out there that they are a big part of Valentine's Day, too, or any day for that matter.

You're My Guy Because... is available on Amazon and at Book City in Toronto. The above images are excerpted from the book and provided courtesy of Patricia Storms.