Creator Corner: Author Ian Duncan and Illustrator Scot Ritchie

Welcome to Creator Corner, a blog series where we interview the creators of our recent and upcoming books. For this post, we interviewed RJ and the Ticking Clock author Ian Duncan and illustrator Scot Ritchie, whose book published August 12, 2025!

Owlkids Books: Ian, why did you begin writing children’s books?

Ian Duncan: I love collecting picture books, and really want to add to other people’s bookshelves too. Their collections can include stories like RJ and the Ticking Clock, that show families that are just like mine. There aren’t many books that have families with two gay dads in them. So, part of the drive to write has been to represent and reflect upon my experience as a gay man, husband, father, and teacher. There’s real power in my queerness, unabashed pride, and all of this fuels my writing.

Owlkids Books: Scot, why did you begin illustrating children’s books?

Scot Ritchie: I more or less fell into it. I had an agent who was getting me other work (advertising, editorial etc.) but I was always on the lookout for new and different jobs. In those days I would pull together my portfolio and knock on doors. I went to see a couple of Toronto publishers (Annick Press and Kids Can Press) and was fortunate to be offered books to illustrate.

OKB: Ian, what inspired you to write this book?

ID: We’re a family with two gay dads. Each year when Mother’s and Father’s Day came around at school, our son always insisted on making two cards, two construction paper neck ties, two paper weights, two popsicle stick picture frames. When he was 5 years old, I asked him why he was making two of everything. “I’ve got two,” he said. This is how RJ’s story began!

Maybe, I thought, there’s a story here that needs to be told. We’re a family with two dads, just like RJ’s. Maybe, I thought, we need to see that more on the bookshelf. Maybe, I thought, I could write that story. Turns out, maybe, I’m right.

OKB: Scot, what was the most enjoyable part of illustrating this book? What was the most challenging part?

SR: I know families with two dads and (being gay myself) I was grateful to be part of making a book that could support them. It’s such a wonderful story and I know it will help some kids and parents. The most challenging part was that there were some revisions as we worked through it – not that unusual in this business – so we had to pivot as we worked. This is a big part of creating books (or any project involving a team), the ability to roll with the changes.

OKB: Ian, what was the most enjoyable part of bringing this story to life? What was the most challenging part of the process?

ID: I absolutely love finding the fun on every single page of a story. The curious word, the quirky character, or anything that makes you smile and giggle. The illustrations by Scot Ritchie really helped me to see the fun in RJ’s story. I loved seeing the book come to life through the illustrations.

The most challenging part of the process is the editing! I always worry that something magical in a book will be lost, but an amazing editor (like mine!) can really keep the magic alive (and improve my writing in the process).

OKB: Scot, what was the inspiration for your illustrations in this book?

SR: When I’m illustrating (or writing) a book I’m thinking about the children who will be reading it and that inspires me. But I’m also conscious of the librarian who will choose it, the teacher reading it in class or the parents who will pick it up in the store. So there’s commercial and emotional aspects you need to bring to the illustrations.

OKB: Ian and Scot, what do you hope readers will take away from this book?

ID: As readers meet RJ and his two dads, I hope that they will see a family like mine, and that our family is like their own in so many wonderful ways.

SR: I want readers to enjoy a good story which Ian has provided. But the illustrator is also telling a story that has to work in tandem with the author. It’s vital that the kids reading the book (and the adults reading it to them) can see aspects of themselves in it. With certain groups who are under attack in parts of the world it’s an even greater gift to be able to wave a flag for them by illustrating a story where they can see themselves.

OKB: Ian and Scot, what’s an interesting fact people may not know about you?

ID: I’m a high school history teacher, but… don’t tell anybody… I’m just like RJ and also really love math!

SR: I’m always amazed that I have been able to make a living just from drawing things that I imagine in my head. It has also allowed me to travel while still working. I pull together my mini office and stay, for months at a time, in places like Athens, Berlin and Hawaii. I’m old enough that this used to involve sending art by courier from remote islands and not knowing if the art arrived for a full week. Quite a change from now!

Thank you so much Ian and Scot for taking the time to do this interview and creating a wonderful book! We hope readers enjoy RJ and the Ticking Clock as much as we did!

Grab your copy today!