Some books are meant to entertain. Others are meant to strengthen you. 52 Weeks of Victorious Aging does both—and that’s exactly what makes it such a meaningful Mother’s Day gift. Written by Dr. Martha Lucas, this book offers 52 practical, achievable actions designed to help readers create a healthier, happier life as the years advance. Each week focuses on one simple step—no overwhelm, no drastic overhauls—just consistent, sustainable choices rooted in real clinical experience and wisdom.

Simple Guidance That Actually Sticks

Let’s be honest—most wellness advice is either too complicated or too unrealistic to maintain. This book takes a different approach. One week. One idea. One small shift that builds into something bigger over time. It’s approachable, encouraging, and designed for real life—especially for women who have spent years taking care of everyone else and are finally ready to put some of that energy back into themselves.

Illustrations That Reinforce the Message

One of the most special parts of this project is the artwork woven throughout the book. I had the privilege of illustrating it, and the goal was simple: create visuals that feel warm, inviting, and easy to connect with. Two of my favorites capture the heart of the book beautifully.

Love Yourself (Yes, Really.)

The hugging heart illustration—also featured on the cover—represents one of the most important (and often ignored) ideas in the entire book: Yes, like yourself or how about this crazy idea—love yourself. Loving yourself means having regard for your own well-being and happiness. It means acting in ways that support your physical, emotional, and spiritual growth. It means knowing how to say no, taking care of your own needs, and not sacrificing your well-being in the process. It’s about focusing on what is good within you and building a relationship with yourself that is supportive, not critical. In other words—treat yourself like someone you actually care about.

Bake the Cookies

And then there’s the cookies. Simple. Familiar. A little nostalgic. This illustration taps into something just as important: joy. Not everything about health needs to be rigid or restrictive. Sometimes it’s about allowing yourself moments of comfort, creativity, and connection—whether that’s baking, sharing, or simply enjoying something small that makes you happy. Because a healthy life isn’t just about discipline. It’s also about living.

Why This Book Makes a Perfect Mother’s Day Gift

Mother’s Day gifts often land in the same category: flowers, candles, maybe a brunch reservation. Those are lovely—but temporary. This book offers something that continues long after the day is over:

• encouragement
• practical guidance
• weekly moments of reflection
• a gentle push toward better health and balance

It’s a gift that says, “I want you to feel good. Not just today—but all year.” Whether it’s for your mom, grandmother, aunt, or even yourself, 52 Weeks of Victorious Aging is a thoughtful, lasting choice.

Available Now

The book is available in eBook, paperback, and hardcover through your favorite retailers. It’s a beautiful addition to a bedside table or coffee table—and even better when it becomes part of a weekly routine. And yes—I’m especially proud to have illustrated it.

Available in the store of your choice in eBook, paperback, and hardcover.

Some books are meant to entertain. Others are meant to strengthen you. 52 Weeks of Victorious Aging does both.

Written by Dr. Martha Lucas, this book offers 52 practical, achievable actions designed to help readers create a healthier, happier life as the years advance. Each week focuses on one manageable step—no overwhelm, no extreme overhauls—just consistent, sustainable choices rooted in experience and wisdom.

I had the privilege of illustrating this book, bringing visual warmth and personality to Dr. Martha’s practical guidance. The illustrations are simple, approachable, and designed to reinforce the encouraging tone of the book.

Dr. Martha is a seasoned Chinese Medical Doctor and acupuncturist with decades of clinical experience. Her advice isn’t trendy internet wellness chatter—it’s grounded in real-world practice, long-term patient care, and a deep understanding of how the body changes with age.

Here are two examples from the book that readers especially love:

Week Spotlight: Vitamin D and Sunshine

Dr. Martha writes:

I can’t say enough about vitamin D. In my practice, I recommend taking 10,000IU a day. In fact, during flu season, when everyone seems to be sick with some sort of virus, I take 20,000IU a day.

Vitamin D boosts your immune system, increases muscle mass, and builds strong bones. Wait… isn’t that the saying for milk?

You get vitamin D from some foods: fish, dairy, and fortified food products.

The most common source of vitamin D is the sun. Being out in the sunshine for 15 - 30 minutes a few times a week gives you adequate vitamin D. But after 15 minutes, you need sunscreen.

You can ask your doctor for a blood test if you are unsure whether you are getting enough vitamin D.

Simple. Practical. Actionable.

Week Spotlight: Coffee Without Guilt

Good news for coffee lovers:

It’s okay to drink coffee.

Some research has found that coffee may even reduce your chances of developing Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, and heart disease.

Dr. Martha’s approach is realistic. She isn’t trying to remove every joy from your life—she’s helping readers make informed choices that support longevity and quality of life.

Why This Book Makes a Perfect Mother’s Day Gift

Mother’s Day gifts often focus on flowers or candles. Those are lovely—but this book offers something deeper: encouragement, empowerment, and weekly reminders that health is something we can actively nurture. Whether it’s for your mom, grandmother, aunt, or even yourself, 52 Weeks of Victorious Aging is a thoughtful, practical gift that keeps giving all year long.

Available in the store of your choice in eBook, paperback, and hardcover.

It’s a beautiful addition to any bedside table or coffee table—especially for women who value wisdom, health, and graceful strength as they move forward in life. If you’re looking for a meaningful Mother’s Day gift that blends medical expertise, encouragement, and approachable design, this one delivers.

And yes—I’m especially proud to have illustrated it.

Meet Metrosexual Humpty Dumpty—mustached, scarfed, booted, and absolutely unbothered by the zombie apocalypse.

This simple ink outline character began as part of my Zombies in the Nursery series, where familiar childhood icons are dropped into wildly inappropriate horror situations. In his story, Humpty doesn’t just fall off a wall—he unintentionally saves the day when zombies invade a royal birthday parade. It’s dark, ridiculous, and exactly the kind of storytelling playground I love to explore.

What makes this particular piece special to me isn’t the gore or the parody, it’s the restraint.

This illustration was done as a clean ink outline with minimal interior detail. No shading. No color. No texture tricks. Just line work and silhouette. When you strip an illustration down to that level, every decision matters. The curve of the mustache. The tilt of the glasses. The exaggerated swoop of hair. The weight of the boots. Even the drape of the scarf had to communicate personality.

Humpty’s rounded body creates immediate visual humor, but the accessories shift the tone. The boots give him attitude. The scarf adds motion. The perfectly groomed mustache suggests a character who cares deeply about aesthetics, even if he’s about to crack open on a cobblestone street. The balance between absurd and dignified is where the charm lives.

I often tell clients and students that strong character design starts with silhouette. If you can recognize the character in solid black, you’ve done your job. This little egg-shaped gentleman holds his own because his outline is readable, exaggerated, and intentional.

And honestly? Sometimes simple ink work is the most fun. It forces you to rely on fundamentals instead of hiding behind effects. It reminds you that personality comes from design choices, not decorative noise.

Zombies in the Nursery lets me experiment with that balance—playful, nostalgic forms colliding with horror and satire. It’s nursery rhyme meets splatter comedy, and somewhere in the middle of that chaos, a mustached egg becomes a hero.

More cracked classics are on the way. If you'd like to read the story, head on over to winniejeanhoward.com.

If you’ve followed my work for a while, you already know I don’t fit neatly into one creative box. I write children’s books and horror comedy. I design clean nonfiction book covers and create unsettling horror collages. I help authors polish manuscripts—and then I turn around and make art with creepy dolls, ravens, and blood splatter.

Because of that, I recently launched two separate Pinterest accounts, each representing a very different creative persona. This wasn’t about being fancy or extra—it was about clarity, focus, and giving people a better experience when they explore my work.

Here’s what you’ll find in each space.

Wendy Spurlin Art

Creative, instructional, and exploratory

This Pinterest account is tied to my professional identity as Wendy Spurlin: artist, designer, editor, publisher, and creative coach at ArmLin House Productions.

On this account, you’ll see:

• Original artwork and design projects
• College assignments and learning-based experiments
• Abstract art, collage, illustration, and pattern work
• Book covers (especially nonfiction and instructional design)
• Visual problem-solving and concept-driven art
• Inspiration boards used for learning, study, and refinement

This account leans toward process, structure, and growth. It shows how ideas come together, how skills are developed, and how creative disciplines overlap. If you’re an author, designer, or creative professional, this is the account that reflects how I think, build, and teach.

Winnie Jean Howard

Dark, surreal, and unapologetically weird

This Pinterest account represents Winnie Jean Howard, my darker creative persona—the one that thrives on horror, satire, surrealism, and things that are slightly (or very) uncomfortable.

On this account, you’ll find:

• Horror collages and digital art
• Creepy dolls, monsters, ravens, and creatures
• Neon horror, vintage horror aesthetics, and dark surrealism
• Horror art inspiration from other artists
• Character design and odd portraits
• Satirical, unsettling, and macabre visual storytelling

This is not a “how-to” space. It’s a mood, a playground for horror imagery, and a place where fear, humor, and absurdity coexist. It’s intentionally darker, stranger, and less restrained.

Why Separate Them?

Pinterest works best when accounts are clear, focused, and intentional. Mixing instructional design, children’s illustration, nonfiction publishing, and horror collage into one account confuses both viewers and the platform itself.

By separating these worlds:

• People know exactly what they’re walking into
• Each account can grow its own audience organically
• The algorithms have a better chance of understanding the content
• I get to create freely without diluting either identity

Most importantly, it respects the audience. Not everyone who wants help publishing a business book also wants to scroll past bloody dolls—and not every horror fan wants clean nonfiction layouts. Now they don’t have to.

What This Means for You

If you follow Wendy Spurlin Art, expect thoughtful, creative, and educational content tied to design, publishing, and artistic growth.

If you follow Winnie Jean Howard, expect dark humor, horror aesthetics, unsettling imagery, and creative chaos (the good kind).

And if you follow both, You get the full picture of how creativity, discipline, and imagination collide in my work.

The Classic: Graphite on White Paper

This one is where it all started. Straight graphite. White paper. No tricks. And honestly? This is where your skills either show up… or they don’t. There’s nowhere to hide when you’re working like this. Every shadow has to be earned. Every transition has to be smooth enough to feel like skin instead of scribble. The subtle shifts around the lips, the jawline, the shoulder—this is all about restraint and control. It’s not just drawing what you see. It’s deciding what not to push too far.

Flipping the Script: White Pencil on Black Paper

This is where things get fun. Instead of building shadows, you’re building light. Everything starts in darkness, and you pull the form out of it—edge by edge, highlight by highlight. It forces you to think completely differently about value and contrast. The bottles don’t exist until you make them exist. That’s the addictive part. The glow, the surface texture, the way light wraps around those shapes—it’s all about precision. One wrong mark and suddenly your glass looks like a melted candle from hell.

Controlled Chaos: Graphite + Eraser on Canvas

And then there’s this one… which is basically me deciding to break my own rules. Graphite laid down first. Then pulled back out with an eraser. Add a little white pencil on top, and suddenly you’re not just drawing—you’re sculpting light out of darkness and smearing it around like something exploded on the surface. It’s messy. It’s controlled. It’s somewhere in between. This technique flips the mindset again: instead of adding detail, you’re removing it to reveal form, which feels slightly illegal… and incredibly satisfying.

Why Pencil Still Wins

Out of everything I work with—digital, paint, collage—pencil is still the one that feels the most honest. No shortcuts. No filters. No hiding behind texture or color. Just pressure, value, control, and a whole lot of time. It’s slow and unforgiving. And it forces you to actually see what you’re doing, which is probably why I keep coming back to it.