Good day, and thank you for visiting the site.
So yes you are in the right place. I am Dani Lebeaux, writer of the stealing fire series. That's probably why you are here one might guess... but you may be wondering about the rest; Such as "Who is RainingCrow? or Cody Sims?" "Why is there a bunch of random artwork and external links for shops?"
Well to be frank, there is much more to me than simply my novels or 1 unassuming little name.
Allow me to explain.
Do you by chance remember that kid in school that used to spend all their time doodling monsters in the margins of their homework or making up stories about the characters they drew? Well I was that kid in every one of my schools, and as an adult, well I'm still right there. This is my passion, and I believe that it shows.
As you explore my page here, there are a few things I hope that you will remember.
First off, I couldn't in good reason, restrict this to simply being about the art or the writing.
Either or, doesn't work for me.
Secondly, my many names are because I wear many hats.
For instance, one of my names, Cody Sims, appears as the credited illustrator on a variety of work for multiple other authors ranging from motivational books to early readers and YA fiction in a portfolio that seems to expand without end with each passing year. However I am also a multimedia artist, designer and consultant who has worked under the somewhat infamous name of Dani RainingCrow Lebeaux, or simply "RainingCrow" for over 20 years now, carving out a niche in several fandom communities, international ad campaigns, and even a bit of art department work in the film industry.
I originally went to school to become a graphic designer, later to work in film, and I've had the joy of doing some very interesting projects so far. I even designed a giant "Welcome to Dalton" sign that's likely going to outlive me by decades. No seriously, if you're ever driving through Dalton Ga, and see that great big fancy stone and brick "Welcome to" sign sitting in the island between Thornton and Walnut avenues, that was something I did while working for a sign shop up there. My career has brought me through painting, digital illustration, photo editing, interior design, brand marketing, sculpting, project directing and even into woodworking... but at my center, I still relish above all else, in bringing life to a character and telling their story.
Drawing and designing was my bread and butter for a long time. I always thought I'd be an artist of some sort, possibly comics, maybe film making, certainly multimedia... and that was what I did for the most part. It just wasn't all I wanted to do. My problem was a tricky one you see, I had so many ideas. I had so many stories that I wanted to tell, stories that in truth, I desperately needed to share somehow... and the visuals alone weren't enough anymore.
So at the end of a certain rope, I began to write... and not just the poetry or short stories that I had always done for my own amusement, but for the first time I began writing in long form prose that was actually meant to be shared with others... and when I did that, a world opened up to me that I never realized, had existed inside of me for my entire life.
It's all art. I breathe it every day. It burns to my core and I could never extinguish those flames. It's my passion. Unlike many, I do this work in multiple media and formats because I love to keep busy and to tackle projects that push my imagination but also, because I don't actually know how to stop creating, and that means by any means possible.
So that's what I do.
Oh also I'm also busy working on my own kids books which I both write and illustrate, alongside personal projects including several lines of figurines, sculpts, prints, a wide array of products, and private art lessons to top it all off. You can even buy my personal playing card deck in the link below here.
So yes you are in the right place. I am Dani Lebeaux, writer of the stealing fire series. That's probably why you are here one might guess... but you may be wondering about the rest; Such as "Who is RainingCrow? or Cody Sims?" "Why is there a bunch of random artwork and external links for shops?"
Well to be frank, there is much more to me than simply my novels or 1 unassuming little name.
Allow me to explain.
Do you by chance remember that kid in school that used to spend all their time doodling monsters in the margins of their homework or making up stories about the characters they drew? Well I was that kid in every one of my schools, and as an adult, well I'm still right there. This is my passion, and I believe that it shows.
As you explore my page here, there are a few things I hope that you will remember.
First off, I couldn't in good reason, restrict this to simply being about the art or the writing.
Either or, doesn't work for me.
Secondly, my many names are because I wear many hats.
For instance, one of my names, Cody Sims, appears as the credited illustrator on a variety of work for multiple other authors ranging from motivational books to early readers and YA fiction in a portfolio that seems to expand without end with each passing year. However I am also a multimedia artist, designer and consultant who has worked under the somewhat infamous name of Dani RainingCrow Lebeaux, or simply "RainingCrow" for over 20 years now, carving out a niche in several fandom communities, international ad campaigns, and even a bit of art department work in the film industry.
I originally went to school to become a graphic designer, later to work in film, and I've had the joy of doing some very interesting projects so far. I even designed a giant "Welcome to Dalton" sign that's likely going to outlive me by decades. No seriously, if you're ever driving through Dalton Ga, and see that great big fancy stone and brick "Welcome to" sign sitting in the island between Thornton and Walnut avenues, that was something I did while working for a sign shop up there. My career has brought me through painting, digital illustration, photo editing, interior design, brand marketing, sculpting, project directing and even into woodworking... but at my center, I still relish above all else, in bringing life to a character and telling their story.
Drawing and designing was my bread and butter for a long time. I always thought I'd be an artist of some sort, possibly comics, maybe film making, certainly multimedia... and that was what I did for the most part. It just wasn't all I wanted to do. My problem was a tricky one you see, I had so many ideas. I had so many stories that I wanted to tell, stories that in truth, I desperately needed to share somehow... and the visuals alone weren't enough anymore.
So at the end of a certain rope, I began to write... and not just the poetry or short stories that I had always done for my own amusement, but for the first time I began writing in long form prose that was actually meant to be shared with others... and when I did that, a world opened up to me that I never realized, had existed inside of me for my entire life.
It's all art. I breathe it every day. It burns to my core and I could never extinguish those flames. It's my passion. Unlike many, I do this work in multiple media and formats because I love to keep busy and to tackle projects that push my imagination but also, because I don't actually know how to stop creating, and that means by any means possible.
So that's what I do.
Oh also I'm also busy working on my own kids books which I both write and illustrate, alongside personal projects including several lines of figurines, sculpts, prints, a wide array of products, and private art lessons to top it all off. You can even buy my personal playing card deck in the link below here.
