Before turning her full time focus onto writing and illustrating for children, Linda Ragsdale owned her own marketing and production company for the home entertainment industry, garnering five POPAI awards (Point of Purchase Advertising Institute) for innovative displays which she designed and manufactured. Her reputation was based on her creative approach to projects, introducing novel printing and mixed media techniques. Elaborate press kits included turning knobs, pop-out features, and pullout trays. This approach and out-of-the-box thinking was the basis for her acquiring a patent for a self-assembling product display. Her writing skills were honed to write sales pitches, ad campaigns to the consumer and retail markets, complete with synopsis copy for video boxes, posters and other promotional materials.
Her extensive knowledge of printing, layout and design worked well with her foray into designing a line of cardboard furniture. She developed the line from industrial triple thick corrugated board used extensively and almost exclusively in the grocery market. Responsible for designing the slide/lock technology, she also pioneered the process for the “secret” cutting technique. This line of products attracted the attention of cable craft shows and a publisher. Her first book, Creative Cardboard: Making Fabulous Furniture, Amazing Accessories & Other Spectacular Stuff, (Lark Books, 2002) was the title selection for the craft industry’s book of the month club. She promoted this and novelty craft applications as a regular on The Carol Duvall Show and made guest appearances on The Christopher Lowell Show, Decorating with Style, Aleene's and At Home.
Her publishing credits include paper construction activities, a monthly column and articles in the children’s magazine market including Pack-O-Fun, Looney Tunes Kids Magazine and others. She is awaiting the pub dates on her recent sales to Spider Magazine. The first two books in her new series, The Amazing Step-By-Step Art Card Studio (Lark Books), a drawing technique presented in recipe card format, will debut in the Fall of 2007. The second set will follow in the Spring of 2008. Negotiations are under way for additional titles in the series, a flap book and picture book. She is currently working revisions on her first middle grade novel, Spooked.
