Gus Mireille (3:49)

Yeah, thank you.

Zibby Owens (3:51)

That's the one.

Gus Mireille (3:52)

We're happy to share more details about this book with you.

Zibby Owens (3:55)

Yes, I can't wait. And you live in Spain now, is that right? You're Brazilian, living in Spain?

Gus Mireille (4:00)

Yeah. Perfect. I've been living here in Spain for two years now, but. Well, I lived all my life in Brazil.

Zibby Owens (4:06)

Wow, amazing. And you are, I'm assuming, a Swiftie? Yes. No.

Gus Mireille (4:11)

Well, I'll be very honest here about this. I knew very little about Taylor Swift when I started this book. My sister was like the big Swiftie that I knew. So I started making lots of research and, well, listen to all the songs, all the albums. I've read all the lyrics carefully and well, I love doing research. So it was great. It was so cool. And that's it. In the end of the process, I can say that I know a lot about Taylor Swift. I can talk a lot about songs and, you know, the lyrics and the Mimis and everything about Taylor Swift. Because I had to make this immersion into this universe, which is very complex, full of rich imagery and that's it.

Zibby Owens (4:59)

Wow. So how did this project come to be then? Your sister asked you to do it or you were assigned from the publisher? What happened?

Gus Mireille (5:05)

No, no. So it was like this. The publisher, which is from the Cidermill Press and Harper Collins Focus, they contacted me asking to make a search and find book. And when I've made the first, you know, the first meetings, I had to discuss some details about my process with the design team, but I still didn't know yet about what would be the certain fine book. And then I had the opportunity to discuss it with the. Well, with the publisher himself and he brought the idea like, hey guys, we want so much to make this search and find book with you. And we had this idea of making biographies, but in search and find form. So figure out telling the story of the life of someone and using the search and find style to show the details to show Easter eggs. And then he said, and the first person I am thinking about is Taylor Swift. And then, well, like I said, I didn't know very much about Taylor Swift, but I knew something. I knew things like I knew about her music videos which are full of details. I know that there is a lot of lore, you know, the, the things that they build, the concepts for every album. And the fans also help to build part of this lore by, you know, contributing with lots of things. So when he told me that, I was like, okay, I have a big work to do now with research. But I thought it was great because I knew it was an artist with lots of things for me to research, to draw and well. And Taylor Swift is very, you know, colorful and I like making, you know, colorful and detailed drawings. She's all about Easter eggs. So this is something in common with my work which is, you know, basically making the theme of the illustrations but with lots of things for people to find. And so I thought it was a perfect choice to make this first biography book starting with Taylor Swift perfect. And well, my sister actually is very happy right now because she's a huge fan and she has the book made by her brother to read about her favorite artist. So it was very cool for me too.

Zibby Owens (7:28)

Oh, that's amazing. I love it. Were you surprised when she announced Confessions of a Showgirl, the new album which when this releases it will be on the day this album is coming out. What do you expect given how much you know about what she writes about? What do you, what are you. Do you have any guesses as to the content of the album or any. Anything else?

Gus Mireille (7:51)

Okay, so this news about the new album were like, you know, we are promoting the book right now and I keep like reading everything about the news and etc about Taylor Swift because well, I've made a book about her, about her career. So I like to keep track of what she's doing and I think it was great news actually. I think the book right now is like a very cool and interesting way for fans, you know, they want fans to new fans to catch up with everything Taylor Swift has done so far until the new era starts. So I think the. Our book is being published, you know, in a great timeline and well, and as soon as the. The new record is, like, on stores and stuff like that, I will keep my eye and my ears of all the stuff related to Life of a Showgirl, so I can, you know, bring new images, bring new illustrations showing things about this new era. And, you know, there are a lot of new things in Taylor Swift's life that could appear in this new era, too. Like, she is. I don't know, she's getting engaged. So I think there are a lot of interesting imagery that she already shared in the photo sessions for the new album, which gives some, I don't know, some Las Vegas vibes and, you know, this kind of stuff. So I'm keeping an eye on it. So, yeah, we're going to have something about the new era. But like I told you, I think this book is the perfect way to catch up with everything she has done so far until we see what she will develop for the new era. Right.

Zibby Owens (9:41)

And I think I said the name wrong. Did I say Confessions instead of Life of a Showgirl? Anyway, Life of a. Sorry about that. My daughter would literally, like, kill me for getting that wrong. I'm so. I have. I'm surrounded by Swifties. Have you ever been. Have you been to a concert or.

Gus Mireille (9:56)

No, no, no. When I was in, you know, when I arrived in Madrid, I heard that, well, that she was going to have two concerts here in Madrid. So I didn't go to the concert, but I kind of kept, you know, reading the news scene. I could see the fans in the streets, like, you know, with T shirts. And it's kind of when. When she arrives to make a concert in a city, kind of everything's. Everything around, you know, the concert, it changes a lot, the things in the city, you know, so I could see people kind of very excited and engaged in the streets to. To attend to the concert. But, yeah, I haven't been in a concert, but my sister was in, I think, two or three concerts of Taylor Swift already in Brazil. So I know it's a huge and special experience. She later shared with me some pictures and, you know, all the outfits that the fans create to, you know, oh, I love this song. So I will make an outfit with my own ideas to make a reference to the song. So it's. It's incredible. I think it's so fun.

Zibby Owens (11:06)

I've been to two Taylor Swift concerts. I have to. I have to say.

Gus Mireille (11:09)

Oh, yeah.

Zibby Owens (11:10)

Yes. I'm very, very lucky. My daughter, as I mentioned, one of my four kids, is super obsessed, and so we've been following her forever. I wore a shirt that said in my mom era which I thought was hilarious. So anyway, I eagerly awaiting the album and I know that I will be hearing it through my through my kids and myself. Honestly with this book though, which is incredible. I mean it's the Where's Waldo of Taylor Swift. It's really insane. And every color palette of each illustration two page spread is different. The tone is different, the vibe. And yet you hide all these things in each. Like illustration. With so many things, I mean how many elements do you think are in each one? With people and buildings and there must be thousands.

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Gus Mireille (13:34)

Yeah, no, it's a lot. Well, I can give you like a rough count, you know, like I think for people. Well, in a regular spread I usually add like, you know, 400 to 600 people in a spread. And this is a lot if you consider. I will show you one example here, for example. Yeah, this one okay. Where we show the.

Zibby Owens (13:58)

We're looking at the. This is the fearless 20062010 spread.

Gus Mireille (14:04)

Perfect.

Zibby Owens (14:05)

Yes.

Gus Mireille (14:05)

So, yeah, it's like a kind of high school scene, right? So, yeah, we have here, for example, 500, 600, maybe more. Okay. Sometimes 800 people. And. Well, actually, to be clear with you about this, when I start, before I start drawing, I make a research where. Well, first of all, I've read a lot about Taylor Swift, listen to all songs, but I make lots of notes, and if I find something interesting, I will be putting a note and put it, you know, like, okay, she had this dog at this time, and it was, you know, a dog like that, without fur, with this collar. I have this note there. Or for example, well, when she lived in the Christmas Tree Farm, her family had this kind of car. And how do I know she had this kind of car? Because I was like, you know, playing and pausing the videos, the music videos where she was sharing footage from her charge hood, like Christmas Tree Farm video. There is another song also where she shows also some images and videos from her childhood. And, well, I just keep notes, lots of notes. And when I have a very big list, so like I think 50, 100 Easter eggs, you know, then I start composing and sketching and drawing and fitting everything wherever is possible. And also, you know, regarding the spaces and the locations, for example, for the first spread, which is like, for the Dubuque Terror, right? Yep. So we show some scenes here from her childhood or from her teenage years. So, yeah, for this one, I was kind. Thank you, Divi. For this one, I was, like, searching for the architecture of the bars and the concert houses in Nashville, for example. Or, for example, in the Bluebird Cafe, where, you know, Taylor was kind of discovered there. Like, okay, let's. Let's go. And then I have the Bluebird Cafe drawn in a very similar architectural style. So the main buildings from Nashville, you know, some skyscrapers, they are there, too. The school where she studied is also there. But this is all based in research. And for me, it's like, for search and find this, the more material, the more information I had, the better for the drawings. So it's impossible to make a search and find with, like, you know, five items to find. So for me, the more I have, the more I add. And yes, I think the fans who, you know, were starting to learn about Taylor or who already know a lot about her will have different levels of things to find. Some will find like 100 things, other ones will find like 200. Some ones will find Less or more. But I think this is a fun thing because I think each one of the fans will have its own experience, you know, and will be able to relate to the moment of her career or that specific album so well, that's. It's a lot of things, too.

Zibby Owens (17:23)

It's a lot in a single book. I'm ridiculously impressed by how much you could fit in here, the creativity involved. My favorite page is this double spread in the middle of the Eras tour, which, as I told you, I went to that concert, but still the way you did it. So in the middle, you have this amazing spread where you can open it up. Oh, my gosh. It's like such a. It's so cool. Look at that stadium. Oh, my gosh.

Gus Mireille (17:50)

Yeah.

Zibby Owens (17:51)

Anyway, this is such a work of art, and it's just amazing. I know I keep saying that word, but it's breathtaking. How much work and effort and time. I mean, how long did this whole book take you to put together?

Gus Mireille (18:05)

I think in total, maybe eight to nine months, I think it was. Yeah. So some early time with research, and then the remaining time for sketching, drawing, and coloring. I think that was it. And we have some. Of course, we have some extra time from the design team, who, as you could see, made a marvelous job like this. This foil here is very. I love it. You know, it shines like this. It's incredible. So they were very, very, very careful with the material. So the book looks like, you know, the most beautiful it could look. So I think it took a bit more time than these nine months. My part was like eight to nine months researching and drawing everything.

Zibby Owens (18:51)

Well, this is even this heart on the COVID that shimmers. Yeah, just the coolest. Are you going to do another. Like, what is your next project? And are you going to do another illustration around the next phase, this new album and the next phase and her getting married and all the stuff.

Gus Mireille (19:08)

Okay. So, yeah, we're going to make another illustration, another spread. We don't know yet how we are going to approach this, but we are going definitely to have a spread about this new era. I think it's a matter of see how this era develops, the things that she will bring to the concerts, the Easter eggs that she will hide in the, you know, in the music videos. The fans will bring new stuff, too. So I think it's something that I will build while this new era develops. So we are going to have this for sure. And we are figuring out ways of doing this in a cool way. So, yeah, we are going to have it. I already have some ideas, but I have to wait because, you know, the Oval needs to be released at the end. But. Yes.

Zibby Owens (20:02)

Are you going to take on any other search and find books? What's the next one in the series going to be?

Gus Mireille (20:07)

Okay. I've been creating a very special partnership with Cider mill Press and HarperCollins. We're making a universe of search and find books. This is the idea. The next one that we are creating right now is. Is not about biography about some celebrity. I'm making a search and find with Halloween theme, but with my own approach to it. So I've been developing. You know, my way of working is like, I like to pay homage to traditional things, but I like to bring a more modern and fresh twist to it. So it's like, you know, my book, you can say, well, it's, you know, like, where is Waldo for Swifties? I think it could be a way of telling this. And yes, I am a big fan of the work of the author of Where's Waldo? Which is Martin Henford. And it's great. It's one of my biggest references. But my use, for example, my use of colors or the cultural references from, you know, pop culture and all this stuff are things that are part of my time and of my life. So I try to, you know, bring this approach of the big classic, traditional search and find that I love with a new approach which looks like fresh and modern. And for this Halloween book will be the same. So, yeah, you can expect, like, pumpkins and, you know, scary scenes, but mix it with lots of fun and. And creating some crazy characters and having, you know, lots of fun creating it. And yes, we are going to have some other book about other artists or, you know, important cultural figures in the world, but this is still being defined.

Zibby Owens (22:06)

Very exciting. Well, I love this book so much. It is the perfect gift. It is the perfect way to celebrate the new album and get a piece of Taylor's world. Even if you are not at the concert and even if you're not a big Swiftie, it is still a really great intellectual exercise to try to find and hunt down all of these things that you've hidden here so geniusly. So congratulations on this fabulous, fun ode to Taylor for all ages. Really, Congratulations.

Gus Mireille (22:39)

Thank you very much, Sibi. And I'd like to just. You told something interesting like, oh, people who are not exactly Swifties could read the book and have some fun. And I truly believe this because one of the interesting aspects of this book is, well, I've read All the lyrics from Taylor. And for every spread, each spread is related to an era, to an album. I've drawn one specific situation based in my interpretation of each lyric from each album. And, you know, Taylor Swift songs tell a lot about, you know, feelings and very, you know, sometimes very intimate things and things that people, the fans can relate to, you know, to the lyrics. And I think even if you're not a fan, you can, you know, read a lyric and have like, whoa, this is nice. I actually, during my research, I was reading some lyrics that I was like, whoa, this is a great line. So this means that, you know, I think in this way, the book can communicate to. Okay, in one level, one deeper level with fans, but people who don't know very much about Taylor Swift, they will have a bunch of material to learn about her life, but also to have fun, you know, with the situations that I've drawn. And actually, some situations are more like emotional, too, not always funny. So there are many ways to approach these little drawings, these little situations, these little stories that I include in the book. So, yeah, I think it's. It's a. Like you told you, it's a good gift to everyone who may enjoy, you know, having a good time with a certain fine book.

Zibby Owens (24:26)

And are you sending her a copy?

Gus Mireille (24:29)

Well, I have to figure this out with my publisher, but I would love her to, you know, to. To take a look. And I must tell you that I made this with lots of respect and, you know, to every detail. I wanted to make a work that was true to, you know, the complexity and all the other work, all the feelings, everything that she has put into her work. So I was very respectful to that. And, well, if she likes it, I think it's amazing.

Zibby Owens (25:02)

Amazing. Well, congrats. I'm hoping that she is the next one holding this up and telling everybody to go. To go find her with her. So congratulations, Gus, and wishing you all the best.

Gus Mireille (25:14)

Thank you very much, Zibby.

Zibby Owens (25:15)

Thank you. Take care.

Gus Mireille (25:17)

Thank you. Bye bye.

Zibby Owens (25:18)

Bye bye. Thank you for listening to Totally booked with Zibby, formerly Moms don't have time to read books. If you loved the show, tell a friend, leave a review. Follow me on Instagram ibbeowens and spread the word. Thanks so much. Oh, and buy the books.

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Gus Mireille (26:46)

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Gus Mireille (27:41)

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