DUNEDIN, Fla. — When it came time to draw and paint Beyonce, Anastasia Magloire Williams had to take a deep breath.
"It was a little intimidating," says the 31-year-old talent from Clearwater. "She IS the queen. And I didn't want to not do her justice."
Anastasia is an in-demand children's book illustrator, having contributed her gorgeous artwork to more than 20 books, including Little Golden Books on Harry Belafonte and, yes, Queen Bey herself, Beyonce.
She's an alum of the Savannah College of Art and Design, and her career is skyrocketing, with books from big publishers about to be released in the near future.
"I take on illustration work that speaks to me," she says. "So I definitely start from my own inspirations, my childhood."
You can find Anastasia's books — even autographed and personalized — at Back in the Day Books in Dunedin, a cozy indie bookshop on downtown's main drag.
And heck, you can even buy her books directly from the source.
That's because Anastasia works at Back in the Day Books a few days a week. It's not so much that she needs to work side-by-side with owner Boe Rushing — she wants to be there.
"I wanted to do something where I was talking to book people," she says. "I wanted to work at a bookstore. That's really important to me. I wanted it to be a local place, an independent place. They're the backbone of the reading and literature community."
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