University of South Carolina Aiken Registrar Publishes Second Children's Book

Author Brock Gilliam's daughter served as the inspiration for "Dog-Dog Stays Home."

Aiken, SC (08/19/2021) — Brock Gilliam, registrar at the University of South Carolina Aiken (UofSC Aiken), has published his second children's book, "Dog-Dog Stays Home."

According to the book's description, "Cleo and Dog-Dog go everywhere together. Dance class. Grandma's house. The library. Everywhere. So Cleo is devastated to learn that Dog-Dog can't go with her to kindergarten. How will they spend a whole day apart? Cleo and Dog-Dog agree this will be the worst day ever!"

Gilliam's daughter served as the inspiration for the book. "My daughter will start kindergarten this month," he said. "I sought to create a story to portray her life at this milestone, the bittersweet crossroads of 'little kid' and 'big kid' that parents equally look forward to and agonize over. She rarely leaves the house without her stuffed animal, Dog-Dog, so depicting their friendship felt like a natural plot. I knew prior to developing the storyboard that I wanted to work with a UofSC Aiken art student, and I'm grateful to Samantha Vigoya for bringing her incredible talent and professionalism to this project."

Vigoya, a 2021 UofSC Aiken alum, illustrated "Dog-Dog Stays Home." She holds a bachelor's degree in fine arts and specializes in studio and digital art with a special interest in portraits and character design. "Collaborating with Gilliam has opened up the door for me to become an established illustrator. I hope to take on more opportunities like this in the future," she said.

"Dog-Dog Stays Home" follows Gilliam's first publication, "Catch That Beagle!"

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