A dream came true for freshman Madeline Jean Hein. She has been drawing since she was years old. Hein has always wanted to be an artist. Her passion is to draw, paint or sculpt characters she creates. Growing up, Hein would illustrate and write her own books on printer paper and read them to her family and friends.

“Drawing brings my ideas to life and I’m able to share those with others,” Hein said. “My goal is to influence others with my passion for drawing and my creativity.”

When Hein was in the eighth grade a teacher at Devine Middle School approached her about her drawings. She would always carry her sketch- book and pencil wherever she went. In her free time she would draw all types of animals but especially dogs.

“A lot of people always asked to see my drawings at school,” Hein said. “Many of my classmates would also ask me to draw pictures for them.”

Coach Mark Mangold told Hein that his wife was writing a book and they were looking for an illustrator. After looking at Hein’s drawings and the passion she had, they asked if she wanted to be their illustrator. Hein was quick to accept the offer.

“When Coach Mangold asked me to be the illustrator of his wife’s book I was very excited,” Hein said. “I saw this as a wonderful opportunity because this was one step closer to my dream.”

The first book Hein illustrated for Mrs. Mangold was a book called “Dan The Man”. This book was about a horse Coach Mangold and Mrs. Mangold own. Mrs. Mangold writes primarily children books, but this was not the first book she has written.

“I was very interested when Coach Mangold asked me to illustrate the book, but I was even more interested when he told me what the book was about,” Hein said. “I used to always draw horses and I still love to draw them.

Since it is a children’s book, I gave Dan and the other characters a more cartoonish look.” “Dan The Man” was a success. Both Mrs. Mangold and Hein were very happy with how it turned out. “Dan The Man” was released in November of 2019 and is available on Amazon and The Daytripper website.

“I had to buy a copy for myself off of Amazon even though I was already given a copy of the book by Mrs. Mangold,” mother of Madeline, Lora Hein said. “The book looked amazing and I am very proud of Madeline. She has talents that can take her to so many places in life.”

Many of Hein’s family and friends bought the book on Amazon.

“ A lot of my family’s friends bought “Dan The Man,” and even members from my church asked me to sign their copy, and I felt a little famous,” Hein said.

A few months after the release of “Dan The Man”, Mrs. Mangold asked Hein if she would be interested in illustrating another one of her books.

“I was surprised and honored when Mrs. Mangold asked me to illustrate another book for her,” Hein said. “I really enjoyed illustrating “Dan The Man” and I was ready to get started on the next one.”

The new book is about the famous “Queen of Tejano music” Selena.

“I did not know much about Selena at first,” Hein said. “Once I read more about her, I was moved by the kind of person she was, as were a lot of people.”

“Simplemente Selena” is Mrs. Mangold’s and Hein’s new book. It was released in October of 2020 and is sold on Amazon. “This was a very fun book to draw and color because of all the beautiful outfits Selena would wear,” Hein said. “I loved drawing her on stage and all her outfits she wore.”

Hein was interviewed virtually by News 4 San Antonio and KSAT 12 drove to Devine to interview her as well. She was featured on both news channels and was on TV.

“I was beyond nervous when my mom told me the news stations wanted to interview me,” Hein said. “I am very shy but I think it was all worth it when some of my friends and my sister’s friends said they saw me on TV.”

Fifteen year old Hein has illustrated two books for Mrs. Mangold and the team hopes to create more in the near future.

“I love working with Mrs. Mangold a lot,” Hein said. “She is so nice and a talented writer and I can not thank her and Coach Mangold enough for the opportunity. I can’t wait for the next book.”