Michael Storrings is obsessed with Christmas. So much that he recently published a book of illustrations inspired by the holiday season in Manhattan, A Very New York Christmas, that has gained fans like Regis Philbin.

What do you love about the holiday season? What do you feel is more special about Christmas in New York than other cities? 

The holiday season is just a magical time for me. The colors, the lights, the time spent with friends and families. You see the goodness come out in people, and they are full of happiness. It is a time when all things are possible and you can wish for things beyond yourself, and they might come true. New York is the epitome of this. Sometimes I just love walking around at night to look at the blinky lights on the streets and on Christmas trees in apartment windows. A magic and warmth just permeates the city. 

Why did you want to begin designing Christmas ornaments? Have you used any designs in ideas for your new book's illustrations?

Since college, I have been illustrating books, magazines, and have licensed my work for art prints and t-shirts. Landmark Creations, a California-based ornament company, saw my work five years ago and asked if I would collaborate with them and design a line of ornaments. Well, I have always loved Christmas, travelling, and NYC. It was a perfect match. Some of the watercolors in the book were used as the basis for my line of ornaments. You can see them throughout the book next to photos of the ornaments.

When you're designing book jackets, what do you try to think about? If someone gives you a basic story idea and not enough detail, how do you come up with an exciting illustration? What do you do if you get stuck designing a cover for a boring book? Was it scarier to design a jacket for your own book?

In addition to designing ornaments and illustrating, I am the executive art director at St. Martin's Press. I love designing book jackets and my philosophy is that one needs to design for the voice/tone of the book. I think it is important that you know your audience and not try to impose a look or style if it is not appropriate. There are strengths to every book and it is important to recognize what they are and to design with them in mind. It is also important to keep refining your design down to the essentials. This way a cover will have the most impact. Designing my own cover was definitely harder and more challenging. I had many ideas and tried about 40 approaches before I ended up with the design it is now. I wanted to keep it simple, the bands of type allow the art to be its own, and help to draw the viewer into the scene that I feel represents the quintessential New York Christmas, skating in central park. You can't get any more magical than skating on Wolman Rink whilst surrounded by skyscrapers, people laughing and playing, walking their dogs and if you're lucky, a beautiful snowfall. 

Besides ornaments, you design stationary and home products. What is the most fun for you to design? Do you try to change often or keep things the same style?

I enjoy designing everything. I have a burning need to create and find it exciting to design for all venues. I think you always have to keep things fresh. I feel like I learn new things everyday and it is only natural for that to feed into one's work. 

Will you write more books in the future? Will you cover a similar topic - holidays or home living, for example - or maybe someday write a novel instead?

I would love to do more books in the future. Since Christmas is my thing, I will probably be sticking with that. I also would like to venture into doing a children's book.