Tracie is a visual and performing artist and has been throughout the country and overseas working in the arts. She currently lives in New York City and is originally from the small town of Wintersville, Ohio near the border of the state, which she describes as Steeler Country.
She is a Congressional Arts Caucus Award recipient, and had one of her paintings displayed in the US Capitol Building as part of a one-year collection. She is a graduate of Chatham University, where she studied Arts Management with a concentration in Visual Art and Art History. She is also a veteran of the United States Navy, where she was a mechanic on the flight line based in Northern Japan.
Her professional visual art credits include murals and décor for many restaurants throughout the country including in Rainforest Cafés, Landry’s, Joes Crab Shack, and along the Keemah Boardwalk near Galveston, Texas. She has been part of the team at Spaeth Design, where she helped create and build the Christmas windows for Macy’s in New York City as well as those for Lord & Taylor and Saks Fifth Avenue. She also worked for the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission helping to restore artifacts for the museums of Pennsylvania. As a performer she has appeared on television and the silver screen as well tours entertaining the troops overseas in Korea, Kuwait and Iraq.
About AcuteByDesign
AcuteByDesign began the way the best ideas do — in a garage. Founded by Michael Sharpe in lower Fairfield County, Connecticut, the company was built on a simple belief: that stories have the power to connect us across every difference. Michael grew AcuteByDesign from that garage into a catalog of 70+ titles spanning picture books, middle grade, young adult, and adult fiction — always guided by a commitment to multicultural voices and the writers and illustrators who carry them.
When Michael retired, he passed the company to Michele Thomas. For Michele, it was a no-brainer.
"I love seeing stories come to life — whether my own or someone else's. I wanted to see the authors we work with become successful. That was reason enough."
Michele brings to AcuteByDesign a passion for life, family, and the kind of storytelling that travels — across cultures, across generations, across the distance between a child and a book that finally shows them someone who looks like them. Under her leadership, the company continues to grow its catalog and deepen its commitment to the authors and illustrators who trust AcuteByDesign with their work.
We are based in Marlborough, Connecticut, and our books are available through Amazon, Target, Barnes & Noble, and directly from our shop at acutebydesign.com.
Author submissions are currently closed. If you'd like to be added to our waitlist for future publishing opportunities, please contact us or join our mailing list to stay connected.
"It takes a different level of committment to bring a book to life.
The true test is the patience it takes."
— Michele Thomas, Executive Publisher
OUR VISION
To be a platform that empowers and nurtures creative talents from all backgrounds — providing writers and illustrators with the opportunity to share their stories through high-quality, diverse, and socially relevant books that enrich the literary landscape and foster cross-cultural understanding.
OUR MISSION
To publish multicultural children's books, young adult fiction, and adult titles that celebrate diversity, affirm belonging, and remind readers of every age that we are more connected than we are different. We amplify underrepresented voices and deliver books that resonate across cultures, communities, and generations.