A fox den visible from his studio, magpies perched along the fence and the landscape of Boundary County provided local artist and author William Cox with the inspiration for his first children’s book, “Keeper of the Gate: The Adventures of the Fox and the Magpie."

The story follows Harley, a fox who watches geese migrating, who then wonders where they are going and whether he should be going somewhere, too. 

His search leads him to Maggie the magpie, who accompanies him on a journey through the wilderness. Along the way, the pair encounter animals responding to the changing seasons in their own ways, including a snowshoe hare changing color, salmon traveling upstream and a grizzly bear preparing to hibernate. Eventually, they reach Gary the goat, who helps Harley understand that he doesn’t need to do what everyone else is doing. 

“He made me just be me, and I don’t need to be like anybody else,” Cox said of the lesson Harley discovers. That message is at the heart of the book. 

“Basically, you know, just be yourself,” Cox said. “It seems like everybody’s trying to be somebody else.” 

Cox said he hopes young readers understand that God made each of them to be themselves and that each person has their own purpose. 

“Be you and enjoy life,” he said. 

The story began not with words, but with a watercolor painting. Cox painted the image that would eventually become the book’s cover in 2022. Looking at the fox and magpie together, he felt there was a story behind the scene. 

“You just stare at the picture, and you can tell they’re having a conversation,” Cox said. “What are they talking about?” 

At the time, Cox was still working for the county and didn’t have time to pursue the idea. That changed when he retired in May. 

The day after retiring, Cox climbed into his truck and headed toward Bonners Ferry. He turned on a recorder and began talking through the story. By the time he reached town, much of the book was already outlined. 

“It was almost like dictation,” Cox said. “I don’t know how much credit I can get for it, but it just flowed through me.” 

Inspiration was waiting right outside his studio as well. Cox can see a fox den from the studio, including a rock similar to one depicted in the book, while magpies regularly perch on a nearby fence. 

“I just watched them, and that kind of inspired me as well,” he said. 

Much of the book’s setting comes directly from the surrounding landscape. The mountains, streams and wildlife around Boundary County helped shape Harley and Maggie’s journey. 

“It’s just basically this whole area,” he said. 

Once the story was in place, Cox began creating the illustrations, all of which started as original watercolors. He completed the artwork by July 4 and had the book published by July 18. 

The 32-page book contains about 16 illustrations, and Cox said the story continued to evolve as he painted. At times, he realized another image was needed to help move the story forward. 

The artwork was also his favorite part of the process. 

“The illustrations were a lot of fun,” Cox said. “I had to do several of them over several times.” 

Although “Keeper of the Gate” is Cox’s first children’s book, it isn’t his first published work. He has written five books. Creating a full-color children’s book brought a different set of challenges, particularly when it came to publishing, marketing and navigating the technical side of getting the book into readers’ hands. 

Still, Cox said the project rarely felt like work. Some days he would begin around 4 a.m. and continue into the evening. 

“It was so much fun,” he said. 

For Cox, the book also represents a chance to pursue something he once dreamed about but never fully attempted. 

As a child, he wanted to become an illustrator for outdoor publications, but he said he never had the courage to drop everything and try to make a living as an artist. 

“Now that I retired, I’m just going for it,” Cox said. “So, who knows where that’s going to go?” 

The response to “Keeper of the Gate” has encouraged him. Cox said readers ranging from young children to adults have responded to the story and especially the illustrations. 

“The response has been very, very good,” he said, adding that he has also received strong support in Boundary County and throughout North Idaho. 

Cox was born and raised in Idaho and spent much of his life between Idaho and Montana, working jobs that included time with the U.S. Forest Service, firefighting and logging. He came to the Bonners Ferry area in 2015 and has since made Boundary County home. 

Cox’s book and artwork can also be found at the Shire Barn Gallery, located at 17 Shire Lane in Bonners Ferry. The gallery features Cox’s pen-and-ink drawings and watercolors along with work from other area artists and craftspeople. The gallery is open Saturdays or by appointment. 

“Keeper of the Gate” can also be purchased through Cox’s Rusty Iron Ranch website and at ArtWorks Gallery in Sandpoint. 

And Harley and Maggie’s adventure may not be over. Asked whether readers could expect more adventures featuring the fox and magpie, Cox said he believes there will be. 

“Maybe I’m just supposed to be a children’s book writer,” he said.