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Well, I did it! I plunged into the deep, dark waters of video promotion (where I'd never swum before) and made a book trailer for Blackberry Banquet. And it was really fun! I was surprised at how easy it was for me--it took about ten hours to create, plus another couple of hours to tinker with (it reminded me of writing a story~ how I "think" I'm finished but then I keep going back to tweak it here and there until I have it exactly like I want it).

So, here it is! Drum roll, please (drrrrrr...drrrrrr...drrrrrr)!

Blackberry Banquet was sent to the printer today. Yea! Now that the writing is complete, the illustrations finished, and the design and layout all done, it's in the hands of the printer. Now, one might think this is when a writer can lean back, sigh and take a rest, but au contraire. Now is when a whole different kind of work begins--promotional marketing!

In January 2007, I received an acceptance call from Sylvan Dell for Blackberry Banquet. Last week, I received a preview of the finished artwork for the entire story (publication date July 2008). Sorry folks, no sneak previews here, under strict orders from my publisher. However, I can say that the artwork is adorable. Dare I say it? Okay, I will—it’s CUTE! Very cute! I think preschoolers will love this book.

Seeing the artwork made me think about the time involved in creating this book. Consider this—I wrote the first draft of the story in the summer of 2002 and began subbing it to publishers in late 2003. Sylvan Dell accepted it in January ’07 and a year later I'm now viewing the finished artwork. It will take seven more months for the finishing design (editing, text layout, etc.) and printing. That’s six years from when my pencil touched the paper until the publication date. Yes, it takes time all right!

Once, three months after I’d stopped teaching and had begun writing, someone asked me if my first book was out yet. Heck, I was still learning how to format a manuscript! But herein lies the “problem.” I think it’s a common misconception that picture books are easy to write, easy to draw and easy to publish. Uh...pardon me while I go pound my head against the wall.

I often say that this business works in glacial time. During a recent visit to Yosemite National Park, I pondered the glacially carved granite walls of Yosemite Valley and thought about the publishing business--how it too involves great amounts of time in the creation of something amazing. It takes months to years to write a picture book and sell it to a publisher. The average time from acceptance to published book can range from one year (which is very fast) to three years or more, in some cases (I currently have an easy reader that is now at four years after acceptance with no pub-date in sight).

Why such a long production period? A few reasons, actually. First, how long it takes the publisher to determine the right illustrator for the project (matching art style to story is key). Second, how quickly the illustrator can get to the project (successful/popular illustrators might be booked with other projects for months or years). Third, how quickly the illustrator can finish the project (creativity takes time). Fourth, how fast the publishing company itself works. Fifth, the baseball factor (whether the sun gets in your eyes, the grass is too tall or your mitt is too tight)—meaning, all of the other extraneous things that can happen to slow things down.

But the good news is, approximately five thousand children’s books are published annually, so despite global warming, the kid-lit glacier is still inching forward. And with that movement is the hope that your story will become one of them. It may take some time, but it can happen!

Good luck in 2008 for finding your publishing successes!

Donna German, my fabulous editor at Sylvan Dell, recently sent me the finished cover of BLACKBERRY BANQUET. I love the way it turned out! Lisa Downey, the illustrator, did such a great job. The bear is adorable; the cover is colorful and inviting. I can’t wait to see it on bookshelves in bookstores or better yet, in the hands of small children!

Another piece of unexpected news that I received this week from Sylvan Dell is that they’re in the process of selecting a plush toy to accompany the book. What would it be? A bear, of course! As soon as I get a picture of what it looks like, I’ll post it too.

Finally, I found out that they plan to release my book in early July, which makes perfect sense as July is Blackberry Month. Mmm...I think the berries will be a little sweeter this summer!

This is an exciting time during the birth of a book. You see, once the acquisition is made and the ink has dried on the contracts, the author often goes into a sort of hibernation period, where he isn't involved much. At this time, the illustrator is extremely busy doing the art and the editorial staff are making final text reviews and marketing decisions. Then, after a few long months, the author begins to hear about his/her book again. The cover is out, marketing decisions have been made, publication dates are skillfully determined. To me, as the author, it's like my book has come out of hibernation! It's very exciting to see.

Ahh, Oregon. My home away from home. I just returned from an extensive stay in the Evergreen State. It’s beautiful, it’s down-to-earth and it’s the birthplace of Blackberry Banquet . Blackberry bushes are everywhere in the Pacific Northwest. They’re actually a highly invasive plant, seen as an annoyance by many, but in a few weeks, the delicate white flowers will have all disappeared and made way for the plump, juicy, melt-in-your-mouth sweet sensation that only comes from a blackberry fresh off the bush. Ahh, Oregon!

I took my camera for photographing pictures for future inspiration. I took many walks and bike rides to do “that ruminating thing” that writers must do for their creative spirit (that was how Blackberry Banquet came about, after all). Going to Oregon is like dipping my writing spirit into the well of creativity. Perhaps because I spent part of my childhood in the Pacific Northwest, perhaps because it’s so very different from my desert home. Or perhaps there’s a magic in The Pacific Northwest that lends itself to folks like us. Ah, Oregon!

Let’s face it—nobody likes receiving a rejection letter. Yes, there are things we can learn from them, but the bottom line is that a rejection is still a rejection. No sale. Nada. Zip. But once in a great while, a rejection letter makes me laugh—like the one I received today.

I sent the manuscript for The Blackberry Bush to a publisher (who shall remain anonymous) in August of 2005. Yes folks, that’s right. August of 2-0-0-5. Today, June 9, 2-0-0-7, I received a rejection letter on the story. Now, normally this would have really ticked me off (even though I’d have given up on said publisher long ago). But since The Blackberry Bush is now under production as Blackberry Banquet with the ever-insightful Sylvan Dell Publishing, I could laugh at this latest rejection letter.

So take heart--not all rejections will bring a howling cry of frustration. Sometimes they bring a howl of laughter--at the glacial speed of this business, or at the delight in knowing that someone else "discovered" your story while others missed that golden opportunity. It's a crazy business we live in, isn't it?

I found out yesterday that the publication date for Blackberry Banquet is August 2008 (not spring 2008, as noted earlier).

The good news is that Book Expo America will be in Los Angeles next year (May 29-June 1), so (hopefully) I'll be there to sign advanced copies.

One of the reasons I started this blog was because in January I sold a picture book manuscript, The Blackberry Bush, to Sylvan Dell Publishing. I thought it would be interesting to journal, via a blog, what will happen AFTER I sell a story. So today I'm going to give an update of what's happening with my manuscript (and I apologize for putting all of this in one post--I should have been doing this all along).

In March, Donna German (my terrific editor at SD), emailed me that they had chosen an illustrator for the book. Her name is Lisa Downey, the illustrator of Happy Birthday to Whooo? I'm quite excited about Lisa doing the illustrations, as her animal paintings are just lovely and should be a perfect match for the story.

In April, while reading the story aloud to a friend, I found a spot where my tongue caught in my mouth. I found this odd, considering that I always read my picture books mss aloud many times to check for flow and fluency. I put the ms away for a week or so, and read it aloud again, and once more my tongue tripped. I emailed Donna with a single word change and she made the change for me. Phew! Can't have readers tripping over words now, can we?

Sometime around March, Donna had asked me for some possible titles with a bit more "umph" than The Blackberry Bush. With the brainstorming help of my fabulously creative critique group, I was able to give her quite a few choices, including my personal favorite, "Drinking the Blackberry Vine" (ha-ha, silly me had to throw that one Donna's way, just for a laugh). Last week, I heard that the final title and pub-date have been determined. Drumroll, please...............

Blackberry Banquet! Spring 2008.

So, that's where we stand, four months into the project. Lisa is busy working on the illustrations, we have a title and pub-date, and this summer I'm going to start laying some groundwork for setting up possible book signings in the Pacific Northwest (home to a kazillion blackberry bushes). This translates into going to bookstores, introducing myself to the owners and telling them about my upcoming book. Wish me luck!

That's all folks! Stay tuned for more feasting to come... Read the rest of this post

I finished this last summer (june 06) but was asked to keep it under my hat until now.

The Brief was to produce a poster celebrating St. Patrick's Day for Murphy's.
As it was for the export market I was able to exploit all things Oirish; leprechauns, shamrocks, Irish dancing, Irish music and the craic. The posters would be put up in bars (Irish one's no doubt) across the world.

I produced an initial 3 rough options
option [A]
option [B]
option [C]

A final rough was drawn up based on option [C. This included the clients comments and some refinements.

After this was signed off I started the final artwork.


Artwork was produced in photoshop, a 350mb file with over 100 layers at one point.

I've just finished a Halloween Poster but it will be November before I can stick it up here.