By: Anne Bustard,
on 12/30/2009
Tiger Woods, athlete
Dec. 30, 1975-
Tiger Woods by David R. Collins, illustrated by Larry Nolte (Pelican, 1999)
Tiger Woods, the gifted young African American golfer, faced prejudice with positive character and determination as a child and as an adult. He won his first U.S. Amateur Championship at the age of 19.
Visit the Tiger Woods Official Website to learn more about this great golfer.
Posted on 11/20/2009
Today's Hits: oprah calls it quits. new moon rises. lost in february. and more. Au Revoir, Oprah: In news that's guaranteed to send publishers into convulsions of horror, Oprah Winfrey is announcing on today's episode that she is folding up her talk show. Wipe away those tears, Oprah fans: she's turning her attention toward an entire [...]
By: Mary Stebbins Taitt,
on 11/20/2009
By: mike r. baker,
on 11/20/2009
The new challenge is:
Feast!
Illustrate a feast! Up in the northern hemisphere, we have a lot of eating holidays this time of year. The U.S. has Thanksgiving on November 26 this year, Canada had Thanksgiving on October 12, Hanukkah begins at sundown on Friday December 11, Christmas is December 25, and many other religions celebrate the harvest of fall, the shortest day (Winter Solstice, December 21), and Yule celebrations. Of course, Christmas is also celebrated in the southern hemisphere on December 25 - must be really odd to sing about snow in Summer. Hindus celebrated Diwali (festival of lights) on October 17th. For Islam, the New Year is December 18 (not a feast day but a time for religious reflection). So let's celebrate!
A PRIZE!
For this challenge, the winner will receive an actual prize! I will mail a prize to the chosen winner (the winner will need to supply an address). The prize will be announced next week. You have 2 weeks so get busy, artists!
The "Chicken" and the "Werewolf" challenge is over. The new challenge is "Feast" and ends on December 7, 2009. Another new challenge, "Gratitude," ends on November 30, 2009.
By: Laini Taylor,
on 11/20/2009
It's been an amazing week! I have so many thoughts and photos to organize, but I wanted to jump in here and apologize for the absence (I've tweeted a little, but forgot to say to check the sidebar for updates) and to follow up on that last post, wherein I was pinching myself with amazement that Arthur Levine was coordinating his tie to my hair for the National Book Awards ceremony!!! I mean, in what dreamland does that happen?
Apparently, in the same one that this happens . . .
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OH MY GOD!!!!! ARTHUR LEVINE DYED HIS BEARD PINK!!!!!!
hahahahahaha! How awesome is that????
Everything everything everything was completely amazing, and I WILL be back with more photos! In the meantime, huge congratulations to Phillip Hoose for his win, and to Claudette Colvin, who must be very gratified to have her tremendous story recognized in this way. And to my fellow nominees: it was so great to meet you all! And to the judges who selected my book for this honor -- Nancy Werlin, Coe Booth, Gene Yang, Carolyn Coman, and Kathi Appelt -- thank you from the bottom of my heart.
And now . . . back to playing catch-up (and in a few hours, getting H1N1 vaccines. Phleh.). If you've emailed me, please be patient. Though I was on the road with a new i-phone, I'm too spastic a one-thumb typer to have kept up with correspondence. I will get through the 500+ emails over the next couple of days :-)
And thank you so much for all the happy wishes. This has been an experience of a lifetime, and I love all of you here who were supporters of Lips Touch even before it had a shiny silver sticker on the cover. Mwah!
Oh, wait. Some linkies.
Winter Blog Blast Tour at Shelf Elf; interview with moi. Thanks, Kerry! I love your intro :-)
And Winter Blog Blast Tour interview with Jim at Seven Impossible Things; thank you Jules!
The Oregonian story on us from last Sunday. Thank you, Jeff Baker!
And the wonderful review of Lips Touch in the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
By: mike r. baker,
on 11/20/2009
M. S. Corley!
Congratulations to M. S. Corley. I chose M. S. Corley's "Werewolf" (Lycaon) as the winner for the Werewolf challenge. Why? Because it's AWESOME! M. S. Corley is a fantastic illustrator and designer. I've actually been a fan of his for sometime. Many of you may remember his incredible redesign for A Series of Unfortunate Events, made to look like classic Penguin Books. Check out his blog and enjoy!
By: mike r. baker,
on 11/20/2009
What is UP with our HOST???
I am back! I return, the prodigal son, sheepishly with hat in hand. I am so sorry for keeping you all waiting and in the dark about what was happening with me and Monday Artday. I was sick from radiation therapy and couldn't bear to approach the Internet. But I feel good now and I'm here to make amends.
Let's draw! I have a new challenge for you all today and winners for the Werewolf and Chicken challenges. I also want to thank all of you for your concern and especially Gunther for stepping up in my absence. You are all awesome.
Wow, thanks Joyce. That makes finishing NaNoWriMo early even sweeter! Now, I just have to figure out which one of her amazing books to request. I absolutely love The Guardian. And Becca loves Waiting for June so much, I might need to replace it because she won't let our copy leave her room.
Here's a link to Joyce's most recent books:http://joycesweeney.net/novels.htm. But she made the generous offer to let me choose any of her books, even the vintage ones. Does anyone have a favorite that I should check into?
I'm sending lots of good and fast writing vibes to all my NaNoWriMo friends. Go, go, go...you can do it! I already miss the thrill of watching the words fly onto my computer--but I'm excited to dig into my first round of revisions.
I have one more tip for you: If you're not sure what should happen next, think of the worst thing that could possibly happen to your character. I heard the amazing Bruce Coville say this years ago at a conference, and it has always worked well for me. It definitely adds a lot of conflict and unexpected twists to my manuscripts.
I hope you all have a great weekend. :)
By: THE INTERN,
on 11/20/2009
A little while ago, INTERN posted about a fictitious Character Transformation Bazooka which could make characters have deep realisations and catharses instantly, with no justification.
There are a few other weapons of mass manuscript destruction (WMMD) in the arsenal.
One is the Triumph Bomb, or T-Bomb.
If you go see just about any movie that's playing in a mainstream theatre, there's bound to be at least one scene involving a Moment of Triumph: the submarine crew realizes they've fixed their leaking vessel just in time (hugs, shouts, and meaningful apologies ensue) or a pair of starcrossed mental defectives realizes they're meant for each other and triumphantly race to the nearest marriage office.
These moments of triumph usually happen after about ninety minutes of false starts, dissapointments, and disasters.
One comment INTERN finds herself writing frequently in novel critiques is that the moments of triumph in the story come too soon, or make no sense, or seem to drop out of the sky with nothing to warn their approach but a faint whistle on the breeze. There haven't been enough obstacles or disasters to make the triumph meaningful—or the stakes were too low for anyone to care.
T-bombs are especially rampant in manuscripts that involve the following:
-unrequited love
-battles (literal battles. like, with axes and longswords).
-stories with quirky mysteries (particularly in YA and MG books)
-stories about overcoming bullies (particularly in YA and MG)
-characters with diseases
-stories involving sports
Actually, it is possible to drop a T-bomb in just about any kind of novel.
INTERN has been doing a lot of research into this triumph thing, and has found that really effective triumphs in novels happen only after one or a few of the following have happened in the story:
-a character has had to sacrifice something
-a character has had to make a high-stakes choice or moral decision
-a character has tried several other options and failed
-a character has suffered a hard loss or injury over the course of struggling towards a particular goal
-a character has, indeed, been struggling in some way, not floating along easily.
-a character has been forced to change significantly
-a character has undergone real trials and conflicts pertaining to the goal
If none of these things have happened, but your characters are still smiling weepily and holding each other while Chariots of Fire plays in the background, they're probably the victims of a T-Bomb. Edit at will!
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INTERN is heading out for an extended Thanksgiving visit with her family, so she will be away for the next week. Have courage, revisioneers, and good luck!
Posted on 11/20/2009
In his National Book Awards acceptance speech this week, biographer T. J. Stiles thanked everyone in a book's traditional production chain, from the agent to the bookstore clerk. Stiles concluded with an note of apprehension: "The advent of the eBook is fooling some into thinking that these people are not necessary anymore."
As the digital publishing industry grows over the next few years, publishers, authors, and readers need to reconcile these fears about the future. Earlier this week, GalleyCat writers and readers mingled at the eBook Summit preview party, trying to start a more productive conversation about the future of eBooks.
In this special video feature, eBook Summit speakers like Movable Type Literary Group agent Jason Allen Ashlock and Electric Literature co-founder Andy Hunter shared advice for reaching new digital audiences. Visit the Summit Facebook page to continue the conversation. (Special thanks to AgencySpy Matt Van Hoven for that excellent headline.)
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You are welcome to download a PDF version of CHAPTER 8: The Journey to Yorktown
by Dr. Ellen K. Rudolph
Click here for download file. Be patient, it is a larger file (748 KB)
SAMPLE CHAPTER 8
By: Corey Godbey,
on 11/20/2009
We've got two cats. One is sleek and gray and quick. The other is white and tan and dumb.
James, as the white and tan cat is called, likes to sit in any little box he can find. No matter where one is, he'll find it and sit in it. For hours.
I figure he must get something out of it. That, or he's just white and tan and dumb.
By: mike r. baker,
on 11/20/2009
Lisa Graves!
Congratulations to Lisa Graves. I chose Lisa's "Major" as the winner for the Chicken challenge. Lisa's incredible character design, smartly balanced composition, and clean coloring, makes this one super rooster! I love the epaulets.
Amazing work everyone! I am blown away at how you all stepped up to a "chicken" challenge and aced it! From realistic to silly, you are all awesome artists.
I attend a Writers conference every year. This particular year I was 
attending a conference for only one reason. After all, I quit writing that year. I no longer claimed to be a writer. But yet, I longed to be there. So, I had a heart to heart talk with God before the conference explaining to Him that I would attend on one condition – That He speak to me (in my good ear) and tell me whether I was to write or not.
I gathered a couple of old manuscripts to submit for critiques and I was on my way. Mid-conference I rocked back and forth in a rocking chair on the porch of my hotel over-looking a swamp, complaining to God that I hadn’t heard anything yet. I had no further inkling as to what His will was for me. While I continued whining to God, I heard a scratching noise. I kept griping and ignoring the scratching noise until I could ignore it no further. I stopped my bellyaching long enough to find the culprit. It was a squirrel. While I’ve seen my share of squirrels in my life, this particular squirrel captured my attention.
I noticed he was working on a nut. He was scratching and nibbling his way through the shell to get to the juicy nut. I noticed when a person walked by, 
the squirrel scurried to a branch further up the tree then continued working on his nut. He was consistent. He was persistent. He was determined and focused. I realized he wasn’t going to let anybody take the nut away from him and that he would undoubtedly obtain that juicy prize - unless he threw down his nut and quit.
At that point, I got it. That is exactly what I had done. I had thrown down my nut and quit. I realized God had placed the gift of writing in my hands and I needed to be consistent, persistent, determined and focused. I would miss out on all God had in store for me if I quit. I vowed right then to stay persistent in my writing and never throw down my God-given nut again.
That week, I won the award for the best children’s submission. Later, I received contracts and writing opportunities that I never would have dreamt possible.
While God does not speak through squirrels all the time, I believe He is present at Christian Writer’s Conferences and longs to make Himself heard. He speaks in ways that will reach us and in ways that we’ll understand. So, come to the conference with an open heart, expecting to Hear from Him and anxious to see what prized nuts he has in store for you!
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged: God, inspiration, stepping out in faith, Write2Ignite, write2ignite conference, writing for children
Posted on 11/20/2009
Comic author and radio personality April Winchell is the latest author to turn a blog into a book deal. She just sold "Regretsy," a title based on the her blog that highlights the oddest creations on Internet craft sites.
The Regretsy blog has featured everything from miniature paintings to those knitted spats. The title puns off the name of the popular craft site, Etsy. Jill Schwartzman at Random House's Villard imprint bought the title for trade paperback publication. Meg Thompson at LJK Literary Management negotiated the deal.
The site also features a fascinating page counting successful sales of strange crafts. Here's more about the forthcoming book: "The book will feature a collection of the oddest, most hilarious, and most disturbing crafts the world has ever seen, along with hilarious commentary provided by the author."
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By: DGLM,
on 11/20/2009
by Lauren
It’s been a busy week around these parts, with Sarah Palin’s book hitting the shelves; publishers ignoring potential breakout hits in a neverending search for obvious frontlist; and debate on Harlequin’s branching out into self-publishing territory. We answered questions on fiction credentials and platform building; admitted to guilty pleasure reading; explained publishing; practically wrote your letter to Santa for you; analyzed the reading habits of youth; asked for short story suggestions; and Chasya told you why she’s here in the first place.
Elsewhere in the blogosphere, the New Yorker’s Book Bench blog posted a covers contest so challenging that even previous winners Jim and I couldn’t get ‘em all. (Seriously, people, what are #2 and #4? They haven’t posted the answers yet, and it’s driving me a bit nuts.) They also interviewed a seriously awesome 4-year-old on his love of books and monsters. Everyone talked about the eminently deserving Colum McCann’s win of the National Book Award. Eric at Pimp My Novel pointed out that we’re writing a lot of books about people’s daughters lately. Michael Cairns at PersonaNonData analyzed e-book pricing. The author behind Belle de Jour, blog-turned-book-turned-TV-show about a prostitute in London, turned out to be a research scientist. And Nathan Bransford made a pretty compelling argument for the eventual supremacy of e-books because people gravitate toward efficiency (on the one hand, I dream about one day having a home library with rolling ladders to reach the higher shelves; on the other, I’m kind of an efficiency nerd).
And now I’m off to figure out how to efficiently fit a library large enough to require rolling ladders in a New York City apartment.
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By: Sean Ashby,
on 11/20/2009
“Writing for children is as easy as describing the history of the Byzantium in three words.”—Mo Willems
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Posted on 11/20/2009
Little, Brown has just released an eBook-only update of the print title, "The Vaccine Book: Making the Right Decision for Your Child"--an instantaneous publishing response to public concerns about H1N1 flu (or Swine Flu) vaccines.
To find out more about how eBooks can help medical publishing, GalleyCat interviewed the book's author, Robert Sears, M.D., about the digital addition. He hoped that more medical publishers could adapt a similar digital book strategy: "Since I wrote "The Vaccine Book," several important changes have occurred that I wish I could have immediately updated. This is true for virtually any medical book, and it takes many months before such changes can appear in a subsequent book printing. eBooks can be immediately updated as new information comes out, and breaking health news topics can easily be added to compliment any health book," he explained.
He also outlined the timely information included in the eBook extra: "The H1N1 flu, or 'swine flu,' vaccine [requires] two extra doses that parents have to give their infants and children this year. Educated parents will naturally wonder about this new vaccine--How is it made? What are the ingredients and side effects? How risky is the disease? Should I add this vaccine to my child's already busy vaccine schedule? And pregnant moms are also concerned; the disease poses risk for them, but there is uncertainty over using an untested vaccine during pregnancy."
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By: Manola,
on 11/20/2009
1Half-eaten oreo, 2Five Kids In Socks Fun Childhood Colorful Style, 3Honeybee bento, 4Tea cups, 5kawaii twist-ties, 6Atmosphere*,
7Audrey Hepburn 1952,
8smoking hot cup of coffee,
9Snowstorm out of the kitchen!,
10Black Or White…!!! :))),
11OREO, 12Sushi Cake II,
13.:Maiko:.,
14MGM 1932 Karen Morley,
15Gong Xi Fa Chai, 16Lonely Tea Time,
17*Chocolate ♥, 18A good book on your shelf is a friend that turns its back on you and remains a friend. ,
19One should absorb the colour of life 4/52,
20the reader,
21Cafe Mocha,
22a read in the park, 23Takoyaki kids meal,
24fancy a spot of tea love?,
25Space traveller bento
Taggata e premiata da <a href="http://atelier-nananere.blogspot.com/">Nananère</a>, <ahref="http://amigurumiandpizza.blogspot.com/">Barbara</a> e da <a href="http://www.chiaraetmoi.com/">Chiara</a>, mi raccomando correte a dare un’occhiatina ai loro blog pieni pieni pieni di meraviglie!
Allora, vediamo un po’… accipicchia mi si sono confusi i tag… dunque devo confidarvi 7 cose che voi, cari lettori fedeli, non sapete… ok iniziamo:
1—i miei biscotti preferiti sono gli Oreo! gnam gnam (rigorosamente con latte freddissimo! se non è freddo di frigo io il latte non lo bevo!)
2—indosso calzini di cotone super ultra colorati tutto l’anno! Ma solo colorati eh! Abolita la tinta unita: troppo noiosa e troppo troppo triste!
3—adoro anzi no, vado pazza per i vecchi film romaticoni in bianco e nero e se ci scappa la lacrimuccia… e beh… quando ci vuole ci vuole!
4—mi piace cucinare anche se non ho mai tempo… ma la cosa peggiore è che so, a priori, che io non riuscirò mai e dico mai a preparare quei bellissimi manicaretti in perfetto stile giapponese, i bento: troppo difficile per una casinara come me trasformare un orribile wurstel in un dolcissimo mini polipo!
5—la stagione che preferisco è l’inverno: posso tirar fuori dall’armadio tutte le mie enormi sciarpe di lana, c’è il Natale, c’è un’atmosfera un po’ irreale e adoro leggere sotto il calduccio delle coperte mentre fuori imperversa la tempesta.. beh ok forse tempesta è dire troppo… facciamo allora una piccola pioggerellina o una nevicata ipnotizzante (con una tazza di cioccolata calda in mano poi raggiungiamo la perfezione!)
6—a proposito di libri… riuscirei a leggere dappertutto se solo ne avessi il tempo… ah come dite? l’ho già detto che non ho tempo? ^___^
7—parlo troppo velocemente e capita che a volte le persone facciano fatica a starmi dietro perché le parole mi esconocosìtutteappiccicate! ^_________^ e allora sono tutti lì che chiedono: “ma che hai detto!!???” Ma non lo faccio di proposito! ;)
ecco qua ora resta solo il questionario-scopri segreti:
In quale animale ti reincarneresti: un gatto (stile Tom di Tom and Jerry!) Tutto latte e cuscino… che pacchia!
Di chi o di che cosa non potresti fare a meno: della mia matita a mina morbida
Cosa apprezzi di più in una persona: la spontaneità… non sopporto l’artificiosità delle persone
Di che colore preferisci vestirti: assolutamente di nero! Soprattutto se sono di malumore!
Definisciti in tre parole: grande rompiballe cronica
Un viaggio che vorresti fare: Parigi! E guardare il mondo dalla torre Eiffel.
Citazione preferita: Il dolore infierisce proprio là dove si accorge che non è sopportato con fermezza. Poiché il ringhioso dolore ha meno forza di mordere l'uomo che lo irride e lo tratta con disprezzo. (W. Shakespear)
Cosa ti piacerebbe fare: bere una tazza di thè caldo perché oggi non ho ancora messo il bollitore a scaldare
Se non ti dedicassi a quello che fai cos’altro ti piacerebbe fare: lavorare in una fattoria australiana! ^____^
Qual è la tua stravaganza: voler lavorare in una fattoria australiana!
Beh per oggi direi che ho svelato fin troppo!
♥
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By: Phyllis Harris,
on 11/20/2009
By: Phyllis Harris,
on 11/20/2009
By: Tasha Saecker,
on 11/20/2009
Grumpy Grandpa by Heather Henson, illustrated by Ross MacDonald
A little boy talks about his grandpa who is always grumpy. Every year he and his parents drive to spend two weeks on his grandpa’s farm. The little boy has to be quiet and not disturb his grandpa. He tries to stay out of grandpa’s way so that he isn’t yelled at like the TV or the dog, but it’s not so easy. Every afternoon, after a nap, Grandpa leaves the farm alone. The little boy wonders where he goes. Then the next day, Grandpa takes the boy along. They head to a boat on a pond with fishing poles. Now he has to be really quiet and still. Grumpy Grandpa just keeps getting grumpier. The little boy decides to leave, forgetting he is in a boat. Splash! Now how will Grumpy Grandpa react to being tipped overboard?
So many picture books show grandparents as bread baking, snowy haired saints, but many children have grandparents who don’t naturally bond with young children. The beauty of this picture book is that yes the grandfather is grumpy, but it turns out he has a great sense of humor and remembers being a boy himself. Henson’s text is humorous and allows readers to see that Grandpa isn’t that grumpy even before the young boy understands it.
MacDonald’s illustrations have a vintage feel. Done in watercolor, they evoke picture books from the 50s. This works particularly well with the homey and timeless nature of the story.
As someone who had a rather grumpy grandma, I am happy to see a book that really shows what’s underneath the crusty exterior of some grandparents. Appropriate for ages 4-7.
Reviewed from copy received from publisher.
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By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 11/20/2009
Speaking of Kazu Kibuishi, he has a nice post up examining what the contributors to the anthology FLIGHT #1 have done in the five years since it came out. At the time, the fresh new cartoonists within were hailed as a new force in the industry — and they have mostly gone on to very productive careers in animation and comics. Kazu didn’t include last names, so they’ve been added:
7 out of 19 have worked on completed films, either as production designers or story artists:
- Enrico Casarosa (Ratatouille, Up)
- Jake Parker (Horton Hears a Who!)
- Vera Brosgol (Coraline)
- Khang Le (Monster House)
- Chris Appelhans (Monster House, City of Ember, Coraline, Fantastic Mr. Fox)
- Phil Craven (Kung Fu Panda, the forthcoming Kung Fu Panda 2)
- Clio Chiang (the forthcoming Princess and the Frog)
11 out of 19 have published one or more graphic novels (or will have a graphic novel published in 2010):
- Enrico Casarosa (The Venice Chronicles)
- Kazu Kibuishi (Daisy Kutter, Amulet, the forthcoming Copper collection)
- Jake Parker (Missile Mouse, forthcoming Scholastic GNs)
- Vera Brosgol (forthcoming First Second GN)
- Jen Wang (forthcoming First Second GN)
- Neil Babra (Hamlet)
- Bengal (Meka, Naja)
- Dylan Meconis (Wire Mothers: Harry Harlow and the Science of Love, Bite Me!)
- Derek Kirk Kim (Good as Lily, The Eternal Smile)
- Rad Sechrist (Tom Sawyer)
- Kean Soo (Jellaby)
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By: Cheryl Rainfield,
on 11/20/2009
Like Lemony Snicket? Or haven’t read the Series of Unfortunate Events, but want to? You’re in luck. For a limited time, you can read the entire first book, A Series of Unfortunate Events #1: The Bad Beginning, for free online.
And HarperCollins and the author have come up with a great quote to get kids interested:
“My book is free? Lock it up at once!”
—Lemony Snicket, regarding the new free online edition of THE BAD BEGINNING
It made me laugh–and piqued my interest in checking out the book. How about you?
Personally, I think a free ebook that you could download and keep on your device would be nicer, but this is almost as good. A peek into the first book in the series–available online. Check it out!
