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Those long, spindly legs make him a bit shaky.

Okay, I still need 9 more people left before I giveaway, Shiver! C'mon people, all you have to do is follow me, it's that simple! Once I hit 200 EVERYONE is entered.


I just finished reading my copy of Catching Fire, Suzanne Collins and I loved it. So for one week, I'm holding a contest who can tell me in 50 words or less why they should win this book! This contest will end at 11pm EDT on Friday, July 10!

So get your imaginations going and tell me why you should win Catching Fire!

Here's the final painting from the August commission. You can see part 1 and part 2 here.






This was an enjoyable piece of work to do and I thank Burgin for thinking of me.

Guess the Plot

The Joe Shuster Award nominees in the kids’ comics category have been announced. The nominees were chosen by a panel of teachers:

The Comics for Kids Award / Prix de Bandes Dessinées pour Enfants recognizes creators who have produced works which capture the attention and fascination of young readers, and help to create a passion for life-long reading. Works considered for this award are comic books and graphic novels by Canadian creators that are targeted at readers 14 and under.

Clayton Hanmer, CTON’s Super A-Maze-ing Year of Crazy Comics! (OwlKids)

Susan Hughes and Willow Dawson, No Girls Allowed (Kids Can Press)

Karl Kerschl and Serge Lapointe (with Amy Wolfram, USA), Teen Titans: Year One (DC Comics)

Liam O’Donnell and Michael Deas, Ramp Rats – A Graphic Guide Adventure (Orca Publishing)

Paul Roux, Ariane et Nicolas Tome 5: Les tours de Babel (Editions Les 400 Coups)

Chad Solomon (with Christopher Meyer, USA), The Adventures of Rabbit and Bear Paws Vol. 2: The Voyageurs (Little Spirit Bear Productions)

Kean Soo, Jellaby Book 1 (Hyperion)

Mariko Tamaki and Steve Rolston, Emiko Superstar (DC/Minx)

When I was in high school our Economics class took a trip to Chicago. One of our stops that day was the Sears Tower. I can remember being on the 103rd floor and pressing my face against the glass to get an awesome view of the city. That was many moons ago. This week the Sears Tower (I will never call it anything else else EVER!) opened a glass floor off the 103rd floor. You can step out onto an inch and a half of glass to look out over the city. If you were crazy enough to do this you would be 1353 feet up. I've never been scared of heights but I have my limits. I will happily keep my face pressed against the glass and my feet planted firmly on several layers of concrete! How about you? Do you have the courage to walk into thin air?

Happy 4th of July everyone!

xo,

Stephanie

http://www.stephaniehale.com/

A Garden of Opposites is a visual feast of bright colors and contrasting images for little eyes.

Along with the traditional open/closed and inside/outside found in most opposite books, Nancy Davis has made the charming addition of plain/fancy adorable butterflies and asleep/awake newborn baby birds.

The last page is an interactive fold out including all the pictures from the previous text and more. Eye-catching illustrations and sturdy pages will be a sure hit with toddlers.

A perfect snuggly read for a lazy afternoon with that special little one in your life.

I'm learning French songs for my summer French camp gigs. In two weeks, I'll lead 2 storytime circles twice a week for 20 minutes apiece. Many of the songs have 2 or 3 chords, but a song like "Le Bon Roi Dagobert" for Bastille Day has a bouncy, boisterous rhythm with not much repetition, so I'm definitely stretching myself. My French is not spectacular (my college professor can attest to that),

I am so grateful to live in the U.S.A! And I love the Fourth of July! This year I have the fun opportunity of participating in Colonial Days in Provo Utah- part of their Freedom Day Festival- as a chalk artist! If any of you are in the area, I will be there again tomorrow on the 4th of July from 4:00-6:30 in the afternoon, so come stop by. There are a lot of other fun activities going on at the Colonial Days located at about 300 East Center Street in Provo.

Here's what I did yesterday! Yes, t'is me!



Kind of a distorted view since I couldn't get an overhead shot: Good ol' Betsy Ross working on Old Glory! It was my first time working with chalk, and I wasn't sure what I would be working with (they provided the supplies). So it was definetly an experiment, but very fun! I'll be posting more soon!

When I can't go to the zoo or to Africa to sketch I will watch endless videos and read books about the subject. One of the ways that I found works nicely for me is to position my drawing table where I can also view my computer. If I have photos saved there or a video running I can sketch as I use those things for reference.

I keep the manuscript handy as well and might make changes in my overall idea for either the illustrations or the story I am writing.

Cover art for : Coral and the Pearl Diver from Harper FestivalComing out in late Aug 2009I'm really excited about this book. I was thrilled for the chance to be able to draw water horses and all the fun that comes with them. I'm a big fan of fish.Jennifer-

Via Vertigo: Graphic Content. Click for a larger version.

The first ever Asian American ComiCon will be held next Saturday, July 11th in NYC, and they are only selling 250 tickets, so we advise buying one in advance! The guest list and programming schedule have been released and here they are. The programming sounds great, and with folks like Derek Kirk Kim, Larry Hama, Misako Rocks and Greg Pak on hand, it sounds like yet another must attend event. Info on purchasing tickets is at the bottom of the post.

The organizers of the First Annual Asian American ComiCon (AACC) have announced the complete Featured Guest list and final Schedule of Events for this celebration of the unique contemporary role and historical legacy of Asians and Asian Americans in the world of graphic fiction, which will take place Saturday, July 11, 2009 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Museum of Chinese in America (215 Centre Street in New York).

Confirmed Special Guests Include:
• Larry Hama (writer, G.I. Joe)
• Bernard Chang (artist, Wonder Woman)
• Cliff Chiang (artist, Green Arrow)
• Derek Kirk Kim (artist, The Eternal Smile)
• Greg Pak (writer, Incredible Hulk)
• Khoi Pham (artist, Mighty Avengers)
• Sean Chen (artist, Iron Man)
• Christina Strain (colorist, Runaways)
• Fred Chao (writer/artist, Johnny Hiro)
• Christine Norrie (artist, Breaking Up)
• Tak Toyoshima (writer/artist, Secret Asian Man)
• Misako Rocks! (writer/artist, Biker Girl)
• Kuo-Yu Liang (VP Sales & Marketing, Diamond Book Distributors)
• Sharad Devarajan (CEO, Liquid Comics)
• William F. Wu (writer, Hong on the Range)
• The Editors of Secret Identities (www.secretidentities.org)

Other special guests of the con will include: Ben Nugent, author, American Nerd; Hua Hsu, professor, Vassar College; Ed Lin, author of Waylaid and This Is a Bust; Monica Ferrell, author, The Answer Is Always Yes; Monica Youn, author, Ignatz (forthcoming); Vyshali Manivannan, author, Invictus; Paolo Javier, author, 60 lv Bo(e)mbs; Jennifer Lee, former editor, Marvel Comics and DC Comics; Kai-Ming Cha, comics and manga reporter, Publishers Weekly; Aimee Bahng, assistant professor, English, Dartmouth College; Ken Okabayashi, founder of Piggy Back Studios; Tyler Chin-Tanner, artist/writer, American Terrorist; Daniel Ketchum, editor, Marvel Comics; Karl Taro Greenfield, author, Speed Tribes; and Arune Singh, sales coordinator, Marvel Comics.

In addition, the following creators will be participating in the AACC’s Artists Alley, and will conduct signing and sketch sessions throughout the day. Each artist will also donate an original sketch for AACC’s silent auction, proceeds to benefit the nonprofit Museum of Chinese in America.

• Jimmy J. Aquino (writer, “Sampler,” SECRET IDENTITIES)
• Jeremy Arambulo (writer/artist, ROGUE SOUP & BUG)
• Bernard Chang (artist, WONDER WOMAN)
• Sean Chen (artist, IRON MAN)
• Tyler Chin-Tanner (writer/artist, AMERICAN TERRORIST)
• Robin Ha (writer/artist, THE MAGIC 8-BALL)
• Dongyun Lee (writer/artist, ZOOM)
• Yali Lin (writer/artist, SHAKESPEARE’S ROMEO & JULIET)
• Jerry Ma (art director, SECRET IDENTITIES)
• Allan Norico (writer/artist, THINGS I’VE SEEN AT SHOWS)
• Khoi Pham (artist, MIGHTY AVENGERS)
• Misako Rocks! (writer/artist, BIKER GIRL)
• Sarah Sapang (artist, “16 Miles,” SECRET IDENTITIES)
• Christina Strain (colorist, RUNAWAYS)
• Alex Tarampi (artist, “Gaman,” SECRET IDENTITIES)
• Tak Toyoshima (writer/artist, SECRET ASIAN MAN)
• Paul Wei (writer/artist, THE ADVENTURES OF MAXWELL & GRANDMA)
• Ken Wong (writer/artist, SCHRODINGER’S CAT)

COMPLETE SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
The event will be divided into three tracks: Reading Comics, Making Comics, and Creator Spotlight. Each track includes a diverse range of interactive and immersive panels and workshops, featuring leading Asian and Asian American figures from comics, literature and academia.

Reading Comics

How do we read comic books today? This track answers this question by putting comic book artists at the same table with novelists, professors and industry professionals. A mash-up of fan convention, Asian American studies conference and literary festival, this one-of-a-kind series of panels and readings confronts pressing issues, such as the globalization of pop culture, the representation of Asian Americans in comics, and, of course, the nature of nerdiness.

Sessions Include:

· Nerdpop: The Rise of the Nerds!: Asian Americans have long been stereotyped as “nerds,” but nerdiness has become something to celebrate. With the rise of digital culture and the mainstreaming of comic books and other once nerdy genres, nerds have gone from persecuted minority to masters of the universe. This panel examines the historical development of nerd identity, particularly among Asian Americans, and the aesthetics of nerd pride. Moderated by Hua Hsu, professor, English, Vassar College, featuring panelists Ben Nugent, author, American Nerd; Derek Kirk Kim, artist/writer, Same Difference & Other Stories; and Keith Chow, senior editor, Secret Identities: The Asian American Superhero Anthology

· Every Comic Is Asian American: The most prominent Asian American comic characters have typically been slanty-eyed sidekicks and supervillains, speaking in broken English and colored the shade of school buses. This panel starts with an all-star line-up of novelists and poets re-imagining their favorite comic book characters as Asian American and continues with a panel of professors, artists, and journalists discussing how Asian Americans have been represented in graphic novels. Moderated by Ken Chen, executive director of The Asian American Writers’ Workshop, featuring panelists like Ed Lin, author, Waylaid and This Is a Bust; Monica Ferrell, author, The Answer Is Always Yes; Monica Youn, author, Ignatz (forthcoming); Vyshali Manivannan, author, Invictus; Paolo Javier, author, 60 lv Bo(e)mbs; and Karl Taro Greenfeld, author, Speed Tribes

· The Asianization of Pop Culture: The rise of the graphic novel could really be described as the Asianization of American pop culture. In fact, the graphic novel renaissance has in many ways been powered by the popularity of manga, Japanese comics that still account for half of the new comics released in the America today. Panelists discuss the influence of manga, manhwa, and anime on American comics and American pop culture more generally. Moderated by Kai-Ming Cha, comics and manga reporter, Publishers Weekly, featuring panelists Aimee Bahng, assistant professor, English, Dartmouth College; Kuo-Yu Liang, VP, Sales & Marketing, Diamond Book Distributors; Ken Okabayashi, founder of Piggy Back Studios; and Misako Rocks!, artist/writer, Biker Girl

· The New Villains: Muslim insurgents. Chinese spies. North Korean dictators. Is it just us, or are Asians increasingly being cast in the role of the global evildoer? What’s the history of the portrayal of villainous Asians in comics and cartoon art, how does that history shape what we’re seeing in those fields today, and what does this mean for Asians and Asian Americans in the real world? Moderated by Jeff Yang, editor-in-chief, Secret Identities: The Asian American Superhero Anthology, featuring panelists Larry Hama, creator, G.I. Joe mythology; William F. Wu, author, Hong on the Range and The Yellow Peril; Tyler Chin-Tanner, artist/writer, American Terrorist; and Sharad Devarajan, CEO, Liquid Comics

Track Two: Making Comics
This track focuses on the art and business of making comics— from alt-comics and literary graphic fiction to mainstream superhero books and syndicated strips. Featured workshops will include a hands-on demonstration by leading creators; explorations of the business side of comics; and other sessions highlighting comics as a profession, a discipline, an art form and a commercial landscape.

Sessions include:

· Writers’ Bloc: Writers of indie and superhero comics and a syndicated comic strip discuss the craft of scripting sequential art and their strategies for tackling everyday creative challenges. Moderated by Greg Pak, writer, The Incredible Hulk and War Machine, featuring panelists Fred Chao, artist/writer, Johnny Hiro; Larry Hama, creator, G.I. Joe mythology; Christine Norrie, artist/writer, Cheat; and Tak Toyoshima, artist/writer, Secret Asian Man

· Visual Storytelling—The Art of Collaboration: Top graphical storytellers share their experiences and tips for making the most of the challenges and opportunities of collaboration between pencillers, inkers, colorists, and writers. Moderated by Greg Pak, writer, The Incredible Hulk and War Machine, featuring panelists Sean Chen, artist, Iron Man; Daniel Ketchum, editor, Marvel Comics; Derek Kirk Kim, artist/writer, Same Difference & Other Stories; Khoi Pham, artist, Mighty Avengers; and Christina Strain, colorist, Runaways

· Visual Storytelling—Hands On: A diverse group of acclaimed artists sketch in real time as they discuss their different approaches in making creative choices. Moderated by Greg Pak, writer, The Incredible Hulk and War Machine, featuring panelists Bernard Chang, artist, Wonder Woman; Fred Chao, artist/writer, Johnny Hiro; Cliff Chiang, artist, Green Arrow/Black Canary; and Misako Rocks!, artist/writer, Biker Girl

· The Business of Comics: For anyone who’s ever dreamed of joining the comics world, here’s your chance to get an insider’s look at the commercial side of graphical storytelling. Comic book pros from every corner of the biz introduce their fields and discuss breaking in, maintaining a career, and keeping up with what the future has in store. Moderated by Jennifer Lee, former editor, Marvel and DC Comics, featuring panelists Bernard Chang, artist, Wonder Woman; Fletcher Chu-Fong, manager, Events & Retail, DC Comics; Kuo-Yu Liang, VP, Sales & Marketing, Diamond Book Distributors; Arune Singh, sales coordinator, Marvel Comics; Tak Toyoshima, artist/writer, Secret Asian Man; and Sharad Devarajan, CEO, Liquid Comics

Track Three: CREATOR SPOTLIGHT Sessions
In this track top comics creators paired with interesting counterparts (outside of comics) for one-on-one discussions covering craft, inspirations and influences, shared themes and future collaborations.

Sessions Include:

· Similar Differences—SPOTLIGHT on Derek Kirk Kim: A candid discussion with the brilliant author and artist of Same Difference and Other Stories and co-creator, with Gene Yang, of the new graphic novel The Eternal Smile. Moderated by Jeff Yang, editor-in-chief, Secret Identities: The Asian American Superhero Anthology

· From Chop-Chop to Silver Samurai—SPOTLIGHT ON: William F. Wu: A guided tour with science fiction legend William F. Wu, as he shares samples from his collection of thousands of comics depicting Asian images…good, bad, and definitely ugly. Moderated by Jeff Yang, editor-in-chief, Secret Identities: The Asian American Superhero Anthology

· Hama Time!—SPOTLIGHT on Larry Hama: Catching up with comics pioneer Larry Hama, creator of the G.I. Joe universe and winner of this year’s KIYAMA AWARD! Moderated by Keith Chow, senior editor, Secret Identities: The Asian American Superhero Anthology

All tracks are open to all AACC registrants; however, to manage traffic flow and seating, we will ask registrants to tentatively identify which sessions they intend to join upon receiving confirmation of their attendance. Space for some sessions is limited, and will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis, with VIP Pass holders receiving priority.

Tickets for the nonprofit Asian American ComiCon are $15 for students, $25 for adults (18 and older), and $75 for a special VIP Pass, entitling the bearer to priority reserved seating at all panels and workshops, a complimentary Asian American graphic novel, signed by its creators, and an original sketch from one of the artists participating in the event’s Artists Alley. Registration will be limited to 250 attendees, and is available in advance through the following link: https://www.nycharities.org/event/event.asp?CE_ID=4187

§ Chris Butcher visits Japan 2009: Tezuka World Installation, Kyoto JR Station and sees many many wondrous things that make is drool.

§ In a Cup o’ Joe installment, Mark Waid recounts a classic tale of a store signing that….wasn’t what it seemed:

Several years ago, I had done an over-the-phone college radio interview with a couple of guys in Vermont. Chat went fine, I remembered to mention what a genius Alex Ross is the requisite nine times, and we probably moved some trade paperbacks in the process. So once the interview was done, one of them explained that they ran a store in one of Vermont’s largish towns and asked if I’d be interested in doing an in-person signing. “Sure,” I said. At the time, I was living in Brooklyn, so it would be a short flight, and I’d never been to Vermont before. Fly up late on a Saturday morning, home on Sunday morning, see the sights, meet some fans. “Great,” I said. Set me up.”

§ Tucker Stone interviews Dirk Deppey, something you don’t see enough of.

Deppey: …On the one hand, I love writing and can’t seem to keep from knocking out long essays when a short note would often do just as well. (Maybe you’ve noticed.) On the other hand, there’s always the danger of turning into a Keith Olbermann-style blowhard – or worse, a Dave Sim-style crank – if you feel obliged to keep churning out 14,000-word essays three or four times a week. This became clear to me through the course of that Mary Jane Statue fiasco a while back; the more I wrote, the more I found myself circling around to points that I’d already made. Now, in a certain sense this is inevitable in blogging. Since almost everything I write is a mildly edited first draft, I find myself narrowing in on cogent points over the course of several days, refining my arguments as I read responses and get the chance to think more about a given subject. Still, it’s a gateway to intellectual stratification as well, since the further you go in defending a point, the more you feel in your bones that You Are Inarguably Correct in whatever it is you’re talking about. The longer I do this, the less I trust in such positions.

I was wandering around the Internet this week reading and catching up on blog posts written by my colleagues and the one thing that really struck me, in all the advice we’re giving and the guidance we’re providing, is that the key to all of this is you really have to trust yourself. Simply because you’re here reading this blog I assume that you’re one step ahead of many writers out there. In other words, you’re taking the time to learn what industry professionals think and understand the business. Presumably you’re reading this blog as well as others and participating in things like writer’s forums or critique groups. In other words, whether you realize it or not, you have become a student of publishing and, to some degree, have taken a role in the publishing business.

You know what each of us thinks about certain practices and procedures and you’ve learned firsthand how subjective everything can be, from whether or not we like a book to how we like our query letters. Therefore, when push comes to shove there’s only one person you should be listening to, and that’s you. When it comes time to write your query, choose an agent, find a publisher, sign a contract, and write the next great American novel, you need to trust that you can take all you’ve learned and are continuing to learn and do what’s best for you and your career, and do it with your own personal flare and style.

Jessica

An interview I did with the comics website NEWSARAMA is now up! It's fairly detailed about Storm in the Barn but I think spoiler-free.

Krumbuckets
Author L.C. Mohr
Art by Erica Musheno
Blooming Tree Press
© 2007
ISBN 0-9769417-6-7
Ages 7 & up

This fun book will delight kids with a look into the year 2106. It’s a time when children drive to school and books tattle if they don’t get read. Latchkey kids have robots to look after them, and the robots have personalities.

Nick and Lisa are best friends. Nick has a S.A.M robot that is always in need of repair because of age and rough treatment, and Lisa is the girl to do the job. Their school is expecting a special visitor, the president. An important issue is being discussed and the students are taking a stand. There are debates and protests. Should a computer program decide the future occupations of all the students? The students want Nick to speak on their behalf about the issue. When it becomes obvious that an imposter has replaced the president, Nick and Lisa determine to put things right with Sam the robot’s help.

This book is well written. Children will love the government intrigue and mystery. The characters are quirky and interesting. When I started reading the book I didn’t want to put it down until I had finished it.

Available at Amazon.

7/2/2009 review - Shari Lyle-Soffe

The house is a storybook house. A huff and a puff and we’ll blow it down house. A Bashful, Doc, and Sneezy house. The roof is soft and tumbled. The bushes grow tall past the sills. Evergreens lean in from high above the cracked slate path, torpedoing pinecones to the ground. The floor slats are slants and the furniture slides, clawing away at the varnish. Big sheets of snaggled paint have split from Sophie’s bedroom wall and, like glaciers, crashed.

But there is a window—one—that is not tumbled, that is whole. Sophie waits until her mother leaves for work before pulling down the mid-air stairs and climbing into the pink scratch of the attic. Through the window at the far end of the room falls an oblique square of sun. Toward that oblique Sophie makes her way (careful on the cross beams, careful with the splinters, careful not to fall into the quilty insulation—that’s what the pink is, insulation), then sits watching the world beyond, the house across the street, the sloppy dog, the scramble of legs and tail that is the dog. The dog rumbles and slides, keeping guard over his house. He runs the grass alley between the fence and the porch and scurries a squirrel into a tree. He barks at the white car with the pistol muffler that goes roaring past—down the narrow asphalt, gone.

The dog is preamble; he waits.

The 300 sequel is actually moving along, according to an interview with producer Mark Canton at Splash Page. It seems Frank and Zack are cooking something up. — 301 or 600 or 299 or something — but perhaps…a familiar set of abs will make a reappearance?

But if you’re thinking that no sequel could ever be the same without Gerard Butler, don’t worry — because Canton revealed to us that even King Leonidas could be brought back from the dead. “Never assume anything; never assume anything,” he repeated when I asked if the original cast were gone for good. “It’ll be what it’ll be. But if we really do it, in this case, we have a visionary creator and a visionary filmmaker.”

...of rain. Everlasting, blasted rain. Welcome to New Hampshire this year. Welcome to Odyssey.

It rains. A lot. So much rain. We have had three days without rain since I arrived on June 6th.

It's the morning of July 3, 2009, and I'm writing this while wearing flannel pajama pants, fleece socks, and a heavy sweatshirt because my window fan registers the temperature at 59 degrees. Have I mentioned that we have no heating in the dorms where we're living? It is July and I'm dressed like this.

I'd almost imagine that I'm in some sort of post-apocalyptic world, but I'm told that other parts of the country have sun. Seattle, for instance. And NYC seems to be in a rare tropical period, where it's sunny and humid, then pouring rain, then sunny again. But at least it's warmer than it is here. It gets to 75 or 80 degrees some days, but only for a few hours at a time. I may freeze to death before this workshop is done.

And how is the weather by you guys? Do you have summer, yet?

(Yes, really, I just wrote an entire blog post complaining about the weather, but it is seriously putrid here most days.)