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I know you’re all busily enjoying The Manual of Aeronautics, but it’s the time for Fan Art Friday Fortnightly! And as a bonus, this FAFF is actually a fortnight after the last one. (Tiny w00t.)

And so we begin with this from Sandra G:

Somewhat larger w00t!

Thanks to you all for your comments and enthusiasm. It’s been really fun seeing the book out in the world.

Next, we have this pissed-off Leviathan by Nicole Marquez (AKA adventaim on DeviantArt).

I like it when the airbeast can haz all the feelings, even when the foremost feeling is hey-I’m-going-to-kick-yer-butt!

And speaking of emotions (masterful segue!) check out this lovely pencil work of a laughing Deryn from Lauren S:

I like how happy Deryn is in lots of fan art. It was really important for her to be a joyful person, given that Alek was depressed all the time. Of course, as the series progresses, the two of them switch places to some extent.

This piece by jurodo was part of Dalek Week, which we’ve already covered, but I missed it. And it rules! So here it is a few weeks late:

And here are two more Spore pieces from Oskar, a message lizard and a monoplane, because everyone likes message lizards, especially when they have big kawaii eyes that seem to say, “Please give me a message, I’d love to take your message somewhere!”

Nice monoplane too. The Spore stuff is all so friendly.

And finally, in honor of the Uglies quartet boxed set that just came out with the new covers . . .

Alert! Shameless advertising in the middle of FAFF!

. . . here’s a remix of all four covers by Hannah A:

Those are pretty cool. I wonder if a time will ever come when we all just put our own covers on books, because they’re either all print-on-demand or electronic or something. That would be cool.

Okay, that’s it. Hope you’re all having a good end of summer. It’s the first day of spring here in Sydney, because we do it all backwards and on the first instead of the 21st of the month! (Wait. You do your seasons backwards? And offset by 21 days? Isn’t that, like, one thing too many?)

Heh.

You might perhaps know that I write books about mermaids. If you do, you might possibly also know that I have a new book out this month. In fact, this week! It's called Emily Windsnap and the Land of the Midnight Sun. It is the fifth book in a series about a completely ordinary, modern girl called Emily Windsnap, who just happens to discover during a school swimming lesson that when she goes in water she becomes a mermaid.

People often ask me where I get the inspiration for these books. Well, this month, I would simply like to share something with you which I believe answers that question better than I could ever do with words.

It's something that I experienced a couple of weeks ago and was one of the most magical evenings of my life. I made a video of it, which I've been showing to as many people as possible because I just want to share this beautiful moment. So apologies if you've seen it before. Actually, scratch that, I make no apologies for giving you the chance to watch it twice!

So, get yourself a cuppa, or a bar of chocolate - or both. Settle down in your chair, get comfy, click the link below and treat yourself to a magical four minutes.

Huge Pod of Beautiful Dolphins in St Ives Bay

Love,
Liz x

Find out more about Liz (& this month's Emily Windsnap Friendship Festival!) on her Website
Follow Liz on Twitter
Join Liz's Facebook page

This week we have Kim Dwinell a California Girl who comes from a background in animation.  She also teaches animation and is going for her MFA in Illustration at CSU at Fullerton. 

She is currently working on a graphic novel titled, Surfside Girls, painting the domestic life of bugs, and doing freelance illustration.

Of course, living in California has given Kim the opportunity to become a surfer girl, a mom, a runner, and she says  occasionally even squeezes in cleaning her house.

Here is Kim explaining her process:

I do value studies on little “thumbnail” drawings to try and figure out where my light source is and where the shadows fall. I like to be absolutely clear on that before I start painting, since the way light is handled tells us so much- what time of day or what time of year it is, and it also reinforces the illusion of depth and form. Some artists are really intuitive about all of this, but I feel like I have to work it out logically first or I end up unhappy.

 
When I work in either red or blue pencil, I am again turning to my animation roots- animators do rough animation in blue (most studios) or red (Disney) Col-erase pencils. This method helps to “find” the drawing while staying loose and flowy. When the lines are where they’re supposed to be, then graphite is put on top. The scanning computers are calibrated to not pick up either the blue or red. I still use the Col-erase when I’m trying to find the drawing- it somehow feels like an intermediate step before fully committing in graphite.

Often I’ll go over and over with these pencils on layers of either tracing paper or animation paper, which is a little less transparent, like bond. When I finally find what I’m looking for, I’ll put it all together and graphite transfer that. The Col-erase is handy there, too, since I can use a different color line to see what I’ve already traced off.

All of this process is very meditative for me. When I’m actually working on my graphic novel, there is a lot less time to plan things out. I draw straight to the watercolor block, and paint straight ahead. It’s a very different way of working, kind of like the difference between a long, slow run and a sprint.

Also, SUP Asphalt style was done on 150 lb Arches hot-press watercolor paper, stretched and stapled onto plywood. I really love the process of preparing a paper to paint on- the soaking, the stapling, letting it dry on the porch, and the pristine surface when it’s ready.

I used Photoshop to combine the gestures of the girls and the sketches I had done from my photo reference of the environment and printed it out on printer paper.

I then graphite transferred that drawing to the watercolor paper. This is another one of my favorite parts- the clean transferred drawing on the clean paper. I use a 6B to color the back of the drawing to be transferred, I can’t stand transfer paper.

I then printed several thumbnail versions of the Photoshop-combined sketch onto one paper and did marker value studies. This clears up all light logic issues before paint goes to paper.

 I then, if the drawing is in daylight, wash the whole thing (besides any white highlights) with a yellow ochre. From this point, I feel I’ve done all the prep I can do, and I paint straight ahead until it’s done.

How long have you been illustrating?

Right after graduating with my BFA in 1993 I shared office space with a writer and a graphic designer in Laguna Beach. My “pay” was to have a desk in the office with no rent, and I did illustration and design for both of them to get some experience. That was a fun time. I went from that to animation, and then went back to grad school in 2007 to get back in touch with illustration.

What was the first thing you have painted where you got paid?

During those same days in Laguna I got some work doing logos. I did an illustrated logo for a marble craftsman and was so proud to see it on a business card and letterhead.

Have you seen your work change since you started?

I very quickly got hired into entry-level animation at various studios in Burbank. I utilized all of the variety of classes the studios offered- plein-air painting, figure drawing, animation, layout, sculpting, child drawing… the list could go on! That more than anything influenced how my work changed- I started understanding the form in everything.

I noticed you have an animation background.  How did you get involved in that?

“In the back door,” as they say. I didn’t have the money to go to CalArts, so I pasted together an education for about a year after graduating (from CSU Fullerton with my BFA in Illustration) by taking classes at the Animation Union, at ASIFA Hollywood, and at a local high school that offered animation as an ROP program. I drew and drew and drew, in figure drawing classes and at the zoo, and went to any conference where they might be hiring animators. I got my big break when I was given a hot tip at a conference to apply at Rich Animation, which was my first job. They hired me as an inbetweener. I was so nervous I didn’t talk to anyone the first couple of months on the job.

Do you see any opportunities for illustrator in that field?

There is a ton of crossover between illustration and animation. Right now I’m really enamored with the graphic novel I’m working on, because I feel it’s the closest I can get to doing both. Graphic novels are like storyboarding for animation, but with an illustration twist and page turns. Studios also utilize illustrators for character design, storyboarding and concept art.

Do you think an illustrator could learn to do some animation on their own?  What program would you suggest?  Flash?

Animation is physics plus drawing. It’s a whole different way of thinking of drawing, but an illustrator could totally work it out! The Preston Blair book “Cartoon Animation” is a great place to start. I wouldn’t suggest Flash, but a traditional capture program like DigiCel Flipbook would be a great choice. There is also a great website called animationresources.org that has a ton of useful information.

I see that you are going for your MFA. Could you give us the low down on what types of things you are learning?

Aha! I have to update my website! I have completed my MFA in Illustration from CSU Fullerton last year. It was a great experience to go back to school as an older student, knowing what holes I had in my education and filling them. I took some great classes- Plein Air painting in oils was one of the most delightful- but what I really got out of grad school was the focus I needed to get Surfside Girls off the ground. I used that project as my MFA show, and did my thesis on (deep breath) The Necessity of Social Media Promotion for the Success of Middle Grade Fiction. Whew. Basically I dug into the internet/ social media support of a fiction world- how an author has a whole new set of tools to reach an audience.  I studied how Kathleen Duey did a Twitter novel, and how Jeff Kinney started posting Diary of a Wimpy Kid on his Funbrain site. It inspired me to build a Surfside Girls website to extend the world I created.

I see that you are going for your MFA.  Could you give us the low down on what types of things you are learning?

Aha! I have to update my website! I have completed my MFA in Illustration from CSU Fullerton last year. It was a great experience to go back to school as an older student, knowing what holes I had in my education and filling them. I took some great classes- Plein Air painting in oils was one of the most delightful- but what I really got out of grad school was the focus I needed to get Surfside Girls off the ground. I used that project as my MFA show, and did my thesis on (deep breath) The Necessity of Social Media Promotion for the Success of Middle Grade Fiction. Whew. Basically I dug into the internet/ social media support of a fiction world- how an author has a whole new set of tools to reach an audience.  I studied how Kathleen Duey did a Twitter novel, and how Jeff Kinney started posting Diary of a Wimpy Kid on his Funbrain site. It inspired me to build a Surfside Girls website to extend the world I created.

I read about you doing a mural for your son’s 5th grade school cafeteria. Can you tell us something about that project? What material are you using? Do you have any pictures?

No, that one fell apart, PTA issues. Better to not talk about that one. A wretched example of miscommunication and artist abuse.

Is Surfside Girls going to be a e-book? a self-published book? or are you under contract with a publisher to write and illustrate it?

After some editing, rewriting and repainting, my agent will be sending it out in the next month or so. Fingers crossed! It’s a project that’s really close to my heart.

Do you have an agent?

I do have a lovely agent- her name is Andrea Cascardi and she’s with Transatlantic Literary Agency. She had worked previously for a number of years as an editor, so I feel very confident about her editorial suggestions. It’s great to have another set of eyes I trust looking over things before they go out for submission.

Do you have and use a graphic tablet?

I do not own a graphic tablet. I’m not opposed, but it hasn’t made its way into my toolbox yet. I’m really tactile and have resisted because I love the initial graphite-on-white-paper thing that happens when starting a drawing. I’m not sure a tablet could ever replace that for me. It does have that Command Z thing though…

Do you use Photoshop with any of your work?

I do use Photoshop to adjust color levels sometimes and to add text to speech balloons.

Do you have a studio in your house?

I do have a studio in the house. It’s out of convenience; we had an extra bedroom, and it’s right next to the sunroom, and it’s actually a really nice space. However, those of you who work at home know the challenges. The laundry’s beeping that it’s done, the dog keeps dropping her ball in my lap, the boy wants to know if I can drive him somewhere. You sure can’t beat the commute, though.

Do you follow any type of routine to attain your career goals?

I feel I have a nice balance in my life right now. I teach two classes at local universities, and that leaves me time to continue working on Surfside Girls. I have had to severely limit my focus to keep myself on track, and I think that’s the biggest step in attaining my goals. Initially as an illustrator I was producing new work all of the time, printing postcards, doing mailers, going to conferences and networking. I realized that what I need to do now is finish my project and get it out there. Not that those other things aren’t extremely important, but at a certain point in time you have to commit to one specific thing and see it through.

Any tips that you can share that might help an illustrator?

It is so important to have a support group of other illustrators. They keep you accountable and sane. Equally important is drawing every day. I learned in animation to carry a sketchbook everywhere and to constantly observe and record people and environments. I don’t think anything improves your drawing skills as much as this “café sketching.”

Are there any painting tips (materials, etc) you can share that work well for you? Technique tips?

I struggled putting watercolor over my ink drawings until I found the brown-ink Micron pens. I realized that often my color pallette is very light and the black was killing it. I also love Prismacolor grayscale markers for quick value studies. I usually do a value study for anything I’m going to paint- I don’t trust myself to understand light intuitively. Animation days have also taught me to keep a mirror by my desk where I can watch myself make the expressions I need to draw in my characters. Making the faces in the mirror is really embarrasing to do at first, and then it just embarrasses your kids. Oh, and I love how Windsor Violet lets me create shadows, especially in my Southern California light.

What kinds of things do you do to promote yourself?

I have done all of the things I mentioned before, but right now I make sure I post here and there on facebook and my blog, just to let people know what I’m up to. I post to the Surfside Girls facebook page anytime I have something new on the website. I also occasionally enter competitions and group shows.

Do you have any stories to go with your bug or fairy illustrations? Any book dummies?

I raised two older boys and have my own little one, so I think the fairies are really my need to be girly coming out. And the bugs are a reflection on the time I spent at home as a new mom raising my son- they have a lot to do with domestic life (I can’t tell you why it all came out in bugs!) Then out of the blue I started to see some imagery that was a little bit darker than what I ususally do. It involves both fairies- a tougher bunch of fairies- and mantises, and epic, medieval battle scenes. I don’t know quite where it’s going yet, but it’s on the back burner since I’m so involved in my current project. I have another dummy book on the back burner, it involves a capybara and a gecko.

Have you had an illustrations published in children’s magazines? If so, where. If not, is that something you would like to pursue?

I did a few illustrations for the L.A. Times Kids Reading Room, and enjoyed that immensely. I would love to do children’s magazines as well, but haven’t so far.

Do you have an words of wisdom to share with other illustrators?

I’m a great champion of believing in yourself and supporting your friends. Oh, and also for giving yourself a break. Some of my best work has come after giving myself some time out to clear my head. Without a refill, we go dry pretty quickly. Sometimes the beach IS a better choice than the drawing board, as long as you do go back to the drawing board.

I thought you would be interested on seeing how an illustrator take notes at a conference. This is a page from Kim’s notebook at the LA SCBWI Conference in 2010.

Thank you Kim for sharing you work and process with us. Wishing good fortune with Surfside Girls Make sure you let us know when it gets published. I am sure we are going to see your domestic bugs showing up in a book one of these days.

You can visit Kim’s at: www.kimdwinell.com  I am sure Kim would love for you to leave her a comment, so if you have a minute please leave a comment.  Thanks!

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

Middle school has tons of drama. Tons. So you can imagine what it's like being involved in a middle school play: there's constant drama on and off the stage! Filled with life, energy, and color, the brand-new graphic novel Drama by Raina Telgemeier is a must-have for anyone who works backstage or on stage, and should be immediately placed in the hands of middle school students, drama teachers, and comic book collectors alike. But you don't have to know the theatre to appreciate the story - pretty much anyone who's suffered the mortification and triumphs of middle school, first crushes, and group projects can relate!

Callie, the book's spunky protagonist, is thrilled when Mr. Madera announces the selection for the school's spring musical: Moon Over Mississippi, a musical Callie l-o-v-e-s. When the the student stage crew is assembled with their director/supervisor, duties are quickly divvied up: Callie volunteers to be in charge of set design, while her friend Liz becomes the costume designer. Loren's set to be the stage manager; Delfina signs up for makeup; Matt will hit the lights; Mirko's doing sound; Sanjay will help with carpentry.

And just like that, the next fourteen weeks fly by, packed with breakups, shakeups, schoolwork, and rehearsals. Before they know it, the curtain's rising on opening night. Soon afterwards, the drama continues at a school dance.

Laid out in the customary graphic novel fashion, with clear panels and gorgeous colors by Gurihiru, the book also pulls in the feel of a play, with an overture that sets the scene, then act breaks - even an entr'acte! - all leading to The End. For those of you who like to read the scene breakdown in the program before the house lights dim, here you go: In Act I, we meet Callie's initial crush and the stage crew. Act II introduces us to Jesse and Justin, twin brothers who quickly befriend Callie. During the auditions in Act III, Justin shines, and Jesse joins the stage crew. Rehearsals continue in Act IV, tech in Act V, performances in Act VI, and the school dance in Act VII. The final act wraps up the storylines and the school year.

Callie gets an A+ for being such an awesome lead character. She speaks her mind a lot of the time, but still gets tongue-tied (or thumb-tied, when texting or sending IMs) sometimes. She's loyal to her buddies and extremely devoted to the show. She really wants her set to pop - truly! With the show set in the time of the Civil War, she's determined to figure out a way to make functioning, confetti-spewing cannons. Subtle lessons about responsibility are taught within these pages, as some students bite off more than they can chew while others really pay attention to detail and do their research. For example, Callie and Liz watch films like Gone With the Wind to get ideas for their designs, and Callie has many a sleepless night over the creation of her cannons...and what's going on with her friends.

The cast is extremely diverse, not only in heritage and appearance but also in personality and personal style and interests. From the moment the twins are introduced, you can hear Justin's bubbly voice and Jesse's slightly quieter one. There's something about these brothers that makes you want to hug them. Energetic Justin practically jumps off the page, squeeing (yes, he has a speech bubble which says, "Squee!") and telling Callie, "You are officially my new favorite person." (He also approves of her name: "Callie! What a happy-sounding name, very sunshiny.") By contrast, Callie's best friend Liz is very calm, and Jesse, who becomes Callie's new crush, is somewhere in-between.

The crushes keep crushing; Callie's not the only one confused about who she likes, and who likes her. In a wonderful scene, one of the teens confides in another, revealing that a character is gay. Someone confides in someone else, and it's simply the truth, no shame, no heaviness to it. If only all books (and films, and TV shows) handled all characters' lives in such a way, to be aware of what could be called sensitive subject matter but not shying away from it, and letting it be simply the truth rather than A Big Deal (or a ratings gimmick), then more readers/viewers would see themselves in those characters and thus respond more strongly and positively to the stories being told.

All of the characters who are working on Moon Over Mississippi have found a sanctuary in their school's theatre. Whether they are working on props, practicing lines, setting up lights, looking through old costumes, or waiting in the wings, they are safe - and excited, and nervous, and anxious.

This book also includes not one but two memorable trips to bookstores. Look at the reactions Callie has on pages 128-130: absolutely priceless, and completely felt by ANYONE who has ever entered a building, a museum, a store, any place that's all about something they love more than anything.

When the last curtain dropped, and I found I had reached the end of the book, I wanted to re-read the entire thing right away. I would have, too, if I hadn't had to go on stage. This is a true story. Just ask Raina: She received photographic evidence of me reading this book backstage!

You might be thinking, "Oh, she loved this book just because she loves the theatre." No, I loved this book because it's awesome. I loved this book because Raina Telgemeier's artwork is wonderful, and because she's a masterful storyteller, both in words and pictures. I loved the characters, the colors, the details, the dialogue. I wish my middle school productions had been this cool, and I wish I had friends like Callie's, and a friend like Callie. I can only hope that my work as an actress and as a writer inspires others like Raina's has inspired her fellow artists and readers.

If you loved Telgemeier's previous graphic novels, including Smile and the illustrated versions of The Baby-Sitters Club, then you're going to love this book.

Drama is available in both softcover AND hardcover, published by Scholastic Graphix.

Related Posts and Outside Links

Read my interview with Raina Telgemeier.

Consult my Middle School Must-Haves Booklist.

Watch the Drama trailer on YouTube.

Virtually flip through the book.

Check out the #DRAMADAY contest!

Not all books have to be boring! Enter to have your chance at the selection of books below. Prizes Science Fiction Paranormal Thriller YA Fantasy MG/YA Fantasy YA Science Fiction   YA Paranormal Romance YA Paranormal Romance YA Paranormal Romance Paranormal Romance Paranormal Romance Science Fiction Speculative Fiction   Enter the Giveaway a Rafflecopter giveaway [...]

LATEST NEWS

Artie’s new story The Race for Space was published in the September issue of the Teachers.net Gazette. To read the story please click on the image below. (This story is dedicated to the memory of Neil Armstrong, whose courage and heroism will live on forever)

Artie’s children’s book Living Green: A Turtle’s Quest for a Cleaner Planet is now available as a free video for kids through StoryCub. A shortlist finalist for the national 2012 Green Earth Book Award, Thurman the turtle is tired of seeing the land he loves cluttered with trash and decides to take action.

To watch the Living Green video and many other books on StoryCub.org, please click on the cover below. StoryCub videos are one of the most watched programs on Apple’s iTunes Kids & Family section.

Use of any of the content on this website without permission is prohibited by federal law

I wanted to share a video a friend of mine put together, as I think it's poetic in the best sense of the word. The video features parents of kids with disabilities offering up what they might have told themselves on the day their child was diagnosed. Powerful stuff, I must say.




This week's Poetry Friday roundup is over at Sylvia Vardell's Poetry for Children. You'll find all sorts of goodies over there (including a book I'm thrilled to be a part of and which you'll see more about here soooooon!).

• thank the person who nominated me 
• nominate  bloggers whom I find inspiring 
•  list seven things about myself 

August 2012: 12 books and scripts read

Best Bets for Teens and Adults
The Fallen 4: Forsaken by Thomas E. Sniegoski
In the House of the Wicked: A Remy Chandler Novel by Thomas E. Sniegoski
Texas Gothic by Rosemary Clement-Moore
The Splendor Falls by Rosemary Clement-Moore

Middle School Must-Haves
Drama by Raina Telgemeier
Eighth Grade is Making Me Sick: Ginny Davis's Year in Stuff by Jennifer L. Holm and Elicia Castaldi
Confectionately Yours #2: Taking the Cake! by Lisa Papademetriou

Picture Book Pick
Sky Color by Peter H. Reynolds

To follow up on an earlier post, my favorite writing magazine, The Writer, has been purchased by Madavor Media and will continue to be published. No news yet about the staff's future.

Announcing the Carson Prize in Poetry or Prose

Mixed Fruit is pleased to announce the Carson Prize in Poetry or Prose, a writing contest that will present one winning writer with a $100 award and publication in our first print issue, to be published in early 2013.

The Carson Prize is open to all writers in all genres. We’ll read work from established or emerging authors. We welcome submissions from writers of any nationality. As with our general submissions, we will judge entries on merit alone–all submissions should exclude names or any other identifying information.

This contest is free to enter–there is no reading fee whatsoever.  

We welcome entrants to submit up to five poems of any length or up to two prose pieces (8,000 words or less per piece). If you feel that your submission blurs the line between prose and poetry, select one of the categories and we assure you it will be passed on to the appropriate editors.

The author whose work is deemed most worthy of the Carson Prize will be awarded $100 and publication in the print issue, along with two contributor copies. Only one monetary award will be given, but three finalists will be published in the print issue and will receive one contributor copy, and all entries will be considered for publication in either the print issue or a future online issue. We do accept simultaneous submissions, but if your piece is accepted elsewhere, you must withdraw it immediately. This contest is only open to writing that has not been previously published.

The deadline for this contest is November 15, 2012.

To enter, visit our submissions manager and submit your piece under the Carson Prize category. We will not accept entries via email or post. This contest is fee-free, but we will have two options at the time of submission: you may enter with no fee at all, or you may choose to include a donation with your entry. Donations will in no way influence the judges’ decisions. Please ensure that your entry does not include your name or other identifying information at any point, even in the file name. We’ll know who you are when the time comes–we promise.

To learn more about our magazine, visit our website.

You’ve probably heard of the story of the princess and the pea.

You know.

The one about the prince looking for the perfect, sensitive princess to be his bride. The one about how the perfect princess would be so delicate and dainty that she would be kept awake at night by the presence of one tiny pea under 20 mattresses.

Well, The Princess and the Packet of Frozen Peas (Peachtree, 2012), a picture book written by Tony Wilson and illustrated by Sue deGennaro, sets that idea on its head.

Yes, there’s a prince in search of a wife, but he’s seen enough fragile, high-maintenance princesses. His own brother is married to one, and they don’t seem on their way to a “happily ever after.”

Prince Henrik wants a girl who likes to camp and play hockey.

So he develops his own test and is very surprised by the girl who passes.

Let’s hear more from today’s guest reviewer.

——————————————-

Today’s reviewer: Cora

Age: 9

I like: Football, dancing, drawing and prairie dogs.

This book was about: A prince who is trying to find a princess who likes camping and hockey. He doesn’t care for a beautiful princess!

The best part was when: Pippa and the prince go play hockey.

I laughed when: It said, “Once upon a time there was a prince called Henrik who wanted very much to fall in love and get married. He was an outdoorsy type and hoped that the princess he married would like hockey and camping!”

I was worried when: Prince Henrik couldn’t find a princess.

I was surprised that: Pippa liked the peas in her bed.

This book taught me: Don’t love someone because of who they are on the outside, love them because who they are on the inside.

Other kids reading this book should watch for: The part when Prince Henrik put a whole pack of frozen peas instead of 1 single pea under the bed.

Three words that best describe this book are: “Hilarious.” “Outstanding.” “Curious.”

My favorite line or phrase in the book is: Many young girls visited, but none passed the test.

You should read this book because: It teaches you a big lesson that will help you in life.  (See my answer above about what this book taught me.)

——————————————-

Thank you, Cora!

If you’d like to learn more about Tony Wilson, you can read this interview. Or, you can read his blog.

If you’d like to learn more about illustrator Sue deGennaro, you can read this interview. Or, you can watch this video of Sue discussing how she works.

2012 Wabash Prize for Nonfiction: Sycamore Review is now accepting entries for its inaugural Wabash Prize for Nonfiction judged by Mary Karr and open to previously unpublished works of nonfiction of 7,500 words or fewer.

The author of the winning piece will be awarded $1,000 and publication in the 2013 Winter/Spring issue of Sycamore Review. All entrants receive a year's subscription to Sycamore Review.  

Entry fee is $15 and $5 for each additional entry. Submissions are accepted via the online submission manager. All entries are considered for publication.

Deadline: October 1. Visit our website for more information.


2012 Wabash Prize for Poetry: Sycamore Review is now accepting entries for the 2012 Wabash Prize for Poetry judged by Nikky Finney and open to previously unpublished works of poetry. Each entry may contain up to three poems (no more than six pages total).

The author of the winning piece will be awarded $1,000 and publication in a 2013 issue of Sycamore Review. All entrants receive a year's subscription to Sycamore Review.

Entry fee is $15 and $5 for each additional poem. Submissions are accepted via the submission manager. All entries considered for publication.

Deadline: November 1. Visit our website for more information.

The Missouri Review Editor's Prize Competition: Over $15,000 in prizes.

Deadline: October 1st, 2012

First-place prizes of $5,000 each are awarded in fiction, poetry, and nonfiction. Winners will be published in The Missouri Review and will be awarded an all-expenses paid trip to our Editor's Prize gala. Our contest is open to both established and emerging writers. Runners-up also receive cash prizes and will have their work published in TMR.

Your entry fee of $20 includes a one-year subscription (4 issues) to The Missouri Review, in print or digital. Winners will be announced in January, 2013.

For further information, or to submit online, please see our website.

If you are a regular devotee of the kidlitosphere, you have no doubt come across Debbie Ridpath Ohi‘s inspiring writing and cartoons, whether on Inkygirl or another of her various and varied blogs, or indeed her website.  We are delighted to welcome Debbie to our online Gallery, with a selection of artwork that includes the first page spread from her short story for the Tomo anthology, our current Book of the Month; illustrations from her imminent picture book I’m Bored (written by Michael Ian Black and published by Simon & Schuster on 4 September…); and a selection of personal pieces.

Here’s a taster from our Q&A, in which Debbie’s excitement about illustrating I’m Bored is infectious:

So hard to choose just one part! The most exciting in terms of specific moments:

My meetings with Justin Chanda (editor/publisher) and art director Laurent Linn at the Simon & Schuster offices in NYC. I remember that for the first few minutes, all I could think was OHMYGOSH OHMYGOSH I’M AT SIMON & SCHUSTER!!! To talk about a book that *I* was illustrating!! But then I realized that I needed to focus, so forcibly dragged my thoughts out of gush nirvana and back to the meeting.

Seriously, though, I learned so much from Justin and Laurent, and it was incredibly exciting to see I’m Bored progress from early sketches to the final proofs.

Another highlight for me: the first time I read Michael Ian Black’s manuscript. I laughed out loud and was so delighted….and then it hit home. *I* was going to be illustrating this story.

Yeay!  And we are excited that Debbie has two more books with Simon & Schuster in the offing.  So head on over to Debbie’s PaperTigers Gallery now – and keep an eye out at your local bookstore on 4 September – we’re sure you won’t be bored and you may never be able to look a potato in the eye in quite the same way again!

The worldwide artist network known as Bluecanvas has just released an exclusive interview that I did with them.


(Video Linkhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcuOUmz8KxA&feature=plcp) The interview explores how Dinotopia came into being and the relationship between art, science, and imagination. Interview by Shana Nys Dambrot.
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Visit the Bluecanvas website
Subscribe to the Bluecanvas magazine
Dinotopia: The World Beneath 
Dinotopia exhibition at the Lyman Allyn Art Museum.
To read the complete interview, and to see the full range of images, you'll have to pick up Issue 14 of Bluecanvas magazine, which will be available in late November.

Here I am, ready to continue my exploration of book trailers used to sell e-books. Do trailers work? If they do, what makes a book trailer effective? If they don’t, what makes them ineffective? Today’s trailer is for the novel, Before I Fall: How did I select this book trailer to use as an example? [...]

Here are some cheap reads to feed your Kindle or Kindle app for the weekend!  Today I am spotlighting one of my favorite Regency lines.  InterMix is reprinting a selection of Signet’s Regency Romances.  Much like Random House’s Loveswept imprint, the Signet Regency Romances will always be near and dear to my heart. Many of my favorite authors wrote for the line.  These are all preorders for September and October.

The Errant Earl: Signet Regency Romance (InterMix) by Amanda McCabe

Libby’s London Merchant: Signet Regency Romance (InterMix) by Carla Kelly

The Jilting of Baron Pelham: Signet Regency Romance (InterMix) by June Calvin

The Wagered Heart: Signet Regency Romance (InterMix) by Rhonda Woodward (Kindle Edition – Oct 9, 2012)

The Golden Feather: Signet Regency Romance (InterMix) by Amanda McCabe

Here I am, ready to continue my exploration of book trailers used to sell e-books. Do trailers work? If they do, what makes a book trailer effective? If they don’t, what makes them ineffective? Today’s trailer is for the novel, Before I Fall: How did I select this book trailer to use as an example? Well, with the first trailer I looked at I went through sales figures in the Kindle bookstore and selected a title from the top 50 in the paid bookstore. The title I selected was Brad Thor’s Black List. It turned out, however, that the trailer had only been viewed by around 600 people, so couldn’t have impacted much on the best seller’s sales statistics. This time, I reversed the process and selected a trailer based on views on YouTube and then checked to see how it was selling in the Kindle Store. Before I Fall, written by Lauren Oliver Before I Fall is written for the YA market, however, current research indicates that in e-books there’s really no separation between what adults and young adults are reading. Everybody is reading YA these days: http://paidcontent.org/2012/05/04/why-are-kids-e-book-sales-surging-partly-because-adults-are-reading-them/ This was author Lauren Oliver’s first novel, released in March of [...]