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You are viewing the most recent posts from the 1518 blogs currently in the JacketFlap Blog Reader. These posts are sorted by date, with the most recent posts at the top of the page. There are hundreds of new posts here every day on a variety of topics related to children's publishing. We have provided a variety of ways for you to navigate through the blog posts. Click the dates in the calendar on the left to view blog posts from a particular date. Scroll down through the list of Recent Posts in the left column and click on a post title that sounds interesting. Click a tag in the right column to view posts about that topic. You can view all posts from a specific blog by clicking the Blog name in the right column, or you can click a "More Posts from this Blog" link in any individual post.
“When we finished our lowrider, I was so proud of my mama.
People thought she couldn’t do it, but we sure proved ‘em wrong!
And I was proud of myself for helping her choose some pretty colors for the painting.”
It’s the first Sunday of the month, which means it’s time here at 7-Imp to shine the spotlight on a student or new-to-the-field illustrator.
Today I’ve got illustrator, artist, and mural-maker Robert Trujillo, who is from Oakland, California. Robert has yet to be published as an illustrator but is, as he told me, trying to learn more about the field and meet like minds “in real time or through the Web.”
Speaking of the Web, Robert’s site is the cool side of satin, especially if you dig art and jazz (and/or funk and/or soul). Case-in-point is here.
Okay, digression over.
The illustration above, rendered in watercolor and ink, is one of two illustrations Robert created from a short story he’s written about a mother and daughter who build their own lowrider. The second illustration, as well as more artwork from Robert, is below.
And here are more words from Robert, who is pictured above at a recent visit to an elementary school in Sacramento. (More on that visit and more pictures are here at Robert’s site.) (more…)
By: Hollie Hibbert,
on 6/2/2012
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I WILL finish this, I just was too eager to post. It's been forever since I've had the time to sit and create a piece just for fun.
By: Kathy Temean,
on 6/2/2012
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Writing and Illustrating
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The list below is by no means all the books being sold at the conference on Saturday and Sunday, but some of the books are limited in the amount we have ordered. Last year we ran out of Grace Lin’s WHERE THE MOUNTAIN MEETS THE MOON and with so many big names, author and illustrator combos, and new books on this list, I wanted to give everyone a chance to reserve the books they would like to purchase from the list below. This way we can try to order more for the weekend, if needed.
Please e-mail Darlene Beck Jacobson djac2185@verizon.net with the books you would like to secure by the end of Tuesday and we will make sure they are set aside with your name on them for pick-up at the conference. All the books will be sold at regular price.
Kate DeCamillo & Harry Bliss – Louise, Adventures of a Chicken (get two autographs)
Kate DiCamillo – Bink & Gollie; Two for One – Hardcover *NEW Early Sale
Ame Dyckman, Dan Yaccarino BOY + BOT *New Selling last of first printing (Get two autographs)
Natalie Zaman and Charlotte Bennardo Sirenz, Sirenz Back in Fashion *NEW (Get two autographs)
Leeza Hernandez – Dog Gone! *NEW Early Sale
Harry Bliss – Bailey at the Museum *New
Kate DiCamillo
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane [Paperback and hardcover]
The Magician’s Elephant [Paperback and hardcover]
Because of Winn-Dixie [Paperback and hardcover]
The Tale of Despereaux [Paperback and hardcover]
Bink & Gollie [Paperback]
Mercy Watson to the Rescue [Paperback]
Mercy Watson: Princess in Disguise [Paperback]
Mercy Watson: Something Wonky this Way Comes [Paperback]
The Tiger Rising by Kate DiCamillo [Paperback]
Dan Yaccarino
All the Way to America
Harry Bliss
Bailey
Diary of a Worm
JohnCusick (agent)
Girl Parts
Daniel Nayeri (editor)
Straw House, Wood House, Brick House, Blow
Leila Sales (editor)
Mostly Good Girls
Past Perfect
Harold Underdown
The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Publishing Children’s Books
If you are not attending the conference and would like to request a signed copy of a book, you can send Darlene a request and we will get them autographed for you and ship them to your address after you have paid for the price of the book and shipping.
Talk tomorrow,
Kathy
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The Lionel Asbo-publicity machine gathers steam with the next looooong profile of Martin Amis, as Tom Lamont reports on Martin Amis: a new chapter in America in The Observer.
(I am looking forward to Lionel Asbo -- though I worry that I will quickly tire of looking forward to it if I continue to come across many more such profiles (especially once the Americans jump on the American angle ... though I suppose that there's some hope that American publications won't think him worth their while, much less so much space; I keep my fingers crossed); get your copy at Amazon.co.uk, or, in the US, where it's due out in August, pre-order your copy at Amazon.com).)
PBS Newshour has a segment (plus transcript) of Peruvian Writer Mario Vargas Llosa on the Importance of Literature by Jeffrey Brown, as the publicity-machine for his Roger Casement-novel, The Dream of the Celt, comes stateside, too.
I'm not sure about this one, but since I've covered so much else by him I figure I'll get to it eventually; see also the publicity pages from Farrar, Straus and Giroux and Faber, or get your copy at Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk (and compare the two different covers ...).
ABC.az reports that Azerbaijan's head allocated AZN 5 million for construction of Museum of Literature in Gazakh.
Seems kind of an out-of-the-way place for a museum, but better than nothing; on the other hand 5,000,000 AZN (or New Manats, as the currency is apparently called) is a decent sum: while the currency is so obscure the currency symbol doesn't even have its own unicode, it is worth more per unit than the US dollar, and so that adds up to more than $6,350,000.
Apparently:
The Order is motivated by the importance of identifying the potential of young creative generation, preservation and promotion of national directions of literature and literary and cultural heritage of the people, and relevant request made on the occasion by writers and poets of the region.
Sounds admirable enough (though of course what becomes of all this remains to be seen ...).
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Thanks for visiting the official site of children’s author Artie Knapp!
Where Alligators Bowl, Roosters Moo, and Elephants work at car washes!
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Now Playing - All A Dream by Norah Jones
Life -
The next few days were a bit blurry, we continued sorting through the shed, taking time out to eat Mexican food, chat with friends and family, eat more Mexican food, dividing boxes of books and comics and generally working or moving around from 6:30am to 1 or 2 in the morning.
The shed got finished, mostly, everything re-boxes
I'm excited to join Quirky Girls Read's Classic Bribe 2012 Challenge. The reading challenge is for classics, the goal to read at least one this summer. A random drawing will decide the winner, but each book reviewed and linked up to on the challenge posts adds to the winnings.
I definitely plan on reading some Shakespeare, some Victorian authors like Trollope, Dickens, Collins, etc., and some children's classics too. I would LOVE to reread E. Nesbit!
© 2012 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews
My deep affection and admiration for Bruce Springsteen is well known. I won't repeat myself here, not tonight. I simply wish to say this evening how happy and proud I am to be joining April Lindner, Jane Satterfield, Ned Balbo, and Ann E. Michael for Glory Days: A Bruce Springsteen Symposium, to be held this coming September. Our proposal (April planted the seeds) was accepted. We'll sit together to reflect on the impact this great artist has on the way we think about words and storytelling. And we'll listen to what others have to say (and how they sing).
I also wish to say that I had the privilege, hours ago, of standing at the rails at the Devon Horse Show and watching Jessica Springsteen, Bruce's daughter, float above her gorgeous horse. She is a distinguished rider and person, this Jessica Springsteen. She made it to the jump off, rode last in a tough, brave field. Here she is in a bold attempt to best a toweringly fine time.
At the invitation of the Nebraska Writing Project, I attended their recent awards ceremony. The project aims to celebrate and improve writing in classrooms and communities across the state. Mostly teachers make up its membership and receive awards.
Another Nebraska children’s writer, Mary Elizabeth Anderson, and I displayed our books at the back of the room and networked with teachers. We are both open to visiting classrooms to speak about writing and our work as authors.
Cathy Wilken, Ronica Stromberg, and Mary Elizabeth Anderson beside their book display at the awards ceremony of the Nebraska Writing Project. Cathy heads a critique group that formed from the project.
Ronica Stromberg, Mary Elizabeth Anderson, Cathy Wilken, and educator Bev Hoistad at the NWP awards ceremony.
Nebraska is fortunate to have one of the most active projects in the nation and continues to make good use of grants received. The project puts on writing workshops for students and community members. One of my current critique groups formed after meeting at one of these workshops.
Go, Nebraska!
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By: gaby317,
on 6/2/2012
Blog:
Starting Fresh
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Mission to Paris by Alan Furst
Late in 1938, Frederich Stahl, an Austrian born Hollywood star is sent to Paris to work on the film "Apres le Guerre" or "After the War". Stahl is swapped by his studio, Warner Brothers, to work on a Paramount film. Stahl is a gentle heartthrob with strong, masculine looks and perfect manners his specialty is playing "a warm man in a cold world". It is unfortunate that his arrival in Paris comes just as the German war machine has started to flex its muscles, gathering allies in France and the neighboring countries.
Authorities in Berlin hatch a plot to reach out to Frederich Stahl to have him ally himself with the German backed position of pacifism. The Germans, whether Nazi sympathizers and their henchmen or wealthy socialites, are more caricatures than characters, particularly as they attempt to force Stahl to their side. We find that while Stahl is Austrian, he does not harbor any sympathy for the Nazi Party or their beliefs and we find ourselves sympathizing with him as he tries to extricate himself from the reach of Germany's reach.
Aside from the caricaturization of the German characters, Mission to Paris is a beautifully written thriller. Alan Furst takes us to Paris in the 1930s with its decadence, drama, complexity and the undertones of fear and compromise that mark the years before the Nazi invasion.
ISBN-10: 1400069483 - Hardcover $27
Publisher: Random House (June 12, 2012), 272 pages.
Review copy courtesy of the publisher and the Amazon Vine Program.
About the Author:
Alan Furst is widely recognized as the master of the historical spy novel. Now translated into seventeen languages, he is the bestselling author of Night Soldiers, Dark Star, The Polish Officer, The World at Night, Red Gold, Kingdom of Shadows, Blood of Victory, Dark Voyage, and The Foreign Correspondent Born in New York, he now lives in Paris and on Long Island.
Ah, lazy summer days have arrived. I hope you make some worthy goals for the these days. I like to keep it short and sweet for the summer months. Through June I will focus on story structure. For me, there are five essential elements that stand out in terms of story structure. I'm going to beat these elements out over the next five weeks.
The first element of a rocking plot is "the moment everything changes." This moment usually shows up on the first page, occasionally on the first line and sometimes hangs back until the end of the first chapter and once in a blue moon hangs back to the third chapter. The author usually establishes an every day world and then there is a moment that sets of a string of dominoes tumbling that will continually fall over until the end of the story. Without this moment you have no story.
So dig around in your work-in-progress and ask yourself, what has happened upfront that I can't take out this novel or I don't have a novel. If you don't have a moment like that you have a problem. Another problem can be too many moments where everything changes. I mean, the chickadee receives a letter, loses her job, crashes her car, gets bad news from the doctor, signs up for the camp, volunteers at the homeless shelter, inherits a million dollars, receives a mysterious message from a prince and gains an evil stepmother. I mean where is this story going? You have to pick the one moment and stick with it like glue. No domino moment or multiple domino moments and your readers are going to grumble and lose interest.
My best advice identify the moment that everything changes. Your work will thank you.
Here is my doodle, "Perspective."
Hilary Cooper
I'm finding the NESCBWI blog tour a relaxing thing to do during breaks in hectic weekends. That's what I'm on right now, a break in a hectic weekend.
Sharon Abra Hanen, the blogger who maintains The Well-fed Poet, has published primarily for adults. However, she does do posts on children's literature at her blog.
Kourtney Heintz's Journal is the blog of an aspiring writer. She does book reviews and recently attended--and blogged about--the Mystery Writers' Association Symposium.
Jennifer Marie Hofmann is one of three writers who maintain the blog Damsels in Regress...bringing history back to life. They do author interviews, book reviews, and short essays on historical subjects.
Kathryn Hulick is a freelance writer and editor who maintains the blog Visible Thought.
And we will finish this week's relaxation with Lynda Mullaly Hunt's two blogs. Recently her personal blog has dealt with the launch of her debut book, One for the Murphy's, but she also runs a regular feature, Mentor Mondays. She's also one of the authors involved with EMU's Debuts, a blog maintained by debut authors at the Erin Murphy Literary Agency.
Phew! I'm finally done sorting through the nominations and notifying our judges, which means I can now post the long list for the battle!
Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who nominated a title! Without your suggestions we wouldn't be able to have a battle. We did have a few nominations who got filtered out as duplicates or because they didn't fit the parameters of this battle. So if anyone doesn't see their nomination and would like to know why, please send me an email and ask.
There were 71 (!) nominations this year, way more than I thought we would have in such a small(ish) category. This compares to about 80 nominations last year just to give you an idea of the scope of these nominations. And the funny thing is, there are even more fairy tale retellings that weren't nominated and so didn't make the list! It's a good time to be a fairy tale fan apparently. :) Our long list has a nice mix of the expected fairy tale and Greek myths, but also has some surprises like Navajo and Polynesian legends.
Now with the release of this list, our Round 1 judges will get busy reading, reading, reading, and more reading over the next month to determine which of these books will make the short list and move onto the brackets. 71 books in, only 16 out...
The battle is on!
2012 Battle Nomination Long ListA Curse Dark As Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce
A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz
Abandon by Meg Cabot
Avalon High by Meg Cabot
Beastly by Alex Flinn
Between Two Ends by David Ward
Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale
Bound by Donna Jo Napoli
Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu
Cindy Ella by Robin Palmer
7 Comments on 2012 Book Battle Long List, last added: 6/5/2012
Ed Champion interviews Samuel Delany for his Bat Segundo Show. An informed, wide-ranging conversation that's very much worth the time to listen to:
Delany: And I think pornotopia is the place, as I’ve written about, where the major qualities — the major aspect of pornotopia, it’s a place where any relation, if you put enough pressure on it, can suddenly become sexual. You walk into the reception area of the office and you look at the secretary and the secretary looks at you and the next minute you’re screwing on the desk. That’s pornotopia. Which, every once in a while, actually happens. But it doesn’t happen at the density.
Correspondent: Frequency.
Delany: At the frequency that it happens in pornotopia. In pornotopia, it happens nonstop. And yet some people are able to write about that sort of thing relatively realistically. And some people aren’t. Something like Fifty Shades of Grey is not a very realistic account.
Correspondent: I’m sure you’ve read that by now.
Delany: I’ve read about five pages.
Correspondent: And it was enough for you to throw against the wall?
Delany: No. I didn’t throw it. I just thought it was hysterically funny. But because the writer doesn’t use it to make any real observations on the world that is the case, you know, it’s ho-hum.
Correspondent: How do we hook those moms who were so driven to Fifty Shades of Grey on, say, something like this?
Delany: I don’t think you’re going to.
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By:
michelle lovric,
on 6/2/2012
Blog:
An Awfully Big Blog Adventure
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This is the first in our new series of guest blogs by booksellers. These blogs are designed to show life behind the scenes of a crucial but neglected relationship – the one between writers and booksellers. Here Meryl Halls shares news of some exciting initiatives and invites writers to participate in the events such as ‘Strictly Come Bookselling’ during the fifth Independent Booksellers Week, which this year takes place between 30th June and 7th July.
My main responsibilities lie in working with independent booksellers, and over the last five years we have established a thriving Independent Booksellers Forum, which organizes events and campaigns for the 1000+ indie bookshops still operating in the UK and Ireland.
I’ve always been a book-lover, and my earliest and most vivid childhood memories revolve around our annual trips from Scotland to visit family friends in Meldreth, near Cambridge. A trip to Heffers Children’s Bookshop was the highlight of every trip (for me, if not for my brother!). I can hardly put into words the excitement of walking through the door and smelling ‘that’ smell.
As a teenager and student, I worked in the local indie bookshop in my small Scottish home town, though it is now sadly long-closed. Whenever I am home visiting family, one of the biggest pleasures for me, my husband and my two teenage children is to visit the wonderful Main Street Trading Company in St Boswells. So, you could say I have the perfect job – and you’d not be far wrong!
At the BA, our umbrella brand for our indie activity is IndieBound, a marketing campaign begun in the USA, which focuses on the importance of shopping locally, shopping independently and creating a strong community. When we introduced the campaign into the UK, it immediately resonated with UK booksellers and it has provided both the BA and our members with opportunities to start a meaningful conversation with customers about how important their consumer behaviour is in keeping retail areas diverse, bookshops thriving and high streets healthy.
We have migrated our IndieBound messages about community engagement and shopping locally into our more recent ‘Keep Books on the High Street’ campaign, which is currently entering a new phase, and is reaching out to authors for support. You can see more
here.We will be back in touch with SAS members about the campaign, but in the meantime if you are interested in providing us with a quote in support of indie or high street bookselling, or – even better – if you are prepared to record a short spoken piece on the same subject, we would love to hear from you – email us
here. The American BA has just launched a very similar initiative called ‘Why Indies Matter’, and you can see some of your fellow authors talking about indie bookshops on this link to the
US IndieBound site.
The main reason, though, that I’m deligh
By Todd Allen
One of the nice things about being around a large library system is being able to take a flier on a graphic novel you might not otherwise pick up. Not too long ago, I happened up Vol. 1-3 of Dracula: The Company of Monsters on the shelf and figured “it’s Kurt Busiek… how bad could it be?” I picked up the first volume and ended up going back the next day for the rest of the set.
When I first saw the title, I thought this was going to be some sort of monster team-up. It isn’t the “Company of Monster” is a witty way of describing one of the villains of the piece: an actual company. With all the news coverage of corporate scandals and ethics breaches, Busiek has positioned a company (or at least the executive suite and assorted ladder climbers) as a monster.
In broad strokes, as the family business is struggling, the fellow running it decides he needs to raise Dracula from the grave, bend him to his will, and use the lord of the vampire’s powers to influence the minds of mere mortals to cut some favorable deals. At least that where it starts, and the best laid plans of mice and men tend to go astray pretty quickly when the involve Dracula. This is a more business-y Dracula than I’m accustomed to seeing. His statesman past is emphasized and his promises are binding. A charming monster whose teeth are saved for when they’re needed.
The corporate angle may sound a little goofy, but it’s a quick moving story with just enough snark about Gordon Gekko-tendencies to give you a smile here and there. I’d put this in the category of very well done bubblegum, rather than an epic. There’s subtext to it, but it’s more of a romp.
The writing is by Kurt Busiek and Daryl Gregory. My understanding is Busiek outlined the tale and Gregory fleshed it out into scripts. The art is by Scott Godlewski and Damian Couceiro.
I could tell you more about, but why not just go have a look for yourself. Boom! put the first tpb online. The story starts here. Give it 20 pages or so.
This title went under my radar when it was in monthly format, but that website is a good way revisit a fun comic that should have fared a little better.
Lately, I've been thinking about kids who choose not to read. As librarians we know that there are many reasons why certain kids are not readers. I have a few of them in my life, and I am probably quite annoying to them, as I tend to foist books on kids at every turn.
Nick is one of those kids. I know him from my real life, not my school life. I am not his teacher or librarian...simply a neighbor in the summertime. I've pushed a few books his way over the years...books that I thought he might enjoy, based on what I know about him. No dice. Nick is a kid who doesn't like to read. He was nice enough to answer some of my questions about his reading habits.
Do you consider yourself a reader?
I don't consider myself a reader. When was the last time you read a book for fun (not for school)?
The last time I read a book for fun, was the fifth grade. What was that book?
It was the Harry Potter series. What do you like to do besides reading?
I like to practice my instrument or watch TV. If you have to read something for school, how do you get through it? Do you read the whole thing?
If I have to read something for school, I read the whole thing only because I have to and I don't want to fail the essay on the book. Do other people in your family like to read?
The only person in my family who likes to read is my mom. Why do you think reading is not your thing?
I think reading is not my thing because I have a hard time getting into the book, and I think it's easier to just watch the movie. Maybe someday I will find something for Nick to read. Maybe someday he will find the perfect book without my help. Maybe he will never turn into a reader of books. The question that I have to ask myself as an adult and a reader and a librarian, is how far to go with the suggestions. Not all kids like to read, and maybe that's just going to have to be okay.
It's Jubilee weekend, and we're taking a quick break from the Olympic Bookshop Hop to celebrate. I'm an ardent republican who seems to have unwittingly raised ardent monarchists, hence I am celebrating the Jubilee on behalf of my three eager (and loyal) young subjects. The children have not forgiven us for taking them camping over the (madness of) the Royal Wedding last year (no TV, no wifi, hurrah!) and we were planning to do the same this year for Jubilee weekend but the children had other ideas. Not only have we spent the past week on a non-stop Jubilee parade of lunches, parties and bonnet-making...
...but our house now looks, thanks to E's determination, like it's hosting its very own Jubilee street party...
Tomorrow we have ambitious plans to seee the flotilla or, to give it its proper title, the
Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant, so watch this space, I will report back Sunday evening...
Last year we found an animatic for an unproduced Post cereal product: Pink Panther Foods. Here’s another one, circa 1968, featuring Casper the Friendly Ghost for “Post Ghosties”. What makes this spot particularly nauseating is the sickly sweet soundtrack and the awful song – horribly “sung” by Casper and his “friends”. It’ll haunt you forever. Please note: this spot never aired, nor was this product ever produced.
Animatics like these were devised for focus groups to test their appeal. Here’s a less offensive one for Dennis The Menace Peanut Puffs.
(Thanks, M. Pažanin via The Odds and Ends Channel)
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Are you looking for an awesome summer read? Do you like YA paranormal romances? Want to win a copy of Goddess Interrupted by Aimee Carter??
Goddess Interrupted is the sequel to The Goddess Test. Here’s a plot synopsis:
KATE WINTERS HAS WON IMMORTALITY.
BUT IF SHE WANTS A LIFE WITH HENRY IN THE UNDERWORLD, SHE’LL HAVE TO FIGHT FOR IT.
Becoming immortal wasn’t supposed to be the easy part. Though Kate is about to be crowned Queen of the Underworld, she’s as isolated as ever. And despite her growing love for Henry, ruler of the Underworld, he’s becoming ever more distant and secretive. Then, in the midst of Kate’s coronation, Henry is abducted by the only being powerful enough to kill him: the King of the Titans.
As the other gods prepare for a war that could end them all, it is up to Kate to save Henry from the depths of Tartarus. But in order to navigate the endless caverns of the Underworld, Kate must enlist the help of the one person who is the greatest threat to her future.
Henry’s first wife, Persephone.
Sounds good, huh? If you enjoy Greek mythology, this is the summer read for you!
To enter for your chance to win, just fill out the widget below! You can earn extra entries by following. Contest ends June 13th. Contest open to US and Canadian addresses.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
What better day for book trailers than a Saturday?
Today’s feature: Boyfriend season: Cali Boys by Kelli London
Kensington gives teen readers a very different, more interactive trailer to feature this book.
A comprehensive description of the book from the author’s website:
First boyfriends, first love, first mistakes—and an invitation to the hottest teen society party of the year send three friends into a tailspin. Can they handle the pressure of getting everything they think they want?
SANTANA JACKSON is one of the flyest chicks in her Atlanta ’hood. At least until her golddigger mother snags a lawyer, and they move to the other side of the tracks. Worse, Santana’s boyfriend has made a move, too—on her rival. Now Santana’s obsessed with winning him back in time to shine—until she unexpectedly finds herself falling for a brainy nerd…
DYNASTY YOUNG has learned about life the hard way, thanks to her drug-addicted mother and MIA father. Then she meets City, a boy with as much money-making potential as swagger—and who could be her ticket to a better life. But when he stands her up, Dynasty realizes that sometimes true love is right next door…
·PATIENCE BLACKMAN is going to hell. Just ask her father, the famous Bishop Blackman. Torn between what’s good for her and what feels good, Patience just wants to have fun—and a hot date for the party—until she stumbles upon a gorgeous church boy who has her rethinking her bad girl ways…
Kelli London, aka Kells, has been writing since she was six years old. She’s pro anything that uplifts girls (ok, boys too), is a mentor for A Dream Inc. (a non-profit organization for teens), and creator of Kelli Girls’ Pearls—gems for a girl to live by: Positive Affirmations & Daily Quotes. She lives in The Moment, is a social butterfly (social networking and newsletter butterfly too), has a passion for education, reading, writing, running, chocolate, life and, of course, her readers.
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Pegged as “One Big Bag of Poison” on his blog, Simmons has compiled a collection of stories from 2004 to 2011 that play with every emotion a reader both loves and hates. Toying with the vulnerability of characters that seem timelessly recognizable, ie fairies in a fantastical land or a batman-esque figure scaling a wall, THE FURRY TRAP is a graphic novel that is set to shock and appall its reader, yet Simmons is able to retain an even stronger range of visual style that makes this graphic novel’s scope extend further than being just a horrific tale.
Graphic novelist Josh Simmons (House) returns with a harrowing and genre-bending collection of modern horror short stories that could curl the toes of a corpse in a state of rigor mortis. Simmons’ disturbing, uncomfortable and even confrontational stories often work on multiple levels: straight, uncompromising horror; blackly humorous, satirical riffs on the genre; or as vicious assaults against the political correctness that rules so much of our popular culture. His artwork excels in conveying a feeling of dread and claustrophobia, and the stories herein all share an unmistakably and uncompromising commitment to exploring the crossroads of abomination and hilarity.
The Furry Trap contains 11 short stories, varying in length from one to 30 pages, as well as a number of “extras” that will flesh out the reader’s experience. From the title creatures in “Night of the Jibblers,” to the witches and ogres of “Cockbone,” to the Godzilla-sized, centaur-bodied depiction of the title character in “Jesus Christ,” to the disarmingly cute yet terrifying demons of “Demonwood,” to the depraved, caped crusading antihero in “Mark of the Bat,” Simmons is a master of creating terrifying beasties that inspire and inflict nightmarish horrors, usually taken to unforgettable extremes.
Fantagraphics has passed along these preview images of their newest release, which is in stores right now!
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Oh Jules… I’m sitting here all teary eyed. First, Peter…then your writing about the Harry Potter reading… then the kindergartener. I know these are kicks but I’m feeling them all. My kindergartener graduates in two weeks and she is feeling all the same things that yours is. As am I. Slow down world, please!!
As far as my kicks, I had gum surgery this week (yuck!!!!) so my kicks are as follows: ice cream, ice cream, ice cream, ice cream, frozen yogurt, ice cream, ice cream
Jules, I love the fresh look of Trujillo’s art. Iam trying to wrap my head around the losses in the world of children’s lit lately. And your friend and colleague Peter.
Stacey, good luck w/ your upcoming surgery. Sounds like a big ouch.
My kicks:
A 5th grader saying she wanted to buy my book, Solace in Nature.
Honoring two of my favorite teacher librarians who are retiring.
Finished OK for Now by Gary Schmidt. What a book.
Blooming roses
Hanging my photos at a local Starbucks.
Directing the school play
Sunshine
Have a great week.
So many great images, Robert. Keep up the good work. I love the haircut image.
Jules, this song is perfect for making you cry over your loss and then gets you up to go hug (tightly) someone you love. Beautiful.
Stacey, way to make lemon sorbet from lemons.
Kicks
1. My baby boy turned nine years old. On his real b’day we put a candle in a pyramid of peanut butter cups. At the party we had baseball frosted cupcakes and baseball cards(they seem to be making a comeback) for favors.
2. Took my daughter thrift shopping she loved it. Where else can you get such a collection of clip-on earings.
3. The grass is riz. It’s not easy growing grass on this sandy soil.
4. I posted an image that I wasn’t that sure about* and got a great response. Go figure.
5. A couple of people asked for a print, which forced me to figure out how to sell them online.
6. Here is my make you cry/smile song that I have been listening to over and over again.
A Little Bit of Everything-Dawes http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhSiP9e3sKg&feature=results_video&playnext=1&list=PL7D816022C45ADEEF
7. Go Celtics!
*http://atlanticmo.blogspot.com/2012/05/same-as-it-ever-was.html
Happy June Imps!
Stacey, best of luck in two weeks. Gum surgery. OUCH. OUCH. OUCH again. Hoping you heal fast.
Jone, I love that first kick so much. And I still want to read Schmidt’s book. Hear hear to sunshine, and break a leg with the play.
Moira, thanks for that song. I have never heard Dawes (heard of them but haven’t ever heard one of their CDs), but REALLY love the CD from Middle Brother (from last year), and he takes lead vocals on a lot of those songs. …. I love the idea of thrift-shopping with your daughter. I might copy you. … Now I gotta go see your image.
I love, love, love, love, LOVE that you promote and respect and observe and feature the up-and-coming folk. Love that SO, so much. And I expect GOOD things for Robert Trujillo. Wow. I am ALL OVER that book about the Lowrider Mama. All over it. (Picture Book Gods, we will do a tiny scribble and color on walls in your honor, just like toddlers: hear us.)
Regina Spektor is beautiful. As is Sam Phillips, of course.
Tanita: Heh. You’ve got the right idea. Coloring on their heavenly walls will do it. We’ll get their attention.
Hi, Robert! Thank you for sharing your art and your stories with us. Thumbs up for the awesome school visit!
Jules: My thoughts continue to be with his family, friends, and colleagues. Congrats on her kindergarten graduation! So cool that you three shared the entire HP series together. Listening to the Regina song now as I type this. I love the lyric, “The heart beats in three, just like a waltz, and nothing can stop you from dancing.” Love that line so much.
Stacey: Sending you healing thoughts!
Jone: Yay for the young fan, and kudos to the retiring teacher librarians. Congrats on having your photos on display! How cool. What play are you directing? Break a leg!
Moira: That image is AWESOME. As I just posted at your blog, it made me think of an imaginary friend or a ghost, perhaps, but I’m thinking it’s a girl who walked that path before… SO lovely. Happy birthday to your son! Thumbs up for thrift store shopping.
Tanita: I love that whenever I read something you post or email, I can hear your voice clearly.
My kicks for the past week:
1) Staged reading of a new play inspired by Edgar Allan Poe
2) Staged reading of Clueless (I played Tai. Rollin’ with the homies! Rest in peace, Brittany Murphy. I would have loved to have worked with her.)
3) Audition for a new musical
4) Offered a role in a new play
5) Anticipation
6) Fresh start
7) Catching up with people
Little Willow, yes, how about that lyric, huh?
Your staged readings sound so FUN, and I wish I could be there to SEE THEM. Break a leg with the audition for the musical, and congrats on the new role!
Jules, what a rich list of kicks. Some sad but true. I spent too long reading them (and enjoying the illustrations as usual, perhaps one day you should do a 7 imp Behind the Scenes and explain where you find so many talented illustrators & authors) so will have to return to enjoy everyone else’s kicks this afternoon.
My kicks (which I wisely prepared ahead of time last night):
1. Finally made some tortillas that were yummy and had the right texture (think this was attempt #7)
2. I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this, but I’m temporarily in a different office that is on the 25th level of a building and has excellent views of the Brisbane River and the city. I love the view so much, but never more than the day a peregrine falcon flew past my window and then perched on the building next door for quarter of an hour.
3. I am also in easy strolling distance to the city branch of the public library, which means I can visit pop in and out to pick up books etc
4. I got to do a presentation at work on a fun topic
5. Successful batch of lemon curd made yesterday
6. And some mini lemon tarts
7. Gerbera daisies in a vase on my table looking cheery
Thank you Robert for sharing your art. I join in the chorus of wanting that mama-low-rider book to be published!
Jules - love that pic of you and the 6 year old, and love the description of the 8 year old’s birth! I love that you all share such a love of books - I don’t think that melancholy that comes after finishing a well-loved series ever stops being a surprise, no matter how long you’ve been reading.
And oh my, but that Regina Spektor song had me in tears. I’ll be checking out that whole album today.
Stacey - hope you get lots of great ice cream to carry you through your recovery! Congrats and condolences on the kindergarten grad.
Jone - love kicks #1 and #5 especially this week. Which Starbucks? I’d love to check them out.
Moira - love that image! For some reason it brought Bridge to Terabithia to mind for me…hooray for birthdays and baseball!
LW - I can so see you as Tai! Here’s hoping you land that new musical!
My kicks this week:
1) Bought the album HitStory which is a remastered compilation of early Elvis Presley hits, including two of my faves “You’re So Square (Baby I Don’t Care)” and “A Little Less Conversation”.
2) Preston Sturges movie watching - 4 down, 3 to go. Christmas in July was sweet, The Lady Eve was great fun - Barbara Stanwyck and Henry Fonda were both so gorgeous in it. And Sullivan’s Travels with Veronica Lake and Joel McCrea is still my favorite.
3) Watched Julie Taymor’s The Tempest last night. Helen Mirren can do anything, and Alfred Molina and Russell Brand were so fun to watch.
4) Reading “I’ll Have What She’s Having,” by Daniel Kimmel - great anecdotes about behind the scenes on some of the most influential rom-coms. So far a story about Carole Lombard’s wit has been my favorite.
5) Just got a copy of “The Map of My Dead Pilots,” by Colleen Mondor. Looking forward to diving into it.
6) No sign of kittens since mama cat moved them, but hopefully in a few weeks. However, neighbor who feeds all feral kitties also seems to be feeding a skunk and a possum. Watched the possum drinking water last night from the safety of my backyard…while all the feral cats stayed a ways away.
7) Making these later tonight for a friend who is coming over: http://smittenkitchen.com/2011/12/cinnamon-brown-butter-breakfast-puffs/
I’ll let y’all know how they come out.
Have a great week everyone!!!
Little Willow, It’s a play I co-wrote with three fifth grade girlds , four years ago. Called Penguins, Polar Bears, Recycling, Oh MY.
Rachel, the Starbucks at the Fred Meyer complex in Oak Grove.
Jone - I know right where that is - my old neighborhood. I’ll try to swing by and check them out sometime this week!
And for anyone who bakes - those cinnamon brown butter breakfast puffs came out amazing. Melt in your mouth good!
Everyone who is so inclined: Please take a minute to watch & vote for this awesome brother & sister’s cover of “She Will Be Loved” by Maroon 5 at TopBlip! Thank you!
Jules: Thank you on all conts.
Emmaco: Please say hello to the flowers for me. I’m glad that you have a room with a view! Tortillas sound so good right now. Did you make flour or corn tortillas? Either way, kudos and congrats. Enjoy the local library, and kudos also on the work presentation!
Rachel: Barbara Stanwyck rocks. Thinking good thoughts for those kitties. Thanks for the encouragement and visualizations!
Jone: Aw, cute! Conservation and critters.
Emmaco, mmm I want to try making my own lemon curd one day. Mmm again. … Your office sounds lovely. Also, I love daisies. …. Great idea about the post. I think, in this case, Robert reached out to me first? I think? I’ll have to look that up. I get busy, and I forget these things.
Rachel, I love “You’re So Square…” by Elvis. I’m not terribly familiar with his music (though that’s something I’ve been wanting to change), but I do know that song well. And, yes, Helen Mirren can do ANYthing. Hope you enjoy Colleen’s book and get to see those kittens again.
And I’m gonna have to bake those breakfast puffs. Story at 10 ….
Thanks, LW … Will check it out.
Rachel, I looked at that recipe more closely, and I think it can be my 8-year-old’s next baking project. She would LOVE those. Thanks for sharing …
Hope you feel better soon, Stacey, and that you find a delightful new flavour of ice-cream this week!
Jone how nice your local Starbucks has local art up.
Moira, I love that image. Thanks for sharing it with us!
Rcahel, those puffs look delicious. I have bookmarked it to make sometime soon!
LW, they were flour tortillas. Corn tortillas are not very common in Aus, and although I’ve found masa harina (seems to be in all corn tortilla recipes) at some delis, it’s imported and expensive, so that will be a treat when I definitely have the technique down pat! As usual, you sound happily busy!
Jules, I can’t IMAGINE what else you are doing with your time. What a slacker you are
Hi Imps!
Sure enjoyed this week’s kicks, music, recipes, adventures, kindergarten and wow - Robert the Artist! Love his work. Thanks Jules! I agree with everyone else - can’t wait for books, lots of them. Will try to get to his website soon.
Also, Jules, thank you for sharing so much and in such heartfelt ways about Peter and the process of acknowledging his passing and saying goodbye.
I didn’t post last week as I was really overwhelmed by challenges with our fair city’s school system and couldn’t get through it enough to find any silver linings. But, I’m bouncing back so here goes.
My kicks:
1. camping this weekend with my son’s preschool families north of Ventura. The kids had SO much fun.
2. 3 days without a shower - the longest I’ve gone ever I think. Yuck! I was very glad to get home yesterday.
3. getting caught up on a guilty pleasure TV show that just ended its season
4. received my first book in the mail from a publisher to review. YAY! I’ve been accepted into a bloggers network for reviewing books. I’m not sure exactly why since I’m so new to blogging and reviewing AND I’m writing about children’s books and the book is not a children’s book, but I’m not knocking it!
5. white chocolate covered apricots and blueberries on the camping trip
6. my friend Swathi showed me how to unintall an application from my new MacBook Air by dragging the application into the trash icon. This was just rediculously easy - the PC has so far to go!
Wishing you all a great week of art and life!
Allison, sounds like had a good week, especially the camping. And I have never heard of white chocolate-covered apricots but am determined to find some now. … Glad to read you’re bouncing back. Hope that means that the school system resolved everything.