Welcome to Undiscovered Voices 2014!

Before everyone gets excited, this opportunity is only open to SCBWI members in good standing that reside in one of the current 27 countries of the EU, 4 European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries, or 5 candidate countries (as listed here) 

Since I get close to half of my visitors from outside the United States, so I wanted to make sure those visitor knew about this. There is a separate contest for unpublished illustrators (see bottom).

Undiscovered Voices is a competition for unpublished and un-agented writers and illustrators living in the EU. In partnership with SCBWI British Isles and Working Partners.

Open for entries: 1st July to 15th August 2013

An anthology will present a selection of novel extracts from 5+ to Young Adult novels and be sent to editors and agents in the UK. The anthology is produced thanks to the kind support of Working Partners Ltd. To submit your written extract, please read the following eligibility criteria, rules and information, and then go here to fill in the online submission form and upload your entry.

• Click here for Tips for Writers. 

Submission eligibility:

• You must be a member in good standing of SCBWI and reside in one of the current 27 countries of the EU, 4 European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries, or 5 candidate countries (as listed here).
• Only un-agented writers may submit work for consideration. Writers must remain un-agented until the anthology is published in February 2014.
• You must be an unpublished fiction author. This means you have not had a novel or collection of short stories accepted for publication or currently published in any country. Authors with only picture books published may submit. Authors who have only published non-fiction books or who have only been published in newspapers, magazines, anthologies or non-print medium (i.e. radio, web, etc.) are also eligible. Similarly authors who have ghost-written for book packagers or have self-published may submit work (but not an extract from any self-published work). Authors with adult fiction published are not eligible.
• Any submissions that do not follow the following guidelines or include the appropriate information will be disqualified. 

Submission rules:

• Find out more about previous Undiscovered Voices finalists here.Your submission must the first 4,000 words of an already completed novel for children, aimed at any age from 5 years to Young Adult.
• Your submission must be written in English.
• No picture book texts will be considered.
• You must include a synopsis of your novel at the end of the extract, which should be a maximum of 75 words.
• The author’s name must not appear anywhere on the extract or synopsis.
• The document should be written in 12 point, with a page number on every page.
• The document that is uploaded must be a .doc, .docx or .rtf file.
• Only one submission per member.
• You must fill in every required field in the online form, including a biography of a maximum of 50 words, written in the third person. Should you be selected, this is how it will appear in the anthology.
• You may not resubmit any extract from a novel you submitted for consideration in previous Undiscovered Voices anthologies. Authors included in previous anthologies may not submit an entry for the current anthology. Honorary mentions from previous anthologies may submit, as long as it is from a different novel.
• Submissions must be entirely the original work of the author and must never have been published, self-published or published on any website.
• Submissions should not include or require any graphic art or special fonts.

Submission information:

Find out more about previous Undiscovered Voices finalists here.

• There is no submission fee for this contest, but you must be a current member of SCBWI and live in one of the current 27 countries of the European Union, 4 European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries or 5 candidate countries.
• The contest opens for entries on 1st July 2013. The deadline is midnight on 15th August 2013.
• To submit your entry, go here to fill in the online form and upload your extract. Submissions are only accepted by this means. They will not be accepted by email or by post.
• By submitting your entry, you agree to give SCBWI-BI permission to publish and promote (both online and offline) the extract in the 2014 anthology together with your name, as it appears on the SCBWI roster, and email address. No pen names can be used.
• A panel of children’s book editors and agents will make the final selection for the anthology in autumn 2013, and the long-list will be announced in December 2013 and the selected entries in January 2014.
• The ebook will be produced in early 2014 and copies of the anthology will be distributed free of charge to a comprehensive list of UK children’s book editors and agents, as well as a select list of US agents and editors. It will also be distributed to the media in order to achieve the most widespread industry attention to the authors and their stories.
• The authors of the selected works will receive one copy of the anthology (in ebook format). In addition, they will receive judges’ written comment sheets on their work. The selected authors will be invited to attend a ‘getting discovered’ workshop (18th January 2014) and the book launch party (26th February 2014) to meet in person with the judges and other agents and editors who attend.
• To become a member of SCBWI, visit http://www.scbwi.org/Registration.aspx. For membership queries, please email membership@scbwi.org. You can find out more information at www.scbwi.org or www.britishscbwi.org.
• Copyright remains with the author.
• The judges’ decision is final.
• No corrections or alterations can be made to submissions after receipt. The selected pieces will be proofread prior to publication.
• Entry implies acceptance of the rules and eligibility criteria, as listed above.
• A list of selected authors and honorary mentions will be posted on the Undiscovered Voices Blog and updated on the website once the judging is final and the results are compiled.
• You can contact us with any queries about the anthology, the submissions process, rules or eligibility at: scbwianthology “AT” hotmail.co.uk

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

Yesterday we talked about Paper Lantern Lit, Lexa Hillyer, Lauren Oliver, who are part of this  years NJSCBWI conference and what they were doing with authors, editors, and Stephen Barbara. Today, I thought I would share a great article they wrote to help authors improve their writing. Here it is below:

Chapters are kind of like socks—something we writers and editors use ALL the time, but hardly ever think about. We all know that most novels are anywhere from 40,000 words to 140,000 words long, and we all know they’re broken up into units called “chapters.” But how often do we stop to ask why? How do you know you’re getting the most from a chapter?

We see this challenge in two parts: WHAT goes in the chapter, and HOW it goes in.

Let’s start with the juicy WHAT, first.

Chapters must give good, purposeful content that moves the story forward, that’s what! Unlike socks (ew), a chapter is something you should be able to sink your teeth into and get some real nutrients from it. Let’s consult the magic 8-ball of chapter content questions:

1) What is the main character’s goal in this chapter? How does that goal evolve? (I.e., is the main character thwarted, or does her goal get more urgent?) If there’s no goal, what would make a good goal for the chapter? It should be based on the character’s overall goal in the book! If her goal in the story is to find missing treasure, then perhaps the goal in this chapter is to first dig up the map, or confront the pirate who buried it.

2) What happens in this chapter? Is there action, and does it naturally lead to more action? If not, what new actions might lead to consequences that increase the urgency or difficulty of the goal? (Here’s the thing about goals: we should be making it more and more difficult to get to while simultaneously more and more seemingly necessary.) For instance, perhaps the pirate who buried the treasure has mysteriously vanished, and now your main character must solve the mystery of his disappearance! Or maybe the character’s mother plans to sell her home, and now she needs that treasure more than ever.

3) What new information is learned? (And why now?) If not much is learned, what “clue” might be inserted into this chapter to help set us up for the actions and reveals of future chapters?

4) Does the chapter seem urgent? Does it have tension? If not, what would make everything more pressing, more dire? What might be causing the tension to deflate? Watch out for moments where things are getting easier for the characters, where they seem to be fed the answers. Instead, there can be clues leading them forward, but there should also be obstacles keeping us interested! Remember that you are supposed to be making things more complex and challenging—that’s good narrative!

5) Unity of action. Is the action contained to one location? Does it focus on a single event? Is there a logic to where and why it comes to an end? If you close your eyes, can you easily picture this chapter? Can you describe the action in a sentence? (Think: It was Mrs. White, with the wrench, in the drawing room).

6) Is there causality from one chapter to the next? Remember that the goal in chapter A should lead directly to the goal in chapter B, either linearly (“I had to talk to character M and he told me to go talk to character N”) or because some obstacle encountered in Chapter A redefines the goal in Chapter B (“I got shot at while talking to character M and now I need to go to the hospital, which has replaced talking to character N as my immediate goal.”)

7) Where have we come from? Have the actions, revelations, and emotions of the chapter been properly “seeded” in previous chapters? If not, what would be a few specific places earlier in the book where we might get enough information or “clues” to prepare us for what happens now?

8) Where are we going? What are the elements of this chapter that you’d like to see “pay off” later in the book? In novels, unlike in life, everything must serve a purpose. Even small developments should have some impact on the plot—a.k.a. that development should cause something important to happen later, throw a wrench into the narrative making the goal harder to get to, or aid in a significant reveal later on. Otherwise, it’s simply filler!

Now on to the HOW!

That is, how are we building this baby? What’s the appropriate structure of a chapter? Get ready… we’re about to tell you how to win a game of writing Jenga.

1) Importance of Innies. Is the chapter “in” strong? Does the opening “hook” you from the beginning with a surprising or vivid first sentence/paragraph? Are you peeking around the doorframe or leaping right into the middle of the room? Variety is the key. Experiment with the three A’s of openers: Action, Atmosphere, or Attribution (i.e. dialogue that is quickly attributed to a character). Either start in the middle of a scene with a sound (Splat! The burger hit him in the face), or with vivid description and mood (A dark, feathery form swooped across the fading skyline like a streak of black ink across the gray) or in the midst of a conversation (“How dare you call me selfish! I’m only trying to help you,” Cindy said, raising an eyebrow at me.)

Read the Rest

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

I was going over my New Jersey SCBWI Conference Registration and noticed Lexa Hillyer co-founder of Paper Lantern on the faculty. I was not familiar with Lexa, so I read her bio. Here it is:

Lexa Hillyer received her BA in English from Vassar College and her MFA in Poetry from Stonecoast at the University of Southern Maine. She has received various poetry awards, including the 2011 Melissa Lanitis Gregory Poetry Prize for her first book of poems, Acquainted with the Cold. She was named one of the Best New Poets of 2012 by Matthew Dickman. Lexa worked as an editor at both Harper Collins and Penguin, and is co-founder of boutique literary incubator Paper Lantern Lit.

This still didn’t tell me enough, so I visited Paper Lantern Lit to see what additional information I could discover. I found out Paper Lantern Lit is a “book incubator” that creates hits for publishers–and careers for undiscovered writers. Lexa Hillyer and co-founder Lauren Oliver are story architects. I still needed more information so Lexa and I talked and she answered my questions in this interview. I think you will find what they are doing, very interesting.

What is Paper Lantern Lit?

We come up with story ideas, we plot them using our knowledge and experience with narrative structure, and we coach authors through the writing process. Like architects, we envision, design and layout all the basics of a book, but it’s our writers who inhabit them and bring them to life.

How did you and Lauren Oliver decide to start Paper Lantern Lit?

We met when we both worked as editors at Penguin, before Lauren decided to pursue a career in writing. After a few years, we had stayed friends, and realized we both had pieces missing from our lives. She missed editing, and often found she had more ideas than she could possibly write herself. I longed for more creative flexibility for my ideas, and the freedom to make stronger connections with writers. We discovered that we both possess creativity and passion for storytelling alongside a pretty unusual obsession with structure and form. We know that a great novel has both, and while the elusive power of an original, emotive voice may not be teachable, the a-to-z of plotting a book is. So why not build incredibly fun book concepts, offer to help new writers, and get the thrill of discovering them ourselves?

Once we had that all figured out, we just started having meetings. We took it one step at a time and taught ourselves what it would mean to really own a business. We made sure we had a lot of different projects we felt confident pursuing, so that our company would have longevity. Then we reached out to Stephen Barbara of Foundry Media, to ensure that we would have strong representation. Finally, we hired the most amazing interns ever, two of whom now work for the company full time!

Was this before she wrote the Delirium Series?

Yes, though I believe she was already working on it. It was right after her first book, BEFORE I FALL, came out. 

How does Paper Lantern Lit differ from a traditional Publisher?

We are not a publisher or an agency, though our company does have certain similarities to an agency: we seek out excellent writers, work with them on a project, and then typically sell the project to a publisher. However, at Paper Lantern Lit, we develop many of our book ideas in-house. So while a traditional agency looks for finished manuscripts, we are far more focused on finding the best new writers out there and fostering their voices. We pride ourselves on cultivating emergent authors, and providing them a context in which to further learn their craft.

So you could say you are a book packager?

Our business model is certainly similar, but we feel our approach is unique in that we put a major emphasis on the author and on our relationships within the industry. We’re not about making a product, package or sale. We’re about creating an experience that is hopefully lasting and has universal appeal. We attach writers and projects together much the way a matchmaker might: it’s all about finding the perfect pairing.

Since Paper Lantern gets the advance for the books they sell, how does the writer get paid?

We pay the writer directly per project. You can consider it as doing Freelance or Work-for-Hire. Some of our deals offer sub rights and other financial participation—we want our authors to enjoy success as the book’s audience grows, and for them to feel invested in its future and their own!

Does the writer get their name on the books they write?
Sometimes yes, though many times we mutually agree to move forward under a pseudonym. Often that feels like the best way to give both parties the most freedom and most protection at the same time. We understand that many of our writers may be concurrently pursuing other work, and this allows for greater flexibility to do so.

Do you accept full manuscripts?

We are looking for writers, typically, not manuscripts, because our focus is on building story from the ground up. We are the story architects, after all! You might say we prefer to work on new designs rather than renovations: this way we can always vouch for the end result—we can guarantee a sound structure. However, there’s an exception to every rule. If you love what we do, we encourage you to reach out. You never know what opportunities will arise, especially as we turn our focus with more and more interest toward the digital publishing sphere.

How long have you been in business?

We officially launched PLL in May of 2010, so we’re at the three year mark.

How many books have you gotten published?

We have 25 domestic titles (this includes multiple book deals for each author). We’ve also sold our books in dozens of foreign countries. Of these, we have 9 that have hit shelves so far, and our 10th, TRUTH OR DARE by Jacqueline Green, comes out May 14, 2013!

Do you run your book ideas past editors before you look for an author?

Not often, but we certainly have many editor friends and are always discussing what they’re excited about and where we all feel the market may be headed. Further, we do ALWAYS share our ideas with our agent, Stephen Barbara, before taking on a writer. We consider him the third partner and take his objective reactions very seriously—it’s important to have some checks and balances!

So I would image that you work closely with the author to develop the book. Is that right?

Oh absolutely. It’s a very hands-on process. We check in with our authors weekly and provide very consistent notes and feedback. They constantly work to adapt the story so that it is truly theirs—in the end, sometimes they depart wildly from the original concept, but we communicate and work together the whole way through to be sure at all times that the structure is solid and that their voice is being heard.

I see you have a group of teens called Trendsetters who read pre-published YA books from you. Have you changed books due to this feedback?
Definitely! It’s fascinating to get a peek into what teens are really thinking, what their experiences are like, what they most care about. We take their input very seriously and we just love all of the awesome ways they get involved in our projects, from coming up with soundtracks to the books to creating character collages and inspiration boards. These teens are very savvy, very articulate, and love books—so of course, we love THEM!

Do you feel that an unknown author benefits from working with you, other than the freelance money they receive?

I very much believe and hope so, yes. Some of our authors have gone so far as to refer to us as a “paid MFA in writing.” Others call it novel-writing boot camp.  We offer a lot of insight and structure regarding the craft and the writing process, in addition to offering serious access to new contacts in the industry and help them reach their fans directly.

If the authors get school visits from librarian who come to you, do they get the full amount of money for the visit?
Yes!

I read that Paper Lantern has a Fellowship Program for a MFA student enrolled at Queens College’s MFA Program in Creative Writing and Literary Translation. What do they get if they are chosen?

The recipient receives full tuition remission for the spring semester in addition to a $1,000 internship stipend.

What do authors do to get you interested in working with them?

Send us your resume, a brief bio, and a ten-page sample of your best writing (preferably fiction.) Please submit all of the above in the body of your email (no attachments), and include your name and sample title in the subject heading. Also please let us know where you heard about us!

Show off their voice. Knowing your own individual strengths, rather than trying to prove you can be malleable, is key. Also show us that you are savvy with the interwebs and not afraid to have a presence there. If you fear your own audience or seem like a ghost when we google you, that can be concerning. Writing for young people these days means having confidence in your voice, what you have to say, AND your ability to interact with your audience.

You can still register for the New Jersey SCBWI Conference in June and get a critique with Lexa. Don’t miss this opportunity. Here is the link: www.regonline.com/njscbwi2013conference

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

Time to get back to the old drawing board with your writing. Even if you don’t find this contest your cup of tea, at least start something new. It could be just the thing for the next contest. Maybe Barbara DiLorenza illustration below will inspire you. Barbara was featured on Illustrator Saturday on April 14th, 2012. Click Here to View.

The Elderberry Prize for Short Fiction.

Content

Short Fiction submissions may fall in any fiction genre allowed by the General Rules.  We are looking for fresh ideas, creative story lines, and interesting characters.  Authors are encouraged to express their own style and unique perspective, and to tell stories that are compelling rather than formulaic.  As always, stories should be free of spelling, grammatical and typographical errors.  Please proof-read your work before submitting.

Length

Submissions should be no longer than 5,000 words, and while there is no lower limit to the acceptable word-count we are generally expecting work in the 3,000 to 5,000 word range.  Submissions longer than 5,000 will be accepted, but no content after the 5,000th word will be considered (i.e. we will stop reading after 5,000 words).

Fee: $18

Submission Deadlines

In 2013, the Elderberry Prize for Short Fiction will be awarded in June, September and December, so submission deadlines for 2013 are May 31, August 31 and November 30.

Awards

A cash prize of $500 is awarded to the winning submission in each Elderberry Short Fiction contest.  In 2013, three such prizes will be awarded in accordance with the Prizes section of the General Contest Rules.  Additional, small cash prizes may be awarded for non-winning submissions at Scribulous’ sole discretion.  The winning entry for each contest will be published in the Winners’ Works section of the Scribulous web site for a period of one year, and will be archived in a format that can be searched and retrieved by readers in perpetuity.

Elderberry Short Fiction Rules Fiction Contest Rules

The Elderberry Prize for Biography.

Content

Each submission for the Biography contest must fit within a fairly traditional definition of biography.  It must be a non-fiction account of the life of a real person, written by someone other than the subject of the biography.  It is not necessary to cover the subject’s entire life in this format – biographies that explore a period in the subject’s life, or even a single event in the subject’s life are acceptable.  Note that autobiographies are not appropriate for this contest.

In judging biographies we will be looking for stories that communicate truths or lessons-learned that transcend the life of the subject or the author.  While the stories themselves may be very personal, they should communicate something of relevance to the reader.  A connection to a larger community, society or culture is what gives the story meaning.

Length

Submissions should be no longer than 5,000 words, and while there is no lower limit to the acceptable word-count we are generally expecting work in the 3,000 to 5,000 word range.  Submissions longer than 5,000 will be accepted, but no content after the 5,000th word will be considered (i.e. we will stop reading after 5,000 words).

Fee: $18

Submission Deadlines

The Elderberry Prize for Short Biography will be awarded in April, July and October of 2013 and January of 2014, so submission deadlines for 2013 are March 31, June 30, September 30 and December 31.

Awards

A cash prize of $500 is awarded to the winning submission in each Elderberry Biography contest.  In 2013, three such prizes will be awarded in accordance with the Prizes section of the General Contest Rules.  Additional, small cash prizes may be awarded for non-winning submissions at Scribulous’ sole discretion.  The winning entry for each contest will be published in the Winners’ Works section of the Scribulous web site for a period of one year, and will be archived in a format that can be searched and retrieved by readers in perpetuity.

Elderberry Short Biography Rules Biography Contest Rules

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

Shawna JC Tenney has always loved to draw and she has always loved children’s books. She graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Illustration from Brigham Young University and started illustrating as a freelance illustrator a year later. Since then, she has created artwork for 16 books along with children’s magazines, charities, educational materials, religious materials and theater playbills. I love drawing and learning every day.  She works in a number of mediums including acrylics, digital- Photoshop and Painter, charcoal, pastels and watercolor.  

Shawna lives in Utah with two very artistic little girls and graphic designer husband.  Shawna says, “One of my favorite things to do is teach an art class for my girls and other neighborhood kids. I love seeing the beautiful artwork they create!”

Here is Shawna explaining her process:

Process 1: First I draw lots of thumbnails. This helps me decide where to place characters and which angle I want to use. Sometimes I draw the thumbnails in pencil sometimes I use ink or the computer.

Process 2: I always sketch my drawings out first by hand using a mechanical pencil. Then I scan the picture into the computer and adjust lines and shape sizes in photoshop. Often I have to draw more than one sketch to get it right. Then I bring the lines into a new layer by selecting the channels so I can use my original lines and color under them. This also allows me to lock the “lines” layer and change the line colors later.

Process 3: Next I make a grayscale study.

Process 4: Then I make a color study. I usually don’t make this many, but it was fun to explore different color options for my dragon.

Process 5: I lay in the background color in photoshop. I like to use lots of different textures on my brushes. Sometimes I will print out my sketch and throw in some background colors with watercolor, just for fun.

Process 6: I lay in all the foreground color.

Process 7: Then I work in all the details over the top. Sometimes I finish the painting in Photoshop. Sometimes I use Painter because of the fun paint textures you can get. And that’s about it!

How did you end up going to Brigham Young University?

I first went to Utah Valley State College (which is now Utah Valley University) on an art scholarship, where I earned my associates degree. I had a great experience there, but at the time, they offered no Bachelor Degrees. I decided to go to BYU because at the time it had the best illustration program in the state (and also very high ranking nationally). At first I showed my portfolio to one of the professors there, Richard Hull. He thought I had some good potential. Unfortunately, I did not get in the university because of very high admittance standards. Richard Hull wrote a letter to admissions to request that I be admitted into the university to study illustration. Happily, it worked, and I was admitted. I will always be grateful to Richard for helping me get into an amazing illustration program where I learned so much valuable knowledge, which prepared me to working as an illustrator.

What types of classes did you take that really helped you to develop as an illustrator?

I took some awesome figure drawing classes, taught by Robert Barrett, who is phenomenal at figure drawing. I took an amazing (and very difficult) oil painting illustration class from Doug Fryer, where I learned amazing things about mixing color and composition. I also took some amazing illustration classes from Richard Hull, and Bethanne Anderson. Bethanne was my senior project mentor, and she inspired me in so many ways to become a children’s book illustrator and live my dreams. I took a couple  of digital classes in college, but hated them, and vowed I would never be one of those “digital” illustrators. This is very funny if you read on.

What did you do after you graduated?

Funny story. I graduated and had a baby two months later. Then we moved so my husband could go to school at another university. My husband was only able to get a part time job early in the morning working for UPS, and it wasn’t making enough to support us. So I went and got a part time job at JoAnn’s working in the frame shop. I worked there for a while, getting more and more annoyed that I was working at a retail frame shop for minimum wage. I was a well-trained frame shop worker (I had worked at several frame shops prior), and besides, I had a bachelor’s degree in illustration!  All I really wanted to do was be at home with my baby and draw. So I decided to work and pray really hard- take a leap of faith, quit my job and send out my work into the wide expanse of children’s illustration art reps and publishers, and see what happened. I think it was no coincidence that I was in the right place at the right time. Within a month, I got my first illustration job, and I got an art rep.

Did Brigham Young University help connect you to companies that could give you work?

No, but I did learn a lot of valuable information about the business of illustration, and how to start getting work.

I notice that you use a lot of different paint materials. Did you start out with a favorite material and expand to others?

When I graduated from school, my medium of choice for my children’s illustrations was acrylics.  Like I said before, I was scared of the computer. Then I saw more and more how people were able to save a lot of time and money by doing their art digitally. I was still afraid that using it would change my style, and I wouldn’t be able to make my art look enough like a traditional medium. Finally, I decided I wanted to learn once and for all how to paint digitally. So I asked my friend Manelle Oliphant to teach me a few things. I also learned from asking some of my other friends a lot of questions. I decided to jump right in and digitally paint a book I had been assigned. It took a while to really understand how to do things the right way (I am still learning a ton all the time), but eventually I got things to look more traditional than digital. So to answer your question- now I only paint digitally- except for things like watercolor sketches. I have tried a lot of different techniques, which may explain why it looks like I use a lot of different mediums.

What was the first thing you did that you got paid to do?

It was some illustrations for a crossword puzzle for a magazine called The Friend, a children’s religious magazine. My second job was the more interesting one (in a bad way). It was a reader for elementary school called The Case of the Bushy Tail. Because of a misunderstanding I took on the job not realizing that I would only have 10 days to paint the entire book- and take care of a 1 year old at the same time. It was…something I don’t want to do again. But many lessons learned.

What was the turkey’s illustration for?

It was a self-promotion piece I did a few years back.

How long have you been illustrating?

About 8 years.

How  many children’s books have you illustrated?

If you count all the readers and chapter books, 17 all together.

I see that Picture Window Books published The Truth About Ogres that you illustrated.  Can you tell us how that contract came your way?

I got that job through my agent.

Can you tell us a little bit about Picture Window Books?

Picture Window books is an imprint of Capstone Publishing. They mostly publish through the school market. I have also illustrated one of their Read-it Readers, called Allie’s Bike. That was the second book I illustrated- a bit embarrassed to look at it now, but its fun to look back on it and see how my illustrations have grown since then.

How many children’s magazines have you done illustrations for?

The Friend Magazine, Highlights, Spider and Ladybug.

You illustrated a few book with Magic Wagon. How did those books and contracts find you?

That was also a job I landed through my agent.

Tell us about DEADWOOD put out by the new small publisher Pugalicious Press. I assume that it is a middle grade book and you were hired to do the cover. What is the story behind getting this job?

Yes, Deadwood is a middle grade novel written by Kell Andrews. I illustrated the cover, and the book came out November 2012. I also landed this job through my agent. Unfortunately, I recently heard that Pugalicious Press has gone under, and the book is already out of print. But I also heard that they are selling the rights to a new publisher, and trying to see if they can use the cover artwork that I have already created.  I hope that things go well for Deadwood, especially for the author’s sake!

It also looks like you have done a few Christian picture books. Could you tell us about those books, the publishers, and how you landed those contracts?

Yes, I have worked with  Concordia Publishing house on a couple of books (The Parable of the Prodigal Son, and King Josiah and God’s Book) which I got through my agent. I also illustrated a book called, When I Take the Sacrament, I Remember Jesus, through a local publisher called Covenant Communications. I got that job because I met the art director at a couple BYU Alumni events.

It also looks like you have done a few Christian picture books. Could you tell us about those books, the publishers, and how you landed those contracts?

Yes, I have worked with  Concordia Publishing house on a couple of books (The Parable of the Prodigal Son, and King Josiah and God’s Book) which I got through my agent. I also illustrated a book called, When I Take the Sacrament, I Remember Jesus, through a local publisher called Covenant Communications. I got that job because I met the art director at a couple BYU Alumni events.

I notice a lot of illustrations on your website that have a Christmas (Santa) theme. Are they all from one book? Where they published in a picture book?  Same questions for the reindeer illustrations?

The Christmas and reindeer themed illustrations are all from a book I illustrated for an author, Chantell Taylor, called Rosie the Reindeer. The book was finished about 3 years ago, but the author has not been able to publish it yet. That was a fun book to illustrate!

Do you want to concentrate on being a children’s picture book illustrator?

Yes, it is my dream and passion. I have always loved picture books- I love looking at them and reading them to my kids. My big dream is to write and illustrate my own books.

Where were the Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella illustrations, published?

I think what you are referring to is the Beauty and the Beast pictures? I illustrated  a Young Learners Classic Reader version of Beauty and the Beast for Compass Publishing.

Tell us a little bit about the educational books that you have illustrated.

Well, I’ve done a lot of readers for the educational market. They are good bread and butter jobs, but not ultimately what I want to do for my career. Same thing with the religious books. I am really trying to focus my career on getting work in the trade book /big publishers market.

Have you ever tried to write and illustrate a children’s book?

Yes, I have written a few of my own stories, which have failed. I am currently writing a new story, which I plan on finishing soon and then illustrating. I have so many great ideas floating around my head, and I would really just like to write and illustrate my own stories and ideas rather than always illustrating other peoples ideas.

Have you made a picture book dummy to show art directors, editors, and reps.?

I did make one dummy book that I sent to my art rep some years ago. It was a flop, but I learned a lot from the experience and gained a lot of wisdom since then. I hope to have a new dummy out by this fall.

What types of things do you do to get your work seen by publishing professionals?

I’ve been doing a lot of blogging, social media, and sending out my own post cards. Lately I’ve really been focusing on what kind of things I need to do to connect with other illustrators and art directors.  I’ve also been trying to focus my work on the trade book market.

Do you have an agent? If so, who and how long have the represented you?  If not, would you like one?

Yes, my agent is Janet DeCarlo of Story Book Arts Inc. She has been a great agent and has gotten me pretty steady work for the past 8 years.

Do you ever use two different materials in one illustration?

Yes, I’ve used digital with pastels, Photoshop with Painter, watercolor with Photoshop. It’s fun to experiment!

Have you seen your style change since you first started illustrating?

Yes, a lot. When I first started, I only painted in acrylic. My goal was to have as little texture as possible and to finish every single last detail. My colors were very saturated all the time. The end result is that every one thought my illustrations looked too “Disney” and too mass market. So I’ve changed things up quite a bit. Now I use a lot more textures. I realized I don’t need to finish every single little last detail- in fact, it works better when I don’t. I have tried to make the eyes of my characters look less “Disney.” I know better how to use color. I know now that it’s better not to saturate everything with pure color. I also know better how to stylize characters and how to compose an illustration. I think it’s important to be learning all the time- from teachers, from friends, from books, from conferences. I hope my style evolves and changes and improves a ton in the next 10 years!

Have you gotten any work through networking?

Funny enough, no, not really. But I have gotten lots of lifetime friends through networking. And I learn tons from my friends all the time. In fact, I run a local monthly illustration critique group, which I love!

Do you do any art exhibits to help get noticed?

I have participated in a couple BYU Alumni illustration shows. I have also participated in two shows at the Bountiful Davis art center called Illustrators Utah. It is a juried show, and the last  show I was in, I one 3^rd place for my illustration entitled Ghost Watcher.

Are you open to doing illustrations for self-published picture book authors?

As I said before, I illustrated the book Rosie the Reindeer for a self-publishing author. I think since then I’ve learned a few things. I may be open to illustrating for a self-publishing author if they had a phenomenal story and gave me an offer I couldn’t pass up. But for the most part, I would say no. I’d rather write and illustrate my own stories or work with a publisher.

When did you start using Photoshop?

The first book I illustrated in Photoshop was The Parable of the Prodigal Son, which was published in 2008. After my friend Manelle showed me how to paint in Photoshop, and I just jumped right in, hoping to make it look just like I illustrated it in acrylics. Since I was so new to the medium, the process took way longer it would have taken to just do in acrylics. Since then, I have learned a lot of tips and tricks to really speed up the process.

Do you own a graphic tablet? If so, how do you use it?

Yes, I paint all my illustrations in Photoshop and Painter with a Wacom Bamboo tablet. I hope someday soon to be able to get a Cyntiq!

How much time do you spend illustrating?

Well, I’m a mom. So whenever I can fit it in! Both my kids are in school now for a full day, so I really try to get a lot done while they are at school. Sometimes I illustrate late into the night or early in the morning.

Do you have a studio set up in your house?

Yes, I have a studio/office room in the house. It’s pretty small and I share it with my husband who is a graphic designer. I have a computer desk and a drawing desk, he has a computer desk, and we also have scanners, printers, a book shelf, and a supply closet. So as you can guess, it’s a little crowded in here. It is also often filled with my kids and their drawings, so it gets even more crowded! But it serves it’s purpose.

Is there anything in your studio, other than paint and brushes that you couldn’t live without?

Of course, my computer (I used a Macbook Pro which I hook up to a bigger screen). My Epson Scanner (since I draw all my drawing with pencil and scan them in). I also love my Epson Artisan 1430 large format printer. And of course my art books. I am obsessed with children’s books and art books!

You have an illustration you titled Christmas Surprise. Was that used in a picture book? What about the one titled Flying Pig? 

Christmas Surprise and Flying Pig are both self-promotion pieces I illustrated quite a few years ago- when I was still using acrylics. I like Christmas Surprise, but I don’t put it in my portfolio anymore because I often get the comment that it looks too mass market, and I’m going for trade books.

Any picture books on the horizon?

Right now I’m working on a few non-picture book jobs. But I am also working on my very own written and illustrated book –I hope to have a dummy finished and sent out this year.

What are your career goals?

I would love to illustrate more middle grade novels. My ultimate goal is to write and illustrate my own books steadily.

What are you working on now?

I am working on an few illustrations for The Friend Magazine, and I am illustrating a story which will be published by Oxford Publishing house called Harpoona. It’s an under the sea/fish Cinderella story .  And of course, I’m working on my own story!

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

Something that I really like to do is scan textures into Photoshop- such as watercolor textures or gesso textures. This is how to do it. Scan in a texture such as a watercolor texture. Change the mode to gray scale. Play with the curves to make the pattern more contrasted. Select the entire image. Go to the “Edit” menu and choose “Define Pattern” and give it a name. Then your pattern will show up in your brush palette when you double click “texture.” Then set the brush mode on multiply and you can make the contrast go as high as you like. Use this on an already textured brush. Then you can get textures that look like you are using real paint!

I  love the examples of the paper doll illustrations you have on your site. Who did you do these for?

I did some paper doll illustrations for Girl Guiding U.K. (equivalent to Girl Scouts in the U.S.). I also did a fun zombie-ish paper doll for self promotion.

Here are a few examples of Shawna’s black and white illustrations,

Any words of wisdom you can share with the illustrators who are trying to develop their career?

If you are in this field, illustration needs to be your passion. You need to keep finding ways to learn and improve your style every day. Find friends and mentors who will help you and inspire you. Blogging and social networking are important. Never ever give up, no matter how depressed you might feel about where your career is going, or feeling that your art isn’t good enough. The people that make it are the ones that never give up. I don’t even feel like I’ve made it yet to where I want to be, but I’m not going to give up! Remember, you don’t have control over what is happening in the industry, but you do have control over the quality of artwork you are producing– so keep making better artwork. Don’t ever do artwork for free. Don’t take on cheap jobs that pay way too little. Instead, focus on making better artwork, and if you do, the better jobs will come. I keep having to tell myself this every day. I know if I do, good things will happen for me and my art. And I know it will for you too!

Thank you Shawna for sharing your talent and process with us. I see a great future for you and you art and good luck with adding the writing to your achievements. Please remember to let us know when you have new successes. It will be fun following you.

If you would like to visit Shawna, you can go to: www.shawnajctenney.com Please take a minute to leave a comment below for Shawna. It will be  much appreciated. Thanks!

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

Since registration for the New Jersey SCBWI June Conference is closing April 30th (Here is the link: http://tinyurl.com/ch7sean) I thought I would announce the Guest Critiquer for May.

MELISSA FAULNER, Editorial Assistant, ABRAMS Books for Young Readers and Amulet has agreed to share her expertise with us. I am looking forward to meeting her at the conference and I will be sharing more information about her during May.

Just a heads-up: May’s submission deadline will be May 22nd, due to the Memorial Day.

Here is Melissa’s bio:

Melissa received her B.A. from Sarah Lawrence College with a concentration in Literature and Visual Arts. She worked in Consumer Products and Licensing for Penguin Young Readers Group before coming to ABRAMS, and now works on a variety of children’s books including both fiction and nonfiction picture books and middle grade and YA fiction. She’s the editor for an upcoming Cinderella picture book in Fall 2013, and has worked as part of the editorial team for the upcoming picture books The Twelve Days of New York by award-winning author Tonya Bolden and illustrator Gilbert Ford, the sequel to the award-winning early middle-grade novel Like Pickle Juice on a Cookie by Julie Sternberg, and the adult graphic fairy tale Raven Girl by Audrey Niffenegger.

This is the first time the New Jersey SCBWI Chapter has been able to get anyone from Abrams to come out to one of our conferences, so this presents a big opportunity for the attendees.

MEREDITH MUNDY, Executive Editor, Sterling Children’s Books has agreed to being April’s Guest Critiquer. If you haven’t met Meredith, you can meet her at the New Jersey SCBWI Conference in Princeton, NJ this June. She is a wonderful editor and a lovely person. She knows her stuff.

Meredith Mundy has been with Sterling Children’s Books for 8 years, following 11 years at Dutton Children’s Books. She is nuts about character-centered picture books (recent projects include The Big Bad Wolf Goes on Vacation by Delphine Perret, A Pirate’s Twelve Days of Christmas by Philip Yates, and Ten on the Sled by Kim Norman), but she is also seeking everything from funny, original board books to unforgettable middle grade novels to YA fiction. (No vampires, angels, mermaids, or werewolves, please, and she doesn’t usually acquire historical fiction.) While she enjoys editing nonfiction, she wouldn’t be the right editor for poetry collections or a project geared primarily toward the school and library market.

WRITERS Sending in a First Page: Please attach your double spaced, 12 point font, 23 line first page to an e-mail and send it to kathy(dot)temean(at)gmail(dot)com. Also cut and paste it into the body of the e-mail. Put “April First Page Critique” or “April First Page Picture Prompt Critique” in the subject line. Make sure you have your name on the submission, a title, and indicate the genre. Also let me know if you were able to post of facebook or Tweet. That will get your name in the basket an additional time, when I am choosing the four pages. If you don’t have either of these, just leave a comment and let me know. If you end up doing more things to get additional entries, then e-mail me a note by April 20th. The four chosen and their critiques will be posted on April 26th.

This first page picture prompt was done by Susan Detwiler. Susan was feature on March 9th. You can use this link http://wp.me/pss2W-6jt to view her artwork.

AUTHORS: If you have a new book coming out and want to be considered for a post, please e-mail me at: Kathy.temean (at) gmail.com

Call for illustrations for April: You can send anything, but I am especially looking for illustrations that reflect the month. I hope you will send something in. Last month, I did not receive very many. This is a good way to get your work seen. Don’t wait, I will post the illustrations as they come in. Please make sure the illustration is at least 500 pixels wide and include a blurb about yourself and a link to see more of your work. Please send it to kathy(dot)temean(at)gmail(dot)com and put “April Illustration” in the subject box.

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

I was going over my registration last night for the New Jersey SCBWI Conference and noticed an interesting intensive workshop titled Do-it-Yourself MFA in Writing for Children being held on June 7th at the conference. This intensive will focus on how writers can create a customized learning experience without going to school.

Gabriela Pereira will introduce the DIY MFA concept and then guide writers through the three main subtopics of DIY MFA. Write With Focus: This segment will focus on creativity and motivation. In particular it will cover techniques to help jumpstart a story or boost a work-in progress that has hit a rut. Read With Purpose: In this section, the emphasis shifts to reading like a writer. She will teach techniques that writers can use to make the most of their reading. Techniques that are not just about reading, but how by reading, you can gain a deeper understanding of the writing process. Build Your Community: In the last segment of the Intensive, Gabriela will shift gears and talk about building writing community. This section will include some information about building writer-to-writer relationships and community, but the primary focus will be on how writers can connect with their readers.

So I went to www.diymfa.com to see what other information I could find out about Gabriela Pereira. I discovered there was a lot of good information, but I wanted more, so I contacted Gabriela, so I could get answers.  This is what I found out: 

Before Gabriela Pereira started DIY MFA, she was a founding editor of a literary magazine, which gave her a lot of great experience in reading others’ writing with an “editor’s eye.” One of the things she does with DIY MFA is work as a content editor with writers, helping them write, revise and shape their books. She doesn’t advertise this service because she’s very selective about the clients she takes on. Writers she works with must be serious and ready to work hard. Gabriela has had clients go on to sign with agents and get book deals as well.

After she graduated from the MFA program at The New School (concentration in Writing for Children), Gabriela was inspired to share her knowledge by starting DIY MFA. She has spent the last few years building her audience and now she is branching out by doing workshops with shindig.com. The workshops have been greeted with a great response and turnout.

DIY MFA is also developing electronic workbooks and other self-guided workshop-type products like the Starter Kit which people can sign up to receive on the DIY MFA website. I signed up to get mine last night and it is filled with lots of information.  It was painless and free to receive. 

www.diymfa.com even has a Writer Igniter, which shuffles characters, situations, props, and settings to help trigger ideas. Very Cool! Check it out – especially if you need a spark to ignite a new story or break the writer’s block that may be plaguing you.

Gabriela is the spark, the Instigator of DIY MFA. 

Here is a more detailed bio:  

Gabriela Pereira earned her “real” MFA from The New School, in New York. While undercover as a graduate student, she collected information and discovered new techniques, even inventing a few writing tools of her own. Now she wants to share everything she learned with all writers.

Gabriela is a freelance writing teacher and leads workshops throughout New York City. She has taught at 826NYC, Everybody Wins and the East Harlem Tutorial Program, as well as a local writing workshop she built from the ground up. With a concentration in Writing for Children, when she’s not working on DIY MFA Gabriela loves to write middle grade and teen fiction, with a little “fiction for grown-ups” thrown in for good measure. Her work has appeared in several literary magazines and in a lesson plan anthology by 826 National. She enjoys coming up with new dastardly plans and innovative resources to share at DIY MFA.

For the latest articles, classes and tools, visit DIYMFA.com. Gabriela lives in NYC with “lawyer-hubby,” the “little guy,” and a collection of feline critters. Her secret dream is to take over the world.

TWITTER: @DIYMFA

FACEBOOK: facebook.com/DIYMFA

Hope you will consider coming to the conference.  Here is the link: www.regonline.com/njscbwi2013conference

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

Tracy Campbell sent in this April showers illustrations.  She is a writer and an artist, living my dream. When she is not busy with her interior decorating business, she taps away on her laptop and writes for children, tweens, and teens. She also sharpens pencils, flips open paint lids, and yank off marker caps to draw and paint whimsical works of artfrom her second-floor studio in my 1841 farmhouse nestled high on a hill…assuming she doesn’t get distracted by howling coyotes marching up the gangway or by ribbon-streaked sunsets that take her breath away.  She has a whimsical shop where she sell greeting cards, inspired by all things warm and fuzzy. To view my Premier Collection, pop on over to www.tracycampbell.net/shop.html.

At Bloomsbury, Rachel Mannheimer has been promoted to editor.

Tracy Sherrod will join Amistad as editorial director on April 22. Previously she was the founder and proprietor of Tracy Sherrod Literary Services, representing Karine Steffans, Katori Hall, Kalisha Buckannon, and others (and prior to that she was an editor at Simon & Schuster).

Amistad is a division of HarperCollins, who publishes works by and about people of African descent, on subjects and themes that have significant influence on the intellectual, cultural, and historical perspectives of a world audience.

At Simon & Schuster, Nick Greene has been promoted to associate editor and Jonathan Cox moves up to assistant editor.

At Workman Publishing, Raquel Jaramillo, who has been acting creative director for two years, will return full time to her position as director of children’s publishing.

Following on Avon Impulse and Harper Teen Impulse in the US, Harper UK will launch a digital first women’s fiction and romance imprint in May. Harper Impulse, an imprint of their Harper Fiction division, aims “to find, publish and break new talent from debut authors, and import the hottest trends from the US.” Harper Fiction publishing director Kimberley Young will run the line , joined by content developer Charlotte Ledger, who worked previously at Chawton House Library as well as Mills & Boon.

They invite unrepresented submissions and are looking for everything from “short reads to epic sagas.” The company says they have received hundreds of manuscripts over the past month and have three acquisitions in the works. and has already received nearly 500 manuscripts in less than a month and has three acquisition deals in the works. Their editorial team will offer writing workshops and events “to give authors a diverse publishing experience.”

Publishers Marketplace reports: After Skyhorse and Start Publishing’s intended joint acquisition of Night Shade Books’ assets ignited public controversy over the original terms of sale (and now, after a revision, the sale “is in a holding pattern right now waiting for all the authors’ feedback”, a Skyhorse spokesperson told us) the two publishers have bought a different science fiction & fantasy publisher, Underland Press, for an undisclosed sum. The deal for the six-year-old press, according to a joint release, is part of Skyhorse and Start Publishing’s plans “to deepen their relationship to the genre community.”

Skyhorse publisher Tony Lyons said in a statement: “We are thrilled at the acquisition of Underland. We look forward to publishing 10–20 new books a year.

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

Alan Kingsberg was asked to be part of the New Jersey SCBWI Conference, because we a few of our member are studying with him in NYC.  The views of what they are learning from him and how he has helped improve their middle grade books are fabulous. So if you can see you book as a TV show or just want to enhance your book with more visual scenes, then you should consider signing up for this intensive workshop. Here is the description:

This intensive workshop is designed to teach children’s book authors and illustrators How To Break Into TV Writing. Topics will include: How to adapt your book or story for TV; how to structure a TV script that sells; how to build a writing portfolio to get an agent or a job; story telling for books vs. TV, and how to start writing a pilot script or improve the one you’re writing. This class is designed to teach you how to break into a growing and lucrative market with your existing talents and creative skills. The class is suited for beginners and experienced writers. Whether your goal is to turn your book into a successful TV series, get staffed on an existing TV show, or simply explore a new creative arena, this workshop will help you move forward. Clips will be screened from iCarly, Victorious, 30 Rock, News Room and Seinfeld.

In 1999, Alan Kingsberg created the popular TV writing workshop at Columbia University’s Graduate Film School.  He’s been teaching TV Writing and Advanced TV Writing to Columbia MFA students for over a decade. His students’ TV scripts have won many national contests, including the Humanitas Award and multiple first place prizes at the highly competitive film festivals.

Alan’s students have written for 30 ROCK, WEEDS, NEW GIRL, LAW AND ORDER, SMASH, LAST MAN STANDING, VEGAS, CONAN O’BRIEN, and CALIFORNICATION.

Alan has written for numerous network and cable shows including NBC’s “Law and Order: Criminal Intent” and Nickeloden’s “Are You Afraid of the Dark?”  He has been a show runner on five animated TV series including the hits “Winx Club”, “Pokemon” and “Cubix”.  As a show runner he produced or wrote over 220 half hour episodes.

Email Alan

TESTIMONIALS

“Alan is a phenomenal teacher, who taught me everything about TV writing, from story structure to dialogue.  In his class, I wrote and revised the scripts that launched my career in the industry.”  –– Vanessa Reisen, Supervising Producer, WEEDS, CALIFORNICATION.

“The script I wrote in Alan’s class won first prize at the Austin Film Festival, secured me an agent, and got me my first feature screenwriting job at Fox Searchlight Films.” – Martina Broner, Writer/Producer.

“Alan inspires you to write.  He is straightforward and clear.  When you take his class, you’ll end up writing a spec script for a TV show.  He is the real deal.”  – Beth Einhorn, Writer: THE TONIGHT SHOW.

“The Scrubs Spec I wrote in Alan’s class won the Humanitas award ($10,000).  Alan’s class prepared me to work successfully in the industry.”  Chris Carlson, Editorial Director, SPIKE TV.

Conference Link: www.regonline.com/njscbwi2013conference

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

Jessica Regel has been with JVNLA since 2002. She maintains her own list of talented writers while also handling Film, Audio, and UK rights for the agency. Originally from Iowa, she was working at her local library when she was offered an internship at JVNLA and she promptly moved to New York City. After receiving her B.A. in English Literature from Hunter College, she became a full agent at JVNLA, representing both children’s and adult writers. With energy and persistence, Jessica works closely with her writers to develop and sell their work to publishing houses.

She is seeking: strong commercial fiction, literary fiction, edgy/hip fiction, young adult, and middle grade novels, children’s non-fiction, and narrative nonfiction. She doesn’t handle practical nonfiction, inspirational/religion, genre science fiction or fantasy, or political thrillers.

Jessica says, “I want to be fully immersed in the story from page one. If it’s funny, I want to laugh. If it’s dramatic, I want to feel connected to the characters. It’s a similar feeling any reader has when they go to the bookstore and read the first few pages of a new book. What makes you buy that book? The line, ‘But it really gets going in chapter 10′ is lost on me. No agent, editor or consumer will get to chapter 10 if they’re not interested in chapters 1-9.”

Jessica is part of the faculty at the New Jersey SCBWI June Conference and she is looking to build her list of clients. Deadline to register is April 30th.

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy Temean

Believe me you will feel like pulling out all your teeth if you don’t realize that…

Thanks to Dow Phumiruk for sending in this illustration to help me make my point.  Dow is a pediatrician who has found her passion in children’s book illustration. Most of her work is digital, and she enjoys using a bright, colorful palette. She joined SCBWI in 2011 and is looking forward to her first national conference in LA this summer. Here is a link to see more of her art: www.artbydow.blogspot.com .

the New Jersey SCBWI Conference being held in Princeton, NJ June 7 – 9 will close registration on APRIL 30th! I am making a big deal about this, because I am afraid that many of you will miss the date.  When I was running the conference, I would let people register up until the first week in June and because of that I didn’t realize that the deadline was a drop dead date at the end of April. If I didn’t realize, then I am sure someone else who is use to registering later could miss getting into the conference. I would feel terrible if you wanted to go and didn’t understand the change.  Please help spread the word, so that doesn’t happen. I don’t blame them for the earlier cut off, it will drastically help the committee to prepare for the conference.   www.regonline.com/njscbwi2013conference

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

Manelle graduated with a bachelor’s degree in illustration from Brigham Young University Idaho and has been working as an Illustrator since 2005.  She’s illustrated multiple books. Most recently, In the Garden, (spring 2012) In the Woods, (fall 2012) and At the Beach (spring 2013) for Peachtree Publishers.

Some of my other clients include: McGraw-Hill, Friend Magazine, The Empress Theatre, and Blooming Tree Press.

I work with watercolor, prismacolor pencil, pencil, Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign.

Manelle says, “My object in writing and illustrating books for children is: to recapture imagination, rekindle curiosity, and demonstrate the rewards of knowledge and virtue. Pretty good eh? I stole it from Walden Media. Regardless I am creating books and illustrations for children with this in mind. Hoping that others will have a chance to have fun, and learn from the products I create.”

Manelle has sent three panels that describe her process, thinking, and interview answers.

Have you always lived in Salt Lake Utah?

Basically, I did go to school in Idaho. I lived in West Yellowstone Montana one summer and I lived in Provo Utah for about a year after college.

How did you go to college to study illustration?

Well, yes, sort of, I went to college to study art. I thought I wanted to be a gallery artist but then I took an illustration class and the rest is history.

What types of classes did you take that really helped you to develop as an illustrator?

Like I said I took this one illustration class… It was intense and really hard. It seems like during the semester I was just exhausted the whole time but it really gave me the tools I needed to be able to draw the kinds of pictures I always wanted to draw. In the end I took that class three times, twice with the same teacher and once with another teacher. I learned so much in all of them.

What did you do after you graduated?

After I graduated I moved to Provo Utah and got a job doing layout for an educational publisher. I liked it there and I sometime I got to do small illustrations. It was fun learning more about Graphic design and layout there. I still use those skills all time.

What was the first thing you did that you got paid to do?

I think it was an illustration for the Friend magazine.

How long have you been illustrating?

Eight years

What materials did you start out using for your illustrations?

Watercolor and pen, and I also did a lot of digital painting at first.

Have those material changed over time?

Yes. I still use watercolor but now I use colored pencil and pencil more than pen. I just use the computer for prep work now, value studies and things like that. I stopped doing digital after I got a few jobs painting that way and realized I didn’t enjoy doing that as much. And sometimes l like to just try something completely different if I can. That is what Ruby and the Skateboard is, a fun style experiment.

Was the artwork for Don’t be Afraid a self-published book project?

No it was for a small Christian publisher. I think the first book job I got. I was pretty excited about it at the time.

How did you get involved with Familius?

It’s a long story. I’ll try to sum up. The Just In Time books were first being published by another publisher and they hired me. But before they were published the authors decided they wanted to go a different rout than that publisher was going so they pulled out. I had already done some sketches and things for them and I really, REALLY, wanted to do them. Luckily the authors, Cheri Earl and Carol Williams, live in Utah and I had met them at some SCBWI conferences, so the next time I saw one of them at a conference I told her how baldly I wanted to do those books. Later I emailed the sketches I had done and she liked them. She said she would suggest me as an illustrator if they found another publisher. Years later they found Familius and Familius hired me. So I think the moral of the story is be patient, and go to conferences, you never know what will happen.

Will there be other Just in Time books coming out?

Yes, 50 are planned, one for each state.

Can you tell us something about Familius?

They are new as of last year (2012). Christopher Robbins the publisher used to be CEO of Gibbs smith. So far they have been good to work with and we’ve enjoyed getting the Just In Time books ready for publication.

Will you be the illustrator for all of them?

That’s the plan.

Did you do any interior art for The Princess and the Pee or was it just the cover?

Yeah, I did an illustration for each chapter.

I see that you just wrote and illustration your own picture book and are selling it on Amazon for $.99. Was it easy to take the book dummy and turn it into an ebook?

It wasn’t too hard. But like I said I had a job doing layout and I took some deign classes in college. I don’t know that it would have been as easy if I didn’t know how to do that.  After the layout there is just some mechanical stuff to figure out that takes time but isn’t too hard. Julie Olsen has a nice blog post about how to do that. http://jujubeeillustrations.blogspot.com/2012/01/how-to-create-and-publish-ebook-picture.html

How hard is it to get people to notice your ebook?

I haven’t been good at it yet. Gradually I’m selling more and more and I’ve been trying things here and there to market them. Just learning stuff from people online and trying it. No giant success yet but I kind of enjoy the trying.

Do you plan to produce the book and self publish it, so kids can hold it in their hands?

Not at this point. Both of the ebooks I have out right now were just little things I did for fun and for practice telling stories. I think they will always just be ebooks.

What are your thoughts about the acceptance of buying a digital picture book?

I think people are accepting it more and more and that we all aren’t sure what a digital book is exactly. It’s all a process and I just want to be involved in the new fun. I don’t have programing skills or animation skills so my books are just pictures and text but there are so many more things they can be. I plan to keeping learning and telling better stories and just seeing what happens with digital picture books.  And having fun with them as they evolve.

Do you plan to write and illustrate another children’s picture book?

Of course. I think the reason illustration appealed to me in the first place was the chance to tell stories with my art. I plan on doing that until I die and still doing it in the after life. Why stop right? I have some fun manuscripts written and new ideas all the time, and as I said I feel like I’ve just been practicing so far. I plan on getting better at telling better stories.

Are you concentrating on becoming a children’s picture book illustrator?

Um… yes, and no. I like variety I love picture books but that is not all that I want to do. Mostly I just want to tell good stories.

How did you get involved with Peach Tree Publishers and the board book you illustrated for them?

They hired me after I sent sample postcards.

Who is Jeremy D. Miller and how did you work together on a wordless picture book?

Ha ha, good question. Jeremy is my husband and after I had the idea for Ruby and the Skateboard he helped me figure out everything that would happen to her. Then I drew it.

What types of things do you do to get your work seen by publishing professionals?

Postcard mailings, and a website are the main things. Conferences are great also. You never know what is going to happen. I have heard of people getting jobs from twitter but that hasn’t happened to me yet.

Do you have an agent? If so, who and how long have the represented you?  If not, would you like one?

I don’t have one. I would like one but I want them to be the right one so I keep dragging my feet. I’ve submitted to some before and got some offers but they never felt right. I’ve also gotten a lot (and I mean a lot) of rejections. That was a couple years ago though so maybe I’ll try again soon. But not having an agent has been good for learning. I feel like I know my way around contracts and I’m getting better at taking better jobs. It’s hard asking for more money or changes in contracts. When I have to do stuff like that It’s always nerve racking but I like the feeling of accomplishment at doing something hard even if I don’t get what I want. And of course I’m getting better at it the more I do it.

I see you have used your artwork to make t-shirts, cards, ipad, iphone covers, etc.  Can you tell us a little bit about this?

Yeah, I just use the website society6 which is a service where I upload my art and they print on demand. If someone buys something of mine I get a percentage. I think they have good quality from what I’ve seen. It’s been a fun little side thing.

Do you ever use two different materials in one illustration?

Yes. Right now almost all of my color illustrations are a combination of watercolor and colored pencils. Some of my pencil stuff has a grayscale digital under painting. Doing that helps me save time.  Ruby and the Skateboard is ink and digital.

Have you seen your style change since you first started illustrating?

Yes. Although I don’t know how I can explain it in detail.

Have you gotten any work through networking?

Yes. I would say the just in time books are a good example of that.

Have you published any illustration in magazines or newspapers?

Yes. I’ve done a couple jobs for the Friend Magazine, and some other stuff here and there. I’ve also done illustrations for text books and thing like that.

Do you do any art exhibits to help get noticed?

Not usually but sometimes if the opportunity arises.

Are you open to doing illustrations for self-published picture book authors?

No.

Do you ever use Photoshop?

Yes. I use it for value and color studies and all kinds of other stuff. I used to do a lot of my paintings with it but now I just do paintings with Photoshop for fun when I’m doing experiments and the like.

Do you own a graphic tablet? If so, how do you use it?

Yes. I use it  for painting in Photoshop mostly.

How much time do you spend illustrating?

As much as I can I suppose and sometimes more. I just finished the second book for Just in Time. We had a really tight deadline with it and I spent every waking hour illustrating.

Is there anything in your studio, other than paint and brushes that you couldn’t live without?

I suppose I would prefer not ever live without the salt lake county library system. They provide most excellent recorded books for me to listen to while I’m illustrating (It’s not technically in my studio but the books are).

Any picture books on the horizon?

Not right now.  I have some manuscripts I’ve been working on but it remains to be seen if I will turn them into ebooks or try to publish traditionally. Right now I’m just really busy with Just In Time.

What are your career goals?

Be amazing and keep getting better.  I did have the goal to illustrate cover and interiors for beginning chapter and middle grade books. That’s what Just in Time is and they will keep me busy for a long time.  So I met that goal and haven’t made any new ones yet. I suppose my goal would be to not mess them up. I have some personal projects in mind to do while I’m working on those as well.

What are you working on now?

I just finished the second, Just In time and will probably start on the third soon.

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

Every painting needs an awesome composition and the right values.

Any words of wisdom you can share with the illustrators who are trying to develop their career?

Keep moving forward. I still think I’m in development stage but when I look back I can see that I have made progress. It has been slow going but the work is starting to pay off. I just had to be persistent and I have to keep being persistent and believe it’s gonna be great.

Thank you Manelle for sharing you process and journey with us. We look forward to hearing more success stories from you. Please make sure you let us know.

If you would like to visit Manelle you can go to her website: www.manelleoliphant.com And please take a minute to leave a comment here for Manelle. It would be  much appreciated. Thanks!

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

MEREDITH MUNDY, Executive Editor, Sterling Children’s Books has agreed to being April’s Guest Critiquer. If you haven’t met Meredith, you can meet her at the New Jersey SCBWI Conference in Princeton, NJ this June. She is a wonderful editor and a lovely person. She knows her stuff.

Meredith Mundy has been with Sterling Children’s Books for 8 years, following 11 years at Dutton Children’s Books. She is nuts about character-centered picture books (recent projects include The Big Bad Wolf Goes on Vacation by Delphine Perret, A Pirate’s Twelve Days of Christmas by Philip Yates, and Ten on the Sled by Kim Norman), but she is also seeking everything from funny, original board books to unforgettable middle grade novels to YA fiction. (No vampires, angels, mermaids, or werewolves, please, and she doesn’t usually acquire historical fiction.) While she enjoys editing nonfiction, she wouldn’t be the right editor for poetry collections or a project geared primarily toward the school and library market.

WRITERS Sending in a First Page: Please attach your double spaced, 12 point font, 23 line first page to an e-mail and send it to kathy(dot)temean(at)gmail(dot)com. Also cut and paste it into the body of the e-mail. Put “April First Page Critique” or “April First Page Picture Prompt Critique” in the subject line. Make sure you have your name on the submission, a title, and indicate the genre. Also let me know if you were able to post of facebook or Tweet. That will get your name in the basket an additional time, when I am choosing the four pages. If you don’t have either of these, just leave a comment and let me know. If you end up doing more things to get additional entries, then e-mail me a note by April 20th. The four chosen and their critiques will be posted on April 26th.

This first page picture prompt was done by Susan Dietwiler. Susan was feature on March 9th. You can use this link http://wp.me/pss2W-6jt to view her artwork.

AUTHORS: If you have a new book coming out and want to be considered for a post, please e-mail me at: Kathy.temean (at) gmail.com

Call for illustrations for April: You can send anything, but I am especially looking for illustrations that reflect the month. I hope you will send something in. Last month, I did not receive very many. This is a good way to get your work seen. Don’t wait, I will post the illustrations as they come in. Please make sure the illustration is at least 500 pixels wide and include a blurb about yourself and a link to see more of your work. Please send it to kathy(dot)temean(at)gmail(dot)com and put “April Illustration” in the subject box.

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

Here is illustrator Joanne Friar’s painting of a rainy day done in acrylic gouache on HP watercolor paper and based on a poem from Robert Louis Stevenson’s “A Child’s Garden of Verses”. Joanne was featured on March 10th on Illustrator Saturday. You can use this link to see the whole post: http://wp.me/pss2W-4j3

Thought you would be interested in an interesting article written by Jeremy Greenfield for Forbes the other day, titled, How the Authors Guild Is Kind of Like the NRA and Why Scott Turow Is Wrong About Authors which rebutted an op-ed for the New York Times, written by Authors Guild president Scott Turow (who is also a lawyer and the best-selling author of legal thrillers like The Burden of Proof and Presumed Innocent). In this weeks article Turow, lamented that authors are under siege in the ebook era.

Turow’s angst all came about when last month, the Supreme Court decided to allow the importation and resale of foreign editions of American works, which are often cheaper than domestic editions. Until now, courts have forbidden such activity as a violation of copyright. Not only does this ruling open the gates to a surge in cheap imports, but since they will be sold in a secondary market, authors won’t get royalties.

Jeremy Greenfeld pointed out in his Forbes article that the vast majority of authors in the U.S. are not best-selling authors. Many of them have greatly benefited from the massive changes that have swept across the literary landscape in the U.S. Before the rise of ebooks, only a small fraction of them would have been able to live out their lifelong dream of becoming a published author. Now tens of thousands of them do it every month.

Below are a few excerpts from Jeremy’s article. The full article is worth reading, since you will not get the comparison of the NRA and the Authors Guild if you don’t read Jeremy’s whole piece.

(According to a recent survey of nearly 5,000 authors by Digital Book World — that Jeremy Greenfield authored — the top three reasons authors want to publish books are:

To build their careers as writers;

To satisfy a lifelong ambition; and

To write something that people are willing to buy.

To make money is fourth. The full study is available here.)

Some small percentage of those dreamers (an incredibly small percentage) go on to become Hugh Howey and Amanda Hocking. So, to the many of you out there who enjoyed Wool or My Blood Approves, thank some of the changes in book publishing.

The system that vaulted a talented (and lucky) few to the top is still thriving. Publishers are making just as much if not more money than ever before and the mega best-seller is alive and well. Check out the ebook best-seller list every week and you’ll see that big publishers dominate. Time and again, they are able to market and sell titles that spend months on the list. Want to sell millions of copies of a book? The same path that has always existed is probably your best bet.

But what if you’re not that talented (or lucky)? What if you don’t know the right people or nobody sees in your work what you see in it? Well, self publishing is now a viable option and a legitimate path to big sales numbers.

For some authors, the new publishing paradigm now offers them a choice between established publishers and publishing their own work themselves.

There are authors, such as narrative non-fiction and picture book writers, who are having trouble finding footing in the new era — and some of them write the most vital literature we have. Take Robert Caro, the author of several valuable and critically acclaimed tomes on Lyndon B. Johnson. Each of his books takes years to complete and probably can’t be done any other way. That kind of work takes investment and an appetite for risk; in the future, we may see fewer investments on Caro-like work. That would be a tragedy for American letters.

At this year’s Writer’s Digest conference in New York, there were nearly 500 attendees, enthusiastic writers who are interested in working on their craft and learning the business of publishing (disclosure: Writer’s Digest is a sister company to Digital Book World, my employer.) From what I heard, writers at the conference echoed the sentiment that now is the best time ever to be a writer.

“The vibe at the conference was incredibly upbeat,” Writer’s Digest community leader Phil Sexton told me. “Regardless of what challenges exist, most writers that we spoke to seemed to agree that we have far more publishing options and opportunities than we did even a few years ago.”

While there are things that the Authors Guild should oppose in defense of its constituents’ interests, it should not be done on a platform of “authors under attack” because that’s clearly not the case for the vast majority of authors. For most, this is the best time in history to be an author.

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

Tricia Lawrence is the newest agent at Erin Murphy Literary Agency and attending the New Jersey SCBWI Conference in June. As associate agent, Tricia represents middle grade, young adult fiction and nonfiction and is looking to build her list of clients. She’s likes strong world building, wounded narrators, and stories that grab a reader and won’t let go. Tricia lives in Seattle, so you could say she is the “Pacific Northwest branch” of EMLA. With Ammi-Joan in New England and Erin in Arizona, they seem to have things covered, but of course, you do not have to live near an agent for them to represent you.

Tricia says, “I’m also beginning to look for younger books: picture books, early readers, chapter books as well as middle grade and young adult. I love all genres, but find that a story with a mystery is what I’m most drawn to. I love, love, love finding something new, whether it is a character that makes me laugh out loud to a character that continues to persevere in spite of everything being thrown at him/her. I would love to find books that are extremely high-concept, but that have an amazing main character. It really all comes down to character, doesn’t it?

I like historical, scifi, spec fiction, fantasy, paranormal (although the paranormal must be really original), contemporary, mystery/thriller, and adventure. I’m particularly drawn to books that focus on big educational transitions in a kid’s life (what it feels like to be leaving high school, that YA sweet spot or learning to navigate middle school coming from elementary school or learning to deal with school at all for younger readers). I must be reliving my own childhood years in school over and over again! I am also very interested in nonfiction for teens, on subjects covering babysitting to how to prepare for college in a fresh, original spin.”

EMLA is closed to unsolicited queries or submissions. We consider queries that come to us by referral from industry professionals we know, and individual agents are open to queries from attendees of conferences where they speak. So attending the June Conference in Princeton, will open this door for you. www.regonline.com/njscbwi2013conference

Here are some additional Tricia interview’s to read:

Forever Rewriting

Fresh As A Daisy

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

Why create a Curriculum Guide for your books?  

“A discussion guide and/or activity guide is a valuable way for teachers, librarians and parents to give a book more depth and breadth,” says illustrator Melissa Sweet who collaborated with me on SPIKE, THE MIXED-UP MONSTER. Today, there’s more interest than ever in these guides. Why? Two words: Common Core. Educators everywhere are looking for ways to incorporate this new mandate.

And once you have a guide, it’s a win-win-win situation!

• For kids, the games, crafts and activities are fun. They encourage kids to play with ideas they’ve learned from the book and to dive deeper into the subject matter.

• For teachers, the guide helps them incorporate your book into lesson plans, especially if the guide aligns with the Common Core.

• For you, the guide increases your book’s exposure and lets you elaborate on ideas you’ve introduced. It makes a dandy handout for school and library visits and can drive traffic to your website.

What are the different kinds of guides?

Activity Guides

These offer interactive activities, such as cut-out masks, holiday cards, finger puppets, bookmarks and so on. They may include directions for games, activities, songs, recipes, and crafts.

Discussion Guides

These guides have more text, fewer cut-outs.  They might provide interviews with the author and illustrator, discussion prompts, projects and extension activities. They list questions to ask kids and suggest additional books, websites and resources.  See Michelle Markel and Melissa Sweet’s Discussion Guide for BRAVE GIRL.

All of the Above 

Our SPIKE, THE MIXED-UP MONSTER Curriculum Guide has something for everyone—pages of interactive cut-out, crayon and drawing activities for kids, plus book-related questions that align with the Common Core for educators.

How do you create a Curriculum Guide?

Talk to your publisher. More and more houses are interested in developing them.  Some will work with the author and illustrator. Others will hire an outside reading specialist to write discussion questions, illustrated with pick-up art from the book.

For our book SPIKE, THE MIXED-UP MONSTER, Melissa Sweet and I agreed to work on the guide together.  I came up with the games and wrote the copy. (As the former Children’s Content Director of Nick Jr. Magazine, they were right up my alley!) Melissa did sketches for some pages and we used pick-up art from the book for other pages. We submitted the “manuscript” and later sketches to our editor and then worked with the Simon & Schuster marketing department to have the guide designed and copy-edited.  Simon & Schuster also hired a literacy specialist, Tracie Vaughn Zimmer to add a discussion guide with questions that align to the Common Core. Tracie says, “I’ve been writing guides for 10 years. My focus is to really try to find what’s unique about the book and bring that forward for teachers to use in their classroom. The new push is the alignment with The Common Core Standards, which I’ve been trained in extensively over the last two years.”

Who pays the costs?

Sometimes the publisher, sometimes you! For my book JUST SAY BOO,

I worked with my illustrator Jed Henry to create Halloween cards, masks, paper dolls, a charades card game, and more.  Jed agreed to create some original art and we used some pick-up art as well.  We both donated our time and then I hired a former Nick Jr. designer, Jennifer Starr, to put it together. This is key. Without a good designer, your guide won’t look professional or be as appealing.

How long does it take?

It depends on the scope of the guide. Our SPIKE guide is 15-pages long and includes original art so the production process took several months.  Guides that are mostly text or use pickup art will take less time. 

How does it get distributed?

You, your illustrator and your publisher post the guide as a free downloadable PDF on your websites, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest accounts. I also take copies along to school and library visits, conferences and other venues. To keep costs down, I might copy one or two pages, do those activities with the kids, and then provide the school the link for more. Or you can email your school contacts ahead of time and have the school download the guide before your visit.

To download the SPIKE, THE MIXED-UP MONSTER Curriculum Guide, visit: www.susanhoodbooks.com

For wonderful ideas for teaching SPIKE developed by the professors of Lesley University, see http://march23rdhandout.blogspot.com/p/panel-i.html

Have more questions? To get more information about creating guides, contact Susan@susanhoodbooks.com.

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

HENRY HAZLITT CONTEST FOR BUSINESS FICTION

This contest catch my eye, because it doesn’t cost you to enter and it gives you a cash prizes, plus a chance to get published with an advance and royalties. 

Traditionally, business has been portrayed negatively in most novels. The purpose of this contest is to provide some balance to this situation, and thus provide a publication opportunity to debut novelists with a positive business mindset. 

I hope someone in the audience has a novel that fits.

NO ENTRY FEE
DEADLINE: April 30th, 2013
Unpublished Author
Pro-business theme
MG – Adult

The Henry Hazlitt Contest is a writing competition for the best new novel with a business or economics theme by a debut author.

The winner will receive the 2013 Henry Hazlitt Award for Business Fiction, which includes a cash prize of five hundred dollars ($500)  and an offer of a publishing contract that includes a royalty  advance of $2,000.

You must be an unpublished author, not previously or currently bound by a publishing contract. The novel must have a theme related to business, finance, entrepreneurship or economics. The novel’s theme should be pro-business. The target audience for the novel can be any age from middle-grade to adult.

No picture books. Deadline April 30, 2013.

http://www.fiscalpress.com/writing-contest.html

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

KIT & VESPER & JOYCE, YAY!

Kit Grindstaff’s debut novel hits the bookshelves on April 9th and she is having a Book Launch Party on the evening of April 19th from 7 pm- 9pm at The Doylestown Bookshop 16 South Main St, Doylestown, Pennsylvania 18901. If you live in the area, it would be great if you could stop by and help Kit celebrate. Big Congratulations to you. I wish you the best of luck with the book. Kit said, “And the book’s publication is SO much due to your teaming me w/Michelle Poploff at the 2010 conference!” That is music to my ears.

Vesper Stampers new picture book In The Hall of The Mountain King. Vesper will be signing her book at the New Jersey SCBWI June Conference, but if you aren’t attending you can get one with this link: http://www.allisonflannery.com/buy-book/ Congratulations, Vesper! Love how successful you have become. Versper was featured on Illustrator Saturday in Aug 2011.  Here is the link: http://wp.me/pss2W-39y

Joyce Wan signed a contract with Farrar, Straus and Giroux/Macmillian for her picture book WHALE IN MY SWIMMING POOL that she wrote and illustrated. It was a two-book deal, sold to editor Janine O’Malley by her agent Teresa D Kietlinski at Prospect Agency. If you attended the 2010 Writer’s Retreat in Princeton, you may remember the story, since that is the one she brought with her.  Congratulations, Joyce. We are so proud of your success.

Joyce will be teaching a workshop on Branding this June at the NJSCBWI annual conference. Don’t forget to register. www.regonline.com/njscbwi2013conference

Christian Trimmer will join Simon & Schuster Children’s as senior editor on April 15. Previously he was senior editor at Disney-Hyperion. GOOD LUCK!

Emily Graff has been named associate editor at Simon & Schuster. CONGRATULATIONS!

Other Industry News:

San Francisco-based publisher of science fiction & fantasy Night Shade Books, which has been struggling financially for several years, indicated in a letter to authors and agents earlier this week that the company plans to sell its assets to Skyhorse (as well as another entity, Start Publishing LLC.) The catch is that the sale cannot happen unless “a sufficient number of Night Shade authors agree to certain changes to their contracts.” Alternately, Night Shade will file for bankruptcy or liquidation proceedings.

In the letter, Night Shade explains their financial difficulties were exacerbated by Borders’ liquidation, so much so that they “have reached a point where our current liabilities exceed our assets, and it is clear that, with our current contracts, sales, and financial position, we cannot continue to operate as an independent publisher.” They claim the potential sale to Skyhorse and Start Publishing “will result in authors getting paid everything they are due as well as finding a future home for their books,” while the “revenue received from the sale would go towards paying off the debts of the company.”

The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America originally supported the possible deal in a letter to members, saying “it was in our members’ best interests to encourage the deal to go through” because otherwise, liquidation could tie up contracts and owed royalties for years, if they are ever paid out at all. Should the asset transfer happen, Skyhorse would publish Night Shade titles under a dedicated imprint, with co-owners Jeremy Lassen and Jason Williams staying on in consulting editorial roles.

But a number of Night Shade authors, including Jeff Vandermeer and Kameron Hurley, said they would not sign off on the new terms. So everything continues to hang in question.

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

Welcome to America, Champ!

If you visit this blog on a regular basis, you know that I am a big fan of Doris and her art.  I have every book she has illustrated and I haven’t held this one in my hand, yet, but I already know I have to add this new book to my collection. I hope Doris will be attending the New Jersey SCBWI Conference in June, so I can get it signed.  (Doris, are you attending?)

Doris says, “The story begins with a wedding in an English village during WWII. While illustrating Champ! my father’s army uniform hung in my studio for reference and inspiration.” Written by Catherine Stier, this book is part of the Tales of the World series published by Sleeping Bear Press.

BOOK LAUNCH 
Clinton Book Shop – 21 East Main St., Clinton, NJ – on Saturday April 6.
If you live nearby, please join us. Doris will be signing books from 11 am – 1 pm.

BOOKLIST review

The luxurious Queen Mary ocean liner once sailed with diapers drying on clotheslines suspended over the ship’s emptied swimming pool. Why? This was part of an unusual cargo transported by luxury liners in 1946: tens of thousands of “soldier brides” and their children who immigrated at the end of WWII to reunite with the U.S. servicemen they had married overseas. This entry into the Tales of the World series shines a vivid light on war’s upheavals by focusing on fictional Thomas, a nine-year-old boy who faces leaving home, friends, grandparents, and his beloved cricket for the U.S., a new father, a new school, and the strange sport of baseball. A wedding cake made by friends’ saving up sugar and powdered eggs for weeks and a view from the train into London of the Blitz’s devastation bring home war’s everyday hardship and trauma. At the same time, Thomas is moving into a hopeful future. Heartfelt watercolor illustrations bring to life the anxiety and tentative joys of this unique historical situation. — Connie Fletcher

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

Suzie Townsend started at FinePrint Literary Management in January 2009 and worked her way up from intern to agent. Now an agent at New Leaf Literary, she represents adult and children’s fiction. She is actively looking to build her list. In adult, she’s specifically looking for women’s fiction, romance (historical and paranormal), and fantasy (urban fantasy, science fiction, steampunk, epic fantasy). In Childrens’ she loves YA (all subgenres) and is dying to find great Middle Grade projects (especially something akin to the movie SUPER 8). She’s an active member of AAR, RWA, and SCBWI.

She’s interested in strong characters and voice driven stories: she’s particularly keen on strong female protagonists, complex plot lines with underlying political, moral, or philosophical issues, and stories which break out of the typical tropes of their genre. Some of her favorite novels (that she doesn’t represent) are Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card, When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead, How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff, Jellicoe Road and Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta, The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger, Jeaniene Frost’s Vampire Huntress series, Anne Bishop’s Black Jewels series, and Jacqueline Carey’s Kushiel series.

She drinks too much diet orange soda, has a Starbucks problem (those soy chai lattes are addictive), and lives in New York with her two dogs, Slevin and Fate, who know that chewing on shoes is okay but chewing on books is not.

Selected Recent Releases Personal Demons, Original Sin, and Last Rite by Lisa Desrochers (Tor Teen) A Brush of Darkness, A Sliver of Shadow and A Trace of Moonlight by Allison Pang (Pocket Books) Sophie & Carter, Anew, Awry and Avow by Chelsea Fine  Tempest and Vortex by Julie Cross (Thomas Dunne Books) When the Sea is Rising Red by Cat Hellisen (FSG, 2/28/2012) All These Lives by Sarah Wylie (Margaret Ferguson Books, 6/5/2012) False Memory by Dan Krokos (Disney*Hyperion, 8/14/2012) The Treachery of Beautiful Things by Ruth Frances Long (Dial Books for Young Readers, 8/16/2012) The Sinister Sweetness of Splendid Academy by Nikki Loftin (Razorbill, 8/21/2012) Valkyrie Rising and Valkyrie Symptoms by Ingrid Paulson (HarperTeen) Nobody But Us by Kristin Halbrook (HarperTeen, 1/29/2013)

Selected Forthcoming Titles The Nightmare Affair by Mindee Arnett (Tor Teen, 3/5/2013) Arclight by Josin L. McQuein (Greenwillow, 4/23/2013) The Planet Thieves by Dan Krokos (Starscape, 5/21/2013) Faking It by Cora Carmack (William Morrow, 6/4/2013) Prep School Confidential by Kara Taylor (Thomas Dunne Books, 7/30/2012) False Sight by Dan Krokos (Disney*Hyperion, 8/13/2013) This is How I Find Her by Sara Polsky (Albert Whitman, Fall 2013) Finding It by Cora Carmack (William Morrow, Fall 2013) Premeditated by Josin L. McQuein (10/2013) Avalon by Mindee Arnett (B+B, Winter 2014) Something Beginning with You by Sarah Wylie (Margaret Ferguson Books, Winter 2014) Nightingale’s Nest by Nikki Loftin (Razorbill, Winter 2014) After You by Jessica Corra (Dial BFYR, Summer 2014)

Recent Sales Middle Grade: The author of When the Sea is Rising Red, Cat Hellisen’s BEASTKEEPER, a reimagining of Beauty and the Beast and what might have happened if they didn’t actually life happily ever after, set two generations later when a young girl discovers that the curse is hereditary, to Noa Wheeler at Holt Children’s, at auction, by Suzie Townsend at New Leaf Literary & Media.

Young Adult:  Alexis Bass’s debut GIRLS EVOLVED, about a seventeen-year-old girl and her best friends, who have made it to second semester senior year heartbreak-free by abiding by the wisdom of Marilyn Monroe — “A wise girl kisses but doesn’t love, listens but doesn’t believe, and leaves before she is left” — until a boy moves to town and changes everything, pitched in the vein of Sara Zarr and Nina LaCour, to Rosemary Brosnan at Harper Teen, in a good deal, in a two-book deal, in a pre-empt, by Suzie Townsend at New Leaf Literary & Media.

Young Adult: Makiia Lucier’s debut A BEAUTIFUL AND DEATH-STRUCK YEAR, about a seventeen-year-old student in Portland, Oregon who risks her heart and her life when she volunteers for the Red Cross during the Spanish Influenza epidemic of 1918, to Adah Nuchi at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children’s, by Suzie Townsend at New Leaf Literary & Media.

Digital Young Adult: Author of the forthcoming AVALON, Mindee Arnett’s prequel novella, featuring a teen mercenary and his talented crew of thieves who must pull off a jewel heist on a distant planet without being double-crossed by his unwanted mentor, again to Jordan Brown at Harper Teen Impulse, by Suzie Townsend at New Leaf Literary & Media.

Young Adult:  Author of the forthcoming PREP SCHOOL CONFIDENTIAL, Kara Taylor’s next two novels in the series, featuring a sixteen-year old Queen Bee at a blue-blooded prep school outside Boston who finds herself embroiled in a murder mystery buried in the school’s disturbing secret history, pitched as GOSSIP GIRL meets TWIN PEAKS, again to Brendan Deneen and Anne Brewer at Thomas Dunne Books, by Suzie Townsend of New Leaf Literary & Media.

Middle Grade: MarcyKate Connolly’s debut novel, MONSTROUS, about a girl recreated from the parts of her broken body, the wings of a raven, the tail of serpent, and a cat’s razor-sharp vision, and given the mission to avenge her own death and stop other girls of the countryside from suffering the same fate, pitched as Frankenstein meets Brothers Grimm, to Rosemary Brosnan at Harper Children’s, in a good deal, at auction, in a two-book deal, by Suzie Townsend at New Leaf Literary & Media.

Middle Grade:  Author of THE SINISTER SWEETNESS OF SPLENDID ACADEMY and the forthcoming NIGHINGALE’S NEST Nikki Loftin’s next untitled middle grade novel, again to Laura Arnold at Razorbill, by Suzie Townsend and New Leaf Literary & Media.

Middle Grade: Rebecca Behrens’s debut WHEN AUDREY MET ALICE, featuring the thirteen-year-old First Daughter who finds Alice Roosevelt’s secret diary hidden beneath the floorboards of the White House and is inspired to “eat up the world” though one wrong step could mean tabloid scandal, to Aubrey Poole at Sourcebooks, by Suzie Townsend at New Leaf Literary & Media.

Paranormal: CARNIEPUNK, an anthology which combines the carnival setting and the world of urban fantasy, a place of deception, where monsters wait silently in the dark, featuring short stories by authors Rachel Caine, Jennifer Estep, Seanan McGuire, Rob Thurman, Delilah Dawson, Kelly Gay, Kevin Hearne, Mark Henry, Hillary Jacques, Jackie Kessler, Kelly Meding, Allison Pang, Nicole Peeler and Jaye Wells, to Adam Wilson at Pocket, for publication in August 2013, by Suzie Townsend at New Leaf Literary & Media.

Young Adult: Sara Polsky’s debut THIS IS HOW I FIND HER, featuring a teenage girl who comes home from school the third day of her junior year to discover her mother has tried to kill herself and now she’ll have to move in with an aunt and cousin she hasn’t spoken to in years and ultimately learn how to rebuild her life, to Kristin Ostby at Albert Whitman, by Suzie Townsend at New Leaf Literary & Media (world English).

Young Adult: Mindee Arnett’s FINDING EDEN, about a teen mercenary who leads a talented crew of thieves and who finds his life on the line when he takes on a high risk job in order buy freedom for him and his sister, pitched as Firefly meets White Cat, to Jordan Brown at Balzer & Bray, in a good deal, in a two-book deal, by Suzie Townsend at New Leaf Literary & Media (NA).

Just thought I would point out why I’ve started posting interviews with published authors – Answer: I feel writers can gain useful information and ideas of what others have done to get published and maybe use something talked about during the interview to further your career. In this post I ask David L Harrison, who has over 90 children’s picture books published, about the anthologies he has participated in and educational books he has written to help children learn to read.  I hope this interview sparks some new ideas for you.

KATHY: Can you tell us about the journey you and your book “Let’s Write This Week with David Harrison” took to get published? 

DAVID:

I’m the poet laureate for Drury University, which implies that I should do something to promote poetry in particular or writing in general. While brainstorming for a project, one wag compared me to Mister Rogers and suggested that the university should create some sort of electronic program with me providing writing talk for kids based on my forty years of experience. The notion caught on.

We tested the idea with me in a classroom visiting with a student, reading a poem or two, and offering advice. We quickly acquired a producer, a studio, and Drury’s backing for the cost of professionally producing twenty DVD sessions. I wrote scripts divided into four tips each on five subjects: getting started, poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and revising. Each video session lasts five minutes and is meant to be shown in the classroom to help set the stage for the teacher’s follow-up lesson.

Dr. Lauren Edmondson (interim director of the School of Education and Child Development at Drury) joined me in writing a teachers’ guide and a student writing journal to accompany the DVDs. She will also teach a graduate credit course on “Let’s Write” for those who wish to enroll online.

We’ve come a long way from the original, casual suggestion and I’m proud of the result. The kit – 20 video sessions, 1 Teachers’ Guide, 20 Student Writing Journals, and 3 of my trade books used as examples in the guide –retails for $499.00 and will be introduced at the International Reading Association annual conference in San Antonio beginning April 19. The goal is to place the kit into elementary schools as an aide to teaching writing in grades 3-5.

KATHY: I see your poetry has been included in a number of anthologies during the last two years. Did these opportunities come to you from your blog?

DAVID:

Probably a few did. My blog has 1,200+ followers and I’ve made many friends since this blog journey began in 2009. However it happens, I was in half a dozen last year plus about that many slated for 2013.

KATHY: Do authors make any money when they are included in an anthology or do people mostly do it for exposure?

DAVID:

Money? Nah. It’s fun, though, to be invited to join a group of other poets to make a new book. The editor who pulls it all together might make money if the book sells. I always hope they do! But to a certain extent this current wave of anthologies is the answer for poets to want to get their work out there where readers might see it. The poet receives a flat fee per poem or a royalty based on sales. In royalty cases, the more poets, the smaller the piece of the pie.

KATHY: How did you connect with Jill Corcoran for Dare to Dream…Change the World anthology?

DAVID:

She sent me an invitation to participate in the book she was planning. I was paired with Jane Yolen. We each wrote a poem about a young boy named Nicholas Cobb, who made a difference in the lives of others by raising money to buy coats for children in a shelter. Here’s the link to Nicholas’s website:http://www.comfortandjoytexas.org The book has already was selected as a winner for the 2013 Notable Books for a Global Society Award!

KATHY: How did the series of books with Shell Education develop?

DAVID:

Mary Jo Fresch is a professor at Ohio State University with special research interests in Spelling/Word Study, Children’s Literature, and Early Literacy. We wanted to do a book together and settled on using poetry to help preK-1 kids develop reading skills. We worked on the manuscript for some time and eventually shared it with Dona Rice at Shell Education. She and the staff liked the idea and suggested that we divide the approach into five parts: short vowels, long vowels, consonants, rimes, and consonant blends. That required me to write a total of 96 poems, each based on a distinct sound that needed to be modeled as part of that week’s lesson. Mary Jo wrote the introductory text and provided clever, practical classroom activities to follow each poem.

The last step was to record all 96 poems on CDs that are attached inside the back covers of each book. Mary Jo and I were flown to California for the recording in a studio near Shell headquarters. It was a day filled with good vibes and laughter.

KATHY: Can you tell us a little bit about Shell Education? And in what way is IRA involved?

DAVID:

Shell Education and its sister publishing imprint, Teacher Created Materials, is a strong member of the educational publishing industry. Everyone on the staff is a former teacher and that means that they understand what goes on in the classroom. They are always searching for ways to respond to the needs of teachers and their books reflect that partnership. I love working with them. Another favorite of mine is Tori Bachman at International Reading Association. Tori wears a lot of hats, including book acquisitions. Thanks to discussions between Tori and Dona, IRA is co-branding “Learning through Poetry” so that we appear in both catalogs. How cool is that!

KATHY: Would you be able to share part of one of your “Learning through Poetry” books with us?

DAVID:

Mary Jo and I will give a 55 minute presentation at IRA on this subject to help teachers see how to apply our approach in their classrooms. It begins with a poem. My job was to make sure that this was a collection of poetry for young children, not a group of sing-songy, didactic lesson-poems. In every case I began by making a list of words with the sound I needed. After staring at the list long enough, sooner or later an idea would begin to form. From there it was a matter of writing a poem the same way I always do except for the restriction of using words with the same sound as much as possible.

For example: “ack” became: 

SNAKE ATTACK

When my brother
needs a snack,
he opens every
box and pack,
gobbles every
pile and stack,
empties every
jar and sack,
looks like he
could pop
or crack,
but soon
his snack
attack
is back.

And “ing” became

TEMPTATION

Money in my pocket,
Ching a-ching ching.
What will it buy me?
Thing a-thing thing.
Might buy a cell phone,
Ring a-ring ring.
Might buy a bracelet,
Bling a-bling bling.
Might buy a chicken,
Wing a-wing wing.
Might buy an ice cream,
Ding a-ding ding.
Might buy a CD,
Sing a-sing sing.
Money in my pocket,
Ching a-ching ching!

I’ve written my share of poems inspired by a picture, a conversation, a thought, even one word. Starting from a single sound was an entertaining challenge!

KATHY: Is your new book from Holiday House titled “A Perfect Home for a Family” available for purchase?

DAVID:

Yes, as of March 1. Four years ago we had raccoons in our attic. They drove us nuts with their nightly stirrings. We fussed and fumed and finally had the roof torn off and replaced. Later I realized that from the raccoons’ perspective, we must have been quite a nuisance too. That notion is what drives the story, which is wonderfully illustrated by Italian artist Roberta Angaramo. Sometimes it pays to see things from the other fella’s side!

KATHY: What are you working on now?

DAVID:

I have a series of three poetry books going, one each for grades 3-5; three collections of original poems for trade publishers; and a new picture book trying to find its best form.

KATHY: Do you have any words of wisdom for the authors and poets who visit this blog?

DAVID:

Thanks for having me, Kathy. And thanks again for creating my website and blog spot. I didn’t set out to blog but I’ve met a lot of nice people that way.

As for advice? Old timers must guard against reminiscing about the good old days. It took me six years to sell my first piece back in the 60s so I can’t imagine that today’s market is any tougher than that! It’s different, for sure, and anyone who aspires to see his/her name on the cover of a book should spend whatever time it takes to become familiar with the current market. I preach patience. Set goals that you can reach and climb on their backs like ladder rungs as you move farther and farther up toward success. Lastly, make it your best. I’d rather write one story well than ten stories poorly. Editors feel that way too.

Thank you David for answering my interview questions and thank you for sharing so much of your poetry expertise on your blog www.davidlharrison.wordpress.com Here is David’s Website address: www.davidlharrison.com

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

A few weeks back I posted an article about Hugh Howey’s dystopian novel WOOL, because it was such an inspirational success story. Since I own a Kindle Fire and the first part of the book was free, it was a no brainer to slip over and get it. After reading part one, I wanted to read the rest. For those who have read about the journey of WOOL and how Hugh started by publishing part one of WOOL  as an ebook, you may want to run off and do the same with your book.  I want you to know his writing is the reason for his success. If you decide to read the first part for free, I think you will see that we put up a polished story. Something we all should strive to achieve.

UNDER THE NEVER SKY:

After getting my Kindle, of course, I wanted to buy some ebooks to read.  Since I was enjoying all the YA dystopian novel series, I was looking for some new ones to read.  I looked at all the ebooks listed for $2.99 or lower and bought Under the Never Sky.  A few weeks later, I was on facebook and Carol Ferderlin Baldwin said she had just read Veronica Rossi’s Under the Never Sky and loved it, so I started reading, while reading the hardcover of Requiem. I never tried that before, but both books kept me reading and wanting to turn the page. Then I found myself away with only my Kindle and I tore through the second half of Veronica’s book. I have to agree with Carol Baldwin – I loved it! I tell you putting up her book on Kindle for $2.99 really  is a good marketing strategy, because there wasn’t any question about paying $10.00 plus tax for the second book, UNDER THE EVER SKY, which I am reading as we speak. Of course, I finished reading Requiem before I started Veronica’s second book. Veronica is represented by the wonderful Adam’s Literary Agency.

And have you noticed the other marketing tool that authors and publishers are using? Most of the authors are writing short stories about various characters in their books. This works really well, because they charge a few dollars for the ebook, so it brings in money and it keeps the excitement going while the author finishes their next book. Plus, if the author probably has the stories of the other characters in their mind in order to write the series, so they can put it out without having to come up with another plot. I see this as a great boom for authors and their fans.

REQUIEM:

Requiem is the third book in Lauren Oliver’s Delirium Series. It came out on March 5th. I highly recommend all three. Sometime the second book can not live up to the first, but I actually think the second was even better. If you like dystopian YA novels, don’t miss this series. When I noticed that Lauren lives in Brooklyn, I immediately suggested the New Jersey SCBWI Conference Committee consider Lauren for the keynote speaker. Lauren agreed and better yet, Stephen Barbara is Lauren’s agent, so we’ll be treated to both at the conference in June. Come join us: www.regonline.com/njscbwi2013conference

What a great book month March was for me.  I have twenty ebooks sitting in the cue on my Kindle and a bunch of hardcovers on my nightstand waiting to be read. I really didn’t think I would enjoy reading books as much on the Kindle, but I was wrong. The funny thing is I read the ebooks much faster, which has surprised me. I am looking forward reading in April:

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
Crossed by Ally Condie
See you at Harry’s by Jo Knowles

The little character study “Hold you over” ebooks for Marie Lu’s Legend Series and Veronica Roth’s Divergent Series that are sitting in my Kindle to keep me going until their next books.

What are you planning to read this month? What are some of the recent books you  loved?

KUDOS:

At Little, Brown Children’s, Pam Gruber has been promoted to associate editor.

At Abrams,  David Blatty has been promoted to director of managing editorial, Dervla Kelly moves up to senior editor, Laura Dozier has been promoted to editor, and Samantha Weiner moves up to assistant editor.

Regional publisher Tilsbury House in Maine, which has a successful line of children’s books, was sold to Jonathan Eaton and Tristram Coburn, founders of Cadent Publishing. They plan to grow the company’s lines.

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

Just thought I would point out why I’ve started posting interviews with published authors – Answer: I feel writers can gain useful information and ideas of what others have done to get published and maybe use something talked about during the interview to further your career. In this post I ask David L Harrison, who has over 90 children’s picture books published, about the anthologies he has participated in and educational books he has written to help children learn to read.  I hope this interview sparks some new ideas for you.

KATHY: Can you tell us about the journey you and your book “Let’s Write This Week with David Harrison” took to get published? 

DAVID:

I’m the poet laureate for Drury University, which implies that I should do something to promote poetry in particular or writing in general. While brainstorming for a project, one wag compared me to Mister Rogers and suggested that the university should create some sort of electronic program with me providing writing talk for kids based on my forty years of experience. The notion caught on.

We tested the idea with me in a classroom visiting with a student, reading a poem or two, and offering advice. We quickly acquired a producer, a studio, and Drury’s backing for the cost of professionally producing twenty DVD sessions. I wrote scripts divided into four tips each on five subjects: getting started, poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and revising. Each video session lasts five minutes and is meant to be shown in the classroom to help set the stage for the teacher’s follow-up lesson.

Dr. Lauren Edmondson (interim director of the School of Education and Child Development at Drury) joined me in writing a teachers’ guide and a student writing journal to accompany the DVDs. She will also teach a graduate credit course on “Let’s Write” for those who wish to enroll online.

We’ve come a long way from the original, casual suggestion and I’m proud of the result. The kit – 20 video sessions, 1 Teachers’ Guide, 20 Student Writing Journals, and 3 of my trade books used as examples in the guide –retails for $499.00 and will be introduced at the International Reading Association annual conference in San Antonio beginning April 19. The goal is to place the kit into elementary schools as an aide to teaching writing in grades 3-5.

KATHY: I see your poetry has been included in a number of anthologies during the last two years. Did these opportunities come to you from your blog?

DAVID:

Probably a few did. My blog has 1,200+ followers and I’ve made many friends since this blog journey began in 2009. However it happens, I was in half a dozen last year plus about that many slated for 2013.

KATHY: Do authors make any money when they are included in an anthology or do people mostly do it for exposure?

DAVID:

Money? Nah. It’s fun, though, to be invited to join a group of other poets to make a new book. The editor who pulls it all together might make money if the book sells. I always hope they do! But to a certain extent this current wave of anthologies is the answer for poets to want to get their work out there where readers might see it. The poet receives a flat fee per poem or a royalty based on sales. In royalty cases, the more poets, the smaller the piece of the pie.

KATHY: How did you connect with Jill Corcoran for Dare to Dream…Change the World anthology?

DAVID:

She sent me an invitation to participate in the book she was planning. I was paired with Jane Yolen. We each wrote a poem about a young boy named Nicholas Cobb, who made a difference in the lives of others by raising money to buy coats for children in a shelter. Here’s the link to Nicholas’s website:http://www.comfortandjoytexas.org The book has already was selected as a winner for the 2013 Notable Books for a Global Society Award!

KATHY: How did the series of books with Shell Education develop?

DAVID:

Mary Jo Fresch is a professor at Ohio State University with special research interests in Spelling/Word Study, Children’s Literature, and Early Literacy. We wanted to do a book together and settled on using poetry to help preK-1 kids develop reading skills. We worked on the manuscript for some time and eventually shared it with Dona Rice at Shell Education. She and the staff liked the idea and suggested that we divide the approach into five parts: short vowels, long vowels, consonants, rimes, and consonant blends. That required me to write a total of 96 poems, each based on a distinct sound that needed to be modeled as part of that week’s lesson. Mary Jo wrote the introductory text and provided clever, practical classroom activities to follow each poem.

The last step was to record all 96 poems on CDs that are attached inside the back covers of each book. Mary Jo and I were flown to California for the recording in a studio near Shell headquarters. It was a day filled with good vibes and laughter.

KATHY: Can you tell us a little bit about Shell Education? And in what way is IRA involved?

DAVID:

Shell Education and its sister publishing imprint, Teacher Created Materials, is a strong member of the educational publishing industry. Everyone on the staff is a former teacher and that means that they understand what goes on in the classroom. They are always searching for ways to respond to the needs of teachers and their books reflect that partnership. I love working with them. Another favorite of mine is Tori Bachman at International Reading Association. Tori wears a lot of hats, including book acquisitions. Thanks to discussions between Tori and Dona, IRA is co-branding “Learning through Poetry” so that we appear in both catalogs. How cool is that!

KATHY: Would you be able to share part of one of your “Learning through Poetry” books with us?

DAVID:

Mary Jo and I will give a 55 minute presentation at IRA on this subject to help teachers see how to apply our approach in their classrooms. It begins with a poem. My job was to make sure that this was a collection of poetry for young children, not a group of sing-songy, didactic lesson-poems. In every case I began by making a list of words with the sound I needed. After staring at the list long enough, sooner or later an idea would begin to form. From there it was a matter of writing a poem the same way I always do except for the restriction of using words with the same sound as much as possible.

For example: “ack” became: 

SNAKE ATTACK

When my brother
needs a snack,
he opens every
box and pack,
gobbles every
pile and stack,
empties every
jar and sack,
looks like he
could pop
or crack,
but soon
his snack
attack
is back.

And “ing” became

TEMPTATION

Money in my pocket,
Ching a-ching ching.
What will it buy me?
Thing a-thing thing.
Might buy a cell phone,
Ring a-ring ring.
Might buy a bracelet,
Bling a-bling bling.
Might buy a chicken,
Wing a-wing wing.
Might buy an ice cream,
Ding a-ding ding.
Might buy a CD,
Sing a-sing sing.
Money in my pocket,
Ching a-ching ching!

I’ve written my share of poems inspired by a picture, a conversation, a thought, even one word. Starting from a single sound was an entertaining challenge!

KATHY: Is your new book from Holiday House titled “A Perfect Home for a Family” available for purchase?

DAVID:

Yes, as of March 1. Four years ago we had raccoons in our attic. They drove us nuts with their nightly stirrings. We fussed and fumed and finally had the roof torn off and replaced. Later I realized that from the raccoons’ perspective, we must have been quite a nuisance too. That notion is what drives the story, which is wonderfully illustrated by Italian artist Roberta Angaramo. Sometimes it pays to see things from the other fella’s side!

KATHY: What are you working on now?

DAVID:

I have a series of three poetry books going, one each for grades 3-5; three collections of original poems for trade publishers; and a new picture book trying to find its best form.

KATHY: Do you have any words of wisdom for the authors and poets who visit this blog?

DAVID:

Thanks for having me, Kathy. And thanks again for creating my website and blog spot. I didn’t set out to blog but I’ve met a lot of nice people that way.

As for advice? Old timers must guard against reminiscing about the good old days. It took me six years to sell my first piece back in the 60s so I can’t imagine that today’s market is any tougher than that! It’s different, for sure, and anyone who aspires to see his/her name on the cover of a book should spend whatever time it takes to become familiar with the current market. I preach patience. Set goals that you can reach and climb on their backs like ladder rungs as you move farther and farther up toward success. Lastly, make it your best. I’d rather write one story well than ten stories poorly. Editors feel that way too.

Thank you David for answering my interview questions and thank you for sharing so much of your poetry expertise on your blog www.davidlharrison.wordpress.com Here is David’s Website address: www.davidlharrison.com

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

MEREDITH MUNDY, Executive Editor, Sterling Children’s Books has agreed to being April’s Guest Critiquer. If you haven’t met Meredith, you can meet her at the New Jersey SCBWI Conference in Princeton, NJ this June. She is a wonderful editor and a lovely person. She knows her stuff.

Meredith Mundy has been with Sterling Children’s Books for 8 years, following 11 years at Dutton Children’s Books. She is nuts about character-centered picture books (recent projects include The Big Bad Wolf Goes on Vacation by Delphine Perret, A Pirate’s Twelve Days of Christmas by Philip Yates, and Ten on the Sled by Kim Norman), but she is also seeking everything from funny, original board books to unforgettable middle grade novels to YA fiction. (No vampires, angels, mermaids, or werewolves, please, and she doesn’t usually acquire historical fiction.) While she enjoys editing nonfiction, she wouldn’t be the right editor for poetry collections or a project geared primarily toward the school and library market.

WRITERS Sending in a First Page: Please attach your double spaced, 12 point font, 23 line first page to an e-mail and send it to kathy(dot)temean(at)gmail(dot)com. Also cut and paste it into the body of the e-mail. Put “April First Page Critique” or “April First Page Picture Prompt Critique” in the subject line. Make sure you have your name on the submission, a title, and indicate the genre. Also let me know if you were able to post of facebook or Tweet. That will get your name in the basket an additional time, when I am choosing the four pages. If you don’t have either of these, just leave a comment and let me know. If you end up doing more things to get additional entries, then e-mail me a note by April 20th. The four chosen and their critiques will be posted on April 26th.

This first page picture prompt was done by Susan Dietwiler. Susan was feature on March 9th. You can use this link http://wp.me/pss2W-6jt to view her artwork.

AUTHORS: If you have a new book coming out and want to be considered for a post, please e-mail me at: Kathy.temean (at) gmail.com

Call for illustrations for April: You can send anything, but I am especially looking for illustrations that reflect the month. I hope you will send something in. Last month, I did not receive very many. This is a good way to get your work seen. Don’t wait, I will post the illustrations as they come in. Please make sure the illustration is at least 500 pixels wide and include a blurb about yourself and a link to see more of your work. Please send it to kathy(dot)temean(at)gmail(dot)com and put “April Illustration” in the subject box.

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

Sheralyn’s first successful drawing was of a hot air balloon in the third grade. When her teacher returned it, there was a big check-plus scrawled on the back with a smiley face. It was at this moment that she knew art was going to be my lifelong companion. There was no going back.

Since art instruction was not a priority in the small town where she grew up, she did my best to learn to draw. She spent many hours in her room keeping company with her fish, becoming paler by the day. She challenged herself to draw anything she could find. Most note worthy were the eleven drawings she made of a photo of Han Solo in Teen Magazine until it looked like him. Sheralyn says, “Many thanks to George Lucas. I owe most of my drawing skills to him.”

Here is Sheralyn showing her process:

This is the original pencil sketch from my sketchbook. I used this for the basic idea.

I then composed the final composition in Photoshop, adding other characters that I had done as rough pencil sketches. I blew up my composition to fit 12″ x 16″  and then transferred it using graphite paper to a black Ampersand Scratchbord panel (black coated clayboard panel).

I then spent hours scratching out the image using both a fine point and a curved scratch nib as well as this great tool Ampersand has called a parallel line tool, which works great for fur. Here is the completed black and white scratchboard before adding color with ink. I like Ampersand Scratchbord because it is very forgiving and has a very deep base of clay, so if I made any mistakes or wanted to make adjustments in any way, I could use a black india ink marker to mark over the area and then scratch again. Also the panel is very sturdy and not brittle, which was a problem I encountered regularly with other scratchboards I had used in the past.

This is the completed piece with color ink washes added to the original black and white version. Again, the panel is very forgiving and the black areas of the board repel the color pretty well so you don’t have to be too terribly careful, just dab up the excess color off the black surface while it absorbs nicely into the exposed clay surfaces on the board. I like to use Daler-Rowney FW Acrylic Artist Inks which is my ink of choice. Ampersand also offers inks for their boards and they work well. However, I like to have a larger palette to work with than what they offer and the FW’s work really well.

This is the original very loose sketch idea.

This is the refined sketch with pencil. I scan the sketch into the computer and tweak as necessary.

Now I do all the work in Photoshop. Here I make a monochromatic “digital underpainting” to create my tones on which to layer the colors.

Here I create another layer and begin to lay in my basic colors. This is the point where all the basic colors are laid into the initial sketch. After I’ve laid in the initial colors, I separate all the components into separate layers so I can work on them individually as well.

A bit of a jump here, but I have essentially taken each component of the composition and created layers of color over and over again to create smoothness and saturation. It’s essentially the digital equivalent of using translucent layers to build up colors over the initial underpainting. I also use the smudge tool like I would use a blending brush for an oil painting to blend colors. When I have finished refining all the individual components and their layers, I merge them back into one single layer (although not deleting the individual layers) and refine the entire composition as needed. Photoshop enables a lot of flexibility in this way which is quite wonderful.

Above and Below illustrations are from “Mrs. Mosley’s Christmas Tree” by Janie Devoe

Where did you grow up? Do you still live in the area?

Demotte, Indiana (a small town in northwest Indiana).

No. I’ve lived many places since. I have lived in St. Paul, Minnesota most of my adult life, with a few years spent in Yellowstone National Park, Northwest Wisconsin , and Louisville, Kentucky.

Did you ever take any art lessons?

Art was not considered all that valuable in my hometown, so there was minimal instruction and inspiration available. I was pretty much self taught until I went to Ball State University where I received a BFA in Drawing.

What was the first art related thing you got paid for?

I can remember painting an old time main street scene on our local IGA grocery store’s front window in high school. I think they paid me twenty dollars. Otherwise, I believe the first “published” art I did was for CD covers and T-shirts for local musicians when I first moved to Minnesota in my early twenties.

When did you decide you wanted to be an illustrator?

For as long as I can remember, I always wanted to illustrate children’s books.

Scratch board illustrations above and below.

How long have you been illustrating?

I’ve freelanced as an illustrator on the side for the last twenty five years while making my living in additional ways (server, picture framer, landscape painter, gallery owner, musician). In 2010 I decided to become more serious about making children’s book illustration my main focus.

What types of things did you do to help develop your work?

I’ve always studied favorite illustrators and artists. I took classes in oil painting technique and the business of illustrating. I became more involved with SCBWI in 2010 and attended several national conferences. Having portfolio critiques and attending workshops by so many amazing illustrators and art directors really opened my eyes to the story telling aspect of children’s illustration. Since all my formal training was in fine art and not illustration, I really had missed out on essential information about how good illustrations really move a story along.

I see that you use oils for your fine art. What is your favorite illustrating material?

The computer has become my tool of choice for color work for illustration, but my first true love is and always will be the pencil. I love sketching and working up tones with a pencil. Love it. I really find painting with oils much more enjoyable, but realize that with the technique of oil painting that I use, it takes a very long time to complete a full book that way.

Have you ever tried to write and illustrate a children’s book?

Yes. I’ve had one in the works that has evolved for a couple years now. It’s a counting book with a bit of a different take on the whole sheep and sleep thing. Most people can tell by looking at my body of work that I have a bit of obsession for drawing sheep.

The above is from Sheralyn’s sheep bookdummy, “A Heap of Sheep.”

Have you made a picture book dummy to show art directors, editors, and reps.?

Yes, I have a dummy for my sheep book that I mentioned earlier as well as another dummy I put together for a book based on the poem “A Piper” by the turn of the century Irish poet Seumas O’Sullivan. It’s a lovely poem about how a traveling musician comes to town and the music brightens up the day for the people of the town. I also have another dummy that another author is circulating. A few years back, an agent who saw my work at the New York SCBWI conference contacted me about illustrating one of her client’s stories. Even though I knew it was a bit unconventional for an author to submit with illustrations by another illustrator, I loved the story and thought it was a good opportunity to gain some experience in putting together a book, so I agreed. Over time, the literary agent moved more towards promoting YA books and less towards picture books. It was disappointing because in the end, she didn’t submit the dummy to many publishers. However it was a very valuable experience for me and I learned a lot. When the agent’s contract for the book was up, the author and I decided to continue our partnership in the book and she is currently submitting it to publishers. I did two full color illustrations to go with the dummy.

I see that you are in a illustrator’s group that blogs. How did that evolve?

My friend Hazel Mitchell started the group (Pixel Shavings). I met Hazel at my first NY SCBWI conference and about four months later she asked me if I would be interested in being a part of the group. It’s a great group of very fun and talented people and I am very honored to be in it.

Do want to concentrate on being a children’s picture book illustrator?

Yes. It really is my first love and what inspires me most. Not to mention it’s a great way to make the world a better place.

What types of things do you do to get your work seen by publishing professionals?

I attend SCBWI conferences whenever possible as well as send out postcards. I’ve also found that our group blog (Pixel Shavings) has been helpful as well as are the wonders of facebook and other social online interactions. To be honest, my goal this year is to be more persistent with submitting my book dummies and artwork.

Do you have an agent? If so, who and how long have the represented you?  If not, would you like one?

No, I do not. I haven’t pursued an agent yet because I have been making my living as both a musician and an artist up til now. I play mandolin in a duo and trio with my husband (who has always made his living in music). This year, I am changing my priorities to focus more on Illustration and less on music for income, so I intend to pursue an agent.

Do you ever use two different materials in one illustration?

Other than digitally combining my pencil work with the computer, not generally. I have experimented with a bit of collage and painting in the past for some of my own book dummy ideas. I had a book idea years ago that portrayed the joys, trials, and tribulations of learning to play the violin. For sample illustrations, I gessoed sheet music on to the panels to create interesting backgrounds. It was fun and a nice effect.

I see that you have some illustrations that are listed under scratchboard. Can you tell us a little bit about how you do them? Do you make y our own scratchboards?  Looking at the one in the library with the ghost; how did you do the color? It looks too exact to have been painted underneath.

I really like to use the Black Clayboard/Scratchboard by Ambersand. It’s very smooth,  consistent in texture, durable, and takes colored inks really well. I start with a pencil sketch that I transfer to the board using graphite transfer paper. Then I draw the black and white image by scratching away the black. I use pigmented inks for coloring. The entire Monsters in the Library piece is done by hand. I only used the computer to organize and expand the layout from an original sketch. The ghost was a fun challenge. I was able to get the translucence by putting down the color and then quickly absorbing it back up again with a paper towel. The nice thing about the clayboard is that after applying the color, there is still enough of a base to go back in and scratch a bit more, which also lent to the ghostly effect.

Have you seen your style change since you first started illustrating?

Definitely. I am more detail oriented and I render more now than when I first started. I have to be careful with this on the computer though because it makes detailing limitless, and it’s easy to overwork pieces.

What types of jobs have you gotten with your art?

Everything from CD covers and T-shirt designs to violin maker’s labels and storefront signs to books. Since playing music has always been a part of my life, there have always been musicians I know who need art. I’ve also illustrated two books for Reading A to Z, “Silly Sarah” and “Why the Bat Flies at Night”. They are a publisher of reading program books for kids. Currently I am working on illustrations for a book about the national parks being published by Sequoia Natural History Association. I spent five years of my young adult life working in Yellowstone Park, so that experience has really come in handy for this project. The images on my website of the little duck, mole, and pigs are from Silly Sarah.

Have you gotten any work through networking?

Actually the Sequoia book came about through social online networking. My relationship with Reading A to Z happened because of my involvement with SCBWI and Pixel Shavings.

Have you published any illustration in magazines or newspapers?

Early on I did illustrations for a conservation organization here in Minnesota called Pheasants Forever. They had a environmental awareness magazine for kids called the PF flyer. I also did illustrations for the magazine for the Minnesota Bluegrass Musician’s Association. I’ve had one spot drawing appear in the SCBWI Bulletin magazine.

Do you do any art exhibits to help get noticed?

Yes. Since I’m also a landscape oil painter I have shown and sold my work in various exhibit and art fair situations and owned a gallery called “Blue Moment Fine Arts” for eight years. I sell my paintings at B. Deemer Gallery in Louisville, Kentucky as well as The Steeple Gallery in St. John, Indiana and have had shows at Seasons on St. Croix Gallery in Hudson Wisconsin. I have also had shows and sold prints and cards of my work in Ireland where a lot of my inspiration comes from. I still sell my Irish prints and cards at a specialty shop called Irish on Grand here in St. Paul.

Are you open to doing illustrations for self-published picture book authors?

It depends on the book and the professional attitude of the author. If an author is a member of SCBWI or has really studied the business and seems to have taken the time to study and consider my work in relation to their project, then I would consider it. I received several inquiries last year from self-publishing authors whose books I felt were a bad fit for me as an illustrator. This left me with the impression that they had not really looked over my portfolio very well to see what I do best before contacting me.

You have a section on your website titled, “Ireland.” Do you visit Ireland regularly?

Yes. I spent a fair amount of time there from college through my late twenties. In my thirties, I had a show of my paintings at the Clare Museum and sold cards and prints of my work there through the Russell Gallery in New Quay. In 2007 I led a sketching tour on the west coast. A lot of my inspiration to paint comes from the landscapes and music there. It’s where I go to recharge my soul.

Do you ever use Photoshop?

Yes. Fortunately, it is a great way to get the look of oil painting with pixels.

Do you own a graphic tablet? If so, how do you use it?

I use a Wacom Intuous tablet and couldn’t live without it for a lot of my current work. I use it just like a brush or pencil, building up layers and layers of pixel paint just like I would with real paint on a canvas.

How much time do you spend illustrating?

Since my husband and I both make our living in the arts, we tend to be working most of the time. For me, if I’m not playing the mandolin for practice or profit, I’m painting or working on illustration. I try to illustrate on my hired jobs Monday through Friday, usually about 8 hours a day, and do music at night and on weekends. Of course, this changes all the time since our music schedule and project deadlines are always in flux. We don’t own a TV and weekends don’t really exist in our world, so I spend most of my time creating for my living or for fun.

Do you have a studio set up in your house?

Yes. It’s a bit small but works quite well presently, and I have to admit it’s nice to not pay extra rent for a space. I’m thinking of looking for a larger studio in the next year though. I used to have a roomy studio in downtown St. Paul, which was nice and it got me out and about a bit more. I feel a bit of a recluse working at home these days. I’m a homebody by nature, so it’s always good to have a reason to leave the house to go to work.

Is there anything in your studio, other than paint and brushes that you couldn’t live without?

My mandolin, music, Irish tea, and my cheering section of toys and stuffed animals.

Any exciting projects on the horizon?

My husband and I are working on a couple of projects that combine our love of children’s literature, my illustration skills, his writing skills, and our music. One project is a nonfiction picture book and the other involves a character who likes to share his enthusiasm for travel and history through music. Fortunately for me, my husband began to pursue writing mid-grade nonfiction about two years ago. His background is in performance and cultural music history, he teaches music to both kids and adults, and he has the unending curiosity of an eight year old, so it’s a good fit. We also work really well together, which is a major plus.

What are your career goals?

I would love to spend the rest of my life illustrating books that utilize both my color work and pencil work. I would also like to see my illustrated sheep get out in the world in the form of books, cards, etc., so I want to learn more about licensing. Somewhere in the midst of that, I want to keep making music as well and with some luck, maybe my two passions will converge.

What are you working on now?

I’m in the middle of a book of forty illustrations for Sequoia Natural History Association as well as working on some characters and illustrations of my own that I’m really excited about. I’m setting up online sales for my paintings and prints. And the phone just rang for a gig with lots of Italian mandolin music….so I’ll be working on that as well!

The above illustration is from Sheralyn’s book dummy, “A Piper” based on the poem “A Piper” by the turn of the century Irish poet Seumas O’Sullivan. Sheralyn illustrated this with colored pencil.

The rest of the pictures are ones done in oil during Sheralyn’s visit to Ireland.

I work in oil paint. I use only the highest quality, pigmented paints ( Old Holland, Schmincke Mussini, Winsor and Newton) and work on museum quality panels by Ampersand. My style works well with the smooth surface that the panels provide, and they offer a rigid ground to ensure longevity and non-cracking of the paints over time (oil paints become more brittle as they age, so the more rigid the better). You will notice that some of my paintings are listed as “oil with wax”. For these paintings, I combine a very small portion of wax medium to increase my ability to create an atmospheric effect. This medium also adds extra stability to the paints themselves.

I am an illustrator by nature. Many of the scenes I create with my paintings illustrate moments – ordinary moments that for some reason or another mark themselves as extraordinary. Moments that have embraced my senses with the smells, sounds, and feelings of being aware; the smell of rain, the sound of my footsteps, the touch of wet leaves. As I look back on my life, I realize that some of my most resonant memories have not necessarily been exotic experiences, but these seemingly unimportant moments that ring of true presence. These are the experiences that I wish to communicate.

Have the materials you use changed over the years?

The pencil was really the only thing I had available to me when I was a kid. I spent many hours in my room teaching myself to draw. When I graduated from college, most of my color work was done in prismacolor pencil. I liked working with prismacolors because you could get fine detail, but they had limitations in that the wax of the pencils could only be layered so far. So later on, I studied oil painting with a painter who specialized in traditional methods of underpainting and transparent layering of color. Learning this technique for my landscape painting also lent to new possibilities for my illustration and gave my work a fresher and more vibrant quality. Now I’ve transferred that same technique of layering color on to the computer.

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

I love Cachet sketchbooks and Ampersand panels, both for their ease of use, quality, and durability. For paints, I adore Old Holland brand. I have an artillery of Alvin mechanical pencils I always carry with me, each loaded with different leads, so I can have the gamut of 4B to 4H lead at my disposal when the need strikes. I’m the type of person who just loves to just sit around building tones with pencil. It’s a bit like playing scales on a musical instrument. To me it’s very zen and relaxing, not to mention good practice.

Any words of wisdom you can share with the illustrators who are trying to develop their career?

My words of wisdom come from others who have embraced life. This is one of my favorites from animator Chuck Jones:

“The rules are simple. Take your work, but never yourself, seriously. Pour in the love and whatever skill you have, and it will come out.”

In addition, I guess I would say to join SCBWI and go to their regional and national conferences if you can. Get to know other illustrators and find support and comradery. Being a creative freelancer is a roller coaster ride of a life and has it’s ups and downs. So when frustration hits, be driven by your joy and desire to make the world a more colorful place. Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there and ask questions. Be bold and smile a lot. I’m still working on the bold part myself, but I think I’ve got the smiling part down and it really makes a difference.

Thank you Sheralyn for sharing your work and process with us. I enjoyed spending time with your illustrations and finding out more about you. Please keep in touch and let us know when you have a new success. We’ll be watching.

I am sure Sheralyn would love if you left her and comment with this post, so if you have a minute, please drop us a line. Thanks! You can visit Sheralyn at: www.sheralynbarnes.com

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy