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HOT OF THE PRESSES:

Laurie Wallmark’s book ADA, about a smart little girl who likes science and math was sold to Marissa Moss at Creston Books, by Liza Fleissig at Liza Royce Agency.

Laurie had a critique with Ginger Harris of the Liza Royce Agency at the last NJ SCBWI annual conference. She and Liza Fleissig expressed interest in Ada.

After six revisions based on their and Marissa Moss’s feedback, Creston books made an offer.

Emily Feinberg at Roaring Brook has bought world rights to INN BETWEEN by Marina Cohen, in a two-book deal.

The story follows 12-year-old Quinn, who is driving across country with her best friend’s family when a stopover at a creepy Victorian hotel in middle of the Nevada desert turns terrifying.

Publication is set for winter 2016;

John M. Cusick of Greenhouse Literary was the agent.

Nanci Stockton Turner-Steveson has signed a contract for Swing Sideways, AND another as-yet-unwritten book with Rosemary Brosnan, Executive Director at HarperCollins.

When I asked Nanci to describe the book this is what she wrote: My editor (wow, did you read that?) referred to Swing Sideways as a “timeless and heartfelt” middle grade novel.

It is the story of two girls from opposite sides of the country who meet one summer and form an unlikely friendship while struggling with their own challenges, and the discovery of a secret that links them together in a surprising and heart wrenching way.

Illustrator Nancy Cote ( featured on Illustrator Saturday) illustrated Tori Corn’s new picture book Dixie Wants and Allergy published by Sky Pony Press. Both Nancy and Tori are represented by the Lisa Royce Agency.

Dixie Wants an Allergy provides a comical and engaging approach for children who are beginning to learn about and who are coping with allergies—and who also have trouble finding what makes them unique. Corn’s playful text and Cote’s inviting illustrations encourage children to accept those with differences while learning that wanting what others have is not always a good idea. For ages 3 to 6, and a good addition to any preschool or Kindergarten classroom for read-aloud time. This book not only introduces children to the realities of allergies, which many of their peers will have, but also teaches the important lesson of being careful what you wish for.

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Nancy Armo, who was featured on Illustrator Saturday has signed a contract with Peachtree Press for her first written and illustrated picture book titled, A FRIEND FOR MOLE.

Here is the Publisher Market announcement: Nancy Armo’s A FRIEND FOR MOLE, about an accidental encounter between Mole and Wolf, one afraid of the light, the other afraid of the dark, who together learn that friends are all they need to conquer their fears, to Kathy Landwehr at Peachtree, in a nice deal, for publication in Fall 2015, by Anna Olswanger at Liza Dawson Associates (World).

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I just learned that Eliza Wheeler, who was featured on Illustrator Saturday did the artwork for Holly Black’s DOLL BONES. I have had that book on my wish list since it came out. Had I realized the illustrations inside and out were by Eliza, I would already have it on my bookshelf.

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What I don’t get is, out of the seven people in this post, only the first two let me know about their success. Are people just shy about doing something worth shouting from the rooftops? I tell every illustrator that I feature to please let me know when something good happens and I really do mean it. I am very happy to hear about good things when they happen. Please don’t rely on me to find them.

Congratulations to everyone!

Remember this weekend there are two great book signings in the North Jersey area:

S is for SEA Glass

Doris Ettlinger

Fair Haven NJ – May 16, 3:30-4:30 pm 

River Road Books

Clinton NJ - May 17, 1-3 pm 

Clinton Book Shop

Pandemic Book Launch Party 

Yvonne Ventresca

Sunday, May 18^th, 2 pm 

WORDS Bookstore

179 Maplewood Avenue, Maplewood, NJ 07040

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

After graduating from the University of Washington concentrating in graphic design, Nancy worked as a graphic designer and art director in the technology industry before discovering the magic of children’s books. Nancy lives and works in Seattle, Washington. She enjoys creating characters that have a sense of humor. She works in watercolor, colored pencil, and pen and ink – mixed together with a little bit of digital polish. When not in the studio, Nancy enjoys kayaking, skiing, and most of all spending time with her family and a grumpy little white dog named Lucy.

Here’s Nancy showing her process:

I hang line drawings on a large corkboard to check for any inconsistencies in the story or characters, and to check the flow of the pages.
It is amazing what sometimes jumps out when you stand back a bit.

Rough sketch

Final line drawing in pencil

Very light printed copy of drawing on Arches 140 lb. hot press watercolor paper done on an Epson 1100 printer.

The finished illustration is a single page spread. Winsor & Newton watercolors Cadmium Yellow and Cerulean Blue were mixed together and used for the background grass and the frog’s skin. Prismacolor pencils were used on top of the watercolor in the grass and the frog’s skin to give highlights and vary the green in the grass to help create depth and separation of each blade of grass. The color of the duck’s feet and beak was achieved by blending four different shades of Prismacolor oranges and a creme for highlight. The frog’s eyes were also done with a Prismacolor pencil, as were the highlights on his hands, tummy and face. The white of the duck is the paper white and the shading in the wings, neck and bottom were done with a 4B graphite pencil rubbed into the paper with a cotton cloth then lightly picked up with a knead easer. All shadows and shading on the grass and frog are done with a 6B graphite pencil rubbed into the paper and then picked up with the knead easer. The ground was a very light wash of a greenish brown with a second overlay wash of light warm grey then blotted with a wet paper towel to give it a slight texture. For the final result the illustration was scanned in PhotoShop and areas were blurred to create a smoother gradation in the color of the duck’s feet and beak. Some of the green areas were saturated to create a richer color. The ladybugs were done in watercolor with a creme pencil highlight. All final outlines were done with a mechanical pencil to create a thin line for definition.

When did you start illustrating?

I’ve always enjoyed quirky characters and their stories, especially those found in children’s books. It’s great fun to be able to create worlds where anything can happen. I explored this idea in depth in a children’s book i