Last year author Sherri Duskey Rinker published her first picture book, Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site, and it has become a slush pile success story, 
including a spot on our Top 10 Best Picture Books of 2011 list and topping the New York Times' bestsellers list for Children's Picture Books in January of this year. With 5-star reviews from Amazon's customers and raves from the media, Goodnight has become the little engine that could.
Sherri graciously agreed to write something special for our Omni readers, sharing her inspiration behind the book (calling all Virginia Lee Burton fans!) and her story of getting it published with an illustrator she'd never heard of. I have a feeling Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site is going to be a staple on kids' bookshelves for many years to come. --Seira
From the Slush Pile to #1: Realizing my vision. Or not.
I grew up loving picture books.
I can still hear my grandmother's voice over the sound of the pages turning, the old wind-up Westclox alarm clock ticking away and the sound of traffic rolling down Howard Street. I remember the smell of books mingling with the smell of freshly laundered sheets.
Virginia Lee Burton's The Little House was my favorite, 
and I obsessed over the whimsically sweet illustrations of that little pink house happily sitting upon a hill covered in daisies.
Inspired, I wanted to be an artist. I also wanted to be a poet, an art teacher, and a journalist. The ping-pong ball of art vs. words ended with a career as a graphic designer. It was a perfect fit: I took pictures and words and put them together in a pretty way.
I met an artist, a photographer. He also had grown up with Virginia Burton: Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel. 
It was a sign. So I married him. We had two boys and two good excuses for buying dozens (and dozens) of picture books.
Inspired by my youngest son's tireless (literally!) obsession with trucks, I wrote Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site in stolen moments during the workday and late at night, after the boys were tucked in. And with the words emerged a vision (dare I say "obsession") for how the book and my trucks would look.
I could see it so clearly: realistic illustrations of trucks superimposed with facial expressions to convey the mood and create the characters. Strong, yet simple graphic elements to create the setting. A bit of realism. A bit of collage. A bit of a grunge to compliment the dirty work of the trucks. I included the concept illustration with my manuscript and sent it, unsolicited, to Chronicle Books.
When my editor contacted me, three months aft
"Love," writes Michael Ian Black, "is cinema’s abiding theme, especially romantic love, the kind of 'meet cute' love that surmounts every roadblock on its journey to happy ever after."
But love (and marriage) in the movies, well, that bears little resemblance to the life that the comedian, actor (The State, Wet Hot American Summer) and best-selling author has found himself living, and, one might venture to speculate, the lives most of us live. Do you agree? Here's more of Black's take, written just for Amazon:
"It’s no wonder that movies get marriage so wrong. After all, they are almost diametrically opposing experiences. Movies are about escape. Marriages are about 'no escape.' Once you tie your life to somebody else, there is no turning back, at least not without an attorney.
One of the things that inspired me to write my new book, You’re Not Doing It Right, is my annoyance at movie marriages, particularly the romantic comedy marriage. Hollywood has given us two, equally false, notions of marriage. Either it’s the joining of two gorgeous young people “destined” to be together, or as a wheezing and cold institution inhabited by miserable and middle-aged wheezebags, usually meant to illustrate a counterpoint to the love the gorgeous young couple in the film will share once their destinies are realized, and they are able to finally be together against all odds. Yawn. Boring. Wrong.
In my experience as a husband of thirteen years, marriage is neither of these things. Yes, my wife and I are both gorgeous. Hollywood got that part right. And yes, we had to surmount a few obstacles to be together, such as the fact that she was living with her boyfriend when we met. But our trip down the aisle wasn’t the beginning of a perfect life together. It was the start of something else, something that cannot be encapsulated in ninety minutes and a soundtrack by Maroon 5."
Read more on the Amazon Studios Hollywonk blog.
There are authors who cut their milk teeth on short stories, and there are authors who dedicate themselves to the form with Buddha-like focus. Israeli writer Etgar Keret—nerds of a certain ilk will recognize his name from This American Life and The New Yorker—falls firmly into the latter camp, as his newly translated sixth collection makes clear.
The quirky, thought-provoking, often hilarious pieces in Suddenly, a Knock on the Door lend themselves to being read out loud, on your coffee break, or between subway stops. Keret doesn’t bother with a coat of sugar or even Splenda: His characters question themselves and screw up with such regularity that it’s easy for us to plant ourselves in the middle of their lives.
The tension in these stories comes from the sort of decision anyone might make on any given day, like what to stash in your pockets, where to go to lunch, and if you feel like getting a drink with that guy you fooled around with a year ago who didn’t call afterward. In Keret’s world, he’ll be flawed and you’ll be flawed, and whether or not it works out isn’t really the point. The point is to go along for the ride, however brief, and lose yourself inside other people’s moments.
To celebrate the English-language publication of Suddenly, a Knock on the Door, we’re thrilled to share two excerpts with Omnivoracious readers: an exclusive audio version of the title story, read by none other than Ira Glass (squee!); and, after the jump, the full text of “What Animal Are You?”
"Suddenly, a Knock..." - read by Ira Glass
What Animal Are You?
(This story originally appeared in the June 2011 issue of Harper's Magazine.)
The sentences I’m writing now are for the benefit of German Public Television viewers. A reporter who came to my home today asked me to write something on the computer because it always makes for great visuals: an author writing. It’s a cliché, she realizes that, but clichés are nothing but an unsexy version of the truth, and her role, as a reporter, is to turn that truth into something sexy, to break the cliché with lighting and unusual angles. And the light in my house falls perfectly, without her having to turn on even a single spot, so all that’s left is for me to write.
At first, I just made believe I was writing, but she said it wouldn’t work. People would be able to tell right away that I was just pretending. “Write something for real,” she demanded, and then, to be sure: “A story, not just a bunch of words. Write naturally, the way you always do.” I told her it wasn’t natural for me to be writing while I was having my picture taken for German Public Television, but she insisted. “So use it,” she said. “Write a story about just that—about how unnatural it seems and how the unnaturalness suddenly produces something real, filled with passion. Something that permeates you, from your brain to your loins. Or the other way around. I don’t know how it works with you, what part of your body gets the creative juices flowing. Each person is different.” She told me how she’d once interviewed a Belgian author who, every time he wrote, had an erection. Something about th
By:
Edward,
on 3/28/2012
Blog:
The Leaky Cauldron
(
Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:
News,
J.K. Rowling,
Movies,
HP Cast,
GoFFilm,
OotP Film,
DH Film,
HBP Film,
Props-Sets,
Exclusives,
PoA Film,
Fans,
HPPS/SS Film,
Warner Bros.,
root,
Add a tag
Leaky participated in a press tour of the Warner Bros. Studio Tour - The Making of Harry Potter this morning and now has a special gallery of high res photos from the experience right here! Stay close for Leaky's full report, set to be online soon.
The Warner Bros. Studio Tour opens to the public on March 31st. For tickets and more information, visit the official website here.
Noah Hawley is a novelist and screenwriter (Lies and Alibis, The Unusuals) whose latest book, The Good Father: A Novel, is the powerful story of a man trying to understand and defend his son, who stands accused of a terrible crime.
In this exclusive guest post, Hawley talks about the secret to Hollywood success and how little a pitch has to do with actual writing.
I started The Good Father in 2007. I put it down twice in order to create and run two television shows. In the fall of 2010 I finished the book. As we were about to submit the finished manuscript to publishers, a disturbed young man in Arizona shot a congresswomen and six other people in a supermarket parking lot. Jared Loughner, the latest in a long line of lone gunman that America has produced.
Immediately in the aftermath of the shooting, my agent and I decided to put off the sale.
Over the next few weeks I went back and incorporated references to Loughner’s crime into the novel. The Good Father is a novel that explores the lone gunman archetype, presenting case studies (assembled by Dr. Allen) of shooters like Sirhan Sirhan and John Hinkley. I felt I would have been remiss in not addressing this latest shooting in the novel. The truth is, it would have been the first thing Dr. Allen thought of after his son was arrested, the first case study he would have compiled. He was looking for his son in Loughner’s eyes, asking, could my son have done what he did?
This unorthodox approach to storytelling is not something you could pitch in a room full of studio executives. If you tried to sell them a story that followed both a father and a son, and also present non-fiction histories of famous assassins, they would say that it sounds very “execution dependent,” which is a phrase they use. “Execution dependent” describes a film or TV idea that can only be successful is if it is written and directed and acted well. The success of the venture, in other words, is in the execution of the material. Which, in Hollywood, is no sure thing. The Amazing Spider-Man is going to make a billion dollars no matter how good it is, is their logic. But a complicated drama told in two time periods with a history lesson to boot, requires risk and skill, and that’s a gamble.
But here’s the thing: I didn’t have to pitch this story to anyone. There was no segue, no bottled water or receiving line of handshakes with a view of swaying palm trees. I just sat down and started writing. Which is what a writer does, everywhere except in Hollywood.
Read more on the Amazon Studios Hollywonk blog.
David Hughes mines Hollywood's depths for the untold stories behind the unmade movies (Sandman, where art thou?) and the unmade versions of movies that actually did reach the screen (like the fourth Indiana Jones film, written by Frank Darabont and meant to include Sean Connery).
In this exclusive guest post, Hughes answers the question at the heart of his acclaimed and — newly updated — book, Tales From Development Hell: The Greatest Movies Never Made:
We often hear this phrase, ‘Development Hell’, thrown about. But what does it mean? (I should know: I wrote the book on it.)
In an ideal world, a screenwriter would write a script, and assuming it's brilliant, attract (a) a director, (b) actors, (c) finance, and (d) members of the opposite sex. In practice, these things seldom happen — especially (d). Of all the scripts that get written (fewer than 1% of those that get started), fewer than 1% get anywhere near anyone with the power to get them made; of that 1%, only 1% will actually be made. In other words, every film you see is like Rocky’s whole life — a million to one shot. Many of the rest wind up circling the drain in a place called Development Hell.
Development is what happens when everyone with an interest in an unproduced script tries to help it get to a place where it’s ready to be turned into a movie. This will tend to involve studio executives, producers, actors, and multiple screenwriters — some brought on board because they have a particular ‘voice’, others because they had a hit the previous weekend. When all of these people pull in the same direction, working together to create the best possible version of a particular story — or, in most cases, one that’s achievable for the money — development can go smoothly. When some or all of the collaborators are pulling in different directions, and this process continues indefinitely, that’s Development Hell.
So how can budding screenwriters avoid this special form of damnation? One way is to refuse to sell anything you’ve written, leaving your perfect script as words on paper, like the blueprint for a wonderful building that will never be constructed. Another way is to be so amazingly rich, you can finance your own films. Another If, however, you want to see your masterpiece on the big screen, and you don’t have the necessary millions to make it yourself, there’s a pretty good chance you will end up in the special place reserved for screenplays that started out so perfect, they just had to be rewritten. And rewritten… And rewritten… The name of this particular circle of Hell? Why, Limbo of course.
The above article has since been optioned by a major Hollywood studio, and now features a talking dog, a car chase and a more “relatable” protagonist. A new writer is being drafted in to ‘punch up’ the second paragraph, and by the time they’ve finished, everyone will forget why they liked it in the first place.
Find more Hollywood stories and exclusive guest posts at the Amazon Studios Hollywonk blog.
Posted on 11/18/2008
Blog:
The Leaky Cauldron
(
Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:
News,
Books,
Exclusives,
GrandPre,
Art,
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince,
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets,
Harry Potter and the Philosophers / Sorcerers Stone,
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire,
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,
Cover Art,
Cover Artists,
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,
root,
Add a tag
As reported previously, an exhibition of works by artist Mary GrandPre has now opened at the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art
in Iowa, and contains highlights of her work done for the US editions of the Harry
Potter book series. Today, thanks to TLC staffer Jeff, we can now show you a sample of the many pieces of art in this display, including a first look at an alternative cover for Harry Potter and...
Read the rest of this post
We have another look today at location filming photos from Shell Cottage courtesy of TLC reader Victoria. As noted below, she was present for the filming of the Shell Cottage scenes for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows yesterday in Wales. Also present was her sister Nadean Jarvis who owns Panache Imagery. Special for the readers of Leaky, Nadeen sent along some wonderful new photos which yo...
Read the rest of this post
As noted previously, Harry Potter, the Exhibition opens this weekend at the Museum of Science in Boston, Mass. The exhibition will open wide Sunday, October 25th and run through Sunday, February 21, 2010 with ticket information available at this link. As a follow to our post below containing many photos and the special audio interview with actor Matt Lewis (Neville Longbottom) who was a guest a...
Read the rest of this post
By:
Edward,
on 11/13/2011
Blog:
The Leaky Cauldron
(
Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:
News,
J.K. Rowling,
Movies,
HP Cast,
Grint,
DH Film,
Exclusives,
Home Video / DVD,
Directors,
Heyman,
Phelps,
Isaacs,
Fans,
Producers,
Leung,
Warner Bros.,
Ianevski,
Lynch,
Harris,
Yates,
root,
Add a tag
Leaky's interviews with cast members and filmmakers from the Harry Potter film series from the red carpet for WB's Harry Potter Home Entertainment Celebration are now online and can be viewed via this link, or below:
PART ONE: Devon Murray (Seamus Finnigan), Nick Moran (Scabior), George Harris (Kingsley), David Bradley (Filtch), Rupert Grint (Ron) and Executive Producer David Baron.
PART TWO: Director David Yates, Executive Producer David Heyman, Stanislav Ianevski (Viktor Krum), James and Oliver Phelps (Fred and George Weasley), Jason Isaacs (Lucius Malfoy), and Evanna Lynch (Luna Lovegood)
In these interviews, we get to hear from a number of the cast members about their impressions of the Wizarding World and of how they are feeling now that one of the last big milestones in the Harry Potter films series, the final film's DVD release, is upon them. We also speak with a few of the filmmakers, who discuss how they feel wrapping up the last eleven years of their lives and dish a little on what we might be able to see on a future Ultimate 8 Film Boxed Set.
The "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2" DVD/Blu-ray is available in stores and online in the States now.
Enjoy!
Thanks for entering in day one of our giveaway; the potential winners will be contacted privately in order to claim the prize. Now for day two!
The Leaky Cauldron and Best Buy have teamed up to offer a special three-day-long Harry Potter contest in the lead up to the Black Friday sales taking place the day after Thanksgiving. Best Buy is getting into the Harry Potter spirit for this event with special screenings of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2" for waiting crowds Thanksgiving night.
Readers will have a chance to win one of two great gift packages each day! Here's the info:
Best Buy "Harry Potter Home Viewing" Gift Package:
In order to enter, leave us a comment below sharing your favorite line from the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows novel by J. K. Rowling.
Entry information for the contest on Wednesday will be revealed tomorrow. The entry period for today, Tuesday, runs until 11:59pm EST. Two winners will be randomly selected each day, based on the entries received that day.
On Wednesday we will also be giving away a grand prize to one lucky winner who enters any of our daily contests and follows one additional extra step.
Grand Prize Pack: $760 each
In order to enter to win the Grand Prize Pack, enter any of our daily contests, follow
@Leaky on Twitter and tweet the following:
"I just entered to win @Leaky's Harry Potter Grand Prize Pack from @BestBuy! #HarryPotterGiveaway [link to your entry post]"
Be sure to include the full URL (Twitter will shorten it) to the news post in which you commented on to enter!
Example, if you entered today:
I just entered to win @Leaky's Harry Potter Grand Prize Pack from @BestBuy! #HarryPotterGiveaway http://the-leaky-cauldron.org/2011/11/22/leakys-black-friday-harry-potter-giveaway-with-best-buy-day-two
Our partners, Best Buy, are hosting special free, big-screen, out-door
viewing of, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2," at select store
locations nationwide in order to entertain the Black Friday shopping
crowds. The movie
Newbery Medal-winning book, Dead End in Norvelt, and he's also the perfect guy to kick off our Summer Reading for Kids & Teens destination as our first featured author. Gantos is a fantastic writer and he's really funny--after watching the special video he created for us below we were laughing out loud with big goofy grins on our faces, because Gantos makes reading fun. It's another of this author's' many talents--if you've got a reluctant reader, give them a Jack Gantos book. Check out our author adventures kick-off video, courtesy of Mr. Jack Gantos, who reminds us all to "read a lot, or your brain will rot!"
