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Blog: E is for Erik (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Harts Pass, trailsend bookstore, acrylic, mural, good news, Add a tag

Blog: E is for Erik (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: polar bears, school visits, good news, climate change, presidential polar bear post card project, Add a tag

Blog: E is for Erik (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: covers, good news, If I were a whale, Add a tag

Blog: E is for Erik (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: good news, polar bear, kaktovik alaska, presidential polar bear post card project, later gator, Add a tag

Blog: E is for Erik (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: good news, sasquatch books, If I were a whale, on my drawing table, Add a tag

Blog: E is for Erik (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: later gator, good news, Add a tag
A great weekend of coaching kids at the State track meet was made even better when I came home to find a few early author copies of LATER, GATOR! Its always fun to see the final product and Sterling did such a nice job with all of the little things like color corrections, spot varnish on the cover etc. Personally, I'm also super happy about the patterned endpapers as well -- which extend the story just a bit in important ways for both the beginning and the end.
Give your local bookstore a call and give them a head's up for the July 19th pub date. They can place their order any time. Pre-orders are also available right now on Amazon and just about any place else that you could order online.
Ciao for now!

Blog: E is for Erik (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: picture books, book trailers, school visits, good news, later gator, sterling children's, Add a tag
Hooray for my first official book trailer! LATER, GATOR doesn't publish 'til July 19th, but I'm excited to start sharing it around :) And much thanks to my daughter for the lovely sound track!

Blog: E is for Erik (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: covers, good news, later gator, sterling children's, Add a tag

Blog: E is for Erik (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: watercolor, good news, dog diaries, cat diaries, Add a tag

Blog: E is for Erik (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: beluga whales, good news, sasquatch books, Add a tag

Blog: E is for Erik (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: process, good news, later gator, Add a tag
Ringing in the New Year by sending off my art for Later, Gator! -- HOORAY! It required a little extra push out the door (and 4 additional hours of driving) as a snow storm shut down the nearest airport for UPS/FED EX deliveries -- but Gator and friends have officially flown the coop.
In addition to assorted other festivities, the last two weeks have been a process of final tweaking and considerations for the final art. As you can see below, the studio does get a little messy at this stage of the game, but cleaning up seems like a good New Year's activity as well :)

Front and center, the original Gator concept art was my steadfast little guide, and he still warms my heart -- even after months of staring into his earnest little eyes. Arriving in bookstore or library near you as early as July 2016, Later, Gator!


Blog: E is for Erik (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Harts Pass, BIG snow!, good news, Add a tag
Surprised by nearly a foot of snow in the driveway on Tuesday morning. Winter indeed! YES!!!

Blog: E is for Erik (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: good news, sasquatch books, beluga whales, publication 2016, Add a tag
Between summer reading visits, weekly comics, summer sherpa duties, and a little running and hiking in the mountains now and again (although far less than ideal!) I've been cranking (hammering, laboring...) away at a new book project for Sasquatch. Its been a bit of a struggle, to be perfectly honest, as I am working with some ornate borders and in a sense "matching" the style of a previous book (different illustrator) that was published by the same author 10 years ago.

That being said, I am finally feeling some satisfaction with the end results and there is indeed a light at the end of this tunnel. Wrapping things up the end of this week, and then I am going to SLEEP! And take a vacation. And breath...and sleep :)

Oh yes, and just in case you missed the "foodie" aspect of these images, Beluga Whale, Grizzly Tales, and more Kidsnacks for Alaskan Trails (Alice Bugni, Sasquatch, 2016) is an excellent Alaska-themed collection of snack recipes for kids. "Bon appetite" and more for sure on this as we get close to publication!


Blog: E is for Erik (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: publication 2015, runaway tortilla, good news, digital color, eric kimmel, Add a tag
My author copies for Eric Kimmel's Runaway Tortilla (Graphic Arts Books, Sept. 2015) arrived yesterday afternoon. VERY excited to have these and so pleased again with all of Vickie's design work to pull this all together in such a great way. THANK YOU VICKIE! Plus, she put Señor Coyote's glamour shot on the back -- which is perfect -- so there you go :)
The this newest book is a milestone for me of sorts as well, as it is my first official venture into illustration with Adobe Photoshop. There's some watercolor texture pulled into the mix as well, but I'm excited by the results and the potential for future work. Check out a few additional images on my digital portfolio page. Enjoy!

Blog: E is for Erik (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: graphic arts books, tiny the tortoise, watercolor, good news, book birthdays, Add a tag
TINO THE TORTOISE: Adventures in the Grand Canyon hits the shelves today! The author, Carolyn Ahern, did and AMAZING job with setting up a website for the book, so be sure to check it out and cross your fingers for more Tino adventures in the not to distant future :)

Blog: Darcy Pattison's Revision Notes (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: rejoice with friends, hope, writing life, good news, Add a tag
The Aliens Inc, Chapter Book Series
Try Book 1 for Free

Writers live by hope.
We hope that the next story will break out.
We hope that the next submission will sell.
We hope that the next revision will be amazing.
We hope that the next royalty check will be double.
We hope readers will love our stories.
Hope. It’s how we live. And I love it when Hope comes to live in tangible ways.

I went Friday to an awards banquet to honor my friend, Carla McClafferty. She was inducted into the Arkansas Writer’s Hall of Fame for her work in children’s non-fiction.
That was hope come to life.
Another Arkansas friend, Cara Brookins had this news reported in today’s Publisher’s Weekly:
Brookins’s ‘Rise’ Goes to SMP
In a six-figure North American rights deal, Rose Hilliard at St. Martin’s Press acquired Cara Brookins’s memoir, Rise. The book, which Dystel and Goderich’s Jessica Papin sold at auction, is about Brookins’s experience as a single mother coming out of an abusive relationship, building her own house from the ground up. SMP said the author, a social media marketing expert in Little Rock, Ark., took on the massive DIY project “with only the help of her four children.” Rise is currently set for fall 2016.
That was hope come to life.
Another Arkansas friend, Monica Clark-Robinson recently sold her first picture book. Here’s the listing on her agent’s site:
Children’s: Picture book: Monica Clark-Robinson’s LET THE CHILDREN MARCH, an historical picture book told from a child’s point of view about the Children’s Crusade, a series of civil rights marches that took place in 1963 to protest the Jim Crow Laws, to Christine Krones at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children’s, for publication in Fall 2017.
That was hope come to life.
Each time a friend realizes a small portion of a dream—from the beginning of a career to a career at the top of its game—we need to stop and rejoice with them.
Why? For many reasons—friendship shares good news.
But for today’s purpose, rejoicing over someone’s good news builds my reserve of hope. I know the hope isn’t futile; someone else’s hopes came to fruition and that leaves me with a renewed hope that mine may also.
I often end a speech or a retreat with the words, “Send me your good news.” It’s not hollow words, and it’s not bragging on your part. It’s sharing a joyful event. And really, I’m being selfish: I want my hope recharged.
Send me your good news! I want to hear and rejoice with you!
Please add your good news in the comments so we can all rejoice with you.

Blog: E is for Erik (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: dog diaries, cat diaries, process, good news, Add a tag
I just recently finished some new cover art for a paperback edition of Dog Diaries (Henry Holt, 2007). It doesn't officially published until April 2016... but it's a popular choice with school visits and I'm very excited to have a paperback version in the mix.
Why a new cover? Well, as much as the good folks at Holt (and hopefully the authors!) liked the first cover, they actually liked the cover of Cat Diaries (see below) just a little bit better. Since there will be a simultaneous paperback release of both books, the art department wanted to create a "companion" cover of sorts that was a little more focused on a single dog.
Just like the original, the new cover was painted with watercolor, ink, and colored pencil. Scroll below for a glimpse of the process -- from early sketches and options to final art -- and I'll remind you again when the books are available next spring :)

Blog: E is for Erik (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: good news, Harts Pass, GRRR!, Add a tag
You can only keep that pent up energy bottled up for so long :) VERY glad to be done with my most recent book illustration project, excited to see who it comes together with the designer typefaces etc., and ready to start the next -- GRRR!

Blog: E is for Erik (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: good news, portfolio, hurrah! yes! finally!, Add a tag

Finally, after way too many years, I have published an update to my portfolio pages... and I actually have samples from recent books! By switching to Flickr as host, I get away from the more time consuming coding and javascript that was pretty much keeping me from adding new work to my old site... and this should be smoother all around with respect to flexible platforms for viewing. There are a few ads scattered amongst the artwork for now, but I hope to eliminate those by sorting through their subscription plan in due course.
Click on the links above or find the portfolio link consistently listed in the "pages" near the top of this blog. I'll be adding additional items as we start the new year, but am excited to at long last be representing a broader cross-section of my work.
Cheers!

Blog: E is for Erik (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: school visits, good news, David LaRochelle, Mike Whonoutka, friends, Add a tag
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David (left) pictured here with equally excellent illustrator Mike Whonoutka and their MN Book Award winning hardware for MOO! |

Blog: E is for Erik (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Harts Pass, good news, for sale, Add a tag
With the last of my Kickstarter rewards finally in the mail, I've been taking steps to make the book available to a larger audience. As noted earlier this week, I did a small release party Trail's End Bookstore, and copies are also available at:
- A Book For All Seasons (Leavenworth, WA)
- Village Books (Bellingham, WA)
- Winthrop Gallery (Winthrop, WA)
- The Confluence Gallery (Twisp, WA)
- The Mazama Store (Mazama, WA)
Personalized autograph to:


Blog: E is for Erik (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: kickstarter, Harts Pass, good news, Add a tag

Blog: E is for Erik (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: good news, Harts Pass, Add a tag
Introducing Logan! Who is a little chagrinned by the results of his first experience with record keeping... Read the rest of this post

Blog: E is for Erik (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Slow Days Fast Friends, eBooks, good news, Octavius Bloom and the House of Doom, Add a tag
SLOW DAYS, FAST FRIENDS went out of print in early 2012. However, through the wonders of modern technology (and the reversion of rights clause in these older boiler plate contracts of mine!) I can now self-publish for fans of the Barnes & Noble NOOK.
OCTAVIUS BLOOM & THE HOUSE OF DOOM met a simliar fate in 2010, and is currently selling more than every before. Three cheers (for this part at least) of the eBook revolution!

Blog: E is for Erik (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: who has these feet, who has this tail, good news, Add a tag
Who Has This Tail? comes out October 16th, and I just received my author copies in yesterday's mail. The book looks great, and once again the design team at Holt did a wonderful job of making sure that my watercolors stayed true to their vibrant and radiant selves -- not always an easy thing to do!
In a simultaneous debut of sorts, the Scholastic Book Club copies of Who Has These Feet? are also primed and ready to go. Stay tuned to your local book fair and check it out alongside the over-sized erasers, and Justin Bieber posters :)
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Congratulations:)