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It has been busy busy busy in the studio!   The place is jammed packed with characters waiting to be famous.

Newton has had his day in the sun with a new Baby Journal out in January. 

“Yes You Can Man” wants a bit of the action for himself. He has been waiting in the wings with his REALLY BIG ideas!

Peep Squeak?.…  he is always “On the Move!“.  There will be Peepsqueak fabric out in February and a Peepsqueak‘s children’s book in the works for 2012..

Lae Dee Bugg is hoping for a July release at Christian Art Gifts for the TWEEN market.

Bitty Bot?…  she and her bot friends really wants to be on fabric. They are waiting to hear back from a recent submission.

Hen Rietta fabric is in revision mode. Hen Rietta‘s friend, Grace is serving us up some hot cocoa. She is standing near ……. Shivery the snowman!  Brrrrr!!! He has high hopes for a children’s book someday.

There is no forgetting Bea Bunny.  She is always trying to get in the picture. She will debut in the Peepsqueak book.

This is life in my studio.  Never a dull moment!

Oh NO! did you hear that?  It’s Zippy! That little hedge hog came in late and missed the photo shoot.  I will not hear the end of that!

“Zippy!  Next time try to be on time.  Remember, you snooze  you lose!”

There are also bears, clowns, birds and more. It is never boring in the studio!

0 Comments on Crazy Busy With My Cartoon Family as of 1/1/1900

Happy Saturday, everyone!

I've been under the weather for a week or so, so I've been offline. But, I'm slowly getting back to normal. I missed blogging and chatting with Team Canterwood!

Also, the photo shoot is on Monday! Um, YAY!! Sadly, I'm not feeling well enough to go. :( :( But I've got the best team ever and we've got some amazing stuff already lined up for the covers. They're going to be FABULOUS--you'll see.

I'm about to get back to working on UNFRIENDLY COMPETITION, so I'm glad to jump back into Canterwood land. The book will be finished soon and, sniff, it'll be the last time I write from Sasha's POV. But, I'm also extremely excited. When this book is done, Kate and I will be working on our YA idea together and *that's* supersuperexciting. :)

I hope you're all having a wonderful weekend!

Hope you all enjoy the out takes from the Canterwood Crest shoot! :) It's fun to see the models being candid and cool--just like they are when they're not working.

Here's another exclusive video from the Canterwood Crest photo shoot! Meet Brit--who appears for the first time in ELITE AMBITION.

Happy Saturday, everyone! I had time to edit another video from the previous Canterwood Crest cover photo shoot, so I thought I'd share. Yay!

Here, I talk with the models who portray Heather Fox and Sasha Silver. We're all goofing off and chatting before the first shot of the day.

Enjoy! :)

PS--the vid is still processing as of now, so quality will improve soon!

Here's the first of MANY videos from the Canterwood Crest photo shoot! Enjoy and here's a brief description of the vid:

Want to know what every girl needs to look great without spending a ton? Listen to these tips from Anna, a stylist at the latest Canterwood Crest photo shoot. Look for more exclusive videos from the shoot coming soon! And for everything about the Canterwood book series, check out www.canterwoodcrest.com!

Since we've been talking a lot about Paige Parker this week, I wanted to share another exclusive photo from the shoot for the covers of books 9-12. I'm (on the right) posing with the awesome model who played Paige. We chatted a lot on set and had so much fun.

Starting in January, I'll begin posting video clips and more photos from the shoot. I'll be starting with pics of wardrobe and make up, plus tips via vlogs from top stylists on how to dress like a Canterwood model with an affordable mix of pieces. :)

Or books, blogs, and what I wore.

If you've seen the cover of the November 2009 School Library Journal, or read it, you'll have had the pleasure of seeing me not once but twice!

The first photo is the cover; the second is with the article, This Blog's For You.

Betsy Bird (aka Fuse #8 Production) emailed me asking me if I wanted to come up to NYC for the cover. As luck would have it, I had no outreach, visits, or meetings scheduled for that day; and the people at MPOW allowed me the time to do this (thanks!!).

The bloggers in the photo: Monica Edinger aka Educating Alice, Cheryl Klein aka Brooklyn Arden, Elizabeth Bird aka Fuse #8, Jennifer Hubert Swan aka Reading Rants.

Then, the big worry. What would I wear? Those of you who know me in real life know my usual uniform outside of work is jeans, Doc Martens or Dansko shoes, and a T shirt and sweater. In work, it's very J.Crew lite, with trousers and cardigans. Quickly we decided that we wanted a grown up look, something dressy, something, dare I say it, Mad Men.

In other words... I was looking for an excuse to go shopping. And I had been handed that excuse on a silver platter.

So, for you fashionistas out there, after much trying on of clothes, I went with the Wool Seamed Dress from Ann Taylor: "A flattering sheath dress in wool with stretch for a perfect fit. Jewel neckline. Sleeveless." Color: Dark Heather Gray. In addition to looking good, it was very, very comfortable, which is what I wanted for the train ride to and fro NYC, not to mention finding the photoshoot.

Wanting to add a bit of color, I indulged in the Perfect Luxe Scarf, also from Ann Taylor, color Raspberry Ice, which you can see in the cover. The sweater in the second photo is from J.Crew; last summer, maybe the summer before, so no link or details on that. Shoes are Franco Sarto, The Artist's Collection; they are black, peep toe, with a buckle decoration. I bought them this past summer, so, alas, no link to photo for you. Jewelry: the pearls I got for High School graduation (thanks, Mom!). Hair is by DeJensen, and whenever my hair looks good, it is because of them. I did my own makeup. I also bought all these clothes myself.

The photo shoot was at The Globe, 158 East 23rd Street, New York, NY. It was my type of bar; tons of old-school details, hard wood, tin ceilings, you know the drill.

This is actually my second photo shoot with SLJ. Back when I wrote Curl Up With a Cup of Tea and a Good Blog for SLJ (February 2007), I blogged about the Photo Shoot.

There were a few differences this time around. First, I wasn't involved in the setting up of the lights this time around! SLJ had a few people there, who were assisting with that type of thing so I got to chat with the other cover ladies. Second, this time around I had the benefit of years of viewing America's Next Top Model (thanks to Carlie and Melissa for introducing me!) Thus I could smile with my eyes and watch my elbows.




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Yesterday was the third photo shoot for the Canterwood series!! We were shooting the covers for books 9-12 and it felt like a reunion of sorts, seeing my girls and the crew. I'm only posting pics that were Tweeted yesterday either by Editor K or I. The rest, hi-res beauties, will be posted around the releases of books 9-12. And maybe a few early ones here and there just to tease. ;) Or, I might post pics for that specfic cover when it's finished and I'm allowed to share it. Then you guys wouldn't have to wait until 2010 to see the videos. That would be sad.

It was a fantastic day. I was up at 4something and the S&S crew (yep, I'm including myself in there) rode together to NJ for the shoot.

We got started around 7something and wrapped around 7:30 that night. Everyone was fabulous and it was the best shoot ever. The covers (ahem, Jessica Handelman) are going to be *insane*. In the best way. Thanks, also, to Russell Gordon for adding his artistic eye to the shoot.


That's Paige Parker getting a wardrobe adjustment as we get ready to shoot. Aren't you guys excited to finally see Paige on a cover?!

This is Editor K almost losing it when Zoe, the bay, tried to sniff her. The coversation after this shot:

Editor K: *shooting shocked/pretend-furious look at Totally Innocent Author* OMG! Why didn't you save me? That horse was about to eat my jacket! You didn't warn me!

Innocent Author: *swallows and fears for her life* I didn't know that was gonna happen! *then laughs not so quietly to herself*

Then full out laughter from both parties ensued. Editor K was also later chased by a bee which, apparently, I should have saved from from as well, LOL. Ooops.

We're getting set up for the first shoot of the day. The models, who are the *sweetest* girls, can turn on the attitude so fast for the camera. Amazing.


One of our photographer's assistants getting the camera ready. Heavy duty, huh?


Finally, my main girl Sasha getting her hair touched up before a shot. Aren't you in LOVE with her shirt? I think this was right before the horse drooled all over her when he stuck his head out of the stall door. She was so great about and got cleaned up and kept going.

Sooo....I also vlogged. All day. I interviewed each model, the stylists and took lots of behind the scenes footage of hair and make up. I'm still figuring out how/when I'll be releasing the vlogs. I reaaalllly want to show you guys all of the video RIGHT NOW. :)

Enjoy the pics and know that when I told the models how much support there is for Team Canterwood, they said to say a huge THANK YOU to all of you who read and love the books.

It's about time I announced the winner of MP Barker's book! The lucky winner is...KAYLA! Kayla, email me for details on how to claim your prize. A big thank you to MP and I hope you all run out and get a copy of her book.

I'm in New Jersey and am T-I-R-E-D after all of the traveling. But I can barely sleep! I'm soooo excited about the photo shoot and spent an hour on the treadmill tonight trying to get tired so I'd fall asleep earlier. I feel like I'm running on 80 cups of coffee and sheer excitement about the shoot. :)

Here's a new video for you guys that I shot today. Enjoy!

Have you guys heard about TwilightGuy.com? The Website was started by fellow writer and friend Kaleb Nation. Kaleb's new Website chronicles his first read of Twilight and breaks down the book from a guy's perspective. Neat, huh? :)

I'm hooked.

Also, thanks so much to everyone who gave me clothing advice for the photo shoot! I'm STILL looking at clothes and am trying to actually sleep even though I'm insanely excited.

**(Happy birthday, Jason!)**

It's a double post day!

Okay, everyone!! Finally! I’m ready to reveal the super-secret surprise! :) I was waiting until more details firmed up and while I’m not going to give a date just yet, I WILL tell you why I’ve been bouncing up and down for the past couple of weeks. It has been torture not to share, but I wanted to be one hundred percent sure I could make it before I spilled the news.

So, here we go…

Sometime very soon, I am headed to New England for the photo shoot for the four covers for Canterwood Crest! I’m BEYOND (there will be lots of capitalized words, sorry) excited and the best part is that I’ll be sharing the trip with you via Diary of a Debut Author videos! Yep, I’ll be taking photos and video of some behind the scenes stuff and will share what I can without giving away spoilers. I should be able to make a video when I get into town and will keep you guys updated via blogging when I can get online. It’s going to be an insane day and I can’t wait! (There may also be video from the car when, after 17 hours of driving, I just need to ramble. Okay?)

I’m already obsessing about this. What will the models look like? Will the horse be calm? Will it be warm outside? Windy? See…questions, questions.

As a typical girly girl, I’ve been trying to figure out THE outfit for the photo shoot. I’ll be meeting Agent A and Editor K (major excitement!) for the first time and I want to find an outfit that conveys: professional, fun, fresh, young and serious all in one. Yeah, try to find clothes that scream all five of those things. It’s not easy. I’ve been in and out of my closet practically every day since I got the news about this and am still not settled on the right clothes. I’ll try to get a pic of the outfit I’ve decided on. If I ever decide. :)

There you have it! I’ll keep updating about this when I can and I hope you guys are as excited as I am. And no, even though several people were convinced Paris Hilton was coming along on this trip and we were new BFFs that’s just not the case. But your guesses were close. ;)

Happy Friday!

Library Thing...if you're a book lover and read with passion, you probably know about it already. They've got a Blog too. The latest post was about the Boston group. (How I wish I still lived in Boston at times. )
I've got more books listed on my Shelfari list, but enjoy Library Thing as well.

No doubt this new move by LibraryThing.com will inspire new debates about bloggers and reviewers.

Starting tomorrow, May 29th, Random House will be providing Library Thing with advance copies of some of its books. These books will be distributed among Library Thing’s early reviewers.

Some of the titles in the first batch include:

• The River Wife by Jonis Agee
• Forgive Me by Amanda Eyre Ward
• Peony in Love by Lisa See
• Keeping the House by Ellen Baker
• Away by Amy Bloom

This doesn’t mean that Library Thing will be pushing in any way Random House titles, or that negative reviews will deter this publisher from sending more books. Library Thing has set up an Early Reviewers group for prospective reviewers, bloggers, and readers who would be interested in participating and would like their questions answered. For the moment, only people registered with Library Thing and living in the US may partake in this, though LT hopes to get involved with international publishers in the future.

For more information, go to http://www.librarything.com/blog/2007/05/new-feature-tip-toe-early-reviewers.php.

Cheers!
Mayra Calvani

I love Library Thing!
In case you aren't aware of what it is, there's a link on the blog sidematter listing all the books I've read (so far!) in 2007. I forget which of my beloved Snarklings turned me on to this but consider yourself thanked again.

I've just pulled myself out of Capote by Gerald Clarke and after 540 pages I'm forswearing gin and gossip. Talk about a cautionary tale.

I was adding Capote to my list and thought I'd sort the list by the column showing how many other LibraryThingsters shared a title.

Top three on my list that are on other people's lists:

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time
The Time Traveler's Wife
The Lovely Bones

no surprises there.

Here's the book that had 0 shares:

Dr. Dre: The Biography

I had this fear as Typhoon Kong-Rey (a/k/a King Kong) approached that the roof would blow off and all of my books would be ruined. I could have fretted about my personal safety, or more importantly my daughter's. I could have worried about flooding (as in the past), or downed tree limbs or breaking glass or any number of things, but for some odd reason, I was concerned about my books.

So I took the opportunity to log my books on my listing at Library Thing, only to discover that Library Thing has a 200 book limit on its free user account. I was about half-way through the books in my house when I got the "achtung" message.

So how many books do you have in your personal library? What do you include in the count?

I have a ton of little books I read to my daughter and a few dozen of those flimsy paperback/picture books of the non-fiction variety--mostly from Scholastic and mostly on subjects like snakes and dinosaurs and Ancient Egypt, all of which darling daughter found fascinating at some age. Do these count as books in your estimation?

As I was typing in the data, and before I knew there was a 200 book limit, I decided everything counted--if it has an ISBN, it belongs in the system, so I thought.

So now I have to decide whether to pay for the upgrade for more than 200 books or revise my listing of what counts. (Or divide the books into what belongs to me and what belongs to darling daughter, so she can have her own listing on Library Thing, and hope that we have less than 400 books total.)

I've given away hundreds of books. I usually have an April raffle through my book review column in the Marianas Variety. And I still have about 400 books or more at home.

Once upon a time, I remember embracing the philosophy for dealing with clutter of keeping anything I found useful or beautiful. When I apply that to books, it results in keeping most, because I love books.

I need a few more typhoon days to sort this out!