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Have been Putting together some kind of sale material, in order to get more commission work all week. The question is, is my style pathologically non commercial? Time will tell, I'm doing a sale drive in Sweden soon, the problem is I have to much material just browsing on my computer takes forever (and selecting amongst them is pure hell)

www.baggelboy.com
www.cowboydogcomic.com

OK, that last one? I tried to post that yesterday, but it wouldn't work no matter what I did, and I finally gave up.
Now, 24 hours later, there it is. ~~ Twilight Zone music ~~

And I couldn't edit the post to add this message to it, it wouldn't go through, I kept getting some error message.

I dunno.

Anyway, I just thought it was kinda neat. I need to get a moleskin notebook one of these days.

Sandra, originally uploaded by crystal driedger.

I bought a moleskin shortly after I spied my friend Amanda's at a market I was working last summer. It's been such a treasure. It's exactly the right size and weight (can be carried with me at all times for creative moments that come out of the blue), is flexible and so so soft!

No matter what situation I'm in and no matter how hectic my schedule, if I find the time to sketch during my day it brings me great peace. While this is not always the case with client work, where there is always pressure to create something better and more lively, sketching for myself has been a very effective way to test different styles and techniques and an even better way to just clear my head of nonesense.

I like to go back into my sketchbook months afterwards and add colour to the cross hatching I first did with my pen in front of the tv. For some reason I don't like just sitting and watching tv... I enjoy doing something creative while I do this. Perhaps it lessens the guilt factor of being a movie nutt.

* Just a reminder: There's only 6 days left until I draw for those two free calendars and secret prize...

I couldn’t think of a poem today, and yesterday I was all worn out from Halloween. The kids went trick-or-treating in the neighborhood and then we drove over to our old neighborhood to eat chili and drink beer around the fire. You know, traditional Halloween activities. We’ve done it for years. For a while, we even had neighbors who would treat us to a fire-eating show. Good times. Even without the carnival folk, it’s still fun to top off a day of candy-grabbing with a laid-back party.

So, I was playing around on the Amazon bargain books again, as I do when my mind needs a rest. Here are some picture book choices because, as Hallmark keeps reminding me, Christmas is right around the corner.

I Love You Always and Forever, by Jonathan Emmett
A cute story about love between father and daughter mice.

I Love You Just the Same, by Erica Wolf
A cute story about love between mother and son bears.

Goodnight Lulu, by Paulette Bogan
A silly bedtime story of all the worries a chick has and all the ways her mom would take care of her.

Riley and Rose in the Picture, by Susanna Getz
A fun story of a cat and dog who learn to work together while making a picture.

Jingle Bells, by Iza Trapani
A Christmas story using the song and a magical sleigh to see Christmas traditions in other countries.

Christmas Treasury: Merry Stories and Poems, illustrated by Kevin Hawkes
A bunch of Christmas stories and poems to share with the family.

As it turns out, I probably screwed up. I was supposed to write an article for The Edge of the Forest, and I could not get over my writer’s block. I mean, I finally did, but I think I sent it in too late, and I feel kinda bad. The whole thing leads me to wonder about being a real writer, like Pinnochio wanted to be a real boy. What do you do if the inspiration won’t come?

At this time, I take a nap. I find that thinking about what I want to write as I’m resting makes the ideas flow together in interesting ways. Of course, the problem comes if I actually fall asleep and forget the whole thing. Or if other ideas keep intruding on my meditation. I’ll want to think about my article, and instead I’ll wonder if Paris Hilton shopping a kids’ book will make the whole children’s publishing industry silently implode.

Generally, my nap technique works, but apparently not always. So I need some writer tricks. Anyone want to share?

As a token of my appreciation for your inspired help, I offer tidbits from the area in which I excel: bargain shopping. Sometimes at work, I’ll scroll down the lists of bargain books at Amazon. It’s fun when I’m at the reference desk, because it’s a totally mindless thing to do and I can stop at any point to help someone. Of course, it’s always a great reminder of what’s out there — or what’s been out there. Summer is a great time for shopping, because lots of the Christmas books are half off or more, and they dump all the extra Mommy and Daddy books from Mother’s and Father’s Day. Then the list is filled with fairly random titles as well — some good, some... not so much. Here are my picks.

Every once in a while, different books from the Mo Willems collection go on discount. A week later, the titles are back on the inventory list at regular price. I have no idea why this happens, but I take advantage of it to put away presents for friends and family. Right now you can buy Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! and The Pigeon Finds a Hog Dog for $5.99, and Leonardo The Terrible Monster for $6.99.

Remember all the fuss about Cathy’s Book? No? Well, in my opinion, it turned out to be a pretty decent teen book with lots of paper stuff — notes, napkins, photos — tucked in a front cover pocket. Now this title can be yours for $5.99.

It looks like I was too late for the bargain Mommy books, but not too late for this funny story: My Dad’s Job, priced now at $4.99. This book was written by Books of Wonder owner Peter Glassman and cleverly illustrated by my New York City escort, Timothy Bush, and shows a boy’s misunderstandings of his father’s work stories.

I managed to score a complete Dragonology set for about $12, in what could only have been a computer pricing error. You can buy one book, Dragonology: The Complete Book of Dragons, for only $4.00. Not a bad gift idea. If the kid in your life isn’t quite ready for the small text of that series, try the younger series from the same company. It features a lot of the same little fun stuff on the pages, but is geared younger. I bought Knight: A Noble Guide for Your Squires at $3.60.

This would be a good time to mention that I am an Amazon Associate, and thus get a small referral fee if you buy a book from that site after coming from here. For instance, I’d collect a whopping $0.36 if you buy either Pigeon book. So, not enough for me to reeeally make money on these recommendations. However, if you wish to support my site in general, you can do so by adding one click to your normal purchasing and it won’t cost you a penny. Before you do any Amazon shopping, stop at MotherReader and click on any book to take you to the Amazon website. Now shop as you wish. You don’t need to buy the book you clicked on, or even a book for that matter. MotherReader is listed as the referral site for whatever you buy, and the small bits that Amazon pays help me justify the enormous amount of time I spend on this blog. Many other blogs are also Amazon Associates, and the same deal goes for them. So I’d just say that if you’re doing Amazon shopping anyway, stop at a supporting site and help out your unpaid blogger friends.

Okay, that ended up long and off my original topic, but I think it needed to be said. To review: I’m looking for writer tricks to write what you’re contracted to write, I’m suggesting bargain books to put away for birthdays and holidays, and I’m explaining the whole Amazon Associate thing for anyone who was unclear on the topic. Carry on.