Illustration Friday: Adapt

Happy Friday, everyone! This week’s Illustration Friday submission comes from the forthcoming bilingual children’s book, Baseball on Mars / Beisbol en Marte. In this story, the little boy adapts a variety of junk around the house into a “rocket ship” headed to Mars. His father provides a reluctant (at first) foil to the little boy’s imaginative enthusiasm as they embark on their outer space adventure. This scene takes place just before they “launch.” The book debuts this fall from Arte Publico Press!

Memorial Day

Illustration Friday: Cracked

My submission for this week’s Illustration Friday is from the forthcoming children’s book, The Antarctic Express. In this scene, the airplane (loaded with students and the main characters Danforth and Professor Dyer) makes its landing in the fabled city of the Old Ones. The cracked stone columns and temples hide an ancient mystery that Danforth and Professor Dyer uncover. The story is a retelling of H.P. Lovecraft’s At the Mountains of Madness, done as a parody of The Polar Express. The book comes out this August from Atlas Games, and I couldn't be more excited.

Google Book Search Settlement

The on-going Google Book Search settlement is something that all published authors and illustrators should monitor. So just in case you’ve not heard of it yet, or are unsure of what it is exactly, check out the following links for more information:

• Wikipedia’s article on Google Book Search – A good overview of the history of the service. Be sure to check out the ample section on criticism and copyright infringement.
• "Legally Speaking: The Dead Souls of the Google Booksearch Settlement" – Legal scholar Pamel Samuelson weighs in on the monopolizing effect Google will have over the discovery, distribution, and sales of literature.
• "A Set of Links" from Library Journal – A constantly updated set of links, critical articles, and video clips concerning the settlement.
• Google Book Settlement Page – This is the place to go to claim your books, manage the scanned works on Google, or opt out of the settlement. Important deadlines notices are posted here.

I try to keep this blog PG-rated, so I can’t elaborate more on my feelings except to say that I’m not too happy with Google. I side with the Author’s Guild, publishers, and librarians everywhere who are critical of the whole thing. More is to come on this settlement for sure, and unfortunately it probably won't be for the benefit of book creators.

Art Crush Wednesday: Heidi Thomas

I have a special treat for readers today! Author Heidi M. Thomas is guest-posting for this week’s Art Crush Wednesday. Read on as Heidi discusses the process of writing her debut YA novel, Cowgirl Dreams:

Writing a book begins with a seed of an idea. Like the Montana native grasses and wildflowers that lie dormant, sometimes for years until a good rain season, it takes a long time for the idea to germinate and to bloom.

My grandmother rode steers in rodeos. That was my seed, planted while poring over picture albums with my dad. I was young, not yet inclined to think of writing about that fact, although I was certainly a want-to-be writer from the time I could print my letters.

I graduated with a degree in journalism and set upon my non-fiction writing career, thinking, “I’d like to write a book some day, but I have no idea what I’d write about.” I continued writing articles about other people for newspapers and magazines for many years. Then, when I was about 30, I just happened to take a 13-year hiatus from writing by becoming a 911 dispatcher in Missoula, Montana. That was about as far from writing as I could get, and toward the end of that “career,” I felt the great need to find a creative outlet. I took a community class in writing for children. At one point the instructor said that biographies of women who had done unusual things were popular with kids.

My grandmother rode steers in rodeos. Hmm. I wondered if that would make a good story. The seed began to germinate. But it was several more years and a move to Washington state before I nurtured the idea.

I wrote another novel first and began to send it out to agents and editors. Now it was time to start another book. My grandmother rode steers in rodeos in the 1920s. Why not write about her or a character like her? I read non-fiction books written about “old-time” cowgirls, including The Cowgirls by Joyce Gibson Roach, and Daughters of the West by Anne Seagraves, newspaper clippings about fellow Montana cowgirls Marie Gibson, Alice and Margie Greenough. I didn’t find much, if any, fiction about these women. Their lives fascinated me. So rather than write a non-fiction biography of my grandmother, I decided to create a fictionalized character for my book.

Research takes many avenues. First, I had my dad and the stories he told about growing up in the 1920s and ‘30s with his parents. I had several photo albums and a large scrapbook my grandmother had put together. This was a treasure trove—newspaper clippings and photos about the ranch and rodeo life. In addition to the books and pictures, I took a trip to the Cut Bank/Sunburst area in Montana where my grandmother grew up. I found the ranch where my grandparents lived when they were first married. I immersed myself in the ambiance of the Sweet Grass hills, the prairie, Montana’s “Big Sky.”

I began to think “What if?” I wrote, I brought pages to my weekly critique group, and I rewrote. That process took three years and then I started sending it out to collect rejections. The first effort was a book titled Memoirs of a Cowgirl, and was 135,000 words on 475 pages.

Somewhere along the line, I realized publishers of the “western” genre wanted shorter books. So I divided the book into two books, renamed the first one Cowgirl Dreams, revised it and sent it out some more. Toward the end, I had two publishers in a row tell me that they loved my book, really wanted to publish it, but due to financial structure, etc., they wouldn’t be able to for two or three years. They released me to submit elsewhere, reserving the option to resubmit later if I didn’t find another publisher. So close, I could almost grasp it.

Ten years and 17 rejections after I launched my book journey, I found Lee Emory at Treble Heart Books, who believed in me enough to publish Cowgirl Dreams. The seed of an idea at last blossomed into fruition—a real live book that I could hold in my hands and say “I wrote this.”

Thanks to Heidi for sharing this journey with us! Follow the rest of Heidi's book tour to learn more about Cowgirl Dreams, and be sure to leave comments to enter the raffle drawing! Check out Heidi's blog for a complete list of tour stops and prizes.

Minnesota SCBWI Workshop Recap

Thanks to everyone who made it out to Minnetonka this past Saturday! The Minnesota Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators’ (MNSCBWI) Spring Workshop was a huge success. We normally plan for about 25 people but were pleasantly surprised when 41 writers and illustrators showed up!

Our speakers, Laura Purdie Salas and Dara Dokas, deserve very special recognition. Their presentation, “The Nuts and Bolts of Children’s Writing,” was one of the most informative, open, and honest lectures I’ve enjoyed. Questions about the creative writing process, navigating the industry with or without an agent, and even money were answered. It was a pleasure to meet so many new members, too!

With the warm weather finally here to stay in Minnesota, I’m really looking forward to our upcoming summer workshop and the annual field trip. Stay tuned for more information!

Cowgirl Dreams

Cowgirl Dreams by Heidi M. Thomas

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I found Cowgirl Dreams, the debut novel of author Heidi M. Thomas, to be quite engrossing with its country charm, exciting rodeo action, and innocent romance. Thomas based the novel loosely on her grandmother, a real Montana cowgirl, and her attention to detail in 1920’s “Big Sky Country” living makes this a fascinating read.

Nettie Brady, the teenaged main character, revels in horseback riding, rodeos, and ranch life. Her dreams of being a rodeo queen are hampered mainly by social pressures and her mother’s insistence she play the “traditional” wife and mother role when she grows up. Nettie takes on those challenges with an admirable toughness, and she weathers influenza, natural disasters, and cruel Montana winters with determination and grit. Nettie struggles to live life on her own terms while still honoring her parents’ wishes, and eventually she finds a nice balance between the two as she matures.

As a fan of historical fiction, I can really appreciate how following Nettie’s adventures is also like an education on prairie life. Riding steers, training horses, and even simpler tasks like chores and making fried chicken from scratch (including slaughtering the chicken!), are vividly brought to life. Additionally, Thomas’s use of colloquial country slang adds authenticity to the dialogue. It's a window into 1920's life (outside of flappers, moon-shining, and the Mob) that I'd never before imagined.

Cowgirl Dreams, to my delight and surprise, also has a touching coming-of-age romance. Nettie’s relationship with Jake, the neighboring horse trainer, is sweet and poignant. Jake’s and Nettie’s adventures are not standard romance-novel cheese, thankfully, and while this overshadows the rodeo plotline during a good chunk of the novel, it does add to the overall appeal of the book. Thomas returns to the roots of the novel as she wraps up everything, showing how Nettie does eventually fulfill her "cowgirl dreams."

I’m not a typical reader of “Western”-type novels, but this book may well change my mindset for good. For its detailed, historically accurate descriptions of prairie life, and the feminist mindset amidst an endearing young romance, I’d recommend this book to any fan of historical YA fiction.

Be sure to stop by my blog again this Wednesday, May 20, 2009! I’m very pleased to report that Heidi M. Thomas herself will visit and describe the process of how Cowgirl Dreams came to fruition. Hope to see you there!

View all my reviews on Goodreads.

Slushpile

In case the typeface is too small for you, the poster reads: "SLUSHPILE. You spent two years writing the novel, three months rewriting the opening chapters, and four seconds reading the submission guidelines."

I can't remember where I found this, and you've probably seen it many times already, but I think it's hilarious. A good reminder for us all!

Reminder: MNSCBWI Spring Workshop

Quick reminder post for today: the Minnesota Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (MNSCBWI) is holding its annual Spring Workshop this Saturday! Join us at Ridgedale Library in Minnetonka, MN for a presentation on the "Nuts and Bolts of Children's Writing." Additional details can be found here.

If you're on Facebook, feel free to RSVP on our Event page. We're looking forward to seeing you there!

Website Woes

It would seem that redesigning my website isn’t as easy as I had hoped it would be. I’ve been working on this project on-and-off for a couple of years (!) with no satisfaction. I’d design something over a few days, get tired of it or feel incredibly self-conscious about it, and then start over. The photo above contains only some of the layout ideas that I’ve developed.

I swear it's like I'm trying to hog-tie creativity monkeys - disgruntled creativity monkeys that have been given lots of caffeine and are armed with hatpins. Why is it when I'm illustrating or designing for others, the ideas flow freely, but when I'm doing it for me (like personal branding), I have artist's block? It’s frustrating, to say the least.

What projects have stymied you in the past? What helped you finally conquer your creativity monkeys? All comments and suggestions are welcome.

Treasure Trove!

I’d be remiss if I said that cartoons didn’t strongly influence my childhood and my development as an artist. I’ve blogged about Hulu before, and now the animation section of their website has gotten even better with the addition of several childhood favorites!

For your Saturday morning enjoyment, check out an episode of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe and revel in classic ‘80s goodness:

The rest of the He-Man series can be found here. They also have Bravestarr and Felix the Cat, so enjoy!

Illustration Friday: Parade

Oh, the irony! I’ve already used an illustration that would’ve fit this week’s Illustration Friday theme perfectly. Oh well, at least this gives me a chance to show a current project I’m working on. So while this isn’t exactly the parade I had in mind, it’s still a procession of strange characters that is kind of like a parade (right?), and I do like these little guys.

This sketch is for the forthcoming children’s book, The Triangle Republic. The story revolves around these fruit-eating creatures and their cooperative interaction that is necessary for the survival of the herd. You can see a color sketch of them here. It’s a fun story and something decidedly different from what I normally take on, so I’m excited.

Have a great weekend, everybody!

Drawing: It’s Not Just for Kids!

I’m totally stealing this from my friend Shawn McCann because it’s too good not to post here. Children’s book author, illustrator, and overall genius Mo Willems was interviewed on NPR recently about the importance of drawing as an adult. He points out what a pity it is that children quit drawing once they feel they’re “not good at it,” and then as adults often don’t draw with their children. As we all know, adults set endless examples for children, and it’s vital to show them that such creative expression is beneficial throughout one’s entire life.

It’s an interesting read, plus Willems backs up what he says and has “Family Drawing Time” on a chalkboard-painted wall in his house! How cool is that? Check out the whole interview and podcast here. Thanks again to Shawn for the tip!

The Sisters Grimm: Tales from the Hood

The Sisters Grimm Book 6: Tales From the Hood by Michael Buckley

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Sisters Grimm saga continues to delight in the sixth book, Tales from the Hood. Sabrina and Daphne finally uncover the truth about Mr. Canis (and the real story of Little Red Riding Hood) as he undergoes a farce of a trial for his past crimes. While a courtroom drama was not what I was expecting from this book, it’s neat to see the classic fairy tale vetted like an episode of “Law and Order.” The result is a fairly unique adaptation of the story, and the evil characters on the prosecution (Blackbeard and the Sheriff of Nottingham, with the Mad Hatter presiding as judge) add enough malice and insanity to keep things interesting.

Of course, you can’t have a Sisters Grimm novel without some kind of exciting adventure. With the aid of magic, the girls travel with their Uncle Jake across Europe to find Goldilocks, the one person who might be able to break the sleeping spell over their parents. The chase scenes in Venice and Paris are fun, and the standoff with an agent of the Scarlet Hand is especially good, even if they do read a little too much like episodes of television. It does make sense to me when I consider Buckley’s background in that genre.

I found some of the most interesting scenes in this book were the ones showing Sabrina, the elder of the Grimm duo, riding the puberty roller coaster. Her makeup disasters and little girl crushes are very cute, and I almost wish the author would’ve explored this a bit more, or at least given it the same amount of deliberate care as Daphne’s adorable attempts to act more grown up herself. I also think those were missed opportunities to more fully illustrate the painful absence of the girls’ mother (even though she’s sleeping in the next room) during a time when little girls really need a mother’s insight.

All this and more is a nice lead-in to the forthcoming seventh book in the series, The Everafter War. After all this time, it’s sure to have a great pay-off! I’d like to take this opportunity to remind everyone to support their local independent bookstores. I, for one, will be making a special visit to The Valley Bookseller when The Everafter War is released this week. I can hardly wait!

View all my reviews on Goodreads.

Humble Beginnings

Hooray for trips down memory lane! This picture was taken during a long-ago era known as “The Eighties,” when a chalk drawing of mine (up top) made it into a children’s art show at one of the museums in Denver, Colorado. I guess you could consider it my first show! This honor, along with the many that followed in my childhood, helped set me on the path to becoming an artist.

Here, a few years later, I made a diorama on Charlotte’s Web from an old box, a Halloween spider ring, some thread, and a few crystal beads. I remember that my mom hot-glued the words “SOME PIG” onto the web for me. This went over rather well in the classroom.

I think this poster and sculpture project was from the same school year. Lucinda, my childhood pet, visited my classroom on “Show and Tell" days, moved around with us in the military, and was the best cocker spaniel ever. The Play-Doh sculpture had a sad adventure, though: a couple of boys decided to roughhouse and threw my sculpture at each other until the head broke off. Fortunately I didn’t see it happen (I might have cried), and a little Elmer’s Glue fixed everything.

I often like to show these photos during school visits since little kids really like to see how grown-up artists started out just like them. Plus, I looked pretty goofy as a kid, so they're good for a laugh!

What were your humble artistic beginnings? Feel free to share in the comments.

Illustration Friday: Hierarchy

Happy May Day, everyone! This week's Illustration Friday post is a short one and comes from the bilingual children's picture book, We are Cousins / Somos Primos. I liked how the theme relates to organization. Plus, I like shoes.

Have a great weekend, everybody!