Thursday, February 25, 2010
Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
I'm enjoying some delicious virtual breakfast this morning with one of the best children's book bloggers in the biz, Jules at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast. How she manages to work full time, have a family, and keep up this amazing blog with such in-depth features packed with so many images, I do not know. Here's the link to the interview.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
San Jose pictures
Candlewick Press put together a 5-city book tour to promote Henry Aaron's Dream, made up of 5 separate trips. I just went to San Jose, and I'll be going to San Antonio/Dallas, Orlando, Atlanta, and Cooperstown.
Here are a few pictures from my trip to San Jose.
My first night there, I did a presentation at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Library in San Jose, as part of an exhibit called Pride and Passion: The African-American Baseball Experience. Here's a picture of part of the exhibit:
The next day I did a presentation for 400 3rd, 4th and 5th graders, then a signing at Hicklebee's, which is an awesome independent children's bookstore. Check out this great display they set up right inside the entrance:
After my signing, they asked me to find a spot anywhere on the walls or doors and sign it. Looking around thye room, I found signitures and drawings by pretty much every author and illustrator you can think of. Drawing a picture on a wall with a sharpie is a little tricky, and I messed up a bit on the face, but here's what I did:
Notice the door to the left of my picture. See anyone you recognize?
That night I had a delicious dinner with some Candlewick people and fellow Candlewick author Laura Amy Schlitz, then we all headed over to the author reception at the ABA Winter Institute, where Laura and I signed copies of our new books and met hundreds of booksellers. It was a pretty amazing event.
The next morning I tagged along with Lura Amy Schlitz and her editor (and my editor on Lady Liberty: A Biography) Mary Lee Donovan, for Laura's stock signing at Hicklebee's. It was such a fun place, I wanted to go back and wander around a bit. I was delighted to see that the display of my books was still there (I thought maybe they'd take it down as soon as my signing was over).
After Laura's signing, we had lunch with a group of librarians, then the three of us (Laura, Mary Lee and I) took a tour of the Winchester Mystery House, which was a very strange place. Long story, but basically the house's owner was instructed by ghosts that she needed to keep building the house and never stop, so that's what she did. Construction continued, 24 hours a day for 38 years, until she passed away. A sad story, really, but an interesting place.
Not sure if they always look like this, but the clouds in San Jose were amazing.
That evening, we had dinner with a great bunch of booksellers, then the next morning I headed back to Maine.
Next trip: Orlando.
Here are a few pictures from my trip to San Jose.
My first night there, I did a presentation at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Library in San Jose, as part of an exhibit called Pride and Passion: The African-American Baseball Experience. Here's a picture of part of the exhibit:
The next day I did a presentation for 400 3rd, 4th and 5th graders, then a signing at Hicklebee's, which is an awesome independent children's bookstore. Check out this great display they set up right inside the entrance:
After my signing, they asked me to find a spot anywhere on the walls or doors and sign it. Looking around thye room, I found signitures and drawings by pretty much every author and illustrator you can think of. Drawing a picture on a wall with a sharpie is a little tricky, and I messed up a bit on the face, but here's what I did:
Notice the door to the left of my picture. See anyone you recognize?
That night I had a delicious dinner with some Candlewick people and fellow Candlewick author Laura Amy Schlitz, then we all headed over to the author reception at the ABA Winter Institute, where Laura and I signed copies of our new books and met hundreds of booksellers. It was a pretty amazing event.
The next morning I tagged along with Lura Amy Schlitz and her editor (and my editor on Lady Liberty: A Biography) Mary Lee Donovan, for Laura's stock signing at Hicklebee's. It was such a fun place, I wanted to go back and wander around a bit. I was delighted to see that the display of my books was still there (I thought maybe they'd take it down as soon as my signing was over).
After Laura's signing, we had lunch with a group of librarians, then the three of us (Laura, Mary Lee and I) took a tour of the Winchester Mystery House, which was a very strange place. Long story, but basically the house's owner was instructed by ghosts that she needed to keep building the house and never stop, so that's what she did. Construction continued, 24 hours a day for 38 years, until she passed away. A sad story, really, but an interesting place.
Not sure if they always look like this, but the clouds in San Jose were amazing.
That evening, we had dinner with a great bunch of booksellers, then the next morning I headed back to Maine.
Next trip: Orlando.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Hangin' with the Doodlebops
Cleaning my studio the other day, I came across this picture of me, my daughter, and the Doodlebops, backstage at the 2007 Boston Globe Children's Book Festival.
Sometimes my job is very strange.
And here's the ad that ran in the Boston Globe promoting the event. This is when I realized I should probably have a full-color author photo.
Sometimes my job is very strange.
And here's the ad that ran in the Boston Globe promoting the event. This is when I realized I should probably have a full-color author photo.
Monday, December 21, 2009
Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
A nice review of The Gingerbread Pirates, and some kind words about illustrators Richard Scarry, Petr Horacek, Gail De Marcken and me, from the excellent children's book blog, Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Indiebound bestseller list
Good news: The Gingerbread Pirates made the Indiebound bestseller list! It just made the cut, at #15 in the Children's Illustrated category.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
New Indie Bookstore in southern Maine
Join me this weekend in Kennebunk, Maine to welcome a great new independent bookstore, Kennebooks, to the southern Maine community. It's a 3,500 square foot space with 11,000 books, but it also has the comforts of home- a wood stove, a couch, a front porch. And their knowlegable staff can help you find just the right book. Especially if you happen to be looking for a book about pirate cookies who come to life in Christmas Eve...
I'll be signing copies of "The Gingerbread Pirates" at 10:30 this Saturday, November 21, and there will be other fun stuff going on all weekend as part of their Holiday Open House. Hope to see you there!
I'll be signing copies of "The Gingerbread Pirates" at 10:30 this Saturday, November 21, and there will be other fun stuff going on all weekend as part of their Holiday Open House. Hope to see you there!
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
new studio
I spent yesterday morning rearranging my studio. Before yesterday, when I worked digitally I just put my monitor, laptop, and wacom drawing tablet on a drawing table, which was fine but a bit awkward. But now that I'm going to be working digitally more (just for sketches at this point, all the pictures in my books are still done with traditional media like paint, pencil, paper, etc.), I decided to make the computer setup a bit more permanent, and a lot more comfortable.
I got a corner computer desk and replaced the keyboard section with an 18 x 24 portable drawing table. Here's how it looks now, with my old drawing table and paints on the left, and my new computer/monitor/drawing tablet on the right:
I got a corner computer desk and replaced the keyboard section with an 18 x 24 portable drawing table. Here's how it looks now, with my old drawing table and paints on the left, and my new computer/monitor/drawing tablet on the right:
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