The Vacation is Over

I'm trying to get back into the swing of things after being gone for 15 days. It seems like I work best under pressure. You know...the whole deadline thing. Deadlines really get me working. I got so much done before I left. I put together 12, count 'um 12, dummy books! (8 copies of book #1, and 4 copies of book #2.) Half of those were subbed to publishers, and the other half to agents. This is my first time subbing to agents. Writing the query/cover letter was a whole new thing for me. Summing up picture books is a hard thing to do! I got my packages in the mail the day before I left. It was kind of nice to get home and already have some responses waiting. Conference connections can speed things up! Plus, they gave me a deadline; conference attendees can submit to this "closed house" for the next three months. Got to grab those chances while you can!

Now I'm trying to figure out what I should work on next. Not that there aren't a lot of options, I've got 2 WIP's going, and one new idea that has been bouncing around in my head for a while. It's one of those ideas you can't stop thinking about, you just have to get it down on paper. It's an illustration. Not a story idea yet. It seems like it's been too long since I did a full, finished, illustration. Lots of sketches, but no color. I'm itching to do color. My gut is saying to work on that one, the new one, even though I know I should try and finish up what I've already started. How about you? What makes you decide what project to take on next?

Wishing I was in LA

It just wasn't in the cards for me this year. I didn't get to go the the SCBWI LA summer conference. I got to go last year, so I know what I'm missing. And I'm wishing I was there. Not that I'm not enjoying my family vacation in the mid west, we're having a great time, I just don't like to miss out on anything. I'm especially wishing I could be there to say "Yeah, that's my work on the SCBWI home page!" And missing the chance to meet all the people I've met this year throughout blogland.

I know all of you who went are having a great time. Maybe I'll see you next year. Or maybe I'll make it to New York this winter.

I Was Hooked by...

In the previous post I talked about the contest over at First Books where you win books for your state by to voting on what book got you hooked on reading. Now, I don't think mine will rank up there with the top well-known, best-sellers that seem to be making up the list, but it ranks number one in my childhood memories.

Follow My Leader by James B. Garfield. How cool is this! I thought I'd go google this title, a title I'll always remember, and have to spend some time searching through site after site before I 'd find the same book I was looking for. I mean I read it in about 1966 or 67. It can't still be in print can it? Low and behold. One try at google and look what's at the top of the list. That's the book! With a new cover and a 1994 publishing date. It's still in print!

It was the very first chapter book I read all by myself, but on top of that, it opened doors for me. With that book I discovered that books could lead you into a whole other world. I had some trouble early on learning how to read. When I was in 3rd grade I had to go to summer school to catch up. That's when I ended up reading this book. And that's one of the reasons this is a book I always remembered. It really was the one where everything "clicked " for me.

A couple of years ago my Mom said she'd found some old books that belonged to my sisters or me and wanted to know if I wanted them for my library. There were two of them there that I couldn't believe she had kept! One was my little sister's favorite book The Mouse and the Motorcycle that I remember reading to her, and the other was a tattered, scribbled on, 1957 copy of Follow My Leader! It actually has my older sisters name written in it, in her hand writing, but I'm not telling.

How about you? Share what book hooked you. I'd love to hear about it! One anonymous reader already posted her books here.

What Book Got You Hooked?

Elizabeth Dulmeba just blogged about a great organization that is working to get books into the hands of children in lower income communities. First Books is about to celebrate the distribution of their 50 millionth book! By voting for what book got you hooked on reading, you can win the state of you choice 50,000 brand new books for children in need. So go vote! I just did. My state if pretty low on the list. I think I need to get the word out here at home.

The Grand Prize W.I.N.NER: Elizabeth Dulemba!

Well I'll be! The grand prize winner goes to an illustrator this year. Way to go Elizabeth! She is an extremely talented and deserving recipient of this prestigious award. All her hard work is paying off. Congratulations to all the winners in this category, very nice work. I'm happy to see that most of the winners are names of I know. I'm not familiar with Michael A. Tyson's work, but what a cool piece that cinched him a first place tie.

Illustration
1st Place (tie) - Elizabeth Dulemba
1st Place (tie) - Michael A. Tyson
2nd Place - Paige Kaiser
3rd Place - Ginger Nielson

You can see all the winners in all the categories at Smartwriters.com.

And the W.I.N.NERS are...

Smartwriters.com has now posted most of the the winners of the 2007 competition. The only category that hasn't been posted at this time is the Illustration category. I'll keep checking, but in the meantime I'm basking in the glow of a Honorable Mention win in the picture book category! My words without the art! An honorable mention. I'm thrilled. A big congratulations to all the winners and everyone who helped make this contest happen.

Next up. Turning those thumbnails into a dummy book.

A Trip to the Library

On my last trip to the library I struck gold! Not only did they have most of the books on my list, but they were having their 20th anniversary party with free ice cream and a book sale. Who can resist free ice cream on a hot day? And I can never resist a good sale or good picture books! So I managed to add quite a few titles to my personal library. I checked out about 20 more picture books, (I already had about a dozen at home) a few reference books, a couple of novels, and 10 movies. (They allow you to check out 50 items.) Plus, I came home with a great stack of books that I got to buy at a bargain price! Really nice books! Thank you Mustang Library!

I got all of these books for $10. Twenty-five books for $10!

One I'm especially enjoying is N.C. Wyeth's Pilgrims
by Robert D. San Souci.

It's such a treat to experience Wyeth's work. I had forgotten how beautifully he combines detail and simplicity. His work has such a timeless quality. If you were seeing it for the first time, I really think you would consider this to be the work of a contemporary artist. Somehow, he has both a painterly and a graphic quality. This book has inspired me to start studying more of his work. And I can't wait!

I got to meet Robert San Souci a few years back when he came to my son's school for an author visit. He's a wonderful writer and does a fabulous job retelling traditional tales. His publishers also seems to combine him with the perfect illustrators for his books. I have a few of his books in the autographed section of my personal library. I just wish this one with N.C. Wyeth was autographed too!