Peter Brown and the fabulously bouncy, exciting, pretty good week

Last week, I neglected to mention one other book I edited that is out this Fall: The Fabulous Bouncing Chowder by Peter Brown. Peter has had quite a bit of good things happening for him lately. First of all, and perhaps most importantly, he was finally named a Hot Man of Children's Literature by Fuse #8.

He was also selected to be included in the Original Art Show at the Society of Illustrators for the second year in a row for The Fabulous Bouncing Chowder. Here is Peter with his original art:As usual, it was a fabulous (although hot and crowded) event. I saw many familiar faces, including a few former colleagues who were down from Boston. My company treated our four illustrators who made it into the show to a nice dinner afterwards: Jerry Pinkney for Little Red Riding Hood, Chris Gall for There's Nothing to do on Mars (coming in February), Peter Brown, and Patrick McDonnell for Hug Time, although Patrick was under the weather and didn't make the event. But the dinner was lovely, and I had the privilege of sitting across from Jerry Pinkney,which was a treat because he and his wife an fascinating stories to tell about everything from Moscow, to Vegas, to hope.

A few of us made it to the Kidlit drinks night afterwards, although we did miss the raffle that Jarrett had organized. But there were quite a few people still out, including Meghan and newlywed Jarrett, and I was happy that the venue I suggested, Baker Street Pub (selfishly, in part, because the bar was 10 blocks away from my apartment), seemed to work out well.

But back to Peter and his good news: when he told me this story, it made my day--make that, my week, month, year. It's always wonderful to get positive feedback about the books I've worked on from fans, but when that fan is somewhat of a hero to you, it's that much sweeter and more amazing. I asked Peter to tell the story in his words, so here you go:

I was at a book signing with Doreen Cronin, Nick Bruel, Elise Broach and John Segal at Books of Wonder. Doreen and I were standing around chatting and waiting for the official signing to begin when I heard, "Look that's Peter Brown, the guy who made Chowder." So I turned around and saw that my hero, Jon Stewart from the Daily Show, was talking to his son Nate and pointing at my name card on the signing table. Doreen and I immediately became quite nervous and forgot what we had been talking about. After failing to salvage our conversation we decided just to sit down and see what happens.

While she and I had been talking, I think, but I'm not positive, that Jon Stewart had John Segal sign a copy of his book for them. And then almost immediately after I sat down, Jon and Nate walked over to me, handed me a copy of The Fabulous Bouncing Chowder, and asked if I could sign it to Nate and Maggie.

There was a pause as my brain tried desperately to figure out how to not come across like a giddy schoolgirl.

"I just have to say that I'm a huge fan." That seemed like a good start.
"Oh, thank you very much." Jon replied.
"So who's Nate?" I asked hoping for some fun banter with Jon's son.
"I am!" said Nate.
"Who's Maggie?"
"Sister!" said Nate.
"She's his sister," added Jon.
"Alright then, I'll sign it to you two," I said as my nervous hand
scrawled an almost illegible signature on the title page. "And I'll make a little drawing in here as well."
While I was personalizing the book Jon said to me, "My son thinks it's very funny that Chowder sits on the toilet."
"Oh, so you've got the first Chowder book?"
"Yes we do," said Jon, "It's one of our favorites."
Awwwwwww Yeahhhhhh! I thought to myself.
"Well then, you might be happy to know that there will be a third Chowder book someday, and possibly even a TV show."
"That's great!" said Jon. "Hear that Nate? You might get to see Chowder on television."

I handed the the book to Jon and Nate. They seemed to really like the little doodle I drew of Chowder bouncing on his trampoline, so I said to them, "Hold on a second, let me show you something."

I reached into my messenger bag and pulled out the immaculately framed original illustration from the first page of the new Chowder book. I had it because I had to drop it off at the Society of Illustrators when I was finished with the signing.

"So this is the actual painting that I made for the book, see?" And I put the painting next to the page in the book. "I had to sit down for hours and hours and paint this by hand, and then months later it magically appears in this printed book! Pretty cool, huh?"
"You actually painted that?!" Jon asked...he was impressed.
"Yup, I'm the author and illustrator of these books, so I do it all."
"That is very cool." Said Jon, and he reached out to shake my hand.
Another Awwwwwwwww Yeahhhhhhh!
"Well it was very nice meeting you both," I said.
"Very nice to meet you, too," Jon replied, and then he and Nate left the store.

I felt a little bad that they didn't approach Doreen, or any of the other authors, but I figured, Doreen has probably sold about a million more books than me...she can let me have this one little honor.

I'm in awe. I love Jon Stewart. Jon Stewart and his son love Chowder. Life is funny sometimes.


And to top it all off, the Red Sox are in the World Series! :)

Robert's Snow: Blogging for a Cure

Here is the schedule for Week #2 of Blogging for a Cure. Every day some of the picture book illustrators who have created snowflakes for Robert’s Snow 2007 will be featured at different children’s literature blogs. Robert’s Snow is a unique fundraiser. The proceeds from its three 2007 auctions will go to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute for cancer research. Read all about Robert’s Snow: for Cancer’s Cure here.

NOTE: I have linked to the blogs that will be posting features about the Robert’s Snow artists this week—and not to the specific posts. Jules and Eisha of 7-Imp have created a special page that includes a list with links to all the Blogging for a Cure posts. Their list is updated every day.

Monday, October 22
Mark Teague at The Miss Rumphius Effect
Sharon Vargo at Finding Wonderland
Christopher Demarest at Writing and Ruminating
Rose Mary Berlin at Charlotte's Library
David Macaulay at Here in the Bonny Glen

Tuesday, October 23
Carin Berger at Chasing Ray
Marion Eldridge at Chicken Spaghetti
Sophie Blackall at not your mother's bookclub
Erik Brooks at Bildungsroman
Brian Lies at Greetings from Nowhere

Wednesday, October 24
Elisa Kleven at Rozzie Land
Consie Powell at Becky's Book Reviews
Jimmy Pickering at Shaken & Stirred
Frank Dormer at What Adrienne Thinks About That
Sheila Bailey at Lizjonesbooks

Thursday, October 25
Julia Denos at Interactive Reader
Rebecca Doughty at A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy
Brian Floca at A Fuse #8 Production
Margaret Chodos-Irvine at readergirlz

Friday, October 26
David Ezra Stein at HipWriterMama
Juli Kangas at Sam Riddleburger's blog
Ginger Nielson at Miss O's School Library
Margot Apple at Jo's Journal

Saturday, October 27
Julie Fromme Fortenberry at Your Neighborhood Librarian
Sarah Dillard at The Silver Lining
John Hassett at cynthialord's Journal
Abigail Marble at Please Come Flying

Sunday, October 28
Ashley Wolff at A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy
Barbara Garrison at Brooklyn Arden
Kelly Murphy at ChatRabbit

Note to Blog Readers about Blogging for a Cure: When Jules of 7-Imp put out her call in September for bloggers to interview/feature artists who had created snowflakes for Robert’s Snow 2007 at their blogs, a number of artists had not yet sent in their snowflakes to Dana-Farber. As time was of the essence to get Blogging for a Cure underway, we worked with the list of artists whose snowflakes were already in possession of Dana-Farber. Therefore, not all the participating artists will be featured. This in no way diminishes our appreciation for their contributions to this worthy cause. We hope everyone will understand that once the list of artists was emailed to bloggers and it was determined which bloggers would feature which artists at their blogs, a schedule was organized and sent out so we could get to work on Blogging for a Cure ASAP. Our aim is to raise people’s awareness about Robert’s Snow and to promote the three auctions. We hope our efforts will help to make Robert’s Snow 2007 a resounding success.

These are the Robert’s Snow artists that will be featured at Wild Rose Reader.

October 16: Scott Bakal

October 29: Alissa Imre Geis

November 3: Wendell Minor

November 9: Susan Kathleen Hartung

November 15: Mary Newell DePalma

November 18: Wade Zahares

WIN A PRIZE!!!
I do hope you’ll stop by to read the my Blogging for a Cure articles at Wild Rose Reader and to comment about the artists and their work. I have a special prize for some lucky person who leaves a comment at any of my six posts featuring a Robert’s Snow artist: a limited edition giclee print of an illustration from Grace Lin’s book Robert’s Snow! That’s right folks! Here’s a picture of the print that I picked up last Sunday when Grace, Janet Wong, and I visited the Child at Heart Gallery to see the snowflake exhibit. Each time you comment at one of my Blogging for a Cure posts about a Robert’s Snow artist, I’ll put your name in a hat. If you comment at all six posts, your name will go into the hat six times. The drawing will take place on November 19th, the day bidding begins on the first of three Robert’s Snow 2007 auctions.

I also have several consolation prizes for commenters who don’t win the “big” prize: five small prints of the Robert’s Snow mouse(mice).

Scenes from the Child at Heart Gallery

Artist & Blue Rose Girl Anna Alter with her snowflake.

This is the back of Anna's snowflake.

Author & Illustrator Grace Lin

Grace is the co-founder of Robert's Snow.

Real children # 6: Hey, you, leave me alone!

Sometimes I feel sorry for kids now , with all their lessons and activities, but a karate class I watched recently made me think.

School had just started, and the teacher talked a lot about that, and their new responsibilities. Then, he asked,
"What are you going to do if someone bothers you -- pushes you, or shoves you?"
He showed them.
They were going to step forward, stretch out one arm, forefinger pointed at the person, and shout:
"Hey, you! Leave me alone!"

They did it, each time becoming more confident. I wish I'd thought to take a picture: imagine twenty second and third graders, girls and boys, in white karate outfits, stepping forward and pointing. By the third time, they were all exactly in step (it's like yoga class for us, the group energy kind of builds) and shouting all together:
"Hey, you, leave me alone!"

It was exhilarating. It made it seem so easy.....and it made me think of all the tragedies that could, maybe, have been avoided if children had always been taught to do that.

POETRY FRIDAY: Advice for Writers Starting Out

I read Ron Koertge’s poem “Do You Have Any Advice for Those of Us Just Starting Out?” Wednesday night. I liked his poem. It inspired me to pen my own poem with advice for beginning poets. What do you think about Koertge’s advice for writers who are just starting out? How do you feel about his poem?

“Do You Have Any Advice For Those of Us Just Starting Out?"
by Ron Koertge

Give up sitting dutifully at your desk. Leave

your house or apartment. Go out into the world.

It's all right to carry a notebook but a cheap

one is best, with pages the color of weak tea

and on the front a kitten or a space ship.

Avoid any enclosed space where more than

three people are wearing turtlenecks. Beware

any snow-covered chalet with deer tracks

across the muffled tennis courts.

Not surprisingly, libraries are a good place to write.

And the perfect place in a library is near an aisle

where a child a year or two old is playing as his

mother browses the ranks of the dead.

You can read the rest of the poem here at Poetry 180.


Here is my poem in a rough draft stage —a place where it will probably remain forever. I can’t seem to get the ending right. I know the poem needs work--but I'll throw it out there because I know the Poetry Friday crowd is an understanding bunch of people.

Write
(A Not-Yet-Ready-for-Prime-Time-Poem)
by Elaine Magliaro

Write. Write. Write.
Write all the time.
Write what you know.
Write to explore the unknown.
Write from your heart.
Listen to your inner voice.
Skip the adjectives.
Use strong verbs.
Write with abandon. Forget punctuation!

Write in the morning,
a cup of coffee steaming
at your side.
Write after midnight
when the house is still
and fills with soft sounds that creep out after dark.
Write with a pencil on a composition pad,
marveling as your words glide across
icy blue lines like Olympic figure skaters.
Write on a computer with Fred Astaire fingers
tap-dancing on the keyboard.

Don’t be afraid to experiment.
Write on a frosted windowpane with your finger.
Feel your thoughts cold to your touch.
Write with your toes in wet sand.
Watch an incoming wave
capture your words
and carry them off to sea.
Write on the sidewalk with rainbow-colored chalk…
or on a wall…
on any blank surface that beckons to you.

Write about anger and angst.
Write about loss.
Write about laughter and love and longing…
about languid summer days spent lazing in the sun.
Write about anything.
Write about everything.
Write about nothing.
And when you’re finished doing that…
Write. Write. Write.


At Wild Rose Reader, I have brief reviews of two poetry collections with poems great to share with kids at Halloween time and an original witch poem I wrote many years ago.

Kelly Fineman has the Poetry Friday Roundup this week.

pre-Robert's Snow auction today!

Hello all,

Today is the Society of Illustrators opening. Perhaps some of you are attending. Even if you don't have a ticket, please come to the after party! My agent and Fuse #8 are organizing it. It will be at

Baker Street - Irish Pub - (1152 1st Avenue, corner of 63rd Street) at 8:00

Here's the deal: My fellow author/illustrator pal Jarrett Krosoczka thought it would be a great idea to raffle off some illustrator sketches/art for Robert's Snow. Just buy a raffle ticket (money goes to Robert's Snow) and you may win an amazing original piece of art!

I am donating this:


This is an ORIGINAL sketch for the cover of my book Aliens! There is only one finished sketch for the cover and this is it. Buy a ticket tonight and you may soon be the owner! The raffle will take place at Baker Street so please come! Fun for all!

Here are some other artists donating art:
Mo Willems
David Ezra Stein
Dan Yaccarino
Peter Brown
Selina Alko
Scott Magoon
Sean Qualls
Of course Jarrett…

And more! Illustrators, if you are donating something send me an email – Meghan@meghan-mccarthy.com and I’ll add your name!


See you soon!
meghan

thank you again

It's snowing all over the internet. Where ever I click, I see Robert's Snow mentioned. There are no words to describe what it means to me. It is wonderful.

Hey there spellers!

So one of my upcoming picture books, Abigail Spells, is a story about a bird (featured here) who likes to spell, and enters a spelling bee. In the interest of accuracy, I am researching spelling bees; appropriate words for different age levels (state literacy standards), procedures, etc. There is a lot of information online, and I've already interviewed my teacher friends, but I thought maybe all you great teachers, librarians, parents, and former spelling champs out there reading our blog might have some first hand experience you'd be willing to share.

I am especially interested in spelling bees held for young kids (1st and/or 2nd graders), and ones at schools, though I know that is not the only place they are held. Here is what I'd like to know:

-At what age/grade do kids switch from phonetic, or sounded-out spelling, to standard spelling? When do teachers start correcting the spelling on their homework? I know this is a very individual thing, I've gotten answers from anywhere from Kindergarden to 2nd grade... what has been your experience?

-Has anyone out there been to a spelling bee in recent past, or had one at your school? If so, which grades participated? Was it part of the curriculum, or an after school/enrichment type of thing?

-I've been looking at word lists for spelling bees (by grade) online, is there a good resource for this that you know of? I've heard the "four blocks" literacy model is a standard one.... but I'd love to know of more!

Thanks in advance for your help, little future spellers will thank you!

What I'm working on now--another sneak peak.

Work has been hectic again, but even more so for the last two months as I try to get all of my Fall 2008 novels ready to be sent to copyediting. The deadline is mid-October, and although most of the novels are close, it's going to be down to the wire for some! I have four novels and one picture book on the Fall 2008 list, which is fairly average in terms of number of titles, but I'm not usually juggling this many novels at once. For example, on my Spring 2008 list, I had three picture books and only one novel: The Postcard by Tony Abbott (his follow-up to Firegirl), Crocs! by David Greenberg, illustrated by Lynn Munsinger, The Blue Stone: A Journey Through Life by Jimmy Liao (the follow up to Sound of Colors), and Sergio Makes a Splash by Edel Rodriguez.

My Fall 2008 list tentatively consists of:

North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley: this is the third YA novel I've worked with Justina on, and she's such a beautiful writer and a pro. This is the first of her novels where the protagonist isn't Asian, but for this story, it just felt right. But of course there's an Asian-American love interest (who gives a whole new meaning to the "Team Jacob" T-shirt I have), a powerful family drama, a trip to China (which was especially timely for me, as I'm in the process of planning a trip to Beijing and Shanghai), geocaching, and rumination on the meaning of true beauty and finding one's direction in life.

Sour White by Sean Beaudoin: think Charlie Kaufman meets Vanilla Sky (in a good way) meets The Matrix. This somewhat cyberpunk YA novel is an incredible, ambitious second book by the author of Going Nowhere Faster which came out this Spring. Sean is such an incredibly strong writer, and I'm excited that he's writing something completely different. This novel will blow your mind, but it's also engaging, humorous, and smart.

Every Soul a Star by Wendy Mass: this is Wendy's fifth novel with us, and the second that I've worked on with her. Another middle grade novel in the vein of her brilliant Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life, this is a story written in three voices. Three very different kids, two girls and one boy, come together at the Moon Shadow campground to see a very special sight--a total eclipse of the sun. Wendy always impresses me with the topics she chooses to write about, and I especially love that she says something different and important in every book that she writes, but never in a didactic way. And her description of the total eclipse, from three different point of views, always leaves me breathless no matter how many times I read it.

Wabi Sabi by Mark Reibstein, illustrated by Ed Young: I described this book when I gave my last sneak peak, as this was originally slated for Spring 08. But due to tragic circumstances that involved the art for this book being stolen, as well as the even more tragic timing of Ed Young's beloved wife passing away, this book was put on hold. But Ed is back at work, and just delivered the final art two weeks ago. The book is now in the hands of the designer and is absolutely brilliant and beautiful.

And last but not least, the first book of a deliciously scary and gross horror series, Sorry Night. This is probably the most commercial novel I've ever acquired, and I just love how fun it is. This is a book about teen girl who delights in all things scary. She herself has a phobia of spiders, but pushes herself to embrace this fear. When evil mythical creatures feed on her little brother's fears and take over his soul, she must push herself even farther to try to bring her brother back. I love that this is a horror series with a female hero. And as I'm also afraid of spiders (well, creeped out by them, at the very least), this book challenged me to try to overcome that fear. For all of your enjoyment, here is a photo that reminds me of this book. My colleague Nancy encountered this monstrosity while vacationing on Martha's Vineyard a few weeks ago.

*shudder*

I hope to write more about these books in the future. If you want to check out some of the books I worked on that are out right now, here's a quick list:

Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! The Beatles, Beatlemania, and the Music that Changed the World by Bob Spitz: I absolutely LOVE this gorgeous, illustrated book that was adapted from Bob's adult book The Beatles. This is the perfect gift for Beatles fans of all ages (especially those for whom the 900+ page adult book is daunting), and I loved learning all of the inside stories behind the group and the songs. Special kudos go to designer Alison Impey.Heaven Looks a Lot Like the Mall by Wendy Mass: this is the first novel I worked with Wendy on, and it was such a pleasure. This is her first novel-in-verse, and she did an incredible job. Best of all, I loved the imperfection of the main character--Wendy managed to succeed in the difficult task of making a flawed, sometimes wretched main character sympathetic and likeable.The Twelve Days of Christmas: A Piñata for the Piñon Tree by Philemon Sturges, illustrated by Ashley Wolff: this is a posthumous publication of the author's writing, and Ashley has outdone herself in the illustrations, making this a lovely homage to him. This is 12 Days with a Southwestern spin, complete with coyotes, cowgirls, and of course a piñata.I have a few more books coming out in January which I'll write more about then, including Grace Lin's follow-up to Year of the Dog, and Justina Chen Headley's follow up to Nothing But the Truth (and a few white lies): Year of the Rat and Girl Overboard, respectively.

Any questions? Want to know more? Ask away!

Robert's Snow: Blogging for a Cure

I think many of you may already have heard that the fine ladies of 7-Imp are spearheading Blogging for a Cure, an effort to promote Robert’s Snow 2007. The goal of bloggers who are participating in Blogging for a Cure is to raise interest in the 2007 Robert’s Snow auction of snowflakes created by picture book artists. The money raised by the auction will go to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston and will help fund cancer research.

For more information about Blogging for a Cure, read the following posts at Seven Impossible Things:

http://blaine.org/sevenimpossiblethings/?p=886
http://blaine.org/sevenimpossiblethings/?p=891
http://blaine.org/sevenimpossiblethings/?p=895

Here is a list of the Robert’s Snow artists that I will be highlighting at Wild Rose Reader.

October 16: Scott Bakal
October 29: Alissa Imre Geis
November 3: Wendell Minor
November 9: Susan Kathleen Hartung
November 15: Mary Newell DePalma
November 18: Wade Zahares

Check out Seven Impossible Things every day from October 15th to November 18th. Jules and Eisha will have a list of all the artists that will be highlighted each day at blogs throughout the Kidlitosphere.

Don’t forget to visit the Robert’s Snow website and take a look at all the beautiful snowflakes that were created for this year’s auction.

Buy yourself a copy of Robert's Snowflakes: Artists' Snowflakes for Cancer's Cure. 100% of the royalties go to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute!

On parade

Last weekend BRG Linda marched -- twirling her baton and kicking -- at the Honk Fest in Somerville/Cambridge. I didn't get to see that, because Meghan and I didn't get to town until 11 that night, but luckily someone in the crowd took pictures.


The next day, Grace, Linda, and I followed the parade from Davis to Harvard Square:



We weren't the only ones.


I'm really glad I went: the bands and performers were amazing and inspiring -- thank you, Linda, for suggesting it and for sharing your pictures and a fun ride back, and Meghan for a fun ride up and Grace for having me over.

Since I started writing full-time, I've hardly seen anyone, thinking I should be working; in the last month or so, I've started going out a lot more. I'm getting just as much (or just as little!) work done. At least, I think/hope I am. I know I love seeing my friends! So what's the problem? Deciding when to go, when to stay home....I can waste HOURS agonizing over that. When I get there, sometimes have a nagging a feeling underneath everything that I should be working. And when I get home I don't just get back into my work routine -- partly because I'm exhausted ( i have fibromyalgia) and partly just because: I don't know, it's like I have to process things or something.....I'd love to learn how to skip THAT step and just snap back to work!

All or nothing is a lot simpler. But it usually means nothing and I am DETERMINED to keep seeing friends and doing things like going to the Honk Fest. I'm not good at switching gears from work to fun, though, or deciding when to do it -- and would love to hear how others manage it!

STRONG MAN ON AUDIO!

Hello all,

I haven't been feeling so well lately (a car accident didn't help) so I've been having trouble getting things done. But somehow, today, I'm managing to get back to my good old obsessive behavior!

First up is Strong Man on audio! I'm doing it in two parts.



Part one is up (got some fussing to do... made a few mistakes... want to fiddle with the volume, etc., but it's listenable).

Please check it out! Tell me what you think.

www.meghan-mccarthy.com/strongman_audio_one.html

POETRY FRIDAY: Colors Passing through Us

At this time of year in New England, we live in a world of autumn colors. The trees wear crowns of red, orange, and yellow leaves. People plant hardy annuals in a myriad of colors—including gold, purple, and cranberry. I see Marge Piercy’s poem, posted below, as a celebration of colors--and love.

COLORS PASSING THROUGH US
by Marge Piercy

Purple as tulips in May, mauve

into lush velvet, purple

as the stain blackberries leave

on the lips, on the hands,

the purple of ripe grapes

sunlit and warm as flesh.

Every day I will give you a color,

like a new flower in a bud vase

on your desk. Every day

I will paint you, as women

color each other with henna

on hands and on feet.

Red as henna, as cinnamon,

as coals after the fire is banked,

the cardinal in the feeder,

the roses tumbling on the arbor

their weight bending the wood

the red of the syrup I make from petals.

Orange as the perfumed fruit

hanging their globes on the glossy tree,

orange as pumpkins in the field,

orange as butterflyweed and the monarchs

who come to eat it, orange as my

cat running lithe through the high grass.

You can read the rest of the poem here.


At Wild Rose Reader, I have two poems about autumn leaves—one by Robert Frost and an original poem I wrote many years ago.

Today’s Poetry Friday Roundup is at Two Writing Teachers.

thank you

So, you probably know it has been a difficult 5 months for me. But one of the few things that has saved it from being a complete nightmare has been the support of friends-- close ones that are near and dear as well as ones I have only met once or online. I have to admit I have still not completely adapted to my new life; hence apologies if I act rather brusque or awkward if meeting in person or I don't seem to acknowledge your kindness. It really is appreciated. From the amazing, wonderful "Blogging for a Cure" to the heartfelt anonymous comments, I've begun to see that there is enough love here on earth to make up for the one that has left.

Moving into a new studio

As some of you may remember, before the BRG hiatus I was in the process of moving into a new apartment, and creating a new work space. I now live in one 840 square foot room that serves many functions; its a big open modern space and I LOVE it. Before we moved I was nervous there wouldn't be enough division between work space and home life, but now I don't feel that way at all... it feels really efficient having everything in one space, and we had to pare down so its kind of nice not being able to own a lot of stuff. Moving out of my old studio I couldn't believe the stuff I was holding onto for "artistic inspiration," which I now see was basically license to be a pack rat! Okay so this is what it looked like...

The day after moving we woke up to a room full of boxes:




My future studio space- what was the first thing I unpacked? Why, my children's books of course:



My favorite thing so far is this floor to ceiling bookshelf that came with the place, it satisfies many OCD fantasies:



My drafting table is under a giant window, against a wall of exposed brick, and looking out over an engineering/construction business. While I'm painting bunnies I get to watch all kinds of fork lifts and other handy vehicles moving poles around:



Here is the view of my studio from the center of the apartment. My collection of giant plants turn out to be the perfect room dividers:

The Carle Honors

***More pics added below***

Last Tuesday I attended The Carle Honors, a dinner to benefit the Eric Carle Museum. The dinner also awarded "the creative vision and long-term dedication of key individuals and organizations to the art of the picture book and its vital role in supporting art appreciation, early literacy, and critical thinking." This year's recipients were illustrator Ashley Bryan, Martin and Lillie Pope of the Ezra Jack Keats Foundation, editor Margaret K. McElderry, and Twila Liggett of Reading Rainbow.

I had never attended this dinner before, and didn't know quite what to expect. It was held at The University Club, and my colleague informed me on the walk over from our office that it was an old-school place--the type of place that had a "men's only" library and made you take the freight elevator if you were wearing jeans.

The building was beautiful. High ceilings, tastefully decorated. Conservative, but not stuffy. I immediately spot Holly Black and Betsy Bird talking, and go over to say hi. I later say hi to Peter Brown (Chowder), Mo Willems, Chad Beckerman and Jason Wells of Abrahms, Jennifer Abbott of Holt, and more. Mo Willems tells us that he was almost not let in because he was wearing jeans. They made him take the freight elevator up. Peter tells me that he had to buy a tie--they were lending ties out, but none of them matched (eye roll). Many others had to borrow ties and suit jackets. Guess us children's book folk aren't used to dressing up!

Edel Rodriguez (who's first picture book that he has both written and illustrated, Sergio Makes a Splash is coming out next Spring), is our guest at our table--table Z. We're seated with agents and some Clarion folk. The food was lovely--salad with goat cheese, a nice, juicy, rare steak, and an apple tart. The first two speeches were incredibly brief (Margaret McElderry, who I believe is over 96 years-old, simply said "Thank you" into the microphone from her table). One interesting thing I discovered was that Margaret was the first to have edited both the Newbery and the Caldecott winner in the same year--amazing. Curious as to what the books were, I looked it up: in 1952, Finders Keepers by Will Lipkind and illustrated by Nicolas Mordvinoff won the Caldecott and Ginger Pye by Eleanor Estes won the Newbery.

Ashley Bryan's speech was inspiring, complete with poetry spoken word and audience participation. Eric and Barbara Carle said a sweet thank you. Mo Willems announced the raffle prizes. The final prize was "a kiss by Jon Scieszka." Fun.

blurry pic of Eric and Barbara Carle

All in all, it was a lovely event. I even got to meet Eric Carle afterwards, which was an honor. I hope to attend again in the future.

Edel took this pic of me chatting with Eric and Barbara Carle:
And I took this pic of Eric and Edel:

**************

One of the honorees, Ashley Bryan, has painted a snowflake this year for Robert's Snow:
See the rest of the snowflakes here--and keep checking back, more snowflakes are coming down every day!

We're back

The Blue Rose Girls will continue our regular posting this week. Thank you all for your patience, and thanks especially to everyone for all of your kind messages, thoughts, and prayers. Grace appreciates your incredible support. Thanks also to all of the wonderful bloggers in advance for your support of Robert's Snow for Cancer's Cure, and especially to Jules and Eisha of Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast for spearheading the effort.

See the 2007 Robert's Snowflakes!!!

I’m so excited. The snowflakes that many talented children’s book illustrators have created for Robert’s Snow 2007 are now available for viewing online at the Robert’s Snow website. Click here to reach the online auction page.


When the Robert’s Snow 2007 Auctions Will Be Held

• Auction 1: November 19-23
• Auction 2: November 26-30
• Auction 3: December 3-7
  
  

Children's Literature Festival at Keene State College

The registration forms for the Children's Literature Festival at Keene State College in New Hampsire are now available. This year's festival will be held on Saturday, October 27th. I have been attending the Keene Festival for years and now serve as a member of the advisory board. Dr. David White, the organizer of the festival, always plans for an exciting and diverse program of speakers.

What: 2007 Children's Literature Festival
Where: Keene State College in Keene, New Hampshire
Speakers: Raymond Bial, Michael Dooling, Natalie Kinsey-Warnock, Richard Peck, and Chris Soentpiet
When: Saturday, October 27th

Registration Fee: $72
Luncheon Reservations: $5.50

Click here to find out more about the speakers.
Click here for the registration form.


The 2007 Keene State College Children's Literature Festival poster is the creation of Kevin Hawkes. Hawkes was a presenter at the 2006 festival.

I hope to see some of my blogging friends at Keene State College this October!

for robert's snow

Hello all,

As I hope you all know, the Robert's Snow snowflake auction is coming up shortly. This is part of my contribution:



I'm making a box for it too, if I can find leopard print fabric in time!

Please make sure to bid (not necessarily on mine). I'm sure you all know how important it is.

meghan

In Memory of Robert Salvatore Mercer

Our dearly beloved Robert passed away on Monday, August 27, 2007 at the age of 35. Robert, with his great passion for life, accomplished many dreams. With a Bachelor in Architecture degree from Rhode Island School of Design and a Master of Architecture degree in Urban Design from Harvard University, he led a successful career including work with world-renowned architect Frank Gehry. He was a remarkable man who battled Ewings Sarcoma Cancer for over five years with strength, spirit, and determination. After being diagnosed, Robert and his wife founded Robert's Snow: for Cancer's Cure, which to date has raised more than $200,000 for cancer research.

Robert was blessed with wonderful parents, Anna Valente and Edward Mercer, a loving wife and soulmate Grace Lin, his sister Alison (husband Garry Butler), his brothers Tam and Greg, and an adoring grandmother Angela Rossi Valente. Robert will be lovingly remembered by his aunt Vicki and uncle Tony Valente, his cousins Michael (wife Lori Martins) and Lisa, the Lin family, as well as his many relatives and friends. We wish to celebrate Robert’s life; we welcome all those friends and loved ones who want to celebrate with us.

Visitation at:
Centre funéraire Côte-des-Neiges
4525 Côte-des-Neiges road, Montréal
(514) 342-8000
on Thursday, September 6, 2007 from 4 to 9 p.m. and on Friday, September 7, 2007 from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. followed by a religious ceremony in the chapel of the funeral home at 10:30 a.m.

In lieu of flowers, we would ask that you make a donation, in Robert’s name, towards Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Jimmy Fund
Attn: Lauren Nash 10 Brookline Place West, 6th Floor, Brookline, MA 02445-7226. Please make checks out to "Robert's Snow."

Robert

As many/most of you may have guessed from the last post, we are sad to say that Grace Lin's husband Robert passed away last night. If you would like to send your condolences, the best way to do so would be by donating to cancer research in Robert's memory via the Jimmy Fund, and by supporting Robert's Snow for Cancer's Cure. Checks made out to "Robert's Snow" should be mailed to: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Jimmy Fund/Attn: Lauren Nash/10 Brookline Place West, 6th Floor/Brookline, MA 02445-7226.

Thank you for thinking of Grace in this very difficult and sad time.

Due to a family tragedy, the Blue Rose Girls blog will be going dark temporarily. We will give an update when we can, but in the meantime we appreciate your patience and support.

How do book auctions work?

I think there may be some confusion about how books auctions work, what they mean for a book, etc. and I thought I'd talk about them a bit.

Generally, an auction occurs when a submission has been sent out by an agent to multiple editors, and more than one editor is interested in making an offer. When the first editor expresses interest and/or makes an offer, the agent will go to the other editors to see what their interest level is. If two or more editors are interested in making an offer, the agent will usually hold an official auction.

In my experience, there are two main ways an agent will conduct an auction. Prior to the auction, the agent will generally send out an email outlining the rules of the auction. Sometimes this will include a request for a marketing plan. In general, the two types of auctions are Rounds, and the other is Best Offer.

1) Rounds: this is what most people probably think of when they hear "auction"--all of the editors sit in one room with little white cards with numbers on them while the auctioneer talks quickly about the book...just kidding. The auctions all happen over email, phone, or fax. The agent will ask for first offers by a certain date/time, and the highest offer will be treated as the floor. The agent will let all of the other parties know what the floor is (in my experience, this is usually done by phone), and then ask for their next offer. This will keep going until only one winning publisher is left. This type of auction is decided entirely on the advance offered.

2) Best Bids: with this type of auction, the agent will set a date/time and ask for a publisher's best offer. Sometimes this auction is based on the advance to determine the winner, but oftentimes with this type of auction, the agent will state in the "rules" that they reserve the right to take all aspects of the offer into account--the marketing plan, the editor's passion, the publisher and how the book would fit on the list. Occasionally, a lower offer might win out over a higher.

I asked my fellow BRGs if they had any specific questions about book auctions, and here were some of them:

How is it decided when a specific manuscript should be auctioned? The author/literary agent must have some idea there's a sufficient amount of interest in the book. How is word spread about the book initially?
I think I addressed the first part of the question above--although I'll add that on occasion, I've had an agent send me a manuscript and tell me that he/she is going to have an auction for the book on a certain date. This generally backfires on the agent, because he/she finds himself without the necessary interest. To be honest, knowing that a book is going to be in an auction affects me in two ways--sometimes it makes me want a book more (if I truly love the project!), and sometimes it makes me want a book less (when I feel that it's not "worth it").

Is it easier to get the other people at a publishing company to act quickly if a book is up for auction than if it is not?
Yes, definitely--there is a definite "due date" for an auction book, a day/time that we need to get an offer in, so sometimes this means that I get our acquisitions committee to give something an overnight read. If a book is not up for auction, it goes through the regular acquisitions process which can sometimes take months.

Have the books you've bought at auction earned out their advances?
I don't think I'm allowed to answer this question, but I will say that in most/all cases, it's too early to tell. But I'll add here that having a book go to auction doesn't always mean a big advance--sometimes it just means that more than one editor/publishing house has fallen in love with a project. I've won auctions with the type of advance I would have paid without an auction.

Do publishers keep a book in print longer if they paid, say, $60,000 for it than if they paid $10,000?
As far as I know, the amount of advance has nothing to do with how long a book it kept in print. It all depends on sales. I will say that if the book gets a huge advance (and I'm not sure if $60,000 would do it), then the book is pretty much guaranteed a significant marketing plan--but this doesn't always equal sales, and it doesn't mean a book will stay in print longer.

How do you as an editor decide if a book is worth bidding on?
Pretty much the same way I decide if I want to acquire any book--if I fall in love with it. But in the case of an auction, I have to decide if it's worth getting the committee to read something quickly, worth scheduling separate meetings to discuss, worth dropping everything and concentrating on the project. Some books don't feel like "auction books" in the sense that they're not super commercial and I don't think they're worth huge advances, but on occasion we've bid in auctions for a "quiet" literary work, but haven't necessarily bid a huge amount on the advance.

Whose permission do you have to get to bid and do they give you an upper limit?
For me, I need to quickly get at least one or two positive reads within the editorial department, and then get the approval of the editorial director to distribute it to the rest of the committee--basically for us, the way auctions work is almost the same as the regular acquisitions process, but everything is sped up time-wise. Our publisher is allowed to authorize up to a certain amount, and if we think the auction will go above that amount, we have to get the CEO involved to sign off.


Do any of you have other questions about auctions? Ask away!

POETRY FRIDAY: In Harvest

I am not a lover of hot, humid weather. When I was still teaching, I will admit, I didn’t enjoy saying farewell to carefree summer days as I returned to school in mid-August to get my classroom ready for the beginning of school. Still, I welcomed the end-of-summer/beginning-of-autumn…and the cooler, drier evenings. I relished the corn on the cob that we bought at local farm stand. I enjoyed picking the large, juicy beefsteak tomatoes from my grandfather’s garden. I loved the plum jam my grandmother made with fruit from the small plum tree in my grandparents’ backyard.

With the edible bounty that issues forth at this time of year and the changing of seasons in mind, I selected Sophie Jewett’s In Harvest for Poetry Friday.

In Harvest
by Sophie Jewett (1861-1909)

Mown meadows skirt the standing wheat;
I linger, for the hay is sweet,
New-cut and curing in the sun.
Like furrows, straight, the windrows run,
Fallen, gallant ranks that tossed and bent
When, yesterday, the west wind went
A-rioting through grass and grain.
To-day no least breath stirs the plain;
Only the hot air, quivering, yields
Illusive motion to the fields
Where not the slenderest tassel swings.

You can read the rest of the poem here.

I have links to some back-to-school poems and reviews of two books of school poems at Wild Rose Reader today.

Competing against oneself? Is there a way to avoid this?

I have a book coming out called City Hawk (about Pale Male) this September. Not far away! As you all know, my book Strong Man came out early this summer. I haven’t even put up coloring pages for the book or other promo things. It’s a new book! So essentially I have two books out in the same year and kind of close together. This concerns me.

For example, Strong Man got into the Society of Illustrators show. I haven’t heard anything on City Hawk so I’m guessing it didn’t get in. Right there I was competing against myself! At the end of the year when books go up for awards… it’s not like BOTH of my books would have the chance to win something… just one.

I WISH I could do one book a year. I am really burnt out. But I can’t afford it. When I was doing one book a year I had to work more hours at the bookstore and I was stressed about paying bills CONSTANTLY. I don’t want that life. So I guess I wonder what it takes to be an author/illustrator and do it comfortably without losing ones sanity and without putting out competing books.

Some people will say “Well, why don’t you do school visits. They pay well.” My friends just last week told me I should stop whining about the book signings/events I’ve agreed to do this fall. “You’ll sell books Meghan!” they said. True, I will sell books. But I don’t like doing it! If a big part of my life becomes something I don’t like doing then I’d rather find a new career. Why should I be miserable? Also, I’ve done enough bookstore signings to know that they’re WORTHLESS. So what if you sell 10 books? (10 books, by the way, at a store like B&N is a lot). That won’t make a dent in sales.

So I guess for all of this blabbing I don’t have a solution. I don’t know what to do so that I don’t compete against myself. I don’t know how to make sure that BOTH of my new books get equal attention.

On another topic--I’ve been working this week on organizing my living/working environment so that I’ll have more work hours available and will spend less time looking for my keys and my phone and my white paint and my reference material, etc. If I have time, later today I’ll post some photos of my new methods/work area.

Meghan

brush mortality

I go through brushes like crazy, like they weren't $5-$12 each. For every painting I retire 3 or 4 brushes from regular use. Everyone tells me it's negligence and bad brushes and that's somewhat true. Every job ends with me in a zoned out frenzy, not even thinking to put a brush down to wash out the acrylic crust in the ferrel for an hour or more. I've tried more expensive brushes, but they just fall to the same fate.

I've gotten comfortable with a variety of mid-grade brushes-- synthetics for the bulk work, and sable/synthetic blends for details and faces that require more care and finer glazes. And I've acquired a system of moving brushes down an assembly line of jars, from new to very bad, keeping the bad ones around for dry brushing, scumbling and other distressing techniques. This bunch I have now is about 2 years of brushes. I use the big cheap hog hair hardware store brushes for the gesso underpainting, which give nice texture.

As well as painting bigger, I'm also experimenting with painting on a smoother surface which is less tiring on my hand, and probably better on the brushes.

Long live kids' book illustration?

I've been a bit silent. I've been busy with deadlines. I don't want to talk about that, however.

Thanks to all of my medical nonsense--I have small fiber neuropathy.... I have lead poisoning... my lyme test is so-so... I might have something very serious that’s like MS... (one must wonder what anyone would find if they were tested as much as me!) all of this has caused me to become VERY interested in the medical field. I read up on everything the doctors mention. I don’t' just read to find out about myself. I read because I find it fascinating.

Then I got an idea. Why not try medical illustration? I can do very realistic, detailed drawings so I'm the perfect candidate. I also don't get grossed out easily.




My fantasizing has gotten more serious lately. I investigated taking classes at Columbia medical, etc. I've been looking at a lot of medical illustrations. One of those instances was while at Physical therapy. The doctor there told me that he has a patient who is quite successful at it, although is now retiring. He said he'd ask about it for me. He told me this week that she said not to bother... that illustration is being outsourced! Goodness. I guess I'll be continuing to make books (don't get me wrong, I love making books.. I'm just a bit burnt out). There's even a website called outsource2india.com - on it says that US illustrators charge too much--100 -150 an hour... and those illustrations take a LONG time... which means buying a medical illustration is expensive. Okay, whom are the people buying these illustrations? Some of them are the drug companies--plenty of money there. I'm not feeling bad for them because they have to pay up. But now India is taking over?

So my question is--will this happen to kids' books? Will US publishers discover that they can buy illustrators on the cheap somewhere else? My only solace is that kids' books requires more of an understanding of the language--illustrators are not just copying what's in front of them from photo to colored pencil drawing. And don't forget about the wonderful package deals like many of the BRG offer. We can write and illustrate! That has to be worth something. Especially because, in my opinion, books written and illustrated by the same person have the potential to be better (an argument for another day!)

I will conclude with this. The heyday of the illustrator is over. Goodbye Norman Rockwell. Hello stock photography. Even when I was in school, which wasn't THAT long ago, editorial work was good. It's not now. One of the only safe places left is a kids’ book. I guess we should all enjoy it while it lasts!

meghan