Here's a sample:
If there are any RIers out there who know of other ones, let me know!
p.s - I know some of the terms are found elsewhere in the US
www.meghan-mccarthy.com/bio_ri.html
Friday, August 22, 2008
unique to RI
I added another page of interest to my website -- unique phrases/foods to RI.
Here's a sample:
If there are any RIers out there who know of other ones, let me know!
p.s - I know some of the terms are found elsewhere in the US
www.meghan-mccarthy.com/bio_ri.html
Here's a sample:
If there are any RIers out there who know of other ones, let me know!
p.s - I know some of the terms are found elsewhere in the US
www.meghan-mccarthy.com/bio_ri.html
enchanted forest
Ah, yet another photo series. When I was a kid I went to the enchanted forest--a play land with the lady in the shoe, alice in wonderland, etc. It closed down because of lack of funds. Lo and behold, it's right down the street from my parents' house! And I love abandoned places. Here are a few photos:
The series will be up soon. One might wonder why I'm doing this instead of book work. Well, it's the same thing as me being super sick and in pain and working out like crazy--it's a needed distraction for my over busy mind.
The series will be up soon. One might wonder why I'm doing this instead of book work. Well, it's the same thing as me being super sick and in pain and working out like crazy--it's a needed distraction for my over busy mind.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
blah
My life sucks. I wasted ALL day trying to go to two neurologists today. One kept me waiting for 1 hr and 45 min. Now my pupils are dilated and I can't do anything because of the bright lights. Plus my book projects are not working out. Nothing is working. It's times like these when I want to run away and join the circus... or in more realistically, the police department. I'm really tempted.
Anyway, watch this cool video. It has nothing to do with books so shoot me. But you'll all be glad that it has nothing to do with chairs having sex either.
Anyway, watch this cool video. It has nothing to do with books so shoot me. But you'll all be glad that it has nothing to do with chairs having sex either.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
indulgence
As the WHERE THE MOUNTAIN MEETS THE MOON deadline closes in, I seem unable to escape my bad habits. I've tried to get on the bike every couple of days and I've eaten so many blueberries (instead of candied ginger) that my blood must be blue hued. But the other day, maybe because I have been painting so many moon scenes I began to crave half-moon cookies:
These are the cookies that I ate in my childhood, bought at the local bakery. Every time my sisters and I return to our childhood home we always indulge in these baked treats, much to the chagrin of our significant others. Full of Crisco and corn syrup, they don't rank high on a gourmet's palate--however mixed with nostalgia, they are delectable.
And they are especially mouth-watering in contemplation. Throughout my entire painting of this picture, I kept thinking about them. You can have one after you finish this, I told myself.
But it was not meant to be. Half-moon cookies are surprisingly difficult to find in my adult locale. Instead, I satisfied myself with a cannoli (which was very good) and the mental promise that once I finish all the paintings I would bake my own half moon cookies. Hey, once I'm finished, you can all have one!
These are the cookies that I ate in my childhood, bought at the local bakery. Every time my sisters and I return to our childhood home we always indulge in these baked treats, much to the chagrin of our significant others. Full of Crisco and corn syrup, they don't rank high on a gourmet's palate--however mixed with nostalgia, they are delectable.
And they are especially mouth-watering in contemplation. Throughout my entire painting of this picture, I kept thinking about them. You can have one after you finish this, I told myself.
But it was not meant to be. Half-moon cookies are surprisingly difficult to find in my adult locale. Instead, I satisfied myself with a cannoli (which was very good) and the mental promise that once I finish all the paintings I would bake my own half moon cookies. Hey, once I'm finished, you can all have one!
my weekend at the fair
I went to my parents' house for a little vacation (and to cat sit). I had some friends visit - including Libby - and went canoeing, explored an abandoned amusement park (photos to come), and went to the fair. My garbage book is dangerously close to not making the deadline, but if I don't make it happen I won't have a book out for 2009! Yikes for many reasons, one including no income for the tax year. One might ask what I"m doing taking a vacation, but I have NOTHING TO DO! I"m sitting and waiting to hear back. Until I get the green light to paint I have nothing to do. It sucks being in this position but I'm trying to make the best of it.
Anyhow, it took me all day to put up these photos. Please take a look and enjoy!
For the series go to www.meghan-mccarthy.com/washington_county_fair.html
Anyhow, it took me all day to put up these photos. Please take a look and enjoy!
For the series go to www.meghan-mccarthy.com/washington_county_fair.html
Monday, August 18, 2008
Applying yoga to public speaking
As some of you know I've just returned from a 24 day yoga training with Ana Forrest, a master yoga teacher. One of the reasons I wanted to study with her in particular was that I wanted to learn about teaching and public speaking from an expert. I've been doing both for some time and come to enjoy these roles in many ways, but I thought it was time for some "official training".
I ended up learning a lot of really helpful tools for developing an authentic speaking voice (pardon the new-agey lingo). This is crucial to yoga teaching (though I don't plan to become a teacher), but also really any profession where you have to talk about what you do. I got constant voice coaching and did a lot of exercises to refine my skills and get connected to what I want to say when I'm standing in front of a room full of people.
Here are some of the things I learned:
-Speak from full. Before you speak, inhale deeply. Often we speak after we've exhaled, and your voice doesn't have as much power that way. This may seem like a simple thing, but try to pay attention to it next time you're talking, its actually really hard to keep track of!
-Speak louder than you think you have to.
-Stay connected to whatever emotions you're having while you're talking. Again, seems simple. But when you are nervous for instance, you try to distance yourself from what you're feeling. Instead use the nervous energy to feed what you're saying.
-Rehearse a speech you have to give in different voices (ie angry voice, sad voice, happy/hyper voice), then go back to your normal speaking voice. This will help loosen you up and give your speaking better inflection.
-Stay away from using repeat words of any kind, including "um", "like", "we're gonna", that type of thing.
Speaking of which, I'm headed to some libraries today to give a couple talks, details here...
Some thoughts on Book Design
I was thinking recently about how hard it must be to be a book designer. I admire what they do so much, their thought and creativity that goes into the design of each book. I think I'm especially in awe of how covers of novels come to be--with pictures books, they already have an artist and images to work with and inspire them, but for novels they have to conjure up a design from thin air, sometimes. But what I think must be the hardest thing to deal with is knowing that ultimately their design is not "their own"--that they have to answer to so many different opinions. The editor has to be happy, the author has to be happy (even thought most authors don't officially have consultation or approval of the cover, of course we want them to be happy!), and in most cases, an entire jacket committee consisting of marketing, sales, design, and various editorial sorts have to be happy. And it doesn't stop there--we want the book buyers to also love the cover, and of course you're also trying to make the cover appealing to both the adult buyers (booksellers, librarians, teachers) and the kids, too.
And sure, as an editor, I sometimes think about all of these people while editing a text, too, but I also know that ultimately, the book truly belongs to the author, and although I may ask them to change something, they have every right to say no. When I bring a book to editorial meeting and then on to our acquisitions committee, sometimes (often) different people have different opinions. One person might hate a part of the book that was someone else's favorite part. Some people might dislike a plot twist that others think make the book special. It goes on and on. And so I've come to realize that when it comes time for me to edit the manuscript and work with the author on making the book better, I have to decide in my own heart and mind what I feel the book needs, regardless of whose feedback it goes against. Because I know that in the end, if the author can make it work (and of course they can!), the readers will accept it.
Designers don't have that freedom. They have to answer to all the people I've mentioned above. That's their job. And I know that in the past I've struggled sometimes with trying to balance the designer's vision with that of the author's--it's a shame when they aren't aligned. Personally, I trust our designers and their vision, and love working with them on cover designs. In some cases, I have an idea of what I want the cover to look like, but oftentimes I'll wait and see what the designer comes up with first so as not to taint their creativity. Sometimes I just have a feeling I want to convey. "The cover should be joyful, full of color and light" or "it should be thoughtful and quiet, have a very literary feel" or "I want to make sure that the cover has crossover adult appeal" and so on. And the designer takes this all in and works their magic. And although it might take a few takes, the designer never lets me down.
There have been times where I'm discussing a novel with the designer and telling them, honestly, that I have no idea what I envision for the cover. One example is for the novel Firegirl by Tony Abbott, which is about what happens when a new girl joins a 7th-grade class. The new girl is a victim of severe burns on her face and body, and because of her appearance, some of the class fear her. The only image that came to mind when thinking about the cover, which I knew would not be appropriate, was to show a photograph of a girl being burned. And so I put it completely in the designer's hands. She came back with an idea I found absolutely perfect. This is one of my favorite covers for a book I've edited. What do you think?
Another thing difficult about book design is that everyone has an opinion about covers. It's inevitable. We judge a book by its cover, after all! And in the case of picture books (as many of my fellow BRGs know) and some novels, you're working with an illustrator or author who is an artist, and sometimes also a designer themselves, and then the designer has to adjust how they work even more, and weigh everything with their own expertise, and their own knowledge about what works and what doesn't in regards to the market and our own jacket committee. It's not an easy task. I feel lucky to work with such talented designers. They rock! Here's a sampling of some recent and upcoming novel covers our designers have done that I especially love:
And sure, as an editor, I sometimes think about all of these people while editing a text, too, but I also know that ultimately, the book truly belongs to the author, and although I may ask them to change something, they have every right to say no. When I bring a book to editorial meeting and then on to our acquisitions committee, sometimes (often) different people have different opinions. One person might hate a part of the book that was someone else's favorite part. Some people might dislike a plot twist that others think make the book special. It goes on and on. And so I've come to realize that when it comes time for me to edit the manuscript and work with the author on making the book better, I have to decide in my own heart and mind what I feel the book needs, regardless of whose feedback it goes against. Because I know that in the end, if the author can make it work (and of course they can!), the readers will accept it.
Designers don't have that freedom. They have to answer to all the people I've mentioned above. That's their job. And I know that in the past I've struggled sometimes with trying to balance the designer's vision with that of the author's--it's a shame when they aren't aligned. Personally, I trust our designers and their vision, and love working with them on cover designs. In some cases, I have an idea of what I want the cover to look like, but oftentimes I'll wait and see what the designer comes up with first so as not to taint their creativity. Sometimes I just have a feeling I want to convey. "The cover should be joyful, full of color and light" or "it should be thoughtful and quiet, have a very literary feel" or "I want to make sure that the cover has crossover adult appeal" and so on. And the designer takes this all in and works their magic. And although it might take a few takes, the designer never lets me down.
There have been times where I'm discussing a novel with the designer and telling them, honestly, that I have no idea what I envision for the cover. One example is for the novel Firegirl by Tony Abbott, which is about what happens when a new girl joins a 7th-grade class. The new girl is a victim of severe burns on her face and body, and because of her appearance, some of the class fear her. The only image that came to mind when thinking about the cover, which I knew would not be appropriate, was to show a photograph of a girl being burned. And so I put it completely in the designer's hands. She came back with an idea I found absolutely perfect. This is one of my favorite covers for a book I've edited. What do you think?
Another thing difficult about book design is that everyone has an opinion about covers. It's inevitable. We judge a book by its cover, after all! And in the case of picture books (as many of my fellow BRGs know) and some novels, you're working with an illustrator or author who is an artist, and sometimes also a designer themselves, and then the designer has to adjust how they work even more, and weigh everything with their own expertise, and their own knowledge about what works and what doesn't in regards to the market and our own jacket committee. It's not an easy task. I feel lucky to work with such talented designers. They rock! Here's a sampling of some recent and upcoming novel covers our designers have done that I especially love:
In somewhat related news, I'll be speaking at the Mid-Atlantic SCBWI conference in October and have been asked to talk about the process of how illustrators are chosen. I'll no doubt be polling our talented design team for some feedback and anecdotes, and I hope to be able to share more posts about book design in the future.
Here are a few blogs dealing with book design:
Mishaps and Adventures is the blog of an art director
Jacket Whys discusses children's and YA book covers
The Book Design Review discusses the cover design of adult books
What are some of your favorite book covers?
Saturday, August 16, 2008
QUESTION OF THE WEEK: What's on your desk?
GRACE: Working like crazy on WHERE THE MOUNTAIN MEETS THE MOON illustrations. I always have about 20 references for one painting--my desk is full of reference and the actual painting just takes a fraction of the desk! For this painting I looked at Chinese roof tiles for designing the circle motifs of the painting border.
ANNA: I've just returned from a month long yoga retreat, so the only thing on my desk is this persistent feline.
MEGHAN: Okay, this isn't my desk... but I just cleaned off my desk so there's nothing on it. This is the new coffee table I made (w/the help of my dad). On it is a new book of paintings I got Forever and Ever, by Shawn Barber - and a half spider, half human sculpture I ordered online from a cool artist who makes crazy things. This is her website: www.allisoddities.com - she's part of the pop surrealism movement... and I'm really into pop surrealism!
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
donkey baby
Last week I went to the landfill with my mother. This was for research of course! While there I witnessed a donkey being born. I blogged about it, but here's a video of the baby: