All Hallow's Read: Give A Scary Book This Halloween! #AllHallowsRead

I'll bet some of you hadn't heard about the time-honored tradition of All Hallow's Read, whose origins some scholars have traced back as far as this Neil Gaiman post. Basic idea: In the week of Halloween, give someone a scary book.

Here are just a few deliciously scary books for young people that I've mentioned in my blog in the past year:

DOLL BONES, a middle grade novel written by Holly Black and illustrated by my friend Eliza Wheeler, published by Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers. Read my interview with Eliza here.

THE MONSTORE, a picture book written by Tara Lazar and illustrated by James Burks, published by Aladdin. Read my interview with Tara and James here. (Pssst: Don't worry -- this picture book isn't REALLY scary, so it's safe for even the most timid young readers. :-))

GOBLIN SECRETS and GHOULISH SONG are middle grade books written by William Alexander, published by Margaret K. McElderry Books. Goblin Secrets won the National Book Award For Young People's Literature and its companion novel, GHOULISH SONG, came out earlier this year. Read my interview with William Alexander here.

Speaking of Halloween, feel free to download/print some new Halloween-themed activity sheets I recently uploaded to the I'M BORED Bonus Page.

2013 TD Canadian Children's Book Centre Awards: Photos, List Of Award Winners

What was in my swag bag from the TD Canadian Childrens' Book Centre Awards event Had a great time celebrating Canadian children's books at last night's TD Canadian Children's Book Centre Awards gala! This was my second time attending the event, and it was just as fabulous as last year's. Lots of great conversation with kidlit-types before the ceremony began, lots of yummy food and drinks, cheering on the finalists/winners, inspiring speeches. And then champagne and decadent desserts!

I opted to leave my regular camera at home and just use my iPhone 5s to take pics this time. I was pretty happy with how most of them turned out (much better than the flash photos my old iPhone took), though I had to warn people about the double flash...one small pre-flash then the main flash along with the photo being taken. The first flash helps the phone camera determine color temperature.

Anyway, you can see my photos on Flickr and on Facebook. So great to see some of my Torkidlit friends again, plus I enjoyed some new kidlit-types as well. My children's book author-illustrator sister (Ruth Ohi) was there, too:

With my sister Ruth, whose KENTA AND THE BIG WAVE (Annick Press) and FOX AND SQUIRREL (Scholastic Canada) came out earlier this year. KENTA got a starred review in Kirkus!

I also ran into some of the Simon & Schuster Canada team:

Speaking of which, I'm looking forward to attending a mega-celebration bash tonight to celebrate Simon & Schuster Canada's new publishing program!

AWARD WINNERS:

TD Canadian Children's Literature Award: ONE YEAR IN COAL HARBOUR by Polly Horvath (Groundwood Books)

Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award: MR. ZINGER'S HAT written by Cary Fagan, illustrated by Dusan Petricic (Tundra Books)

Norma Fleck Award For Canadian Children's Non-Fiction: KIDS OF KABUL: LIVING BRAVELY THROUGH A NEVER-ENDING WAR by Deborah Ellis (Groundwood Books)

Geoffrey Bilson Award For Historical Fiction For Young People: THE LYNCHING OF LOUIE SAM by Elizabeth Stewart (Annick Press)

John Spray Mystery Award: THE LYNCHING OF LOUIE SAM by Elizabeth Stewart (Annick Press)

Monica Hughes Award For Science Fiction and Mystery: SERAPHINA by Rachel Hartman (Doubleday Canada)

There was also a special TD Canadian Children's Literature Fan Choice Award given to Polly Horvath for her novel, ONE YEAR IN COAL HARBOUR. And Loris Lesynski (author) and Michael Martchenko (illustrator) gave a short speech about their Annick Press picture book, BOY SOUP, being shared with first grade students across Canada as part of the TD Grade One Book Giveaway. That's 500,000 copies!!

Thanks to TD and the Canadian Children's Book Centre for a fine event, and congrats to all the finalists and winners. You can browse the list of all the finalists at the Canadian Children's Book Centre Awards on the CCBC website as well as more detailed info about the awards, jurors, etc. in this CCBC press release.

2013 SCBWI-Montreal Conference Report (Part 3): Jill Santopolo, Bonnie Bader, Linda Pratt, Silent Auction and the Illustrator Sketch Crawl

Continued from Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3

(Check the SCBWI Canada East website for info about upcoming events; see my conference photos on Flickr and Facebook)

The fabulous Lizann Flatt during the morning announcements.

Continuing my report about the SCBWI-Montreal conference, we're now up to the Last Day. Not having to worry about a keynote talk, I was able to sleep a bit longer before heading down for breakfast. Had a delightful conversation with Linda Pratt and Michelle Jodoin about children's/YA books. Ended up buying Linda Urban's A Crooked Kind Of Perfect for my Kindle as a result. :-)

Philomel/Penguin editor Jill Santopolo talks about her list & what she's looking for

Sunday's sessions focused on wishlists: an open discussion about what Jill Santopolo, Bonnie Bader and Linda Pratt would love to uncover in their submissions pile, plus extra tips for authors and illustrators. 

Bonnie Bader talks about what she's looking for at her Penguin Random House imprints

And no, I'm not posting that info here --- that was for conference attendees only. :-)

I will, however, be posting a few of my conference takeaways tomorrow on the MiG Writers blog.

Literary agent Linda Pratt talks about what Wernick & Pratt Agency is looking for.

After the three sessions, there was a general Q&A with some of the faculty, and attendees were invited to ask anything:

Then we found out who had won various Silent Auction items. Earlier on, the organizers invited everyone to submit items for an auction whose proceeds would be used to help offset the cost of the event. I had (stupidly) missed seeing this notice, else I would have contributed something. :-( 

I bid on a bunch of cool stuff that others had generously donated but got outbid on everything except for these two items:

1) A cuuute weiner dog sculpture made by Michelle McKeon

And (2) this great Chris Jones print:

Photo: Chris Jones.

Chris, by the way, provided the fabulous illustration of the pensive artist at the top of the SCBWI-Montreal conference brochure (the brochure was designed by Peggy Collins):

I also bid on a piece of original art by Niall Eccles, but the fiendish Hilary Leung outbid me AT THE LAST MINUTE. (Insert image of me shaking fist at sky) ;-)

David Diaz contributes a sketch he did at the conference to the Silent Auction.

After that were closing remarks from the organizers, and they also presented everyone on the faculty with gifts. Check out the Thank You card illustrated by Peggy Collins:

Inside, a gorgeous hand-blown pen made from Czech glass, created by Canadian artist Asem Nada:

So beautiful! And what a wonderful souvenir of the weekend.

Some attendees had to leave at that point because of travel plans, but others enjoyed their boxed lunches in the conference room while doing more chatting. Here's what came in the boxed lunch:

Yum! I was so tempted to decorate the blank box but resisted because I wanted to chat with Jasmine (who flew from Newfoundland to attend the conference!!) instead.

After that, people could opt for group manuscript critiques or the Illustrator Sketch Crawl. I opted for the latter, and we decided to settle in Chinatown to do some sketching:

Sooooo fun! Thanks so much to Peggy Collins, who organized the Sketch Crawl. She also invited members of a drawing group in Montreal to join us as well (the woman in the red coat above was from that group, for example).

A few of us took a break during the session to check out a nearby shop that had art supplies as well as some souvenirs, and I bought these sweet silver fish earrings:

I chose fish because they remind me of the NEW BOOK CONTRACT I received last week, for illustrating Aaron Reynolds's SEA MONKEY AND BOB picture book for Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers (comes out in 2015). They'll also remind me of this wonderful weekend.

Christine Tripp and Ellie Arscott.

Huge thanks to SCBWI Canada East, Lizann Flatt, Alma Fullerton, Peggy Collins, Michelle Jodoin and Rachel Eugster. I had an amazing time and will never forget my very first SCBWI faculty position. The other faculty members (Laurent Linn, David Diaz, Jill Santopolo, Linda Pratt and Bonnie Bader) were fantastic, and so was Jennifer Lanthier in her Crystal Kite acceptance speech. I also enjoyed meeting new writers and illustrators as well as reconnecting with those I've met in the past.

Do visit the SCBWI Canada East website for more info about its members and upcoming events.

With Tom McGranaghan.

And here are some other SCBWI-Montreal conference reports I've found online (if you have one, too, please do post the URL in the comments):

2013 SCBWI Canada East Conference report by Chris Jones

2013 SCBWI-Montreal Conference Report (Part 1): crepes, Bookstore Bash readings, comfort zones...and my opening keynote (!!)

Pin I designed for this year's conference, crafted by Alma Fullerton.

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3

I just got back from the SCBWI Canada East conference in Montreal. Huge thanks to Lizann Flatt, Alma Fullerton, Peggy Collins, Michelle Jodoin and Rachel Eugster for creating such a wonderful event! I've posted my photos on Flickr and on Facebook.

Peggy Collins, Alma Fullerton, Jennifer Lanthier (Crystal Kite recipient) and Lizann Flatt

This was my first time attending a SCBWI regional conference, which was much smaller than the national conferences in LA and NYC. To those of you who find the national events somewhat overwhelming, I strongly encourage you to attend regional events like this one. The size made for a less intimidating atmosphere, with more opportunities to meet industry professionals in a quieter setting.

Hanging out by the koi pond on Saturday night. This casual gathering (open to all attendees) included Laurent Linn (Simon & Schuster), Linda Pratt (Wernick & Pratt), Bonnie Bader (Penguin) and Jill Santopolo (Penguin).

After I arrived on the Friday, I met up with some of the organizers and faculty at Creperie Chez Suzette in Old Montreal:

Linda Pratt (Wernick & Pratt agency), Jill Santopolo (Philomel/Penguin), Alma Fullerton, Bonnie Bader (Grosset & Dunlap, Price Stern Sloan/Penguin), Lizann Flatt

I helped them finish a decadent caramel-ly crepe (yummmm).  My room was ready when I got back to the hotel, yay! I checked in, unpacked, and then headed downstairs to see who was around.

Top row, L to R: Lizann Flatt, Kelley Fairbank, Niall Eccles, Ellie Arscott, Caroline, Jasmine, Alma Fullerton. Bottom row, L to R: Alice Yen Yong, Robin Walton, me, Laurent Linn.

Some of us met in the lobby and introduced ourselves before having a fine dinner at a Chinese restaurant (Laurent Linn and I split a Magical Dancing Shrimp dish...ok, I can't recall the exact name) and then heading off to the Bookstore Book Bash.

SCBWI-Montreal conference attendees were invited (along with the public) to a book reading by SCBWI authors/illustrators at Babar-En-Ville, a children's bookstore in Montreal. I met Maya Byers, owner/buyer at the store, as well her son. Maya was already familiar with my sister and her books!

So enjoyed hearing readings from so many different types of children's and YA books, including authors Rachel Eugster, Jennifer Lanthier, Caroline Pignat, Urve Tamberg, Peggy Collins, Jill Santopolo (who is also an editor at Penguin), Alma Fullerton and Lizann Flatt.

Also great to meet Carol-Ann Hoyte in person at last...

as well as other familiar names/faces.

I felt a bit of pressure reading I'M BORED in front of my art director for the first time! But Laurent said I did fine:

Thanks to all who came out to the Bookstore Bash! It was a great way to start off the weekend.

The next morning, I woke up extra early to test out my tech set-up before my opening keynote. I wanted to make sure my slides worked with the projector ... and they did (*whew*). I had a brief brain spasm at one point during setup and forgot how to assign Keynote presentation to a different monitor, so woke up Jeff with a phonecall to ask him something he had already explained the day before. I do have a patient husband. :-)

Registration table, manned by Ellie Arscott & Peggy Collins.

After the welcome and opening announcements, it was my turn! As some of you may know, I was nervous about my opening keynote. I've always avoided public speaking, mainly because I used to have a bad stammering problem when I was younger (it was a struggle even saying "hello" on the phone). Although I'm fine these days, it still crops up occasionally and especially when I get stressed or tired.

I started to say yes to public speaking invites, though, because I figure it's good for me and my career. I try to step out of my comfort zone on a regular basis, to do things that terrify me every once in a while, because it keeps me from getting too complacent.

Giving my opening keynote at SCBWI-Montreal! Photo credit: Urve Tamberg.

My sister, who is super-experienced at speaking in front of both grown-ups and young people, gave me some tips, and so did some of my Torkidlit friends. My husband helped me finetune my talk as well as providing tech support.

And guess what? Not only did my talk go well (according to later feedback), but after the initial few moments of sheer terror, I actually (*gasp) started HAVING FUN. I talked about my career path, what I've learned along the way, advice I wish I could give my younger self, and some tips on how to get the most out of the conference.

Here was an example of what NOT to do:

Above: one of the slide sequences I created for my keynote. J = Jill Santopolo and B = Bonnie Bader, the two editors on the SCBWI-Montreal faculty. :-)

Continued in Part 2

Happy National Punctuation Day!

Yes, there really is a National Punctuation Day. So go forth and punctuate!!!

Sept. 22-28, 2013 is Banned Books Week

Banned Books Week is the national book community's annual celebration of the freedom of read. The event was launched in 1982 in response to the surge in number of challenges to books in schools, libraries and bookstores. You can find a list of the 10 most challenged titles of 2012 on the Banned Books Week website.

My friend Cheryl Rainfield, author of challenged book SCARS and the upcoming STAINED wrote a beautiful poem about the sadness of banned books.

On Twitter, follow the #bannedbooksweek hashtag for related tweets.

Also see the Banned Books Week website for more info about how the community is celebrating the freedom to read, and what you can do to help.

Registration now open for SCBWI-Montreal conference (Oct. 4-6, 2013). I'm giving the opening keynote!

I had a fantastic time at the SCBWI Summer Conference in LA earlier this month and will be posting a bit about that soon, but I wanted to also announce that registration for the SCBWI Canada East Fall Conference in Montreal is now open. It's my first SCBWI faculty position, and I'm thrilled to be part of the event this year. I'll be giving the opening keynote! Nervous but also waaaay excited.

Conference promo above & conference info PDF put together by SCBWI Canada East Illustrator Coordinator Peggy Collins.

More info: SCBWI-Montreal conference brochure PDF - Registration

Here's more info some of the other faculty members and attendees:

I met David Diaz when I was chosen for the 2010 SCBWI Illustration Mentorship Program; he was one of my Mentors. In addition to being on the SCBWI Illustration Board, David's been hugely supportive of the Mentorship program, generous with his time and knowledge (including opening up his home to some of the Mentees once a year for a creative retreat). David won the Caldecott Medal in 1995 for U.S. picture book illustration in Smoky Night (HMH Books For Young Readers) written by Eve Bunting. He's illustrated many other books and won other awards since. You can find more info about David and his work:

NCCIL profile for David Diaz - Wikipedia entry for David Diaz - David Diaz on Facebook

Laurent Linn is my fantabulous Art Director at Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. Laurent was so patient with me as I navigated my very first book illustration project (I'm Bored by Michael Ian Black) and I had so much fun working with him on Naked! Just about to start work with Laurent on the very first picture book that I'm writing AND illustrating, Where Are My Books?

Laurent began his career as a puppet designer/builder in Jim Henson’s Muppet Workshop (how cool is that?!?), creating characters for various productions, including the Muppet Christmas Carol and Muppet Treasure Island films. With Henson over a decade, he worked primarily on Sesame Street, becoming the Creative Director for the Sesame Street Muppets, winning an Emmy Award. Currently, at Simon & Schuster, Laurent art directs picture books, middle-grade, and teen novels, including I, Too, Am America, by Langston Hughes, illustrated by Bryan Collier; Never Play Music Right Next to the Zoo by John Lithgow, illus. by Leeza Hernandez; The Scarecrow’s Dance, by Jane Yolen, illus. by Bagram Ibatoulline; Better Nate Than Ever, by Tim Federle; and the Rot & Ruin YA series by Jonathan Maberry. Laurent is Artistic Advisor for the annual Original Art exhibit at the Society of Illustrators in New York.

More info: www.LaurentLinn.com. On Twitter: @LaurentLinn.

Bonnie Bader is the Associate Publisher of Frederick Warne and the Editor-in-Chief of Penguin Young Readers/Early Readers, imprints of Penguin Young Readers Group. At Warne, Bonnie overseas the Peter Rabbit, Spot, and Flower Fairies publishing programs. She also oversees all of Penguin’s leveled readers, which fall under the imprint, Penguin Young Readers. In addition, she will be starting up an 8x8 picture book program, Penguin Core Concepts, which will launch in Spring 2014.

She continues to edit several bestselling series including George Brown, Class Clown and Magic Bone by Nancy Krulik, Almost Identical by Lin Oliver, and Here’s Hank by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver, coming out in 2014. Bonnie is also a member of the SCBWI Board of Advisors.

Here's a great pre-SCBWI-LA interview that Jolie Stekly recently did with Bonnie.

On Twitter: @BonnieBader.

Linda Pratt, Agent, Werner and Pratt. After 20 years at the Sheldon Fogelman Agency, Linda Pratt and long-time colleague, Marcia Wernick, established the Wernick and Pratt Agency in January, 2011. The agency specializes in representing creators of children’s books. “Our philosophy is client care that focuses not just on individual books, but the long-term careers of our authors and illustrators in the ever-changing world of publishing.” Linda’s clients include LeUyen Pham, Richard Peck, Denise Brunkus, Sharon G. Flake, and Kathryn Erskine among others. She also enjoys introducing new talent. Two 2013 debuts are author/illustrator Aaron Becker’s JOURNEY (Candlewick) and middle-grade novelist Judy Hoffman’s THE ART OF FLYING (Disney-Hyperion). Linda is a member of AAR, SCBWI, and served on the planning board for the Rutgers Oneon-One Mentoring Conference for five years.

More about Linda:

On the Wernick & Pratt agency site - Agent Spotlight on Literary Rambles

Jill Santopolo is an executive editor at Philomel Books, an imprint of the Penguin Young Readers Group, where she edits everything from board books for the youngest of readers to edgy novels for teens. Her list of authors includes many award-winners and New York Times bestsellers, most notably Andrea Cremer, David Levithan, Jane Yolen, T.A. Barron, Felicia Bond, Olivier Dunrea, Lisa Graff, Alex London, Peter Abrahams, and Erin Moulton. Prior to coming to Penguin in August of 2009, Jill worked for seven years at HarperCollins Children’s Books, where she once had to dress in a pig suit and hand out cupcakes to booksellers (she edited a lot of books there, too). Jill holds a B.A. in English Literature, an M.F.A. in Writing for Children, and a Certificate in Intellectual Property Law. In addition to working as an editor, Jill is also the author of the Alec Flint series (Scholastic 2008, 2009), the Sparkle Spa series (Simon & Schuster, 2014), and the Follow Your Heart series (Puffin, 2014). In her spare moments, Jill teaches fiction writing online for McDaniel College and is an M.F.A. thesis advisor at The New School. Once in a while, she sleeps.

Website: Jillsantopolo.com - Twitter: @JillSantopolo

And ME!

Photo: Beckett Gladney is a writer and illustrator based in Toronto, Canada. Her debut picture book, WHERE ARE MY BOOKS?, will be published by Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers in Spring 2015. Her illustrations appear in I’M BORED (NYTimes Notable Book) and NAKED! (comes out Summer 2014), both written by Michael Ian Black, published by Simon & Schuster BFYR. She also has upcoming book illustration projects with HarperCollins Children’s (RUBY ROSE books by Rob Sanders) and Random House Children’s (MITZI TULANE books by Lauren McLaughlin).

Plus a few other upcoming projects with Simon & Schuster BFYR she can't talk about yet. ;-)

Debbie is represented by Ginger Knowlton of Curtis Brown Ltd.

For more info, visit DebbieOhi.com or @inkyelbows on Twitter.

In addition, there will also be a special presentation during the conference for: Jennifer Lanthier, a Canadian children’s author who recently won a Crystal Kite award for her wonderful book, The Stamp Collector (Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 2012).

Jennifer's one of my Torkidlit friends, and I was thrilled to hear that she had won the Crystal Kite for our region. You can see the other Crystal Kite winners on the SCBWI site. Looking forward to seeing Jennifer at the event!

SCBWI-NYC Takeaway #2: Meg Rosoff, children's books and changing lives

I loved Meg Rosoff's HOW I LIVE NOW, and I look forward to reading her other books. I had never seen Meg in person, so was looking forward to hearing her keynote at the SCBWI Winter Conference. Meg is wonderfully blunt, witty, opinionated. And very, very funny.

One of the things Meg said in her keynote really hit home: That sometimes we get so caught up in worrying about how to get published, promotion, reviews and sales figures that we forget to remind ourselves of how important our books can be to children, and how our books can change their lives.

To be clear: I want to make a living at creating children's books; it's not just a hobby for me, so I DO need to appreciate the business side. However, I think I also need to remind myself more often about one of the reasons I love children's books so much.

Books affect me as an adult, but not nearly as deeply as they did when I was a child. My view of the world and myself changed so much as a result of reading books back then, for good and for bad. There were books that became part of me and are still part of me. Reminding myself of how important books were to  me as a young person will not only help motivate me to craft better stories but also help me persevere when the publishing process gets difficult.

Something else that Meg said that I wish more aspiring children's book authors would understand: children are not dumbed-down adults. I've seen so many mss that talk down to young readers in a way that makes me wonder if the author has forgotten what it was like to be a child himself/herself.

---

For more info about Meg Rosoff and her work: http://www.megrosoff.co.uk/

For more info about the SCBWI: http://www.scbwi.org/

SCBWI-NYC Takeaway #1: Shaun Tan & The Importance of Maintaining A Bubble Of Delusion

For those who haven't yet heard the term, conference takeaways are generally regarded as insights or key points that someone who attends brings away from the event. It differs for everyone, based on their own level of experience and context. 

I'm going to be sharing some of my takeaways, starting with Shaun Tan.

I've long admired Shaun Tan's work. The quirky/dark have always had a strong appeal to me (see my Little Nightmares Flickr set from ten years ago as an example), and someday I'm going to write and illustrate a picture book in this style. My main challenge: to figure out a way of doing dark without overwhelming the book with too much dark, if that makes any sense. Having a good story is the most important, of course. I've been working on ideas for ages but haven't been happy with any of them yet. Someday, though. These Little Nightmare guys keep bugging me to find the right story for them.

But I digress.

One of my biggest takeaways from the conference was Shaun Tan's advice to artists about the necessity of creating a Bubble of Delusion in which they feel safe to experiment and create. This applies to writers just as much as illustrators, I believe. 

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A few of Shaun Tan's thoughts on the Bubble Of Delusion:

(Please note that these are my notes taken during the Illustrators' Intensive, so are subject to interpretation/misinterpretation)

- Set up a safe space in which you feel positive about yourself and your work, and know that you will do great work.

- Surround yourself with encouraging people.

- Avoid negativity, and try to steer clear when you see it coming. Shaun says he doesn't read reviews. I don't think I'd have the willpower to avoid reading reviews completely, but I do what I can to keep from interacting with negative people. Sometimes it can't be helped, but I do what I can in the future to limit the interaction.

-----------------

I've experienced this myself recently, though it was necessary bad stuff (like getting an injured limb re-broken so it could heal properly).Trying to work on anything creative, however, was like walking against a gale force wind…I could do it, but it was an effort rather than the fun it usually is. Not good.

What I'm Doing To Help Maintain My Own Bubble Of Delusion:

1. Doodling something purely for the fun of it every day, no matter how busy I am. I used to draw for fun all the time! I need start doing that again. I'll post some of these daily doodles online (on DebbieOhi.com), but some I won't…these drawings are for myself.

2. Write something purely for the fun of it every day, no matter how busy I am. I'm getting back to my private journal again, my equivalent of Morning Pages.

3. Do what I can to avoid industry angst. I love social media and online communities, but sometimes I let myself get too caught up in worrying about sales figures, publishing politics, conflicting advice, peer envy.

My advice to you all, especially those who are trying to find their own writing or illustration style: do what you can to create your own Bubble of Delusion. And then when you're doing something creative, STAY IN THE BUBBLE. It's impractical and inadvisable to stay in the Bubble all the time, of course -- we all need to deal with the other Stuff in life, plus the other Stuff helps to inspire and motivate us.

For me, one of the keys is staying off the Internet when I'm trying to create. What do you do to maintain your Bubble? Feel free to post below. 

For more info about Shaun Tan and his work, see his website.

For more info about the SCBWI, see the SCBWI website.

Interview with TYPE Books owner + I'M BORED launch info

If you haven't seen it already, check out this wonderful stop-motion video that Sean Ohlenkamp (Lowe Roche) created, called "The Joy Of Books", with the help of 25 volunteers over four nights:

Thanks SO much to Type Books for hosting my illustrator I'M BORED Book Launch. The launch will take place this coming Tuesday: Sept. 18th, 6-8 pm at TYPE's Queen St. location (883 Queen St. W., 416-366-8973). You can find out more info and RSVP at the Facebook event page for the I'M BORED Launch. To Michael Ian Black fans: please note that the author will NOT be there -- it'll just be me. :-)

 Type Books owner, Joanne Saul, was kind enough to answer a few questions for me about the bookstore.

Q. How did TYPE Books get its start?

TYPE was started in 2006 by my partner Samara Walbohm and myself. We met doing our PhDs in CanLit at the University of Toronto. We would often daydream in the stacks at Robarts library about what we might do if we didn't go the academic route. TYPE was one of those dreams.

We call ourselves a friendly neighbourhood bookstore and we mean it. We stock local authors' books. We launch them too. We host events for local writers. We have strong relationships with local publishers. We have a gallery in our basement where we show the artwork of neighbourhood artists. We have a storytime for neighbourhood kids. We host a love of reading and writing program in our basement called "Word-Play." We have kids from four local schools come to the store twice a week for a full program. We're very proud of the work it does.

What's the best part of of being a bookstore owner? What's the most challenging?

The best part of being a bookstore owner is meeting new people and establishing relationships with customers (and authors and publishers). I love interacting with my regular customers and talking about what they're reading.

I love the feeling of community in both the stores. It's a true joy to be able to put the right book in the right person's hands.

The worst part of owning a bookstore is paying the bills.

Other than the I'M BORED launch :-), are there any other upcoming events and news you'd like to share?

We're so excited about the I'm Bored launch! We can't wait. It's a fabulous book - beautiful and funny too. My son just changed daycares and "I'm Bored" was his going away gift to his old centre! I'm also really thrilled to be part of the launch for Andrea Curtis' book, "What's For Lunch" at the end of the month. It's a fascinating look at what kids eat for lunch around the world. Andrea's event at TYPE: September 30th, 3-5.

Facebook Event Page for the I'M BORED Book Launch (Illustrator)

Where to find more info about TYPE:

Their website: http://typebooks.ca/

On Twitter: https://twitter.com/typebooks

On Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/typebooks/

SCBWI-LA Takeaway #1: Don't expect everything to happen at your first conference. Experience breeds opportunity.

Instead of trying to do a long report about the 2012 SCBWI Summer Conference, I'm going to do takeaways; it'll increase the possibility that I'll actually post them. :-)

So here's my first:

SCBWI-LA Takeaway #1: Don't expect everything to happen at your first conference. Experience breeds opportunity. 

At my first SCBWI conference (the first time I decided to start going regularly, that is), I didn't know anyone, or at least not very well. When I made the decision to go in 2009, I was WAY nervous about the possibility of going home feeling like I had wasted all that time and money. And yes, a tiny part of me couldn't help but secretly hope that HEY, maybe I'd be "discovered" and land a book contract.

While I enjoyed that conference, however, I didn't come home with a book contract. My manuscript critique had not gone well, and I couldn't help but wonder whether the editor had even read my mss; she had only made one mark on my submission, and that was to correct a typo in one of the early pages. She never referred to anything in my mss but asked me to summarize my plot on the spot, then critiqued my clumsy and unprepared verbal pitch. No wonder she wasn't impressed.

I felt humiliated and embarrassed, especially since I had gone in with such (unrealistically) high expectations. I was also envious of others I chatted with, who were critiqued by published authors in the program... most had received pages of useful notes and advice from these authors, plus encouragement. Later on, I heard at least one of these turned into a book contract when the critiquing author passed the mss on to their editor. (Side note #1: Don't be disappointed if you get an author critiquing your mss instead of an editor or agent!)

BUT I did enjoy meeting a lot of writers and illustrators, plus was inspired by the keynotes and workshops. I was determined to come back the next year, and would be more prepared.

For the manuscript critique, for example, I wanted to be ready for the possibility that the person critiquing my mss had not had time to read it. The mss might have slipped by the wayside somehow, or the editor might have run out of time. Or maybe she really did just hate my story so much she didn't have any suggestions on how to improve it. :-)

But even in that case, I needed to be able to give my elevator pitch more coherently AND have questions ready, so that I could still get something out of the session. I could have asked more info about the publishing house, her process, opinions on publishing industry topics, and so on.

[Side note #2: I did try the mss critique again at last year's SCBWI conference LA and it went wonderfully. I learned a ton from Jen Rofé's comments at the session and on my brand new YA mss, plus she ended up nominating my mss for the Sue Alexander "Most Promising For Publication" Award! I didn't win, but am still super-inspired. :-)]

If you're an illustrator disappointed about not being "discovered" at the Portfolio Showcase, don't forget that in most cases, art directors and editors and other industry people collect cards at the Showcase for later. I've heard so many stories of artists who got work months (sometimes years) later because of someone seeing their work in a Showcase. Just because you didn't win an award doesn't mean people didn't like your work. Just participating in the Showcase is great exposure -- SO many people are going to be browsing your portfolio. 

Something else I learned since I began going regularly to these conferences: the more you go, the more you'll get out of it. You'll be familiar with a wider network of people in the industry and be able to have deeper conversations. You'll stop feeling like a "newbie trying this out" and will have a better idea of what you hope to achieve at the event.

More experienced types will start to recognize you and see that you're seriously pursuing children's book writing and/or illustration rather than just testing the waters. And if they like you and see potential, they will be more likely to take some time to offer advice or info. DON'T be one of those people who so clearly scan name badges and are only interested in talking with editors, agents and Big Name Authors.

Very, very few conference attendees get a book offer at the conference. Adjust your expectations next time, and look for the many other ways that the event has helped you and could help you in the future in terms of knowledge, inspiration, connections and friendship (the latter two are not exclusive).

So…if you just came back from your first conference disappointed about how it went: instead of being bitter or resentful, try to focus on the positive aspects. What did you learn? What cool people did you meet (and how can you maintain contact with them during the year, even if it's just reading and commenting on their blogs or tweets or FB posts)? What can you do differently next year? Make some notes NOW, while everything is fresh in your mind.

But most of all, remember that this was only your FIRST CONVENTION.

Lee Wind with first-timer Cherryl Chow.

Kudos to you for going in the first place. You've already made an important early step in pursuing what you want; most aspiring writers and illustrators never get that far, so you're already ahead of the game. 

And who knows what might happen next time?

p.s. Note to those who can't afford to go to the SCBWI convention in LA: look for similar opportunities closer to home. Join your local writers' organizations and attend meetings. Or if you can't find one, try starting your own group. Online networking is great but I've found that nothing beats chatting in person.

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You can see my photos from the SCBWI Summer Conference on Flickr: Set 1 - Set 2 - Set 3

Photos from SCBWI Summer Conference in Los Angeles 2012

Recently came back from the annual summer conference in LA held by the SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators). What an amazing, inspiring event! I'll be posting some personal takeaways and photo faces from the conference, but for now, here are links to my photo sets:

ON FLICKR:

SCBWI-LA 2012 photos - Part 1

SCBWI-LA 2012 photos - Part 2

SCBWI-LA 2012 photos - Part 3

ON FACEBOOK:

SCBWI-LA 2012 photos - Part 1

SCBWI-LA 2012 photos - Part 2

SCBWI-LA 2012 photos - Part 3

I've started to get a lot of requests for individual photos to be mailed -- I'm uploading my photos to both FB and Flickr, so please do feel free to scoop any for personal or self-promo use. If you post any publicly, I'd appreciate a photo credit (something like "Photo: Debbie Ridpath Ohi - DebbieOhi.com; or "Photo: Debbie Ridpath Ohi (DebbieOhi.com), illustrator of I'M BORED" or just "via @inkyelbows" on Twitter). Thanks! 

Writer/illustrator conferences, good news and a new Pixel Shavings post

If I could give one piece of advice to my young writer/illustrator self, I would have said this: START ATTENDING CONFERENCES. And join organizations like the SCBWI and CANSCAIP.

I have learned so much, been incredibly inspired and met many creative kindred spirits because of these events. Not to mention three children's book contracts! (I'M BORED plus two more recently, yay!!). Speaking of good things happening at conferences...

Here's my post about Pixel Shavings friends Russ Cox and Hazel Mitchell, with their good news from the New England SCBWI Conference.

Interview with Jackie Garlick-Pynaert, Coordinator of the SCBWI CE Niagara Falls Writers' Retreat & Conference

 In addition to writing contemporary, edgy YA novels, Jackie Garlick-Pynaert is the coordinator of the SCBWI CE Niagara Falls Writers' Retreat and Conference. You can find out more about Jackie in her blog, Blah Blah Blaah Blogger: A Blog About Life, Writing, and the Perils Of Life On Writing.

 

How did you get involved in the planning of SCBWI Niagara Falls Writer's Retreat?

I’d been going over the border so much, attending such great writing events and I’d met and made so many wonderful friends State side, I thought, wouldn’t it be great to bring some of that talent over here to an event.

I thought, wouldn’t it be crazy great to hang out and talk shop with all my new and old friends, writers/illustrators from both sides of the border, combine the talent of two countries and just let things combust! My plan was to sit back and absorb all the creative energy flowing throughout the room! Lol - That was my original plan. And Niagara seemed the perfect backdrop, as so many of my US friends spoke of wanting to come over and see them someday.

So, I hopped in the car and set off to check out venues and totally lucked out finding Mount Carmel. I pulled in for directions, and much to my chagrin, found out they accommodated events. Bingo! After that, I decided I just had to throw an event, so I got to work on the details. In the meantime, I attended a local SCBWI CE retreat and was talking up my plans for Niagara when the RA asked if I would consider doing it under the umbrella of SCBWI. I figured sure, why not, the SCBWI label would certainly help to get the name out there, and so I agreed and continued on as the coordinator of the event.

 

What was the first year like?

The first year was awesome! I actually cried when I greeted all the speakers off the plane. It was so surreal to have all that talent come out to my new little event, and to come from so far, some taking three planes to get there, just to share their expertise. I knew they were all fabulous speakers, having heard them all before, but they really knocked it out of the park at Niagara, I must say.

Newcomer Veronica Rossi shared her take on high concept writing from all the fabulous workshops she’s attended through Donald Maass, and Terri Farley, with over a million books sold to her credit, gave a very inspirational keynote speech to start us off. Fran Cannon Slayton and her Burger King theory of mass marketing was a big hit, as was Sydney Salter and her talk on developing voice. Everyone got to spend time mingling with both the editor and agent (a highlight Niagara offers, unlike some of the bigger events) during down time and meals, and critique circles were well received and credited for improving work.

Having the chance to meet with and receive feedback from a faculty member and few other peers, then time for revision, then returning to the group to share your revision with the faculty member and your peers for affirmation, is really the only way to learn to write. (Another unique bonus of Niagara versus larger events). I saw the difference this critiquing format had on my writing as well as my confidence over a weekend in attendance at a well-known, highly sought after US event, and decided right there and then, I’d be modeling the Niagara event I was planning (in my head at the time) after it. (Note: The same model is applied to the illustrator portion of the program at Niagara as well.)

 

If the conference isn't already sold out by the time this interview is posted...Why should kidlit/YA writers consider attending this year's event?

I'd consider coming, not only for the benefit of the critique circles I mentioned above but also for the amount of one-on-one face time that is afforded to writer’s/illustrators at this event (again, a lot more than at the larger events.). Being that it’s a retreat, attendees essentially eat, sleep, and, well, be merry with the faculty, creating an air of friendship that lingers on long past the weekend of the event. I know many of last year’s participants continue to keep in touch via facebook and email to this day.

On top of that, there is so much opportunity to be had at Niagara. You can pay for an extra one-on-one critique session, ($45. extra charge) throw your hat in the ring to do a reading, or volunteer to have your first page read aloud at the front and critiqued by the editing/agent panel, which this year will include four major editors of the industry. May I just add, the authors in attendance are big names in the industry as well, with many, many connections, who are willing and have spoken up in the past, on behalf of writers to promote their careers, helping them to get to their publishing destinations.

 

 Oh, and lastly…well, there's venue…oh, and the food!!! OMG, the food!!! It’s worth the price of admission alone, just to eat the buffet!!! I ask you, where else could you stay in Niagara, listen to eight major players of the children’s book industry speak, receive their critique and eat like a KING for under $500.

Apart from the conference planning, what are you working on these days?

Personally, I've been working on two things. My writing of course, a ‘fantastical, steampunkishly, Burtonistic feeling, YA adventure/romance series, hopefully on its way out the door for submission soon, and…the creation of another small intimate writer’s event, featuring some big time names hopefully…look for details to come soon.

More info about the event:

http://www.scbwicanada.org/east/events.htm#currentevent1

More info about Jackie Garlick-Pynaert:

On Facebook

On Google+

On Pinterest

My National Library Week Drawing

It's National Library Week! You can find out more info about National Library Week at AtYourLibrary.org.

Librarians should visit the National Library Week event page on the ALA (American Library Association) site.

National Library Week: April 8-14, 2012

It's National Library Week! You can find out more info about National Library Week at AtYourLibrary.org.

Librarians should visit the National Library Week event page on the ALA (American Library Association) site.

Pay It Forward: Sharing The Books at Union Station in Toronto

Above photo courtesy author Linda Granfield.

Thanks to writer and librarian Nancy Runstedler for organizing the Toronto PIF (Pay It Forward): Sharing The Books event at Union Station yesterday. Similar events took place around the world at 4 pm including Thailand, England, Germany, Wales, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, Denmark, Scotland, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovenia, Serbia, Australia, Brazil, Belgium, other cities in Canada and the U.S.

I've heard of flash mob events before but never participated. The basic idea of a flash mob: a group of seemingly random people assemble suddenly in a public place, perform a seemingly pointless act for a brief time, then disperse. Our group was more of a smart mob because we did have a purpose:

The purpose of this Book Reading Flash Mob is to create an awareness of the Pay It Forward Organisation and the work that they do globally, as well as the impact that books have on our lives.

Above: Organizer Nancy Runstedler explains the basic rules of the event.

We were each encouraged to bring a book that inspired us, kept us company during a long journey, brought tears to our eyes, or got us thinking about things in a different light. I brought Ray Bradbury's DANDELION WINE because it was the first book that ever made me really aware of style in writing.

I've always been a huge Ray Bradbury fan. His autograph had a prominent page in my collection as a teenager:

I also wrote a song called "Homecoming" based on his short story, "The Rocket Man". You can hear "Homecoming" on my music group's live performance album. I'm playing the rhythm guitar part on this track, Allison Durno plays lead guitar bits and Jodi Krangle sings lead. Allison and I sing some backup during the chorus. You can read my lyrics to "Homecoming" on the Urban Tapestry site.

Even before I experienced family loss myself, I was deeply moved by this story and others by Ray Bradbury. His writing affected me in so many ways, and was a major factor in my own desire to be a writer.

Above: Some of us show our empty hands after giving away the books we were reading. I gave mine to a fellow by the ticket booths who had been watching us. He seemed surprised and pleased, then thanked me. :-) Photo courtesy Roben Goodfellow.

What I loved most about the event, (apart from the overall purpose, of course): those five minutes of sitting in one of Toronto's most-trafficked transportation hubs with a bunch of other book lovers and just READING. Knowing that these people had taken time out of their busy weekday schedules (Author Marthe Jocelyn came from Stratford!) to participate, to share their love of books.

I also enjoyed checking out what books that others brought, and was reminded of some of my other favourites like The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe (brought by one of the younger participants) and Jonathan Livingston Seagull (brought by my friend Mahtab Narsimhan).

Some of the participants (I'll be adding to list as I find out more names):

Nancy Runsteadler, Mahtab Narsimhan, Cheryl Rainfield, Marthe Jocelyn, Karen Krossing, Christie Harkin, Rebecca Upjohn, Linda Granfield, Paul Kropp, Roxanne Deans, Roben Goodfellow, Joyce Grant.

Thanks again SO much to Nancy Runstedler for organizing the event! You can find out more about Pay It Forward at http://www.pifexperience.org/.

Related posts:

Cheryl Rainfield's blog post about the PIF Book Sharing event

Karen Krossing's "Flash Mob Of Readers" post on Goodreads

Pay It Forward: Global Book Reading Flash Mob Event Today at 4 pm (your timezone)

I've never participated in a flash mob event before but was so intrigued by a BOOK-focused event that I can't resist.

You can find out if your city has organized an event at:

http://www.pifexperience.org/pifflashmob/

Inspiration, Art and a 12-Course Susur Lee Dinner at the Autodesk SketchBook Toronto Event

I have been a fan of the iPad since it first came out, and my favorite art app is Autodesk Sketchbook Pro (I've just started to learn the desktop version). A while ago, I posted a sketch that I did with the app on my iPad while waiting in an airport. I had noticed a little boy with his family nearby, and he noticed me sketching. Curious, he came over to look. I did a quick sketch of him, and he was delighted.

I posted about the experience, pointing out how cool it was that a quickie little sketch could bridge the communication gap between different cultures. Chris Cheung, the SketchBook product manager at Autodesk, e-mailed me about the post; we kept in sporadic touch after that. Eventually we met in person, hit it off (we're both nerds and love SketchBook -- how could we not? :-)) and he invited me to speak at SketchBook's first dedicated Toronto event.

The theme: "Inspiration."

Above: Nick Pagee, TIFF Consultant: Gaming & New Media

I HAD AN AMAZING TIME. First of all, the other speakers were fantastic. They included Skottie Young, Bobby Chiu, Nick Pagee, Miguel Sternberg, C.B. Cebulski, Francis Manapul and Benjamin Rabe, among others. You can read their bios on the the SketchBook blog.

One surprise guest (above): renowned Toronto chef Susur Lee, who talked about inspiration and food. After Susur's talk, he went back to his restaurant to prepare a 12 course meal for all of us (!).

Above: C.B. Cebulski from Marvel.

The event was invite-only, and apparently even the waiting list filled up quickly. The speakers could invite a few people, so I sent invites to my sister (a children's book writer and illustrator) and Patricia Storms (cartoonist and children's book writer/illustrator). Sadly, Ruth couldn't come and I knew Chris Cheung was interested in the NCS, so I asked Patricia if any of the other National Cartoonists Society members would be interested.

Above: my guests - Jonathan Mahood, Mike Cope (Chairman of the Canadian Chapter of the NCS), Patricia Storms and Katie Shanahan. Thanks to Jonathan for the photo of me during my talk.

It was especially great to have Patricia in the audience since we were already friends through Torkidlit (Toronto Area Middle Grade and Young Adult Author Group) because whenever I got too nervous, I just focused on her smiling "YOU CAN DO IT!!" face. :-)

From the feedback I received afterward, I think my talk went pretty well. Chris had asked me to describe my unusual career path from being a computer programmer to a children's book illustrator with Simon & Schuster.

Several of the people that approached me afterward said that they were programmers with creative streaks similar to mine, and that my story was inspiring (yay!!). Some said they enjoyed hearing about my process while others seemed drawn by the personal narrative. A lot of people mentioned my enthusiasm. :-)

And quite a few of them said they planned to buy I'M BORED when it comes out this September (YAAAAAY!).

Above: Patricia Storms and Tina Burke.

(Above: Autodesk staff peruse my I'M BORED f&gs. On the right: Brendan Frye of Comics & Gaming Magazine.)

The Autodesk offices are gorgeous. Unfortunately I didn't get a chance to take one of the tours, but I loved what I saw. When I arrived, I was asked if I'd be willing to be interviewed by the media. I said yes, of course. :-)

I ended up missing some of the talks as a result, but I had fun chatting with Mark Askwith (Space Channel), Joanna Adams (Toronto Standard) and Brendan Frye (Comics & Gaming Magazine). Found out that Brendan is a fellow board gamer (on BoardGameGeek, he's bfrye26).

Above: Bobby Chiu & Kei Acedera from Imaginism Studios

There were plenty of opportunities throughout the afternoon for chatting with other attendees. Plus Marvel's senior VP, C.B. Cebulski, was available for one-on-one meetings throughout the day (he's always scouting for talent).

Two people I especially enjoyed meeting were concept artists Bobby Chiu and Kei Acedera. Bobby and Kei are co-owners of Imaginism Studios (Kei is also a children's book illustrator). They've done work for Disney, Warner Bros., Dreamworks, Sony, Universal Studios, among others. Bobby designed creatures for Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland! He also teaches on Schoolism.com.

Plus both Bobby and Kei are INCREDIBLY NICE PEOPLE. Very positive, enthusiastic and supportive. I hope our paths cross again.

So many giveaways and freebies handed out throughout the day! Prizes ranged from graphic novels to artwork to a Intuos drawing tablet, Wacom Inkling, soooo much other cool stuff. Everyone who attended received a Silver Snail gift certificate, a bunch of Autodesk Sketchbook Pro tshirts, a copy of THE PERFECT BAIT by Bobby Chiu (tips for artists about finding your own style and creating demand), and (yes) more cool stuff.

(Above: Chris Cheung does a giveaway with Francis Manapul (DC comic artist)).

Epson had an area where you could test out some of their artist quality printers by e-mailing them a file or ask any questions. In another area, you try drawing on Cintiques. And there was cake and other snackables always available. We all felt very spoiled.

No one wanted to fill up on snacks, though, because we all knew that after the talks, we would all be heading over to Lee for a 12-course culinary extravaganza prepared by master chef, Susur Lee:

Omigosh…SOOOOOoooOOOOooo good! Drooling even now, just thinking about that incredible meal.

Thanks you SO MUCH to Autodesk and Chris Cheung for inviting me to this event. I had SUCH an amazing time.

You can see other photos I took on my iPhone at the event in my Autodesk SketchBook Event album on Flickr.

One Of My Favourite New SCBWI Friends: Mike Curato

Still catching up from my week-long trip in NYC. I've decided I'm more likely to actually post about the event if I write up some shorter pieces rather than attempt one mega-long report. So here's my first!

I love making new friends at these events, which is one reason I try very hard NOT to make too many plans in advance, or hang out with the same group of people throughout the weekend.

Anyway, thanks to my Pixel Shavings friend Russ Cox for introducing me to Mike Curato (who just launched a NEW BLOG).

Not only is Mike a funny and very sweet guy, he also won top prize in this year's SCBWI Winter Conference Illustration Portfolio Showcase!

On the last day of the conference, I went out for lunch with Mike, Russ Cox, Fred Koehler, Roberta Gallagher-Rivera and Wouter Bruneel:

During the meal, I nagged (yes, I'm embarrassed to admit I did NAG) Mike to start a blog. I pointed out that with his award win, lots of people would be checking out his website after the conference. And look, he started one!!! And he gave me credit. :-)

Afterward, we had some fun taking photos out in Grand Central Terminal. From left to right: Russ, Mike, Roberta, Fred and Wouter.

Anyway, I -love- Mike's work, and can't wait to see where his career takes him next.

Where you can find more info about Mike:

Mike Curato's website

Mike Curator's brand new BLOG

Mike Curato Illustration (Facebook Page)

Mike Curato Etsy Page