Welcome to Inkygirl: Reading, Writing and Illustrating Children's Books (archive list here) which includes my Creating Picture Books series, Advice For Young Writers and Illustrators, Writer's and Illustrator's Guide To Twitter, Interviews With Authors And Illustrators, #BookADay archives, writing/publishing industry surveys, and 250, 500, 1000 Words/Day Writing Challenge. Also see my Inkygirl archives, and comics for writers. Also check out my Print-Ready Archives for Teachers, Librarians, Booksellers and Young Readers.
I tweet about the craft and business of writing and illustrating at @inkyelbows. If you're interested in my art or other projects, please do visit DebbieOhi.com. Thanks for visiting! -- Debbie Ridpath Ohi
Entries from June 1, 2016 - June 30, 2016
#BookADay: SOME BUGS by Angela DiTerlizzi and Brendan Wenzel
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More info: Donalyn Miller's Summer Book-A-Day Challenge | Archives of my #BookADay posts.
#BookADay: BEWARE THAT GIRL by Teresa Toten (Doubleday Canada)
If you are looking for a great summer read (and esp if you enjoyed GONE GIRL or WE WERE LIARS), I *strongly* encourage you to get a copy of psychological thriller BEWARE THAT GIRL by Teresa Toten (Doubleday Canada). Don't start reading it at night, because you will be up waaaaayy too late. Love the dark edge and unpredictability (you THINK you know the implication of the title...), the mystery within mystery, the satisfying conclusion. For teen and above.
It's never too late to start: William Steig didn't start writing until he was 61
William Steig didn't start writing kids' books 'til age 61, went on to write 30+. More proof that it’s never too late to start.
Sources:
William Steig biography, via Norman Rockwell Museum Illustration History
William Steig biography, via Macmillan website
RUBY ROSE book launches today! Plus some giveaways, free bookplates and dancing in the street
Woohoo, RUBY ROSE, OFF TO SCHOOL SHE GOES! dances into the world today!!!
Ruby Rose loves to dance while she's brushing her teeth, eating breakfast, and even on her way to class. But there's NO DANCING at school! Or...is there? With a little luck and a lot of rhythm, Ruby Rose finds a way to get everyone up on their dancing feet. A perfect back-to-school book for budding dancers!
#BookADay: THE GAME OF LOVE AND DEATH by Martha Brockenbrough
Holy cow, did I love THE GAME OF LOVE AND DEATH by Martha Brockenbrough (Arthur Levin Books, 2015). I found myself slowing down my reading about 3/4 way through because I DIDN'T WANT IT TO END. And I was inspired to do some fan art (see image). The romance was so original and genuinely moving. Love the premise and also the twist on the usual character portrayal of Love and Death. This is definitely going on my "books I look forward to rereading many times" shelf.
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More info: Donalyn Miller's Summer Book-A-Day Challenge | Archives of my #BookADay posts.
How I'm Finding Ways To Read More Books This Summer
One of the reasons I love Donalyn Miller's Annual Summer #BookADay Challenge is because it always forces me to reevaluate my reading habits. I love to read but sometimes I find that reading gets put on the back burner more often while other activities take priority. Sometimes these activities, especially family-related and work-related, NEED to take priority, but I find there are still ways to find more time to read. I'm sharing these here in case one or more might help others.
Debbie Ridpath Ohi tagged contract, editor, frog, negotiations, princess, writer in Comics for writers Comic: Writers On Vacation
This comic wasn't, um, inspired by my own experience. Nope, not one bit.
#BookADay: DAUGHTER OF SMOKE & BONE by Laini Taylor
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More info: Donalyn Miller's Summer Book-A-Day Challenge | Archives of my #BookADay posts.
#BookADay and *Giveaway*: DRAW THE LINE by Laurent Linn (Simon & Schuster, 2016)
#BookADay: DRAW THE LINE by Laurent Linn (Simon & Schuster, 2016). An amazing debut YA novel that handles difficult issues (including hate crimes, bullying) with sensitivity and authenticity. Loved the geeky humor throughout! Loved the main character's superhero comics, and that the superhero refuses to fight hatred with hatred. Loved how the friendships progress throughout the book, and how the main character develops. Just LOVED.
I have an extra copy of the book, so am having a GIVEAWAY. To enter, just post a comment at the end of this blog post or on Facebook in response to my giveaway post. I'll choose a random commenter next week. Open to anyone in Canada or the U.S.
Advice For Young Writers, Fortune Cookies and THE FIRST LAST DAY: Three Questions with Dorian Cirrone
Congrats to my friend Dorian Cirrone on the launch of THE FIRST LAST DAY (Aladdin/Simon & Schuster) today! Can't wait to read this.
Dorian Cirrone was a dance teacher, a choreographer, an assistant city editor for a daily newspaper, and a college English instructor before becoming a writer. Her middle-grade novel THE FIRST LAST DAY will be her fifth published book. She has also published short stories and poetry.
I so enjoyed meeting Dorian at a SCBWI Florida Regional Conference (a fantastic event, strongly recommended) and had fun collaborating on a food doodle with her as well as talking kidlit/YA. You can see our collab at the bottom of this pic:
#BookADay: MY LIFE BEFORE ME by Norah McClintock (Orca)
Just finished MY LIFE BEFORE ME by Norah McClintock (Orca Book Publishers, 2015). Inspired by a talk at CANSCAIP by Norah and some of the other SECRETS authors, I bought the whole set of SECRETS books last year. I was intrigued by the premise and also liked the fact that each of these YA books is standalone. I was also inspired to do a bit of fan art (see attached image).
#BookADay: I LOVE CAKE by Tammi Sauer and Angie Rozelaar
#BookADay: I LOVE CAKE: Starring Rabbit, Porcupine and Moose by Tammi Kippes Sauer and Angela Rozelaar (Katherine Tegen Books/HarperCollins). Now that I've had the privilege of meeting Tammi in person, I can see her joyous personality throughout this story, and I love Angela's adorable characters. This is such a fun story, and now I am desperately craving CAKE. :-)
More info about I LOVE CAKE on the HarperCollins website.
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More info: Donalyn Miller's Summer Book-A-Day Challenge | Archives of my #BookADay posts.
How does Penguin Random House senior art director Guiseppe Castellano find illustrators?
Aspiring children's book illustrators should check out Guiseppe Castellano's blog post, "The Search For Illustrators." Lots of useful and interesting info here about how to connect with people in the industry, whether or not you're an illustrator.
