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/

My new comic about the I'M BORED creation process

For those interested in comics, photos, interviews, sketches and info about how I'M BORED was created, do visit my I'M BORED Scrapbook.

Writing community highlight: Writer's Bloq

Just found out about Writer's Bloq, which describes itself as follows:

We are a community for MFA and Undergraduate writing students, professors, and alumni to share work, connect with peers, discover new writing, and uncover literary events. At the moment, there are students, alumni, and professors registered from programs including Austin, Brooklyn, Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Harvard, New School, NYU, Stanford, and Syracuse.

URL: http://writersbloq.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/writersbloqinc

(events are all near Columbia University)

Creating book trailers for YA fiction anthology TOMO

As I've mentioned before, one of my short stories appears in the just-released YA fiction anthology, TOMO: Friendship Through Fiction (Stone Bridge Press, Mar/2012). Proceeds will benefit teens affected by the 2011 Japan quake/tsunami.

I created two book trailers to help promote the anthology. The editor, Holly Thompson, helped me collect the materials I needed.

Here's the shorter trailer (37 seconds):

and here's the longer trailer (1 minute, 20 seconds):

I used iMovie to create both. For the first, I used music that came with the iMovie software. Holly provided the music for the second trailer. I used Photoshop CS5 to create some of the background and compilation images.

I can already see places for improvement, but I only had a short time to put the trailer together and have very limited experience with book trailers. Learned a lot during the process! Like the importance of figuring out the purpose of book trailer before I start working on it, and to identify the target audience.

I never assume that people are going to be patient enough to watch through the entire trailer, so I purposely put the essential book info at the beginning of each trailer. At first, I worked on a trailer that was mainly focused on the disaster in Japan but then realized that people would assume most of the stories were going to be depressing or about the quake and tsunami (and they aren't!).

So I decided to put more of an emphasis on the people behind the project, especially editor Holly Thompson.

Anyway, I hope you like the trailers! Please do share them, and consider supporting the project by buying the book. You can find out more info about TOMO at:

http://tomoanthology.blogspot.com/

MiG Writers Blog: meeting one of my critique partners face-to-face for the first time!

I just posted on the MiG Writers blog about finally getting to meet one of my MiG Writer friends face-to-face for the first time.

TU Books seeking middle grade and YA speculative fiction novels

Thanks to Kathy Temean for sharing this Call For Submissions from TU Books and Stacy Whitman. Basically, they're looking for middle grade and young adult novels from SCBWI members. See Kathy's blog post for details.

Comic: Daily Savings Procrastination

Comic: Bilbiophile Break-Up

Mar/2012 Torkidlit Meetup at the Bedford Academy

I had great fun at the monthly Torkidlit (Toronto Area Middle Grade and YA Author Meetup) earlier this week. First-timers included: Julie Miller and Emily Pohl-Weary.

Nelsa Roberto brought a copy of her brand new YA book, THE BREAK (Great Plains Publications, 2012):

And Jo Karaplis had the coolest t-shirt:

And my sister came out to the meet up, yay!

I brought copies of my I'M BORED f&gs as well as TOMO:

For news about Torkidlit authors, see the Torkidlit News Facebook Page.

If you're a Toronto area middle grade or young adult author, feel free to join our Torkidlit Facebook group to get notifications about upcoming meet ups.

Here's what some Torkidlit members are up to these days:

Maureen McGowan

http://www.maureenmcgowan.com

- Found out that her new series will be called THE DUST CHRONICLES. The first title, DEVIANTS, will be part of Marshall Cavendish's Fall catalogue.

Jo Swartz

http://www.littlejolit.com/

- Invited to do a workshop at TPL in October as part  of the Young Writer's Conference.

Cheryl Rainfield

http://cherylrainfield.com/- Pro Page on Facebook.

- Did a talk at York university, went beautifully!

- Did a radio show with Dr. Beth on self-harm, SCARS, ritual abuse, HUNTED

- HUNTED came out in Canada from Fitzhenry & Whiteside in February

- Having a launch for HUNTED on Mar.31st at Bakka-Phoenix Books, 4-6 pm

Karen Krossing

http://www.karenkrossing.com

- Her book THE YO-YO PROPHET (Orca) was an Honorable Mention on the Ontario Library Assocation Best Bets List.

- Has written 10 chapters on her work-in-progress.

Megan Crewe

http://www.megancrewe.com

- Had a successful THE WAY WE FALL launch.

- If you're in the Toronto area and want a signed copy of the book, stop by Bakka-Phoenix Books to get your hands on one.

Lena Coakley

http://lenacoakley.com/

- Has been invited to be a speaker at CANSCAIP's Packaging Your Imagination conference

- Lena is also on sub and hopes to have news soon!

Mahtab Narsimhan

http://www.mahtabnarsimhan.com

- THE TIFFIN is on the OLA Best Bets list for 2012, and is also shortlisted by CLA for the 2012 Children's Book Award.

Marina Cohen

http://www.marinacohen.com/

- Signed with John Cusick of Scott Treimel, NY

Nelsa Roberto

http://out-of-the-wordwork.blogspot.com/

- Her new book, THE BREAK, just launched!

Tamara Leavitt

http://beginwithinproductions.com/?page=about2

- Preparing to launch her picture book and ebook in the Spring

Anne Laurel Carter

http://annelaurelcarter.com

- Teaching at the University of Toronto, Continuing Studies: "Writing For Children" on Saturdays 11-1:30 starting April 14th

Emily Pohl-Weary

http://emilypohlweary.com

It was Emily's first time at a Torkidlit meet up! She's revising a teen novel for Penguin Razorbill (Canada) and Marshall Cavendish (U.S.).

Ruth Ohi

http://ruthohi.com

My sister! Her new picture book just came out from Annick Press: CHICKEN, PIG, COW'S FIRST FIGHT.

Debbie Ridpath Ohi

http://DebbieOhi.com

My talk at last weekend's Autodesk SketchBook Toronto Event went well (and I'm dreaming of that amazing Susur Lee 12-course dinner!). Also visited the offices of SImon & Schuster Canada to talk about I'M BORED promo and have been working on the I'M BORED scrapbook (covers the process of creating a picture book with Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers).

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To find out more about Torkidlit, see:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/127433455731/

https://www.facebook.com/TorKidLitNews

Everything you ever wanted to know about middle grade: by Molly O'Neill & Michael Bourret

HarperCollins children's book editor Molly O'Neill and Dystel & Goderich literary agent Michael Bourret are talking online about middle grade books, and the conversation is fascinating as well as informative...

Part 1: Everything you ever wanted to know about middle grade…and were willing to ask

Part 2: Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Middle Grade, Part 2: Technology and Gender and Marketing, Oh My!

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.