Happy American Thanksgiving!

To my American friends out there: Happy Thanksgiving!

If you're doing NaNoWriMo this year, don't forget to check out my friend Errol Elumir's NaNoToons.

I'M BORED into its third printing, yay!

Jeff and I got back from BoardGameGeek last night. After being away for a week, we had a pile of snailmail to go through. Mine was Very Nice Snailmail and included:

(1) Check from Penguin Books for the use of one of my writing comics. I love checks. :-)

(2) Note from Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers that I'M BORED has gone into a third printing, WAHOO!!! Considering that the book just came out late last year, I'm pretty happy.

For those who haven't been following my work up to now, I'M BORED is a picture book written by Michael Ian Black, illustrated by yours truly. More info on the Simon & Schuster website plus I have tons of bonus material, activities, print-ready goodies available on the I'M BORED Bonus Page including some Thanksgiving-themed greeting cards and activity sheets.

(3) Advance signing check (did I mention I love checks? :-)) for SEA-MONKEY AND BOB, a picture book written by Aaron Reynolds, to be illustrated by MEEEEE, coming out from Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers in Fall 2015. I just recently created a Facebook page for SEA-MONKEY AND BOB, by the way, and would soooo appreciate any Likes. :-)

Interview with Molly Idle about writing and illustrating TEA REX (Viking/Penguin) plus advice for aspiring children's book writers & illustrators

I first met Molly Idle at the 2010 SCBWI Summer Conference, when she won the overall portfolio competition and I remember being so impressed by her art. Molly worked for DreamWorks Feature Animation Studios for five years before leaving to devote all her time to children's book illustration. Molly's FLORA AND THE FLAMINGO recently made the semi-finals in the Goodreads Best Picture Book Of 2013!

Her recent picture books include TEA REX (Viking Press) and FLORA AND THE FLAMINGO (Chronicle Books); you can see covers and samples from all of Molly's book projects on her site. This interview focuses on TEA REX.

TEA REX by Molly Idle

Published by Viking Juvenile/Penguin / For ages 3-8

Where to find Molly: Website - Blog -  Facebook - Twitter

Molly's studio space.

Q: What was your publication process? Also: If you have an agent, how did you get your agent?

"My prized rubber chicken."Having lighted upon the idea for a tea party with a T-Rex, I proceeded to make a lot of truly terrible starts for manuscripts in my head, and on paper, before I hit upon the right way to tell the story.

All my early attempts, talked too much. I would set up a joke, tell the joke, and then explain the joke I just told... It was the picture book equivalent of someone winking and nudging you in the ribs after telling you a joke... "Get it? Get it?" These drafts all seemed to say. It just wasn’t working... So, I decided to set aside writing for a bit and just start sketching the story out to see if I could make it work visually.

"Taped to my desk: The first tiny sketch I did for TEA REX (and a bit of fortune cookie wisdom that reminds me to keep my nose to the grindstone...)"

I had three sketches finished when, as a result of winning the SCBWI portfolio competition, I had the chance to meet with Denise Cronin at Viking Children's Books. Denise looked through my portfolio, and then asked if I had anything else to show her. I pulled out the three TEA REX sketches, and pitched the story. She said she would love to see the dummy when it was finished and asked if I had an agent.

George and Ted. Image ©2013 Molly Idle.

The conversation went like this...

Denise: Do you have an agent?

Me: No.

Denise: Do you want an agent?

Me: Yes!

Denise: Well, I can't imagine you'd have any trouble finding one.

Me: You'd be surprised...

I proceeded to prattle on about the research I’d done looking into various agencies and the collection of polite rejection letters I'd accumulated.

"My first sketch of George (Cordelia’s little brother)." Image ©2013 Molly Idle.

Denise waved her hand as if shooing away a gnat, and said, "You've been talking to all the wrong people. I know a half dozen agents who would be a good fit for you and are looking for new clients." And by the time I got home from our meeting, there was an email in my inbox from Denise with a list of al their names. Is she an angel or what?!

I looked over the list and decided to contact Lori Nowicki, at Painted Words.

When I told Lori that Denise had expressed interest in TEA REX, she asked if I would send her the manuscript that afternoon. The manuscript, if you’ll recall, that I had yet to write.

So, I immediately sat down at the computer, and hammered out a step by step- outline of what happens at a tea party. No jokes, no asides, it was a "Just the facts ma'am" outline that I intended to use as a springboard. But, as I read over this straight-faced outline, while looking at my sketches, I finally saw how the text and pictures could work together as a comedy duo… like Laurel and Hardy! The text set up the joke, and the illustration delivered the punch line. The finished draft took about two hours to polish up (well, two hours, plus two years of drafting terrible versions)... and I sent it off.

Lori read it, signed me on, and we agreed that as Denise was the one who brought us all together- Viking should be the first house we submitted the book to. And that's how we came to strike a deal with the fabulous folks at Viking Children's Books.

Q: What was your writing/illustration process for TEA REX? How did it differ from that of FLORA AND THE FLAMINGO?

It took a long time for me to find the right voice for REX, but almost no time at all for FLORA… I think that’s because I am so much more at ease when I’m at my drawing board than I am at the keyboard of my computer.

When I submitted TEA REX to Lori, she asked, as Denise had asked, if I had anything else to show her. All I had was a single sketch of a flamingo and little girl imitating his stance. I said I was thinking of working up a wordless picture book about the development of a friendship- told through dance... I was calling it: FLAMINGO DANCING. She encouraged me to dummy it up, and once I had, it found a home with the amazing team at Chronicle Books and became FLORA and the FLAMINGO.

Both books were scheduled for publication in spring 2013, so I worked on them simultaneously. Though the books differed in storytelling style and subject matter, both comedy and dance require a great sense of rhythm and timing. So, much of the revision work that occurred after the creation of the initial dummies, involved finding the right pacing.

I started by revising REX, then, once I sent those sketches off for comments, I started working on revising FLORA. By the time I sent off Flora sketches, I’d have notes back on REX, and back and forth and back and forth...

"In early drafts of TEA REX, Ted lost his head... completely." Image ©2013 Molly Idle.

Each book went through four rounds of revisions before I started in on final art. That may sound like a lot, and I’ll tell you there were times when I felt like it was a lot too... Working up the finished sketches is the most time consuming, the most challenging and most important part of of the bookmaking process for me. It’s the time in which I figure everything out.

"But in subsequent drafts, Rex and Ted get along much more nicely..." Image ©2013 Molly Idle.

Because I work in traditionally, with colored pencils, I absolutely HAVE to know what each illustration is going to look like before I start. I can’t paint over an area it if I decide to change something later, as I could if I worked in acrylics or oils... I can’t add or delete a layer in Photoshop, as I could if I worked digitally. I chose to impose these limits on myself and my work because I enjoy working the way I do. There is just something about colored pencils... I enjoy their color, their consistency, the level of concentration using them requires...

In short, my choice of medium is dictated by the way I like to work.

I feel that enjoying the creative process- no matter the medium- is as important as the finished art.

"Rex and the rest of the gang, enjoying the great outdoors..." Image ©2013 Molly Idle.

Q: What advice do you have for aspiring children's book writer/illustrators?

Learn to increase your pain tolerance.

I know this sounds weird- especially given what I’ve just said about enjoying the creative process- but stick with me for a minute...

Studies on the nature of creativity have shown that people who consistently come up with more inventive and creative ideas are not necessarily innately gifted, nor are they necessarily more intelligent than other people. They are however capable of tolerating a certain level of mental discomfort.

It works something like this:

When our brains are presented with a problem- any problem- we feel slightly anxious. When we solve a problem, our brains release endorphins that make us feel good. So, we have a problem to solve, we often run with the first answer we come up with because it feels good (literally) to find a solution!

But people who are willing to see that first solution, and then set it aside- delaying that endorphin high- while they continue to search for another answer, and another, and another… until they have compared all possible solutions and then chose the best option- and run with it- consistently come up with much more interesting, creative solutions.

John Cleese, (of Monty Python fame), talks about this research, and much more on the nature of creativity, in this lecture which I totally recommend watching.

Q: What are you working on now? Any other upcoming events or other info you'd like to share?

There is a lot going on in my studio right now- much of it is hidden behind a big black curtain with a sign that says- “Top Secret- NO Peeking!” Which is really really hard for me... because I am so dang excited about the projects I have coming out!! I want to stop random strangers on the street and say- OMG I am working on the coolest thing EVER- let me tell you about it...

Luckily, there are some things I CAN share, that I am equally over the moon about!

CAMP REX, is coming out in April 2014! I had so much fun getting to spend more time with these characters- so much so, that I am working on the third book in the Rex series as I type... well not AS I’m typing THIS... but, you know what I mean.

And, I just wrapped up artwork for FLORA and the PENGUIN- coming out next winter. I’m really excited about the new way readers will be able interact with the characters using the flaps in the book!

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For more interviews, see my Inkygirl Interview Archive.

Why Picture Books Are Important

 

November is Picture Book Month, when schools, libraries, booksellers and book lovers around the world come together to celebrate the print picture book. I strongly encourage you to check out PictureBookMonth.com, where members of the children's lit community have been posting essays each day about why they believe picture books are important.

The following lists some of the reasons I believe that picture books are important. I've also included the covers of just a few of the many wonderful picture books that have come out in 2013 so far. Click on any cover to find out more info.

Picture books are important because of how readers interact with them, especially the read-aloud experience. No matter how many awards it may have won or how beautiful the prose or illustrations, an unread picture book collecting dust on a shelf is just paper and cardboard. The magic begins when a child or grown-up reader opens up the book.

Some parents try to rush their children out of picture books into chapter books because they believe that reading text-heavy books will help young people prepare for standardized testing, not realizing that picture books can be a valuable resource and enjoyed by older children, even up through high school.

With the above mind, here's why I think picture books are important:

Picture books introduce children to the concept of reading, even if they can't read yet. In a Boston.com interview, Bob Staake said that when he was a kid, he used to flip through grown-up magazines and fixate on whatever graphic element caught his attention (e.g. a photo, an illustration, an ad). "That was reading to me. That is the way kids start to read, and parents don’t respect it enough. The idea that looking at things is not as important as reading the written word, that’s BS."

Picture books encourage conversations between young and older readers. While some children enjoy reading picture books on their own, it's often the case that an adult or older sibling reads to a younger child. Reading a picture book aloud prompts conversations about what's happening in the story, what the characters are feeling, meanings of words, how what's happening might relate to the child.

Picture books help bridge the gap between generations, strengthening bonds and forming connections as an older reader (whether parent, grandparent, older sibling, teacher, librarian, etc.) reads aloud to a child.

Picture books strengthen visual thinking skills. Picture books help children connect what they observe with how they reason, linking concepts with words.

Picture books introduce children to a love of art in a way that just taking a child to an art gallery can't achieve. The illustrations aren't mere decoration to the text. They enhance the story and emotions. The context encourages a child to go back to different pictures over and over, noticing new things, reading characters' emotions and interactions, possible secondary subplots that are told only in the pictures.

Picture books teach children how to be better listeners. In a read-aloud experience, children learn that paying attention makes reading the book much more fun. As Emma Walton Hamilton points out, this helps prepare children to become better listeners in later life.

 

Picture books help children develop critical thinking skills. Karen Lotz of Candlewick Press points out in a New York Times piece: "To some degree, picture books force an analog way of thinking. From picture to picture, as the reader interacts with the book, their imagination is filling in the missing themes." Picture books stimulate a state of mind in children that words alone can't achieve, says J. Richard Gentry in Psychology Today.

Picture books give young readers a sense of control and help build self-confidence. In a world where there seem to be so many things that they aren't allowed to do and where adults have final say, a picture book offers an opportunity for a child to feel part of the story and control the pacing of the story. They can pause over certain pages, go back to revisit another part of the story. They can read slowly or quickly.

Picture books introduce complex concepts in a safe environment. Some even recommend using picture books for older children (middle school and high school), to set the stage for introducing broader topics of study like art or history, or for illustrating an abstract concept. "With picture books, each student in the class can access new information at his/her individual level of readiness," says Keith Schoch in Basic Literacy Through Picture Books.

Picture books help children discover themselves and the world. No matter what the topic or issue or emotion, there is likely a picture book that addresses it. 

Picture books help build vocabulary. Children will often be introduced to words in picture books that they would not find in simpler early readers. Even when an adult isn't around to help, defining unknown words becomes easier because the pictures provide clues to the reader.

Picture books plant the seed for writing skills. "It is the joyous power of picture books that turns young listeners into readers and readers into writers," says Charles Ghigna.

Picture books help show children that reading is important. Especially in a world where everything moves so quickly and adults are always rushing around and busy, the fact that a grown-up will take the time to read a book aloud to a child sends a positive message about reading as well as about the relationship.

Picture books encourage joy in reading. Reading picture books is FUN, whether by yourself or with a grown-up or child. When being read to, a child can tell that the adult is enjoying himself/herself, and that helps reinforce the message that READING IS FUN.

Picture books offer comfort. They're non-threatening, they're fun to read. Children (and grown-ups!) go back to reread familiar picture books. For me, rereading a favorite childhood picture book is like visiting an old friend. Or coming home.

If any of the above has helped convince you of the importance of picture books, I encourage you to do one or more of the following:

(1) Go to the library and read through some picture books. Find your favorites, discover new favorites.

(2) Read a picture book aloud to a young person. If you don't have children, then visit a friend or family member who does. :-)

(3) Tweet or blog about a picture book that you like. It could be a newer book that you've just discovered, or tell us about one of your favorite picture books from childhood.

(4) Go to your local children's bookstore and buy a picture book. This not only helps support the bookstore but also the people who helped create it.

(5) Feel free to share the image below. No need to link back to my blog (but you're free to, of course!) but please do keep my copyright info intact.

Now go forth and read a picture book!

-- Debbie

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Source material, related resources and other helpful links:

PictureBookMonth.com

Parents - Empower Children As Thinkers With Picture Books! - by J. Richard Gentry, Ph.D.

Bob Staake: Illustrator and looker (subscription needed)

Creating Reluctant Readers and Picture Books - by Heather Newman

How Picture Books Play A Role In A Child's Development - by Lori Calabrese

Introduction to Show Me A Story: Why Picture Books Matter - by David Wiesner

Not Too Old For Picture Books - Heart Of The Matter

Basic Literacy Through Picture Books (video) - by Keith Schoch

Why Picture Books Matter: 7 Reasons To Read With Your Child - on Britmums

Critical Literacy: Using Picture Books To Read The World - by Alexis Birner (M.Ed) and Lindsay Bromley (M.Ed)

Picture Books Are Not Just For Children: 10 Reasons Why - by Rick Walton

How Picture Books Can Help Children Read Better - Studydog.com

Making time to read (and a new Will Write For Chocolate)

Updated Will Write For Chocolate.

My life has gotten progressively busier over the past few years, and I'm finding it more necessarily to actually schedule in pleasure reading time. Sounds stuffy and formal, I know! But if I don't do that, my reading time gets cut way down.

By "pleasure reading," I mean reading just for the joy of it. Not because the books are written by people I know (even though it's likely I'll love those books, too) or books I've promised to review or books to improve my craft or business. I mean stories that I'm reading JUST FOR FUN.

And I'm thinking it's time for another of my own Secret Dates very soon. Happily, my husband understand. :-)

Interview with Patricia Storms: Process, Personal Growth and NEVER LET YOU GO (Scholastic Canada)

I met Patricia Storms through her Booklust blog and then the National Cartoonists Society, and have enjoyed watching her children's book career blossom. She has illustrated 20 books, three of which she is author as well as illustrator. Patricia says she was twelve when her first cartoon was published in a Toronto newspaper. She got paid five whole dollars for that cartoon, and has been inspired to write and draw ever since.

Where you can find Patricia: Website/Blog - Facebook Fan Page - Pinterest

About NEVER LET YOU GO:

"I have described NEVER LET YOU GO as ‘The push and pull of parenthood’. Amazon’s description is quite nice, too: “Tender but never cloying, Never Let You Go gives a great, warm hug, followed by an encouraging pat as it sets up young readers to take their first big steps on the path to growing up. This story is destined to be a favourite read-aloud for parents and children alike, as the simple but powerful message of enduring love and support is one little readers will take to heart.”"

Q. What was your writing/illustration process for NEVER LET YOU GO?

I wish I could say my creative process was smooth and organized. It is not. So often things just kind of ‘happen’ for me. The idea for this book came to me about 3 years ago. I was feeling really down in the dumps at the time, to be honest. And I had a massive migraine. I tried to take a nap to relax, and I was in this odd dream/awake space and that is when this image of a penguin parent and her child popped into my head.

Click for bigger image. ©2013 Patricia Storms.

I had just recently read the novel ‘Never Let Me Go’ by Kazuo Ishiguro, so I guess that title was sifting in my head. I kept seeing this image of the child going back & forth to the parent, with the refrain ‘Never Let You Go’ playing over and over. After that the rest of the words starting flowing in as well. It really was one of those rare times when the book came almost fully formed like a gift from the stars. I was so tired I didn’t even have the strength to write down the story, so I called out to my husband (who was in the computer room across from the bedroom) to write down my idea before I forgot it.

Click for bigger image. ©2013 Patricia Storms.When I felt better, I worked on creating a tight storyboard on large newsprint, and then I scanned the storyboard sketches and using Photoshop, I put the text in where I thought it would flow best. And then I promptly...let it sit on my desktop for a year.

The story was so different from anything I have ever worked on before, that I simply could not believe that anyone would like it. One of the reasons I was so uncertain about the story was because it was so personal and, well – ‘straight from the heart’.

Over the years my cartoon/illustration work has been cynical, angry, snarky, cheeky and silly, but I’ve generally avoided the heartfelt stuff. It’s not that I’m not capable of doing that work, but I was burned big-time when I was a young naïve teenage artist, and I’m still not sure if I’ve ever gotten over those experiences.

Click for bigger image. ©2013 Patricia Storms.Creating this book was a very cathartic experience for me, I must say. Let’s just say the story is a lot about working out childhood issues. I suspect this is the case for many artists and writers in this business.

Q. What was your publication process?

Once again, my process is not, I think the ‘the norm’. But perhaps there is no ‘norm’?

The only reason that any editor ever saw this manuscript is because someone approached me. An editor at Scholastic had been looking at my old blog ‘BookLust’ (which now no longer exists) and was intrigued my some of my artwork.

Since we were getting along in our emails, I figured, what the heck, and asked if I could send her this manuscript I had sitting on my desktop. There aren’t very many words in the story (112), so it didn’t take long for her to read it. Basically, she wrote to me that she was very excited about the story and that’s when the whole process began.

Click for bigger version of colour work. ©2013 Patricia Storms.After that it was a matter of getting the rest of the editorial team excited about the idea, and after that, well...it was a matter of convincing the next various levels to get excited about the idea, too. I had only sent black & white sketches to my editor, so at this stage I did some basic colour work in order to give the folks at Scholastic an idea of how I envisioned the story to be, with both words & colour.

It was almost exactly a year later before Scholastic finally offered me a contract. I don’t have an agent at this time, so I hired a literary consultant to negotiate my contract, and then the real work began. Because I had sent such a tight manuscript, there really wasn’t a lot of editing of words or layout that needed to be done. The major work was really getting the colours just right.

Click for bigger version of final art. ©2013 Patricia StormsI had a lot of help from my art director as well as my editor. I was terrified most of the time, but it was a very supportive, nurturing environment. It was particularly scary because I was trying out some new styles. Usually I just hand-draw my art, ink it and then colour it in Photoshop. But this time I wanted to create a more warm and organic look, so I outlined the penguins with charcoal pencil (something I’d NEVER done before!) and I experimented with new brushes in Photoshop, and even added Japanese paper in the background for a wee bit of collage effect.

It was quite a growth experience for me, both artistically and personally.

NEVER LET YOU GO at Bologna

Q. What advice do you have for aspiring children's book writer/illustrators?

Don’t be like me! Ha. What I mean is: be more proactive, get your work out there, don’t wait a YEAR before sending something out. I still struggle with this issue – a great deal of my success is because others have found me, not because of me ‘getting my stuff out there’.

I find it SO easy to just talk myself into the blues and thus not send work out because I figure, who the heck is going to like it? It’s a terrible battle I have in my brain. I would also recommend seeking out people who are also interested in writing and/or illustrating for children, be that writer’s groups in person or online, as well as organizations such as CANSCAIP or SCBWI.

I would also add something that I think is pretty important, and it’s an issue that I still grapple with, too – try not to be too obsessed with what is selling in ‘the market’. There is SO much information out there right now, it’s pretty overwhelming.

Be aware of what appears to be selling, but I think what will serve aspiring writers & illustrators best is the strength & confidence to discover one’s own voice, and to develop one’s own unique path & stories. Ultimately there is no ‘set way’ to be published.

It’s really about discovering who you are, and what stories you want to tell. I’m still working this out for myself.

Cake from Patricia's Toronto book launch. Photo: Dorothy Kew.

Q. What are you working on now? Any other upcoming events or other info you'd like to share?

I’m working on a couple of picture book stories that are very close to my heart – one about a super cute monster and another about a girl & a rhino. I hope they eventually see the light of day. These stories also have a lot of heart and emotion. I think it’s where I’d like to go, if the universe will allow it. Plus I have a lot of picture book ideas which my husband keeps nagging me to develop.

It’s the same old problem for me – I keep thinking they are silly and dumb and no one will like them. I’ve really got to get over it. Regarding upcoming events, well – I’m hosting a launch of my new book, NEVER LET YOU GO at A Different Drummer Bookstore in Burlington on Sunday November 10th at 2:00pm. There will be homemade cupcakes at that event!

Patricia doing a drawing demo at her book launch, ably assisted by her husband. Photo: Dorothy Kew.

Where you can find Patricia: Website/Blog - Facebook Fan Page -Pinterest

Related links:

Quill & Quire's review of NEVER LET YOU GO

49th Shelf review of NEVER LET YOU GO

Scholastic Canada page about NEVER LET YOU GO

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For more interviews, see my Inkygirl Interview Archive.

Goodreads Choice Awards voting now open; list of children's/YA categories

Since Amazon announced its acquisition of Goodreads back in April, those of us who have been using Goodreads have been waiting in semi-dread for the inevitable sweeping changes that would end destroying a once-thriving book community. Except they haven't happened. So far, Amazon appears to be wisely playing it cautious when it comes to messing with what is already a Good Thing (knock wood).

Anyway, voting is now open in the 5th annual Goodreads Choice Awards! You have three chances to vote, and the Opening Round lasts until November 9th. Semifinals take place Nov.11-16 and Finals are Nov.18-25.

Here are the nominees in categories for children's and YA:

Picture Books - Middle Grade & Children's - Young Adult Fantasy - Young Adult Fiction

Have to admit I'm baffled by the "& Children's" in the second category. So picture books don't count as children's books? Hm.

Hovering your mouse over any of the covers will pop up the "Want To Read" option, so browsing the nominee lists are a great way to help you decide what to read next.

Comic: Daylight Savings Writer

Comic About Writing Challenges: Remember Why You Do Them

Speaking of more writing challenges, there's also Robert Lee Brewer's November "Poem A Day" Chapbook Challenge, which is lots of fun. Guidelines here.