The picture below is of the Illustrator Portfolio Showcase that was on display for the invitation only Editor/Agent/ Regional Advsior cocktail party on Friday night. I always love going through all the illustrator’s portfolios and came home with a pile of postcards that I can use to contact illustrators for Illustrator Saturday. Lots of talent in that room.

The next night there was a cocktail party for the attendees, where I asked Susan Brody if she would write up something about the conference. You will find the write-up below the picture. If anyone else would like me to post something about the conference, please send it. And if you have pictures, I love posting pictures.

Here is Susan Brody:

As someone who has not attended one of these national events for at least 5 years, the conference was REALLY big. Twelve hundred attendees, from 49 states and, I think, 11 foreign countries.

Saturday began with a very funny keynote speech by Chris Crutcher, focusing on the many highly creative ways his older brother found to torture him while they were growing up, including convincing him to serve as a live target for BB gun practice (it did not end well), and the fact that young Chris somehow never learned that when his brother proposed, “Wanna do something neat?”, the only self-protective response would have been to run in the other direction.

As a footnote, Chris added that he finally confronted his brother, now a respectable accountant, at a family dinner a few years ago, and his brother denied everything: “He’s a fiction writer, for God’s sake!” So much for all of our credibility!

The next event was a thoroughly depressing publishers’ panel, consisting of the thoughts of some very knowledgeable and experienced professionals about the current state of the children’s book market. The gist of it can be summed up with one quote: “This is a bestseller business. Make no mistake about that.”

From there, we moved on to breakout sessions, interrupted by lunch on your own, then followed by another two workshops. The day ended with a cocktail party, a few specialized mixers, and, in my case, a jolly New Jersey group dinner at a nice Italian restaurant.

On Sunday, the remarkable Jane Yolen gave a profoundly humble speech in which she identified herself as a “midlist author” and revealed that she currently has about 30 unsold books and that half her published books are out of print.

“Yes,” she said, “I still get rejections, and yes, they still hurt.” In honor of those who toil in the midlist, whom she called the “warhorses” of the industry, who “write steadily and well” but have found themselves struggling in recent years to get their books out, Jane announced that she is establishing the Jane Yolen Midlist Author Grant. In future years authors may apply or be nominated for the grant, but this year Jane has decided to award her two smaller grants to Ann Whitford Paul and Barbara Diamond Goldin, and her larger grant to Mary Whittington, a writer Jane called her “hero.”

I attended the agents’ panel, and found them to be a more optimistic and encouraging bunch, compared to the publishers’ panel. That being said, the consensus seems to be that in order to sell these days, a book needs to have a clearly defined “hook.” As Ken Wright of Writers House observed, an agent can no longer “acquire a book just because you like it. You need to know where it will fit in the marketplace.”

Regina Brooks, founder of Serendipity Agency, told us that in submitting our work, authors now need to give thought to how it might be “positioned”: who is our niche audience? If the book has a “global reach,” so much the better. We also (as if we didn’t know) need to have a social media presence; Regina sees “so much pressure” in that direction, both on authors and on agents. On a bright note, however, Regina is possessed of the mystical belief that for all of us in the trenches, there is an agent out there who is our “soul mate,” and we just need to do the work to find him/her.

Ken Wright might or might not believe in soul mates, but described himself as “the more literary guy;” for him, the key is good writing, combined with what he knows particular editors are looking for. Ken advised writers to do their homework before approaching agents, and to show that they’ve done their homework. No agent wants a submission that’s not appropriate for him, and, Ken said, “I don’t want to be your book’s first reader.”

Chris Richman from Upstart Crow Literary advised writers to form critique groups and to have their manuscripts read not by their friends, but by their enemies, who won’t pull punches.

The subject of the closing keynote, delivered by Kathryn Erskine, was “focus”, which can be divided into five components.

Freedom: believe in yourself; put all your daily tasks and other distractions into a waiting room, and tell them you’ll get to them when you’re done working; “think about that one kid out there that needs you.”

Organization (again with the tech stuff!): make electronic folders for each aspect of your work: business, marketing, works in progress, etc.

Creativity: take care of yourself; daydream; if you get stuck, try techniques like sitting down and interviewing your character, or eavesdrop on him/her.

Understanding: what is it you’re trying to say with your book? Get out and do research. As much as you can, literally experience your story. Do the things your characters do, and go where they go.

Sharing: let your baby out into the world, but make sure it’s well-prepared when you do. And start connecting to your readers before you send your baby out. Make a book trailer to generate excitement. Do school visits, book signings.

Kathryn’s ultimate message: grit is what leads to success. We need talent PLUS determination. DON’T GIVE UP!!!

In sum, it was a good conference, but it also made me appreciate even more how fortunate we at NJSCBWI are to have Kathy Temean as our guardian angel. At our annual conference, unlike the national one, not only are the editors and agents encouraged to get out there and mingle with us, including sharing meals with us; they also open themselves up to submissions from conference attendees, and individually tell us exactly how to do it. These are invaluable tools for us who are still trying to meet our “soul mate” agents and get our babies out of the nest and into the world!

Thank you Susan. I shortened the article, but everyone can read the full report by going to Susan’s Blog www.theartofnotgettingpublished.blogspot.com

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

If you wish to change your editor or agent critique, you need to send Donna Taylor
(donna.taylor@newjerseyscbwi.com) an e-mail giving her the details. We realized today, that you would not be able to do that when you go back into the system.

THIS IS NOT TRUE. I am sorry I passed on the wrong info. You can do everything you want when you go back into your registration as I originally stated. So please handle your changes on your own.

Thank you so much,

Kathy

We have increased the number of pitches you can sign up for to TWO. If you would like to sign up for another pitch you can go back into the system (find the link on your confirmation) and add another pitch.
It must be with another agent.

Many of you have not taken advantage of signing up for a pitch, probably because you don’t have a finished story or you haven’t developed a pitch. My own personal opinion is that is a huge opportunity missed, unless you already have an agent. Every agent there knows a ton about the industry, so even if you don’t have a book, why not take the five minutes to ask a question?

What would be so wrong sitting down with any agent and saying, “I don’t have a finished manuscript, but I wonder if you think there would be a market for this type of book?” Or, “This is my first conference, so I am just learning. How hard is it to get an agent? Should I submit to an editor first?” Or “Are you willing to work with a writer to help them develop their book?” Remember, it is only five minutes and that time zips by.

Another few changes are:

1. You can sign up for more than one author critique.

2. If you wish to change your editor or agent critique, you need to send Donna Taylor
(donna.taylor@newjerseyscbwi.com) an e-mail giving her the details. We realized today, that you would not be able to do that when you go back into the system.

3. We moved Author/illustrator Dan Yaccarino under the author section. That means you can pick him for an author critique or if you are an illustrator, you can pick him (under the author section) to do a portfolio review.

REMINDER: Your focus at the conference should be to learn as much as you can and meet as many people as you can.

Also, I hope you noticed that this year we added a four-hour Intensive Workshop “Writing Children’s Books 101″. If you want to write for children, you really need to know all the ins and outs of the publishing industry before you can be successful. One example: Every year, I see a ton of manuscripts and many “not so new” writers make mistakes on how to format their manuscripts. Author/Editor Anita Nolan, will cover this, along with all the other things you need to know in order to get published. It can take years to learn all the big things and little things that Anita will cover on June 8th. If you are new or relatively new I hope you will take the time to work on the basics with Anita.

NOW MY REQUEST:  I am seeking one or two people from each workshop to take notes of what was discussed in the session.  There are so many things available, I am sure I am not the only one who feels like they missed something important, because I couldn’t be three places at once.  After the conference, this would be great information to spread around to everyone who attended.  Please contact me if you think you can handle taking notes and writing something up.

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

Bill Skees, the owner of Well Read Books in Hawthorne, NJ, is interested in hearing from authors and illustrators who would like to give programs and have book signings in his store:

http://www.thewellreadbookstore.com/?page=shop/index&CLSN_3857=13278634763857b104793e2c1ade9018

info@thewellreadbookstore.com
Hawthorne is in Passaic County, on the edge of Ridgewood, Glen Rock, and Fair Lawn, NJ.

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy
PS: Too exhausted from the NYC Conference to share details today. I’ll update you later.

So, if you network and get a school visit, make sure you are awsome. Always be prepared to inspire, entertain, and provide the children a valuable experience. If you do, you will find yourself in articles that other people will read. Some of those people maybe teachers or on the PTO Visiting Authors Committee and contact you; helping you keep the buzz going.

Melissa Eisen Azarian is a freelance writer and co-chair of her PTO’s Visiting Authors Committee. Her first children’s book, The Amistad Mutiny: From the Court Case to the Movie, was released by Enslow Publishers in 2009. Azarian14L@aol.com

Michael Rex is the author/illustrator of Goodnight Goon, which reached #1 on the New York Times Best Sellers List. He has written and illustrated over twenty books. He grew up in Chatham, New Jersey and is a graduate of the School of Visual Arts. Recently, he moved to Leonia, New Jersey, where he is busy working on Fangbone! Third Grade Barbarian! In January, Putnam released the first two books in this new graphic novel series for elementary readers.
Here is the Interview:

Your mom is the Administrative Director at a library. How much did her working at a library influence your career choice? 

I was there often as a kid and she brought home lots of books for me.  However, I remember more art books than novels.  Collections of cartoons, “How To” books and books on movie making.

She could buy books at a good discount, so she bought me “How To Draw Comics The Marvel Way”  when it first came out.  I was never a big superhero guy, but I did learn many basic drawing techniques from that book.

What other factors influenced your decision to become an author/illustrator for children?

After graduating from SVA, I was interested in cartooning, and I was working as a video editor and I was always drawing.  My work was getting silly, and kind of cute.  It dawned on me that children’s illustration might work for me.  I began to spend time at  libraries in Manhattan and in bookstores.  What grabbed me was that there was no one style that was popular. Every book looked different.  Each book had its own feel. It seemed to be a genre, or format, that let an artist use their visual style to support, and add to a story.

What were your biggest obstacles, either academically or professionally?

Biggest hurdle academically?  That’s easy.  I hated school.  Hated it every day from fifth grade to eleventh.  In twelfth grade I went to Morris County Vo-Tech half a day to study commercial art. I loved it.

I hated school because I was very unorganized and that translated into being a “bad student” and being a bad student meant you were dumb.  I was terrible at math and kept doing the same math classes over and over until I was a Junior and I still hadn’t passed algebra.

Professionally, I think the biggest hurdle is getting that first book. After that, I think the biggest hurdle is to convince editors and art directors that you can do more than one thing.

Can you describe the path of your career leading up to your success with Goodnight Goon? 

I worked pretty steadily on picture books from 1995 to 2003.  I had done well as a freelancer, but some years were better than others.  I think it was 2002 that was kind of a bad year financially, and I began to think about other options.  After I got married, I started going to grad school for a degree in Visual Arts Education.  My goal was to get a teaching job and still do one book a year.

I had known Tim Travaglini for years and he was now at Putnam. We were having lunch and I mentioned Goodnight Goon to him and he started laughing right away. He signed the book up quickly, and about that time I started teaching art full time at Lehman High School in the Bronx.

I worked on Goon all through my first year. (Some of the pencil sketches were done while waiting to be picked for jury duty!)  When it came out, I was starting my third year of teaching, and it hit the best seller list pretty fast.  I was shocked.  Here I had given this up as my day job, and now I was finally “successful.”

When you reach #1 on the New York Times Best Sellers List, does someone official notify you or do you find out the same way as the rest of us shlubs, by seeing it in the newspaper? 

I found out while in a grad school class. Tim texted me  ”#1.” For about a half hour I participated in class, but my head was spinning.  I just figured that’s not what he’d meant. Finally, during a break I called him and he let me know.  It was quite a moment.

Sir Anthony Hopkins once said that after he won the Oscar, he thought, “Oh good, now I can make really bad movies.” After making #1, did you feel any similar sense of relief, or was it the reverse? Did you feel more pressure?

Actually, I figured I should just go on doing what I’m doing.  Having a best seller really means that you connected with an audience, and if there was a science to it, we could all do it.

What it did do, was give me confidence to pitch ideas that were a little less traditional.  I realized that I’d been self-editing myself for years, making sure my stuff  had as wide appeal as possible. And I think I might have made my work a little bland.

Right now I’m doing stuff that is totally “me,” warts and all….which brings me to a big point. We are all told to write what we know.  That’s great advice.  But we should also write who we are. Goon is a equal parts snarky and sincere, and I think that’s how my wife might describe me.

Be yourself.  If you find it funny, write it.  If  you get good enough, your writing will communicate what you find funny about something, and others will see it that way too.

Tell us about your new series and what inspired it.

For a very long time I’d wanted to do something a little older, and action oriented.  I had some different ideas…one was Third Grade Hercules…one was Third Grade Zombie…but none of them clicked.  Out of frustration one night I made a list of every genre type that I’d like to draw. Mummies, Vampires, Robots…and connected them to the “Third Grade” title…barbarian appeared on the list and that was it. I immediately started laughing, and the situations and jokes just started to roll.
The idea was to have this barbarian kid stuck in the modern world, and he has to go to school.

When I pitched it to Tim, he got it right away, and he suggested the comic book approach.

Have you switched from picture books to graphic novels now, or are you going to keep doing both?

I’m going to work on some books aimed at older readers for a while.  One reason being that I’ve  had more than one school tell me they have to bring in an author who will appeal to kids up to, say, fifth grade.

The other reason is now that my boys are a little older (in 2nd grade and K), I’m being inspired by the situations they get into.  So it just seems like a natural progression.  Also, marketwise picture books are having a tough time, and readers and librarians are looking for more books for young children who read well.

I do love picture books, and would like to do some more, but it really comes down to time.

Do you still teach full-time?

When I pitched Fangbone they came back with a three-book deal.  I either had to pass on it, or leave teaching.  Oddly, of all people, my wife was the first to suggest going back to freelancing full-time.

How did it go when you visited 3,000 kids in Vegas in one week?

Vegas was great!  I went to five schools in five days. I did big assemblies, and five presentations a day.  I even did a middle school that went over really well.  At night, I sat around in my hotel and wrote.  Really.

On an episode of Celebrity Apprentice that aired last March, you illustrated a picture book created by the women’s team. How did this opportunity come about?

I’ve known Margery Cuyler for years, and she was approached to be on the show and act as a judge.  They asked her for artists who worked on computers and who were fast.  She suggested me and Vincent Nguyen.

When the celebrities were brainstorming picture book ideas, did any of them do or say anything that would make a roomful of SCBWI members cringe?

Yeah.  It was tough not to step and in and point them in the right direction.  But I wasn’t allowed to.  I had to do what they told me.  I could say, “Well, if we do that, this will happen” if they were really going off on odd/unworkable ideas.  But that was it.  But I really did draw and color a 24 page book in under 10 hours, and they were actually all very nice to me.

And yes, they were making all the first time author mistakes.  At one point, they had this neat little idea that would have made a good little book and was very simple…but they thought it wasn’t a “story” so they chucked it.  I really wanted to chime in and say…that’s a decent idea.

All in all, it was a fun experience, and gives me something to talk about at parties. Melissa

Thank you, Melissa. I didn’t know anything about Mike and his books, they sound like so much fun. Now I am going to check them out for sure.

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

Usually they are given a script to read and then they draw how the cartoon will look. The storyboard is used as a type of blueprint for what the animators will do through the acting, staging, and camera moves.

Wendy has worked on the storyboard of a well-known TV cartoon (don’t have company approval to mention the name). Storyboarding is a part of the animation process.

Here’s Wendy:

As a kid I always loved drawing, The Muppets, Disney movies, and dreamed of illustrating children’s books.

I graduated with a BFA in drawing from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. I taught art to elementary children for five years; then moved to California where I began working as a storyboard artist.

I have worked on a variety of productions, winning an Annie Award for storyboarding in 2004. I have also served as an animation development artist, children’s book illustrator, and character designer for companies such as Nickelodeon, Sony, Klasky-Csupo, White Wolf, etc.

I am completing my Masters degree in Illustration at California State University of Fullerton and will be graduating this spring. Being in school has provided me the opportunity to refine my drawing, painting, and illustrating skills and to explore a variety of illustration mediums. I had the opportunity to design and create my own short animated film, “The Littlest Valkyrie”, which I also adapted into a storybook. I enjoy sculpture and created a maquette of the main character of the young Viking girl from my film as well as a sculpture of one of my monsters and a giant from Jack and the Beanstalk. When I draw, paint, or sculpt I want my illustrations to tell a story and involve the viewer emotionally.

I have also designed and had manufactured my own line of plush toys called Fuzzlelumps! Fuzzlelumps are cute little monsters that live in various nooks and crannies, in dark closets, and under beds. My husband and I have also written a story about the Fuzzlelumps for which I have created illustrations and put together a rough dummy book.

When I’m not drawing, I love to read books, play games and spend time with my family.

Here is the process:

This is an illustration from one of my stories about a boy and a monster he befriends. I do sometimes draw in a sketch book, but prefer to work out my illustrations digitally from rough sketches to finished illustration on my tablet PC or Cintiq.

1. Before I start an illustration, I like to work out the design of my characters. I draw them in various poses and emotions. Here are the final designs of the boy and the monster that I chose.

2. Next I create several rough thumbnail sketches of an idea I have for an illustration with the characters I have designed. I then take my favorite composition and sketch a rough drawing for painting. My sketches are done using a program called Alias Sketchbook Pro or TVPaint. I bring this sketch into Corel Painter and place it on its own layer on top. My drawings are usually rough and the refinement comes as I paint.

3. I then reduced the image in size, so that I do not get hung upon details, and create some color studies to help decide on color temperatures and lighting.

4. Once I have an idea of how I want to proceed in terms of color and light, I reduce the opacity of the sketch layer to 50% and begin painting. I work using many layers, the background on its own layer, the foreground, middle ground, characters, etc. will also be on their own layer. This makes it easy if I want to make changes.

5. When I feel I am nearly finished with the painting I turn off the sketch layer and finish painting.

6. After the painting is done, I add in details on a separate layers, such as the stitching on the blanket in this illustration, and the outlining of the boy, bed, etc.

I see you have your BFA. How has that helped you with the storyboarding jobs you’ve been doing?

Having a degree has not helped in getting a job, the drawing skill that I honed while in school and continued to develop has been invaluable in my job. Storyboarding is a demanding job requiring a high level of drawing skill as well as a knowledge of filmmaking, acting, etc.

What was the first thing you illustrated and got paid for?

When I was 13 I illustrated a poster for a lady at church and to my surprise she paid me twenty dollars! I was elated. It was the first time I realized I could get paid for drawing.

When you moved to CA, did it take a lot of time to get your foot in the door as a storyboard artist?

My husband and I made a trip to California one summer, staying with friends while shopping around our portfolios. We both found work as a result of this trip. I first worked as a character artist in the licensing department at Film Roman; 5 months later I was hired as a storyboard artist.

Tell us a little about the world of a storyboard artist.

I get to draw all day every day. Storyboarding is a very rewarding job; I work with interesting people and have had the opportunity to work on a variety of exciting productions. I love my job and the past 15 years have flown by.

Normally I work with an existing script, but sometimes have worked on productions which ask me to storyboard and write. Usually I have 5 or 6 weeks to complete one storyboard. A storyboard is usually about 550 drawings long. All the storyboards are drawn digitally on Cintiqs; we draw into a program called ToonBoom Storyboard Pro. The TV cartoon I am working on is premise based show, meaning the storyboard artists are provided with an outline of the story and they are responsible for writing and drawing the show. The first two weeks are for roughing out the story with drawings, which are next pitched to the director. The next two weeks are used to rough out the story with any changes they received at the first pitch. The final two weeks are for cleaning up the rough storyboard and making any changes. Once a show is completed, the process starts all over again.

My job responsibilities are somewhat different as I am the artist who specializes in storyboarding songs that occur in each episode. I am given a song and the lyrics and a brief description of what is going on in the story up until the point of the song and what the director wants to see happen in the song. Most of the songs I do involve dancing, which I can draw very well.

Was that an easy transition into animation?

I did not transition into animation. Storyboarding is one aspect of the animation process. Storyboards are the blueprints for the animation, they tell the animators what to animate. While in school for my Masters I animated a short film which was a lot of work and late nights. I learned a great deal and had a great deal of fun creating my own film.

Do mention you work in a lot of mediums. Which one do you enjoy doing the most?

I used to work traditionally on paper. In my illustrations I liked to use watercolors with ink outline. Now I work almost completely digitally. I sometimes will draw in a sketchbook I carry around with me. I do all my finished illustrations digitally using a Wacom Cintiq or my Tablet PC. I love to work digitally in Corel Painter for my color illustrations. I like to use the chalk tools in Painter. For sketching I love the pencils in Corel 11 on my Cintiq since you can tilt the stylus and it acts and looks just like the side of a pencil . I also like to sketch in Alias sketchbook Pro and TVPaint.

I asked Wendy to give us a little more detail on her job as a storyboard artist.

I draw all my storyboards using a Cintiq. My specialty is songs on the show. I am given a song and I draw everything that happens in the song; dancing, montages, what ever is required. For the most part I am usually given songs with dancing since I am very good at drawing interesting and creative dances/posing, and because I also have a good understanding of animation, I can pose out a dance short of actually animating it.

We are given a packet of art that has backgrounds, characters, size comparisons, props (ex. cars, beds, etc.)and we use these as reference when storyboarding. We need to draw on model as best as possible. I do draw the characters the way they should look.

The show is traditionally animated, meaning it is still handdrawn. All the work done here is completely digital. I draw all my storyboards using a Cintiq. My specialty is songs here on the show. I am given a song and I draw everything that happens in the song; dancing, montages, what ever is required. For the most part I am usually given songs with dancing since I am very good at drawing interesting and creative dances/posing, and because I also have a good understanding of animation, I can pose out a dance short of actually animating it.

We are given a packet of art that has backgrounds, characters, size comparisons, props (ex. cars, beds, etc.)and we use these as reference whenstoryboarding. We need to draw on model as best as possible. I do draw the characters the way they should look.

When did you decide you wanted to illustrate children’s books?

Since I was very young I have loved to draw. My favorite books were children’s books and their illustrations. Maurice Sendak and “Where the Wild Things Are” was my favorite.

You mention that you and your husband have written a picture book. Did you do it digitally?

Not initially. My husband wrote out the manuscript and I sketched out the dummy book. Later I redid the drawings digitally improving on the page layouts and compositions.

Do you ever touch up your illustrations in Photoshop or Painter?

I do all my illustrations in Painter. When I finish painting I take them into Photoshop, mainly to prepare them for printing.

Do you own a graphic tablet? If so, which one?

I own a Wacom Cintiq and a Tablet PC (Fujitsu).

Have you changed your approach or style, since you got your BFA?

My style has remained somewhat the same with the exception that my drawing ability and understanding of color and painting have continued to improve.

Do you think living in CA provides you with more opportunities to sell you work?

The entertainment industry is here in CA, providing me with many markets for the art I create.

What are you working on now?

I am completing a series of maquettes and completing my short film, developing the final look for the production. I am also continuing as a fulltime storyboard artist.

Are you represented by an agent? If so, who?

I am not currently represented by an agent.

Where do you do most of your creating? Do you have a studio?

We are currently setting up a studio in the house in a spare bedroom, but for now I sit at the island in our kitchen drawing or painting on my tablet PC, sculpting, or painting my maquettes. I also use the Cintiq in a small office space next to the kitchen.

You mention that you and your husband have written a storybook together. Tell us a little bit about how you got the idea and how it is to work with another person on a story.

I love monsters and designed a whole family of monsters. My husband thought they were great; he named them and came up with the idea that the monsters could be your friends and if you were to find a monster under your bed, he might be just as afraid of you as you are of it. Maybe if you caught it you could keep each other safe from things that go bump in the night or in the day. I wanted to create monsters that were soft, cuddly and friendly. We named the line of stuffed monsters, the Fuzzlelumps!. I designed five different monsters and had two produced overseas (500 of each). The two we had produced are named Bogwort and Boodlewink; We wrote the story about Bogwort. My husband and I work wonderfully together.

The illustrations below were done for a storybook I wrote based on my short animated film “The Littlest Valkyrie”. The story is about a young Viking girl named Anna and how she deals with the death of her father. These images were done in Corel Painter, from sketch to finish. I may eventually use a very limited color pallette to color the illustrations, or leave them black and white, I’m not sure.

How long did it take you to create your book dummy?

We had interest from Candlewick Press when they saw the stuffed monsters and they wanted us to send them a story. We put it together in about two weeks.

Is your husband and artist, too?

Yes. He has worked as a storyboard artist and has also worked as animator. Chuck makes his own short films, the latest of which is currently screening in film festivals. He is now an Associate Professor and Program Coordinator for the Entertainment Art/Animation Concentration at Cal State Fullerton.

I picked up your promotional postcard at the LA SCBWI Conference, so do you see your future more in writing and illustrating or do you think you will do more storyboarding and animation as you progress down the road?

I really love my job and I also love illustrating and telling stories. I would like to continue my work as a storyboard artist and also build a career as a writer/illustrator.

Do you have a plan to get published?

Yes. I hope to someday write and illustrate my own books.

Are there any marketing things you have done that helped you get additional work?

The postcard and attending various SCBWI conferences have generated some interest, but no additional work yet.

Do you have any words of wisdom for your fellow illustrators that might help them become more successful?

Draw, draw, draw. Draw what you love, excites and inspires you. Be open to critique and strive to improve and learn and be the best that you can be. You have to have a heart for what you do or it will just be another job. I love what I do, drawing is my passion and I work at it every day. And get your work on line! Join SCBWI, show your portfolio! It helps to get your work out where people can see it! Mine is at www.wendygrieb.blogspot.com and www.chuckandwendy.com

I enjoyed this sketch that Wendy did of Little Red Riding Hood before she encounters the Big Bad Wolf, so I wanted to share it with all of you.

Thank you Wendy for sharing your process and your unique background with us. Hope to see you name a nationally distributed film in the future and Chuck and your name on a children’s picture book. You can see more of Wendy’s work at: www.wendygrieb.blogspot.com and www.chuckandwendy.com .

I’m sure Wendy would love to hear what you thought of her interview and art, so if you have a minute, please leave a comment.

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

Our Guest Critiquer for January is Author Dianne Ochiltree. She is the author of nine published children’s books and does freelance editorial work.

Some readers—especially members of NJ-SCBWI—may already know today’s guest. Dianne has been a faculty member for chapter conferences several times, presenting writing workshops on a variety of topics related to children’s publishing as well as providing one-on-one critiques. Her books have appeared on several recommended reading lists nationwide, including the Bank Street College Children’s Book Committee ‘year’s best’, and the Dollywood Foundation’s national childhood literacy program, ‘imagination library’.

Dianne Ochiltree has a new book coming out this fall titled, MOLLY, BY GOLLY! It is being published by Calkins Creek, an imprint of Boyds Mills Press. It is a re-telling of the legend of Molly Williams, America’s first female firefighter, and is illustrated by Kathleen Kemly and was edited by Carolyn Yoder.

Blue Apple Books aquired a counting picture book for the very young, written by Dianne titled, GOODNIGHT, FIREFLY, illustrated by Betsy Snyder. The release date has not been set.

You can visit Dianne at: www.Ochiltreebooks.com

We only have two first Pages this month.  Again, I received more, but all the rest did not use the picture prompts.  Here is the first one.

UNTITLED by Su Lael

Under my wool sweater, beads of sweat trickled as I drove my short legs to match my father’s stride, fitting my booted feet in his vast footprints, making the crystals of snow squeak.  My breath condensed in frozen pellets on my scarf, wrapped tightly around my nose and mouth.  As dark shadows stretched out their fingers, the woods exhaled cool and deep air which stung my eyes and numbed my fingers.  I beat my gloved fingers against my thighs and curled them back in my sleeves.  The tramp and squeak of booted feet treading the snow was the only sound.  The rector and the altar guild crossed the street and bent their steps into the deeper snow under the trees and off the path, where the shadows deepened.  I had never been allowed out to cut the evergreen boughs in the woods during advent.

The baby and my mother remained at home in the light and safety of the kitchen.  Now, no doubt, my mother was sifting flour into her favorite glass bowl as the butter slowly melted on the stove.  My little brother slid the chunk of butter around, spearing the diminishing block with a fork, around and around again.  But I strode on in the cold and the dark.  The procession drew ahead of me.  I paused, pressing my cold fingers against my neck as I drew first one and then the other hand from my frozen gloves.  As the lights receded, I felt as though I were in a cave watching the miner’s light bob and shrink as the darkness, an active force, pressed round me.  I roughly forced my reddened hands back in my gloves, and, half running lurched after my father.   The men had halted in the grove of fir trees.  The rector intoned the familiar words of the prayers.  I pressed against my father’s side, finding comfort in his sturdy bulk.  I gazed up through branches to the night sky above.  The vast bowl opened up, the stars wheeling in their slow march across the sky.  My father’s arm circled my shoulder pulling me close.  When I tilted my head up, I could see the cloud of his breath.  “Well done my little one” he whispered.

Critique highlights:

The first page sets a time and place very well.  The author has put sensory details such as ‘my breath condensed in frozen pellets on my scarf’ and ‘the tramp and squeak of booted feet” to good use throughout.  The reader is immersed in a complete, yet mysterious, setting.  The woods, in fact, are as much like a character as the narrator, as its dark shadows ‘stretched out like fingers…and exhaled cool and deep air…”  The author uses  many such bits of poetic prose throughout the page to set the scene, and the mood.  The language used here is well done but not overdone.

The characters are introduced in adequate detail to get the story going but not too much to stop the reader from wanting to read on to find out the ‘why’ and ‘how’ of the story to come.  There are questions that readers will want to turn the page to find out—for example, if the narrator is so young/small that his booted feet could fit inside the father’s vast footprints, why is he going out with the men to cut evergreen boughs now?

The page ends with the narrator’s father whispering, “Well done, my little one” which adds another question to spur on a page turn:  what action did the narrator complete to earn this praise?  It is not evident in the action described earlier in the narrative, nor hinted at.  My suggestion would be to plant some sort of hint as to what the young child is doing that is extraordinary on that night march, so this statement doesn’t appear to come out of the blue.  Just enough to foreshadow but not so much that it will give away the surprise later on in the story.

The first page also contains two sentences of back-story which, while not at all inappropriate to mention here—it helps the narrator drive home the point that he/she is not where he/she would usually be on this night but instead is part of this woodsy adventure—needs a transition phrase to help it flow better within the first-person narrative and make it clear that these are inner musings of the main character as he or she is marching along.

My suggestion is to add a preface to the seventh line, on the order of, ” I thought of the baby and my mother (who) remained at home in the light and safety of the kitchen.  Now, no doubt, my mother was sifting flour…”  The eighth sentence,”My little brother…” needs to switch ‘slid’ to  ‘was sliding’ to match the sentence preceeding it.  Another thought would be to indicate that this was an inner thought of the narrator by saying that “My mother would be sifting flour” and “my little brother would be sliding the chunk of butter around”.

All easy fixes.

Rilla’s Resolution by Cathy Mealy

The day that she both longed for and loathed was fast approaching. The Seaside Festival brought finned fairies and winged fairies together for one day of celebration each year. Rilla adored spending time with her land and air-dwelling cousins, but each brief visit intensified her deep desire and growing envy of their wondrousworld.

Last year Rilla perchedon the smooth beach rocks as the sun dried her wet locks into silky, shining auburn curls. “Oh Rilla! You’re gorgeous!” gushed the twins, Zenna and Lu. They had flown to a meadow- whatever that was- and returned with armfuls of sweetly scented wildflowers. The twins gently wove the delicate blooms into Rilla’s hair so she could inhale their perfume simply by tossing her head. Nothing under the sea smelled aslovely and fresh, or even smelled at all. When Rilla returned to her watery home, the tiny flowers rinsed away andher soft, springy curls became a hopelessly tangled mop once again.

For several weeks Rillahad prepared for this year’s Festival by prying open reluctant oysters and plucking their pearls to give to her friends as gifts. She rattled the lustrous spheres inside an empty nautilus shell. The rhythmic sloshing sound could not compare to the lilting harp flute melodies that filled the air during the Festival. Rilla insistently hummed a fairy tune to herself, trying to block out the humpbacks’ constant booming moans and guttural squeaks.

When her stomach growled and pinched, Rilla swam to the bottom and yanked a puckered sea cucumber from the sand. She slowly chewed the slimy, tasteless plant. In just a few days, she would be savoring juicy red strawberries, licking sticky clover honey from her fingers,and crunching on crisp golden fairy biscuits. How she loved crunchy, crispy food! The memory of such gustatory delights made the sea cucumber even more unpalatable. Rilla released it in disgust, and watched it float upward toward the surface. At that very moment she resolved to herself,“This will be the year that I do it. I am never coming back to Atlantis.”

Critique highlights:

This first page does a great job of setting a scene, which is not easy considering that the story is taking place in a fantasy world of fairies. It introduces an intriguing concept of underwater fairies with fins, and earthly fairies with wings, and the festival which brings them together for one day a year. This makes the reader want to read on, to find out how this is possible, why they have the ritual and what conflicts/alliances have come of it. Most of all, the author has established the primary need of the character’s heart, the problem for the main character to solve: becoming a part of the
‘other world’. Whatever turns of the plot to come, readers know that important changes will come and want to flip the page to find out.

The author doesn’t just tell the reader this is what the character wants. The reader is shown the Rilla’s discontent with the gummy, tasteless sea cucumber and the humpback whales’ constant noise. The dreams of Rilla for life in the air is punctuated by lively images and language, such as ‘juicy red strawberries’ and ‘lilting harp flute melodies’. The five senses are engaged in this narrative.

The ending sentence, “I am never going back to Atlantis.” is an excellent page-turner. It sets up the action in the plot to follow. It is also a good piece of characterization. We knew in paragraphs before what Rilla dreamed of and wished for, but now we also know she is an MS determined to get the job done.

My only suggestion would be to strengthen the transition of the first paragraph to the second paragraph in a way that made it seem less an abrupt flashback and more a real-time inner musing of Rilla’s as she prepares for the upcoming Seaside Festival, something on the order of “Rilla’s thoughts swam to last year’s festival, remembering herself perched on the smooth beach rocks…” The back-story information here is important but it needs to be woven more seamlessly into the opening scene.

Thanks Dianne. You are a good friend to share your expertise with our writers.

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

Writing Competition

Tarcher/Penguin and Julia Cameron are seeking undiscovered writing talent!

1.  This competition is open to novel and novella-length fiction as well as narrative nonfiction.
2.  Submissions should be no more than 10 pages (roughly 4-5,000 words maximum), and only one submission per person will be accepted.
3.  All submissions must be work that has not been published previously or awarded any prize in a prior contest or competition.
4.  Submissions should be sent electronically within the body of an e-mail (no attachments) to feedback@tarcherbooks.com, along with your full name and contact information. Be sure to put “TTA [Your first and last name]” in the e-mail subject line. Submissions must be received by March 2, 2012.
5.  Semi finalists will be contacted March 23 to submit (electronically) the full manuscript. The winner will be chosen by Julia Cameron and announced online on April 26.
6.  The winning piece will win a cash prize of $5,000 and a manuscript review by a Penguin editor.
7.  View the complete official rules

TIMELINE

Submissions accepted from Jan 1, 2012 through March 2, 2012
Semi-finalists chosen: March 23 (Tarcher-Penguin will contact semi-finalists for additional material, which will need to be submitted to us by April 6). The semi-finalists’ manuscripts will be reviewed by Tarcher-Penguin editors.
Winner announced: April 26

HOW TO ENTER

1. To enter the Tarcher Top Artist Competition (the “Contest”), entrants must submit one or the other type of creative piece, as follows:

• An original drawn or painted piece of artwork, in jpeg or PDF format based on the theme of the book, Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain.

OR

• A fiction or narrative non-fiction written sample taken from a novel or novella-length manuscript; the entry to be no longer than ten (10) pages (roughly 4,000-5,000 words maximum).

The initial entries (of the written samples) must be sent to feedback@tarcherbooks.com within the body of an e-mail. Be sure to put “TTA [Your first and last name]” in the e-mail subject line. In addition, each entry must include the entrant’s full name, email address, mailing address, telephone number, age and website URL if applicable. Initial entries (of original artwork) and a brief description of how it ties in to the title, Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain, should be either e-mailed to feedback@tarcherbooks.com (file size no larger than 200KB; e-mail subject line “TTA [Your first and last name]“) or, preferably, posted to the Tarcher Top Artist Flickr group page (you must include your full name and age in the description area). These submissions will be used in the selection of ten semi-finalists in each category. Final winner selection will take place as outlined below under Judging.

2. Contest begins January 1, 2012. Writing submissions are due no later than March 2, 2012, 11:59:59 PM Eastern Time (ET). Art submissions are due no later than June 1, 2012, 11:59:59 PM ET. Limit one entry per person and per email account. The sole determinant of time for the purposes of receipt of a valid entry will be the computer servers of Tarcher Books, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. (“Sponsor”). Proof of transmission (screenshots or captures, etc.) does not constitute proof of receipt.

http://www.tarchertopartist.com/official-rules/

Good luck,

Talk Tmorrow,

Kathy

I will be atending the conference this weekend. I know many of you have signed up to attend, so I am hoping I will get a chance to meet with you if you are going to be there. This year they have a party planned on Saturday evening.

5:30pm – 7:30 pm

GALA DINNER—COME FOR A FREE DRINK AND FUN FOOD! A TIME TO MINGLE AND NETWORK WITH FACULTY, COLLEAGUES, INDUSTRY INSIDERS AND MEET MEMBERS FROM YOUR REGION.

NEW JERSEY has two tables (18 and 19), where we can gather. Our Illustrator coordinator, Leeza Hernandez will head Table 18 and I will be head Table 19, so even if you are not from New Jersey, please stop by and introduce yourself. I would love to meet you in person. 

If you think you would want to go out to dinner afterwards to keep the party going.  Please e-mail me and I will make a reservation for all of us.  In past years I have invited editors and agents, but I haven’t had time to do that this year with getting the whole NJSCBWI Conference Registration up, but you never know I might pull a rabbit out of my hat.

The official hash tag of the 2012 Conferfence is #NY12SCBWI

Want to get schedule, speaker and venue information right from your smartphone? Download the free guidebook app and search for SCBWI to download the “SCBWI Winter Conference” guide. http://guidebook.com/getit/?ref=badge

Want to follow the conference from home? They will be blogging all weekend: http://scbwiconference.blogspot.com/

Hope you hunt me down in NYC.

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy