Illustrator Debut

My close friend, Samantha Bell, has a website up and running it's at samantha bell. Not only does she have her own website, she has her first contracted picture book illustration job! I'll post more details when I get them



Books to Look for:

In March 2009, a book for kids 8-12 years old called Secrets of the Cheese Syndicate by Donna St. Cyr will be released by Cbay Books. This is a great, action-filled novel that will keep kids glued to the pages.

Frogs! Kids!

Frogs!
The tadpoles have sprouted front and back legs. They still have a little tail, but I'm calling them frogs now. Yesterday, they crawled out of the water for the first time. The kids are ecstatic.




Writings and Such:
The educational publisher I wrote for last year sent me new assignments for the fall. So, I've been researching and writing stories. But I'm not allowed to talk about it. It's all hush hush.

Wahoos!

I’ve had some great news this week. I was accepted to the Rutgers One-on-One Plus Mentorship Conference in October. When the envelope came, I hesitated opening it. Then when I did, I had to shake it a few times to make sure the check I had sent them wasn’t hiding inside. It was a nice little shocker to round off my week. If only I didn’t feel like someone had raked my lung and filled them with phlegm.

Another wahoo… those little tadpoles have developed hind legs. So, hopefully we’ll have frogs in a couple of weeks.

Leg Buds and Story Sloshing

Leg buds!!

The tadpoles finally have them, unless they've developed identical tumors on their sides and at the base of their tails. What they didn't tell me at the wonderful place out in CA that sent me the tadpoles was that the tadpoles need a certain amount of UV light to go through metamorphosis.

After reading discouraging reviews on the said company and frog habitat (Really should have done it before buying the kit), I did some research on my own. I bought tadpole food with vitamins and a low-powered day lamp that wouldn't melt the flimsy plastic or cook the potential froglets. A few days after setting up the light (and feeding the tadpoles the new food), the tadpoles were more active and had small protrusions where their hind legs are supposed to appear. The kids are ecstatic. They check the tadpoles several times a day, just in case they grew when the kids weren't watching.


Story Sloshing

While on vacation in Florida the week of my 20th high school reunion, I received an email asking me if I was interested in writing stories for an educational company. I responded "YES" of course. So, now I'm happily sloshing through story topics and writing my first drafts.

To keep myself from being sucked into a long novel during my writing assignments, I've been reading short stories. I set up a mini library in the bathroom with anthologies and other books I wouldn't have the stomach to read anywhere else.

My Time is Not My Own

In the past month, I have been busy busy busy. Cub Scouts, my kids, writing groups, a strange obsession with a senseless egg hatching game on Facebook, and gardening has kept me going from one week to the next.

Cub Scouts:
For some reason, the last week of school is crammed with Cub Scout activities. I love being a den leader, but it gets a bit tiring. At least, there will be no more meetings until September.

Kids:
In the adventures of kiddie land, my oldest son managed to dislocate his right elbow. After karate. He was just leaning on the couch and managed to hyperextend the joint. Boy did he scream. We spent 8 1/2 hours in the hospital getting it fixed and x-rayed before they sent us home. No more karate for him for a while.


Writing and Art:
With everything else going on, I've felt a little overwhelmed with all the critiques I've been trying to keep up with. I'm in two active online groups and two active local groups. I like to think that I give a thorough critique. I take my time and really think about what I can suggest for improvement.

Facebook:
I did it. I joined Facebook. I'm not sure what to think about it, but I'm hoping to reconnect with old high school friends.

Forever Tadpoles:
The kids' tadpoles finally arrived in mucky water that looked a lot like pee. I ordered the things in March, and the customer service at this place left a lot to be desired. Two weeks have passed, and the tadpoles have not developed leg buds yet. So, I've been diligently keeping them clean as my children bug me daily, asking when they'll turn into frogs.

My oldest son told me that his teacher asked him to bring the tadpoles into school. I say, let them get their own tadpoles. These things and their frog habitat cost me too much to let them fall into the hands of a bunch of 8 yr olds. Toys and other things don't weather well at school. I'm not sending living creatures in a flimsy container. Yes, the frog habitat is made of a flimsy plastic less sturdy than most toy packaging.

Conferences and Experimentation

Last weekend, I went to the SCBWI Poconos Mountain Retreat. I usually anguish over which editor to listen to. This time, I took the illustration workshop led by Patrick Collins, the Art Director at Henry Holt. I can't say enough good things about him and the workshop he led.

During the workshop, he gave us each a chapter from a chapter book. We were supposed to break up the text on a galley and then illustrate our assigned pages -- without a visual reference. I have to admit that I'm used to having something to look at when I draw, so at first, I was stumped. Blank page syndrome. Patrick was not only encouraging, but he also kept us going so we'd all finish in time. I loved seeing all the sketches when we paged through the galley we made.

That workshop really made the weekend for me. Besides Chautauqua, it was the most I had ever gotten from a conference.

So... I decided to work on disciplining myself to work without visual references. Since I don't know what styles work best for me, I'm going to experiment a bit.

Something Drawn and More Revision

Something Drawn...
I finally got over my blank page syndrome with the illustration and drew something. I'm not finished with the first draft of this illustration (do you call them drafts), but I'm at least getting somewhere. I decided to do each element of the drawing separately, scan them in, rescale and rearrange everything, and then print the final image on nicer drawing paper.

The main character in the story I'm illustrating is a pig, and I haven't quite decided whether to give her hooves or hand-like appendages. I guess I'll figure it out.

More Revision...
I feel as if I've revised some of my stories until they've bled. Two of my online critique groups are critiquing my middle grade novel - one group critiques one chapter per week, and the other group critiques one chapter every 2 1/2 to 3 weeks.