Kindling Words

I've gone from rainy California to snowy cold Vermont. Very, very cold snowy Vermont. It really does look like this.  A little less snow, a lot more cold. It is exquisitely beautiful. Enough to pull poetry from the air while staring out at the night.

Round moon
Blue Snow
Hare goes hungry

I'm here for Kindling Words, a writer's retreat. Chris Raschka is doing the illustrator's strand, I'm doing the author's. And yes, Chris is as smart and amazing and wonderful as his art. You can quickly see where his art comes from -- his brain isn't sitting around in any square kind of box. He gave us a great view of his process.

 

Here he is playing the squeezebox to the accompaniment of one of his book dummies to show us his relationship between 12 musical notes and color, ala Chris. Amazing. 

Don Weisberg, president of Penguin Young Readers, gave a great talk on where he sees publishing going. One word description: he's very optimistic. Sees how the internet connects people to books, authors to readers. We finished off the evening (at least, I did, some people partied, others went to the outdoor hot tub which I though was crazy at -5 degrees) with a first read through of Gregory McGuire's new play. I was "props."

Off for breakfast and making sure my PowerPoint works.

Big Cat Pepper in Brooklyn

My pal Allyson spotted this: Big Cat Pepper, on a ramble in a forest of books. Maybe Pepper was wandering back to Lauren Castillo's Brooklyn drawing board where he sprung to life.

Pepper has been getting some nice blog love, as Lauren noted on her blog.

Los Angeles Festival of Books

I had a fantastic time at the Los Angeles Festival of Books yesterday. People, people, people everywhere. Excited about books.

Moments: The wonderful "green room" where the food was terrific, and the staff had authors moving in and out to their presentations as if it were an airport. Seeing Steve Wasserman, a fellow Berkeley High School student. Heused to be Mr. Los Angles Book Review, and is now in NYC agenting, doing well in his new life. Tea with Susan Patron, another tea with Judy Blundell, a member of my beloved posse, and our friend Jane Mason. Our National Ambasador for Young People's Literature, Jon Scieszka, on the big, empy, windswept stage telling his funny story about pee and urine to an uneven audience who just couldn't quite get with the boy humor (not for lack of trying of Jon's part!) The panel I moderated was terrific -- great stories, laughter, serious moments, lots of information imparted.

But my photo taking capacity fell far short! Actually, the digital-moving-of-photos was where I really scrubbed. I seem to have erased rather than moved most of the photos. Here's just a couple.
Candace Fleming on the left, Kathleen Krull in the middle, and Kadir Nelson on the right.

Candace's husband, Eric Rohmann, was with her, and I fell in love with his scrapbook/journal that he carries with him, drawing and jotting notes. He let me take these two photos of a couple spreads. Wonderful to see his process of leaping from idea to idea.

Big Cat Pepper, wonderful reviews, and my beloved cat Coyote

The package hit the front porch with a thud. Penny barked. And here it was: Big Cat Pepper, the real book. Warm apricot-yellow endpapers, beautiful, heart-warming illustrations by Lauren Castillo, so gorgeous on their final paper, soft and creamy and inviting, desolation of olive green nights lightening to spring-green grass under a lemon-yellow sunrise.

Two great reviews have already come in. One from Kirkus: "...Castillo’s mixed-media illustrations of a rural, single-parent family are smudgily warm and comforting. The entirely secular explanation of death and the fact that there is no substitution pet added to the family in the end make this a very worthwhile addition to bibliotheraputic literature for the young."

I love "...smudgily warm..." Yum!

And from Booklist: "Because of their loyalty and innocence, the death of a pet is especially poignant, and Partridge gets it just right with this tale of a boy and his beloved cat, Pepper...."

The next day, our beloved cat Coyote died. As a hungry barn kitten, she'd somehow pulled her trapped leg out of the metal teeth of a coyote trap set by a sheep farmer. She arrived at my sister's house in the country, one back leg partly degloved of skin and fur. We nurtured her back to a healthy, sweet cat and had her for 17 years.


Tom dug her a grave in the backyard by the fence, right near her favorite mousing grounds (still a barn cat at heart, she was a great mouser). We covered her with dirt and sprinkled on rose petals, carefully watched by Penny.

Penny put her head deep in the grave, sniffed and sniffed, then settled back and pushed crumbling dirt into the grave with her nose, over and over again. I've never seen her bury anything -- no bone, no treasure, nothing.

Sleep well, Coyote.

David Macaulay and color fest at the San Fracisco Public Library

David Macaulay spoke at the San Francisco Public Library last night about putting together his book, The Way We Work. He showed us his process of doing the book -- sketch after sketch after sketch. Amazing to see how he thinks and draws. He loves looking at each body system every way he can -- from underneath, above, outside, inside. Astonishing. Going over the hand and all the finger joints he said, "what a very clever contraption we are." Indeed.

Here he is talking with a young fan. I just loved her skirt and the way she was standing as she talked with him.

There is an exhibit up of Robert Sabuda's original artwork for his picture books. If you live anywhere in the Bay Area, do yourself a favor and go see it. The details of his work and the materials he uses are incredible. They are the kind of images you want to reach right through the glass and run your fingertips over.


And upstairs outside the children's room was another beautiful exhibit, this one French illustrator Olivier Tallec. The evening turned into a color fest for me. Thanks to all the librarians at SFPL for the talk and the exhibitions.

Five Years On for the Martha Weston Grant

For the past five years, I've been the chair of the Martha Weston Grant through SCBWI. I'm turning the reins over to Lissa Rovetch now. I wrote to all the past winners to hear how they are doing, and got back lovely replies from all of them.

Reading over these replies has made me feel proud and gratified what an award like this can do to encourage people. Publishing is not an easy business, and it's wonderful to see how people can soak up a little bit of juice and transform it into book making. In the end, authors and illustrators, teachers and parents, and especially kids benefit.

I feel incredible grateful to Martha's family for funding and supporting this award.

And Martha, wherever your spirit is these days, I love you. You're still touching us here through your books and your grant.

Steve Mooser and Lin Oliver will give a presentation on the previous winners at this year's SCBWI conference.

ROBERTA COLLIER-MORALES
Hi Betsy-

Since winning the award, I've submitted a book dummy and have had 6
people turn me down. I'm working on a series of board book ideas that
I'm writing and illustrating and am still working on "The Running
Quilt" manuscript for the teen crowd. I have to support myself and
family as an illustrator and because much of the educational
illustration work is now being outsourced to Korea, South Africa and
India, many of us who depended on that work to support ourselves are
scrambling to find ways to make a living. As a result, I've been
learning about and pursuing Licensing my art so have been in two trade
shows - CHA (Craft and Hobby Association) as well as the International
Licensing Show and will have booths in both of those shows again in
2009. I'm determined to continue supporting myself in the arts and
one of my major goals is to have at least two more manuscripts and
book dummies ready to present before the end of 2008, I'm
concentrating on the board books as I think I have a bet
ter shot at getting these published than my chapter book. I'm still
the Illustrator co-ordinator for the RMC-SCBWI and am getting ready
for our fall conference, followed by my daughters wedding in New York
City, followed by Open Studio's here in Boulder- it's going to be
quite a ride!
Winning the Martha Weston Award was one of the highlights of my life
- I will make you proud- it's just taking longer than I'd hoped due to
the turn of events in the publishing arena. Life is always full of
unexpected turns, and learning to ride the waves is a life-long
challenge for all of us! My motto is "onward and upward", I'm not one
to give up, I just dig my heals in and become more determined than
ever!
Thank you again, for the honor! Roberta


FIONA BAYROCK
Hi Betsy,

The four years since I received the Martha Weston Grant
have been full ones for me. In this business that always seems to move
glacially and be riddled with rejection and wishes, it's good to stop and
reflect about all that *has* gone well. So thank you for sparking that
reflection in me this week. :^)

Since I received the Martha Weston Grant four years ago I've continued to
enjoy successes in my established genre of science writing, including 14 books
published for education and specialty markets for Scholastic U.S., Scholastic
Canada, and Capstone Press; articles in Highlights for Children, YES Mag,
KNOW, and Hopscotch for Girls; and a contract for my first trade book, BUBBLE
HOMES AND FISH FARTS (Charlesbridge, 2009 Carolyn Conahan, Illus.), which
I've just found out has been named a Junior Library Guild Selection.

I applied for the Martha Weston Grant to support my branching out into
humorous fiction. Let me express again my gratitude for being selected for
this grant. It was a huge boost to my fiction writing. The 2004 SCBWI-LA
conference was chock full of award-winning humour writers---Bruce Coville, Jon
Scieszka, Sid Fleischman, Gordon Korman...wow. To listen to each of them talk
about their process and approach, and to benefit from their tips and advice
was an amazing education. It put a lot of things in perspective and unlocked
many doors in my head. Since then, I've been hard at work learning the craft
and developing my fiction skills on several projects, two of which I've just
begun to submit to publishers (a surprisingly scary thing to do! :^). No
fiction book contracts yet, but I have had one encouraging humorous fiction
success---a poem sale to Highlights for Children.

An interesting anecdote from the conference...
You know how you hear stories about an author who meets an editor in an
elevator and they go on to sign a book contract together? I thought it was an
urban myth, but it turns out it really does happen---it happened to me at the
2004 SCBWI-LA conference! As I was heading up to my room for 20 minutes of
quiet time before the next conference session, one other person waited beside
me for the elevator. As is the delightful custom at these conferences, we
introduced ourselves and struck up a conversation. After we'd established
names and hometowns, she asked what I did. "I'm a children's science
writer." "Oh?" she said, "What a coincidence. I'm a children's science editor.
Say, would you like to find a quiet place to talk?" By this time, we were in
the elevator and on the way up, so we exited at the next floor, called an
elevator car going down, and found a corner in the main hall, where we
proceeded to have a 45-minute chat, The editor later treated me to supper in
the hotel restaurant. I ended up writing eight books for her publisher. :^)

Sincerely,

--Fiona


BARBARA JEAN HICKS
Hi Betsy,

It's been almost a year since the Martha Weston Grant sent me to the
SCBWI Summer Conference, and it's been a busy and fulfilling twelve
months!

You probably remember that as a picture book author, the new genre I
was interested in pursuing was picture book illustration. As a result
of the grant, I put together my first art portfolio and displayed it
at the conference—the first time I had ever shared my artwork in
public.

Since that time, I've also had my first portfolio review from an art
director at a major publishing house (extremely instructive!), printed
and sold a line of greeting cards through my local children's
bookstore, and developed a series of visually appealing marketing
materials to sell my visiting author services. I'm even using one of
my cut-paper illustrations as a personal "brand" to help potential
clients remember me—an idea I picked up at one of the workshops at the
conference!

I have an idea for an author-illustrated book I'm very excited about,
but it's still in the "thinking" stage. Meanwhile, after a long dry
spell, I've signed a contract for my fifth children's book, a picture
book called MONSTERS DON'T EAT BROCCOLI illustrated by British artist
Sue Hendra and scheduled for release in Summer 2009. I have another
picture book manuscript ready to send out and several more that are in
various stages of revision.

Also, after participating in 33 promotional events last year, from
bookstore signings to school and library visits to charitable events,
I've recently hired a booking agent to help me find and manage
additional speaking opportunities around the country. I'm very excited
about the possibilities!

I feel as if my career as a children's author and speaker has jumped
into high gear since last year's conference. Although I'm not there
yet, for the first time I feel as if it might really be possible to
make a living in this crazy children's book business! I am so grateful
for having been the recipient of the Martha Weston Grant. Thanks again
to you and Anna and Martha's family for giving me a chance to explore
and develop my gifts as an author, artist, speaker and entrepreneur!

Barbara Jean


LUPE RUIZ-FLORES
Hello Elizabeth,

How wonderful to hear from you. Yes, I do have some good news since my Martha Weston Grant. My second bilingual picture book, The Woodcutter's Gift, came out in October 2007. I just signed a contract for a third bilingual picture book, The Battle of the Snow Cones, due out in 2010 by Arte Publico Press. I have a historical fiction middle-grade manuscript being looked at by an agent in New York (keeping my fingers crossed).

I've been doing a lot of school visits and my latest one was on July 8 in Weslaco, Texas. It was a Title I Migrant Summer Program. Since I was a migrant worker myself at one time, the children could relate to that when I did my reading/presentation. Every student got one of my books (over 250). It was great. The pic is on my website.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to have attended the LA SCBWI. It was an experience I will never forget. Maybe one of these days, I'll be able to attend another one. Best of luck in your new venture. And thank you for your dedication and wonderful work on the committee.

Big Cat Pepper illustrations

Just went over to Lauren Castillo's blog..... she has posted another spread from our upcoming book, Big Cat Pepper (Bloomsbury, spring 2009).

I'm so awed and thrilled to see what she is doing. This is the huge honor of writing down a poem and having an illustrator make those words into a whole world. Truly, it doesn't get better than this.

Now, I have the home-court advantage of knowing what the text is on the spread she has posted, but check out those slippers sliding off the boy's feet. They say it all. And the sad, tender look on his face. And the beautiful textures and colors.

Gorgeous.

Kindling Words West, incredible illustrator

Want a look at an exquisite illustrator's site? Check out Catia Chien's website. Her colors will make you all swimmy inside. You will tumble into her illustrations. And the emotion she conveys! How does she do that? Thanks to Katherine Tillotson (another so-beautiful-you-tumble-in illustrator) for the link.

I'm getting ready to go off the Kindling Words West for a week of hanging out with other authors, getting inspired, looking at my writing in a whole new way (no pressure.) We start the retreat with a visit to Ten Thousand Waves for a communal public hot tub Japanese style, under the amazing New Mexico night sky. Then off for a week of encouraging, challenging talks by the funny and wonderful Tim Wynne Jones, and lots of time tucked away in our writing rooms at Ghost Ranch.

Illustrator Lauren Castillo interview

Over at Seven Impossible Things there's a fantastic interview with Lauren Castillo, who's illustrating my manuscript, Big Cat Pepper, (Bloomsbury, summer 2009) right now. Jules Danielson came up with terrific questions and posted lots of images. I especially loved seeing the thumbnails, and Lauren's studio where she's working on Pepper. What is it about seeing people's work spaces? I'm always curious where people work. And artists always have really cool stuff up on their walls. Writers tend to just get buried in paper. (Okay, I should just speak for myself here. Totally. Buried. In. Paper.)

And Lauren's got her first contract as author-illustrator! Congratulations, Lauren!

Writer's retreat, another illustrator at work

I'm just back from a week away at a writer's retreat. We're a small group -- this time there were six of us. Anna Grossnickle Hines, Gary Hines, Patricia Wittman, Tom Birdseye, Suzanne Johnson, and me. We write in the mornings, write again after lunch, take a long walk, then dinner and critiquing or a movie. Lots of laughing and chocolate eating are an important part of the week, of course! We keep the costs down by meeting at Anna and Gary's house in the Mendocino woods. We take turns cooking, then Patty (dubbed Dr. Stretchology for her incredible way with leftovers), orchestrates whatever remains in the fridge into a gourmet feast.

Anna Grossnickle Hines was finishing up some art work, caught on camera by her husband Gary. We had a extra raucously celebratory night when the first review of her new book came in. Starred review for 1,2, buckle My Shoe! Time for more chocolate for everyone! Here's Anna's story of how she put together her book. (Note especially the adorable Violet!)

And a terrific shout-out for Buckle My Shoe (with great images of the interior) on Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast. And to read how Jules and Eisha came up with their great blog name, check them out right here. Yes, related to the clever White Queen.

I laid out my roughy-toughy pre-first draft on my clean desk and tried to make sense of what I am doing. Standing back to look at the big picture is always really hard for me. It looks so neat and organized all laid out like this, doesn't it? I brought to the group after dinner one night, laid it on on the dining room table and told them the whole story. They listened, questioned, made lots of positive noises, then put the blender on frappe and came up with suggestions -- lots of them -- about how to make it better.

No picture of me sitting in bed the next morning, tea mug in hand, dazed look, mind buzzing with ideas. I'd written myself into some kind of corner, attached to everything I'd already done (if it worked or not!) and now my imagination has been set free to roam in new ways through the manuscript.

Thanks to all for a lovely week, and the thoughtful suggestions.

Illustrator at work

One of the most wonderful things about writing a picture book is seeing what the illustrator brings to life. It's the most exciting sense of anticipation... what will my main character look like? Where will she live? Will she be made of delicate water colors or carefully cut paper, or combinations of art supplies that only illustrators and art directors know how to talk about?

My manuscript, Big Cat Pepper, is in the hands of illustrator Lauren Castillo. Her drawings are delicate and whimsical and touching all at the same time. She's posted a few incredible cat sketches on her blog as she finds her way into the manuscript. Which one will turn into my beloved Pepper?

People often don't realize that the editors get to choose the illustrators. There are a lot of good reasons for this. Editors see lots of portfolios, know who is fun to work with, who gets their work in on time, and all kinds of things I know nothing about. But if you are really, really lucky, your editor will ask you how you feel about someone they are thinking of approaching. When Jill Davis told me she was considering Lauren, I went to her website and starting shouting, "Yes! Yes! Ask her!"

And Lauren said yes, and here I am, eagerly waiting to see what Big Cat Pepper looks like, where he lives, and the boy and his mom who love him.

Children's Book Week poster by Mary Grandpre

A great poster by Mary Grandpre for this year's Children's Book Week (May 12-18 2008). It's energetic and wacky, and yes, done by the great Harry Potter illustrator. Everything in the poster looks alive!

For me, her poster is a great example of the Hun (Dream Spirit) in action, which I wrote about in this article in the Hornbook.

The poster is free, so go check out the Children's Book Council website for how to score one.

Children's Book Week is in May this year, moved from November in previous years. Lots of totally cool events, and a great wrap-around theme.

And you might also check out the books they've nominated as favorites. Over at the Hornbook, Roger Sutton has his knickers in a knot.