The House In Windward Leaves

Hello my friends and Happy Halloween! Today I’m going to talk about a book that's full of Halloween fun. It is a middle grade novel by Katherine L. Holmes called The House in Windward Leaves. On Halloween the children of a small town called Lunisha enter a mysterious house and are transported to a magical star. Whatever the children are dressed as for Halloween they magically become, almost to the point to where they don’t remember who they were originally. Then craziness ensues! I like how this book is just like a child’s imagination, anything can happen, you can even become a zebra if you happen to be dressed like one. There are also some very nice ways in which Katherine L. Holmes describes things, take this part of a sentence for example; their colors were mellow as Indian corn and as pretty as living room drapes. Another description I liked; its fur flecked gold like marmalade. I enjoy a nice sentence!

One of the things I really liked is that when the kids are still in school (before they go trick or treating) they are able to dress up, but only if it’s what they what to be when they grow up. I liked that idea, there’s no costume wearing or anything at my son’s school, so if they had an option like they did in the book I feel it would be a fair compromise. Oh and there’s also a unicorn thrown in there, I do have a soft spot for unicorns. 

To find out more about Katherine L. Holmes check out her blog Writing Amid Used Books and you can get a copy of The House in Windward Leaves at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Smashwords. 

Bye for now and have a Happy Halloween, well, that’s if you celebrate it and if not, have a nice day, or try at least, it’s raining over here, bargh.

Creative Tuesdays: Autumn, Ticc Tocc and Vote for Lane Tech: Gleegiveanote

Happy Creative Tuesday my friends. This Tuesday the theme is Autumn. To see more awesome Autumness go on over to the Creative Tuesday site.

Below is my response to today's Tic Tocc exercise. Check out Kat's blog Wright Story for more.

As I was saying earlier having a unicorn live with you is quite the experience, especially when you see a clash of different personalities. We’ll use Pete, the unicorn in which we’re speaking of and my sister Verona. Now Pete isn’t exactly one who would qualify as a serious person, or, well, unicorn I guess. He makes a joke out of everything, like when we went grocery shopping not too long ago; he tried to ride the cart across the store. He got about two feet, crashed, made a wreck of a few displays, all the while afterwards to jump up and ask what score he got, me also not being very serious only gave him a 5.0. Verona on the other hand went on a tangent about being respectful and blah, blah, blah. I don’t remember what she said after a couple words cuz my brain tuned her out and Pete was mimicking her behind her back. There’s also varying grossness levels between Pete and Verona. Verona was in the belief that she was a proper young lady and did not let anybody see, hear, or smell any gases exiting her person. Pete on the other hand was the total opposite. As you read through this story you’re prolly wondering if there is anything I talk about besides fart and poop, but Pete makes it hard to focus on other things. I’m sure I’ve mentioned before about how it’s true that unicorns fart rainbows and also sometimes flowers, but they sure do not smell like sweetness and sunshine, depending on what Pete ate before the explosion of gas out of his tuckuos, it could smell anywhere from rotting flesh to death in a garbage dump on a hot summer day, so yeah, they were stinky and also hilarious. Like the one time Pete accidentally sat on Verona, well, we say accidentally, and he let a hot one rip. Oh to see the dramatics Verona displayed afterwards; flailing of the hands, coughing gagging; I’m sure the coughing and gagging were in order, but there was also a fake fainting spell mixed in there and lots of bellowing. So as far as personalities went Pete and Verona were night and day, but that’s not to say they didn’t have good times together. He oftened helped her with her experiments or volunteered to be her test subject. He’d go on nature walks with her when I was too lazy to move, they’d have discussions about deep space, so as opposite as they were they also made great companions for each other.

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Also Lane Tech, the high school I attended has a video in the Glee Give a Note contest. They're giving away money to school's with music departments in need, so go HERE and vote for Lane Tech College Prep (when I attended Lane it was still called Albert G. Lane Technical High School). It's the largest Chicago Public High School. They are actually the 5th largest school in the United States, so they could really use your help. You can vote once a day, until Nov. 7th or something.

Lane Tech (I do not own the rights to this photo, I found it online).

I also found a Flickr photostream by Robert Powers that has lots of nice pictures of Lane, check it out, it's quite a pretty school.

Sunday Sketches: MGM Musical Inspired

Hello and happy Sunday Sketches my friends. I know it's been a bit since I've been here, some weekends of family bonding and then we all got kooties. My kids were all like "I'm sick mommy, tend to my needs." My cranium is somewhat functioning again. Last night I watched an An American in Paris, made some peanut butter cookies and got a Wilson Phillips song stuck in my head, Some day somebody's gonna make you want to turn around and say goodbye (can't stop singing that line). My bunny is inspired by the character Leslie Caron plays in An American in Paris. There is a scene where she has on this very lovely turquoise tutu with matching pointe shoes. 

Au revoir mes amis.

Do drop by Sophia blog for more Sunday Sketches.

Creative Tuesday: Cupcake, Chicago Street Art and Marathon and Tic Tocc

Hello my friends. It's Creative Tuesday. The theme this week is cupcake. Hop by the new Creative Tuesday blog to see more awesome cupcakes.

I missed Sunday Sketches yet again, but I was in Chicago (that's where I'm originally from). My husband ran his seventh Chicago marathon and to my surprise he said I could post pics of him. This is prolly the most pictures you have also ever seen of me. My husband is like me, we both like to keep it pretty low key, but we're both in this post today.

My husband the super stud about to run the
Chicago marathon.

Now, I was in Chicago and all but I'm not going to show you your stereotypical pictures of Chicago, we're going on a mini tour to see some cool street art.

First go to Chicago and find an El stop for the brown line.

Now wait for a brown line train.

Here it comes!

Exit the train at Belmont.

Walk down Belmont towards Clark.

Turn left at the alley.  No not The Alley the store,
the alley behind The Alley,
before Clark, see this is the back of The Alley, walk past this.

Now there you are.  You got some SNACKI
(the eyeballs)
and Left Handed Wave (Banana Man).

My sister Nicki's husband helping Banana Man hold
up his boom box.

Me and an eyeball.

Now if you go a bit more down the alley and turn left and go around some buildings and turn left again you will find Cardboard Lady, but you better hurry and get there cuz if it rains I'm not sure how long she will last.

Yes, there is a typo in my little story there.

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Now to continue my super long post, my Tic Tocc exercise. Every week Kat from her Wright Story blog sends out a newsletter to inspire you to create. Check out her blog. This week is all about the doodle. I haven't just aimlessly doodled since, well, I don't know when, so here is a total thought free doodle (10 mins).

Oh, wait, what did you say. Oh, you want some more pictures, okay, here's a few more.

I got me a degree from Columbia College Chicago. The above  two pictures are just of the main building.

Oh dear, why is somebody trying to donate my sister
Nicki to a used book store.

Right near here the Autobots battled the Decepticons.

BYE!

Jennifer Noel Bower on Becoming a Children's Illustrator

Hello my friends and welcome. This post is the start of a new series of posts where I talk to fellow children’s illustrators about their journey on becoming one. Today you will learn all about Jennifer Noel Bower’s journey. There is some good info packed in here!

How did you come upon your style? How long did it take you to land on a look where you said yes, that’s me? I know as a reader of your blog it has been fun seeing it develop.

I am not exactly sure I've fully come into my style, yet, although I have been told it is definitely identifiable.  I am really into kind of this retro/vintage/cartoon hybrid sort of look with a mixed media feel.  I am still trying to loosen up a lot in my work and not requesting perfection from each line. I guess I arrived at a certain style sense by trial and error, finding a medium that fit my mentality.  I started out with pen, ink and markers because that is what I had leftover from art school fifteen years ago.  Watercolors were frustrating and I didn't like the mess made by acrylics.  Digital has allowed me to play, make mistakes, undo mistakes and progress a bit faster than with natural mediums; although I am always trying to make my digital work look more natural.

Do you have a certain process?

I always start with a sketch.  They used to be really tight first drafts with a lot of erasing.  Now I am allowing myself to play more and using up tons of tracing paper.  Sometimes I will doodle different elements in my sketchbook, scan them in and then manipulate them into an image I like even better using Photoshop.  I always have a pretty solid idea of what I want an image to look like and will use reference photos for getting the angles and perspectives accurately.  But I am still learning to simplify the elements within my drawings. Once in PS, I always choose my palette from ColourLovers.com and then I begin to paint.

What medium do you use?

Digital, all the way, but playing with different brushes or scanned patterns to create a slightly more natural feel to the work.

                                                                                          How did you build up your portfolio?

One piece at a time and based off of feedback from my blog.  You can tell by the comments (or the crickets) what pieces resonate with others.  I just got back from my first SCBWI Regional Conference where my portfolio went through two reviews.  The biggest advice is NOT to put in those pieces you are unsure about.  We all have them, the ones we struggled to finish, didn't have fun creating, or look at and are still unhappy with.  It is better to have only 10 pieces of really great work than 20 pieces that show varying degrees of uncertainty.  Most of my ideas come from the Illustration Friday weekly prompts and every once in a while something from my life just begs to come out.

What have you done so far to promote yourself? I know you made some postcards; can you tell us what exactly should be put on the front and back of these? Tell us about any portfolio sites etc…Have any of the promotional things you’ve done so far helped, or do you think it will take a while?

Well, lets see.  I promote myself on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Blogger, IllustrationMundo, That's My Folio and by attending a SCBWI Conference.  I did make a promo card but I have yet to proactively send any out, I guess because I am still on the fence about whether I am truly representing my authentic voice.  Lucy Cummins, Associate Art Director for Simon & Schuster said she is on the internet 90% of her day looking for new talent so really, the internet is one of the best advocates we have out there.  Promotion is like planting seeds, you have to plant consistently and you never know when something is going to germinate.  I actually received my first chapbook opportunity through a Facebook connection.  I will eventually get those promo cards out but based on my recent portfolio reviews I need to add a bit more 'tween' specific material.

As far as what to put on the card, the front should be a great image with your name and ILLUSTRATOR or ILLUSTRATIONS.  The back should definitely have contact info and links to portfolio or blog.  Based on feedback it was suggested I put a carryover image on the back.  The image is really the big thing.  That is what is going to capture the AD's attention, then make it easy for them to see more of your work and a way to reach you.

What made you want to become a children’s illustrator? 

Therapy!  I've always loved being creative but grew up in a very competitive home and so because my sister was pursuing illustration I didn't.  Art was her identity.  I earned my BFA in interior design but then went to work for the family business right out of college.  When my daughter was born I broke free but ventured further away from anything creative.  First, sales with Tiffany & Co. and then into my current job as an office administrator and executive assistant.  Quite honestly I was depressed.  As I worked through issues with a therapist he strongly encouraged me to explore my creative voice and begin to the heal the inner child lost so long ago. (sad, I know)  I doodled a doodle and posted it on Facebook.  The feedback was phenomenal, but more importantly how I began to feel about myself and the world became more positive as I began to use my gifts and talents.  I've been pursuing illustration ever since.

Any tips, pointers, or good stuff to share?

The biggest tips I can offer are: get involved in SCBWI - they are a tremendous and supportive resource; be authentic - draw what you like to draw in the way you like to see it; embrace the 3 Ps of this industry - practice, patience and persistence; be willing to connect with others in the industry...they have been there, done that, and now how it all feels.  My favorite quote from David Diaz, a Caldecott Award winning illustrator, who ran our intensive at the conference said, "Sometimes I will goes days streaming Mad Men on Netflix because I am struggling to start the next project."  That was so nice to hear.  It makes you feel less alone with the weird thoughts we all get.

Visit Jennifer's website:  www.jennifernoelbowerillustrations.com

Jennifer's blog: www.fromjenspen.blogspot.com

Right now on Jenn's blog she has a great post about her experience at SCBWI conference she just attended!

Thanks so much Jenn! Congrats on all that you've accomplished! Isn't there some great info in there! I think it's great getting this info from fellow illustrators who are on the same journey.

Okay, I'm going all cheesy and High School Musical on ya, but We're all in this together.

Would anybody else like to share their journey! If so drop me a line!

Tic Tocc #19: Wade Evans Came for a Visit

Hello my friends. Today I have a piece for Tic Tocc number 19 (find out more about Tic Tocc at Kat's Wright Story blog). This is my first ever Tic Tocc without a Crowley story. I almost feel gulity, but I couldn't get my friend Wade the vampire outta my head, darn pranic vampires. Following Kat's prompt I went and pulled something out of my junk drawer and it was a pamphlet for my energy company, instant inspiration, Wade's all about the life force energy, little different from the energy that makes my lights go on, but great inspiration, so without further ado.....
“Okay,” Wade said taking in a deep breath. “You guys ready?”

We all nodded. Somehow instead of Wade just being at my house so we can do homework and watch TV or whatever; Lindsey also showed up with Mike Hanley who as of late had become her boyfriend and my brother was friends with them all too, so he was hanging out with us too, so my homework was nowhere close to being done.
Wade flexed his hands so his palms were parallel to the ground. He closed his eyes and become perfectly quite and still.
“C’mon,” Lindsey crowed.
Wade sighed and opened his eyes. “Shut it. I’m still figuring this out, so I need total concentration.”
Lindsey showed him her middle finger. Everybody had grown use to Wade’s snarkieness.
He scrunched up his face in response. “I’m going to try again.” He closed his eyes again and became very still. Nobody said anything and we all stared at Wade. For a few seconds nothing happened and I didn’t notice anything, maybe because I was just staring at his face, but Mike shouting, “Holy *!@#,” broke my stare.
I drew my head back and took in all of Wade, all of which was slowly lifting off the ground. “Shhh,” I instructed Mike while watching my boyfriend lift off the ground. At first it was just a couple inches, but then he kept slowly rising. I looked over at Lindsey. She sat with her hands covering her mouth. I’m sure she was trying to contain some kinda squeal. Jason sat with his mouth hanging open. It was a pretty amazing site. Wade opened his eyes and smiled. He then bent his arms and drew his hands up near his waist keeping them parallel to the ground. In one quick movement he un-bent his arms thrusting his hands towards the floor shooting him up in the air a few more feet. With a big grin he said, “I finally figured out how to levitate.”
“Oh my God,” Lindsey squealed.
I smiled. I already knew, he’d been working on it a couple weeks. I was sworn to keep it under wraps.
“How in the hell,” Mike muttered standing up. He was still getting used to all that Wade can do. Well, he was still actually getting used to the fact that Wade was a vampire. Mike walked towards Wade and Wade shot himself up a bit more. Wade’s feet were right about the top of Mike’s head. Mike was a pretty big guy, so Wade was at least over six feet off the ground. Mike stuck out his arm and waved it back and forth under Wade.
“It’s not a trick,” Wade stated. “Just merely energy manipulation.”
“You make it sound like it’s so easy,” Lindsey said getting up off the couch. She ran under Wade and squealed like a little girl. “This is so cool!”
Jason laid back on the carpet, putting hands behind his head. “How high can you go?” He asked looking up at the ceiling, which was actually pretty high. We were in the living room and it had one of those high ceilings cuz there was a loft that looked down into the room.
“I dunno, I live in an apartment, we have pretty low ceilings.”
“Well, let’s see,” Jason urged.
“Is that such a good idea?” I asked thinking that it could end in Wade crashing to the ground.
Wade looked down at us; just hanging out in the air like it was no big deal. “Let’s find out.” He bent up his arms again and then shot them straight to his sides blasting him up a few more feet. From there he closed his eyes and started a slow incline towards the ceiling.
“Dude,” Jason said sitting up and bending his head back.
I gave Lindsey’s shoulder a death grip. I was so afraid he was going to fall. He was still learning how to work all his gifts, levitating was the newest one he figured out. He was almost to the top. “You’re about to hit the ceiling,” I called.
Wade stopped in the air, opened his eyes, looked around and then down at us.
Some of you might know Wade, Heather and their friends already, they're from my story Actuality: A Teenage Vampire Novella. They invaded my head again! I'm pretty sure I went over time, it was at the end somewhere, but there's actually a bit more to this. I couldn't stop writing! My novella hasn't sold that many copies, but there might need to be a follow up.
But in other news I know I once mentioned that I wotre a young adult novel under a pen name, so I put it up on some sites and sold a whopping four copies, so I decided to give it away for free. It took Amazon forever to pick it up as free, but it finally did and a bit ago it actually made it into the top 100 free for Kindle (It's plummeted since then, quite far (bye-bye to top 100 real soon), but it did make it all the way to #31. I could look at this two ways: Nobody would read my story so I just had to give it away, which is kinda sad, or I could say: Hey, I made it all the way to top 100 free on Kindle and that's kinda cool.