Illustrator's Contest: Sketch the Story!

Welcome to my very first contest! As a budding author/illustrator, I am always fascinated by the creative process that turns a manuscript into a picture book. For my "Like You" series (still in-progress), I created these logos and then assigned each character a title in the series:

Smart Girl, Rich Girl, Little Girl, Best Friend, Fit Girl

Rich Boy, Smart Boy, Little Boy, Best Friend, Fit Boy

I followed that up with some character development, wrote the manuscripts, and let the pictures tell the stories. These books are more educational and instructional, so a lot of my visual translations are quite literal. Other stories that I have written/am working on lean toward more imaginative and creative interpretations. While I am having some fun with this, I thought that I would give my fellow illustrators an opportunity to share their talent and possibly showcase their work.


The contest rules are simple. In your head, answer the following questions:

1) Who is this little girl?

2) Where is she running to or who is she running from? What is the story here?

Then, on paper or your computer or your iPad, create your own rendition of this character in an action scene that answers these questions. Feel free to change the facial expression, dress colors, jewelry, shoes, and hair accessories. You may add hats and props, background scenery, and other characters, if you like.

Email your submission as a jpeg file with a 3-line blurb summarizing your creation. Also include a short bio, link to your portfolio, and a head shot. If you are on Facebook, send me a  friend request, so that I can tag you on your entry photo. All entries will be posted on my Facebook page. Voting will begin on Monday, May 7th and end on Friday, May 11, 2012. 


DEADLINE for SUBMISSIONS: 
Friday, May 4, 2012

Prizes: The three entries with the highest numbers of votes ("Likes") will be featured on my blog and Facebook page.

First Place: Full 10-question artist interview, 7-illustration portfolio, bio, contact information including links your to social media sites.

Runner-Up: Abbreviated 7-question artist interview, 5-illustration portfolio, contact information including links your to social media sites.
 
Honorable Mention: Abbreviated 5-question artist interview, 3-illustration portfolio, contact information including links your to social media sites.


I am looking for imaginative and whimsical artwork. Have fun with this challenge! Feel free to pose questions in the comments below.



Keep your pen to the paper! Remember, inspiration is everywhere...

The Writer's Block Interviews: Lois Lowry

1) Tell us a bit about yourself and where you live and work.

I have two homes, one n Massachusetts and one in Maine, where I spend summers. In both places I have a room where I work. I think its important for a writer to have a private and individual space.


2) At what point did you know that writing was what you were meant to do?

I knew form the time I was eight or nine that I wanted to be a writer.


3) Describe your body of work. Do you gravitate toward specific genres in your writing?

I have written 40 books for young people and they have varied in genre from fantasy to humor to realism to historical. I like doing different kind of things.


4) My daughter is a huge fan of your Anastasia Krupnik series and the Sam Krupnik series. Who or what inspired you to write it?

I had four children and I have four grandchildren as well. So I have had plenty of kids to observe and to know. But in addition to that I think Anastasia and Sam also reflect my own young self and my little brother.


5) Please share your most recent projects.

I have just completed a novel called SON, which is #4 following THE GIVER, turning the trilogy into a quartet. SON will be published in the fall of 2012.


6) As an established and successful author, do you promote your work differently now than you did in your earlier days? What methods have worked best for you?

I don't think much about promotion. I have had the same publisher for thirty five years and they take care of promotion. I'm happy to make public appearances and to do signings, but it is the publisher who sets those things up.


7) Who are your favorite authors? What is on your reading list right now?

I like Ian MacEwan and I am also a fan of many of the Scandinavian mystery writers, Jo Nesbo for one. I have just finished reading (and liking) a book called THE SNOW CHILD.


8) Should books ever be censored? Why or why not? Please weigh-in on this ongoing debate.

No. Freedom of speech (and of writing) is one of the basic freedoms of our country and our constitution. Censorship has always been part of totalitarian regimes, It is to be feared.


9) When you are not writing, how do you spend your time?

I read, go to movies, travel, spend time with grandchildren.


10) What advice would you offer to aspiring authors?

They should spend less time talking about writing and more time sitting alone in a room and doing it.


Author Bio

Born in Honolulu, writer Lois Lowry spent her early childhood in Pennsylvania, teenage years in Tokyo and New York, and was educated at Brown University and the University of Southern Maine. Mother of four and grandmother of four, she now divides her time between Cambridge, Massachusetts and an 18th century farm in Maine. She has received the National Jewish Book Award, the Boston Globe Horn Book Award, the Mark Twain Award, two Newbery Medals, the Golden Kite Award, and the Margaret Edwards Award, given by the American Library Association for Lifetime Achievement. She has twice been the United States nominee for the Hans Christian Andersen Medal.

Website: http://www.loislowry.com

The Writer's Block Interviews: Derrick Barnes

1) Tell us a bit about yourself and where you live and work.

I am a 1) husband, 2) father, 3) and a pretty decent children's book author. I work and live smack dead in the middle of the country in Kansas City, MO. I have a BA in Marketing from the greatest historically Black college/university in the country; Jackson State University. I became the first Black man, in the history of Hallmark Cards, in 1999, to be hired as a copywriter. I have currently 8 published children's literature titles in print.

2) How did you become an author? What do you want your legacy to be?

While working at Hallmark, in 2002, I landed a literary agent by the name of Regina Brooks of Serendipity Literary Agency; there was an illustrator at Hallmark who was represented by Regina. He gave me her information, I sent her a collection of short stories I was working on at the time, and we agreed on a contract some weeks afterwards. Maybe a month or two after that she landed my first two books deals with an African American imprint created by Scholastic (Just For You). Stop, Drop, and Chill and the Low Down Bad Day Blues were released in the spring of 2004.

I take my responsibility as an artist extremely serious. I want my body of work to exist long after I'm gone as a catalog of children's literature that inspired children of all races, nationalities, and walks of life.

3) Describe your body of work. Do you gravitate toward specific genres in your writing?

Before I began a new project, I always scour the landscape and take note of the characters, voices, and stories that are not being represented or told. I always try to create beautiful, realistic, perfectly flawed characters of color. I write for all age ranges but seem to gravitate more towards middle school readers more often.

4) My daughter is a huge fan of your Ruby and the Booker Boys series.  (She has me reading them now!) Who or what inspired these stories? How does your latest release, We Could Be Brothers, compare to the Ruby series and other books that you have written?

Bless you and your amazingly brilliant daughter. She has great literary taste. The series was initially named The Booker Boys. It starred the three Booker boys, narrated by Tyner Booker and they grew up in a single parent household. After shopping it to numerous publishing houses and being turned down, I put the series to the side for a couple of years. Even after adding a dad and a precocious little sister named Ruby, we still couldn't get it sold. My wife suggested that I pull the series back out, but this time make the little sister the main character. I did. and the rest is history. After rewriting the manuscripts and offering it to Scholastic, we ending up signing a four book deal with them.

We Could Be Brothers was my first hardcover release and my first attempt at middle grade literature. WCBB is essentially a three day conversation between two African-American boys ages, 12 and 13, that come from two different socioeconomic backgrounds and family structures.One comes from a single parent household, and has a ton of responsibility . The other comes form an upper middle class family, and his father is a daily, active, positive influence on his life. After having a conversation with my eldest son about how most of his friends don't live with both of their parents, more specifically without their fathers, I became very interested in how those daily conversations are conducted. How does having a dad and not having one dictate those conversations, how they see each other, and the world around them. The title came from a conversation the two main characters had about the dreaded "N" word. Pacino Clapton asks Robeson Battlefield, "If I can't call you my #igga, then what will I call you when I see you in the hallway?" Robeson responds, "Brother. We Could Be Brothers."

5) What kinds of challenges (if any) in the publishing industry do you face as a person of color writing about people of color?

There are a multitude of things that frustrate me from different entities in this industry. But I guess if you polled most authors, their complaints and beefs would be about the same: not enough support from the publisher, not enough support from particular media outlets, not enough retail/trade support from a particular demographic. But the truth is, as in any other industry, no one knows your audience better than you do. You have to go after the readers. Its really not the publisher's, or radio and television personality's job, per se, to push your books. It's all up to you. I try not to complain, just keep writing, keep working hard and reaching out to as many people as possible. I'm an eternal optimist. I wake up every morning and believe something good is going to happen. Every single day. That's God.

6) How do you promote your work? What methods have worked best for you?

Max out Facebook, Twitter, YouTube. Reach out to blogs and websites that are frequented by my target audiences. I pinpoint school districts, randomly, and email a form email I created, aimed at reading teachers, and media specialists/librarians, and principals.

7) Who are your favorite authors? What is on your reading list right now?

Langston Hughes is huge. Walter Dean Myers is the truth. R. L. Stine. Malcolm Gladwell. Toni Morrison. And surprisingly, Chuck Palahniuk. I read a ton of autobiographical books. Checking out Amiri Baraka now.


8) Please tell us about your blog, “My Four Sons”, on MyBrownBaby.com. How does your family inspire you?

My wife and sons are everything to me. They inspire every single action that I take. They motivate me to be a better father and husband. I want them to look up to me, to be proud of me. I feel so blessed to have been chosen to be a part of the lives of these five amazing human beings.

MyBrownBaby gave me an opportunity to write about the day in/day out adventures of being the dad of the Mighty-Mighty-Mighty-MIGHTY Barnes brothers. They are so different and provide me with a multitude of challenges; having to approach these cats from different angles as it relates to education, discipline, motivation, conversation---it's a true blessing. I love it!


9) When you are not writing, how do you spend your time?

Most of my time is centered around my four sons and their activities and academics. When I'm not with the fellas, I'm with my queen, or working out at the gym. When I can squeeze in the time, I read. I'm also a huge jazz and classic hip-hop music fan.


10) What advice would you offer to aspiring authors?

Continue to develop your voice and writing style. Read as many authors with styles that you admire and that are similar to your own. Don't be in such a rush to get published. Landing an agent and a deal with a big publishing house may not be the route for you. Self publishing and pinpointing your own audience may be more fruitful for your project. Develop a business side; marketer, advertiser, promoter, budget analyst.

Contact the Author

Website:
http://www.derrickbarnes.com

Facebook links:
http://www.derrickbarnes.com/RUBY_and_the_BOOKER_BOYS.html

https://www.facebook.com/pages/We-Could-Be-Brothers-A-Novel-/122557777796540

Twitter:
@hersheybrown818

My Four Sons:
http://mybrownbaby.com/category/derrickbarnes/

Guest Blogging, Good News, Derrick Barnes, and Lois Lowry

Guest Blogging

For the month of April, I have been participating in Robert Lee Brewer's "April Platform Challenge" posted on his blog My Name Is Not Bob. Sunday's challenge (Day 22) was to pitch a guest blog post to another author. Robert provides some fantastic blogs for writers to consider that should also become part of every writer's resource library. I am making my pitch to a few of these blogs, but I would like to invite you to become a guest blogger on mine. Find the details HERE.

Even though there is only a week left in the challenge, there is still time to complete many of these tasks. Today's assignment is to participate in a Twitter chat tonight. It starts at 8pm Eastern time, but if you can't make it, just use the hash tag #MNINB to follow the stream.


Good News!

Last week, I interviewed a very talented artist named Tamara Ramsay about her Kyooms project. Kyooms is a collection of positive artwork and postcards for children. Tamara used Kickstarter in an effort to finance her project. As of Monday, April 23rd, she reached her goal! Thanks to everyone who shared her post, left a comment, or made a donation. Congratulations, Tamara!

Derrick Barnes

On Wednesday, The Writer's Block will feature YA author of the Ruby and the Booker Boys series (one of my daughter's favorites~who also happens to think that this interview is quite a coup!) Derrick Barnes. He will talk about the importance of family, his road to publication, and his latest release, We Could Be Brothers. Be sure to tune in tomorrow!

Lois Lowry

On Thursday, The Writer's Block will be chatting with author Lois Lowry author of The Anastasia Series (again, one of Halima's favorites), The Gooney Bird Books, and her latest novel, SON. She is very accomplished as a writer and offers this advice to new authors: "They should spend less time talking about writing and more time sitting alone in a room and doing it." Gotta' love that. Tune in Thursday for more!

In case you missed it!

Here is yesterday's blog post, "3 Lessons from A Young Author".

Keep your pen to the paper! Remember, inspiration is everywhere...

3 Lessons from A Young Author

I am a firm believer that big readers make great writers. The sooner that children get started on both of these disciplines, the better. As a new mom, I would read to my daughter, Halima, every chance I got. When she was three, we made our first trip to the library and now it is one of our favorite hangouts. I have watched her morph into a reading machine--she reads everything that interests her. As a result, her writing has become more layered and her use of vocabulary in her storytelling has matured quickly. She is finding her voice. I detect subtle and not-so-subtle influences from her favorite YA authors (Meg Cabot, Derrick Barnes, Lois Lowry, Whoopi Goldberg, Jim Benton, Jeff Kinney, Francesco Sedita, and Rachel Renee Russell) in her work. Halima also draws inspiration from family, friends, and life experience to create memorable characters.

For the last two years, my (now) 12 year-old  has successfully completed the National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) challenge. Otherwise known as "30 days of literary abandon", writers from all walks of life turn off their internal editors and commit to penning a novel during the month of November. For those of you who are not aware of NaNoWriMo, they offer both an adult challenge and a Young Writer's Program which is open to everyone. Young writers set their own minimum word count and then calculate the average number of words that must be written everyday to stay on track. Halima did a general outline for her book, but just let the story develop as her imagination ran wild. (So far, I have managed to write a couple of "interesting" short stories, but my NaNoWriMo claim to fame thus far has been editing Halima's upcoming release, The Adventures of Riley.) Being her teacher and her mom, the thing that impressed me the most about Halima has been her commitment and determination to finish the challenge. She wrote almost everyday in November. When "it just wasn't flowing", my budding author would take a break from her writing to re-group. Often after a day or two, she would jump right back in making up for lost time.

As we finalize Riley, we are also looking forward to completing a picture book collaboration. Halima has entered a few writing contests this school year and scribbles in her journal "just for fun". I am taking some cues from Halima in my approach to writing. Maybe you will, too?

 Lesson #1: Read. Read what you like. Read a lot of it. Read for education, vocation, and pure enjoyment. Whatever, the reason, read. It will make you a better writer. 

Lesson #2: Write. Write down your thoughts. Write when you are inspired. Write when you must. Write when you don't have to. Find a reason to keep your pen to the paper. Keep a journal, start a blog, or even write articles, short stories, or poems. Write for work or academic purposes. Turn off your internal editor and let the words flow. Just keep writing. The more you write, the better you will get.

Lesson #3: Be Doggedly Determined. Make a commitment to finish what you start. Set goals. Meet your own deadlines. Allow yourself time and space to re-group when your muse doesn't show up, or life shows up in its place. If you believe in a project, see it through to the end --no matter what.

Keep your pen to the paper! Remember, inspiration is everywhere...

The Writer's Block Top 10 Interviews

Why even do interviews?

Interviews serve many purposes. They afford you a way to tell people who you are, what you do, what you think, how to connect with you, and where to find your product or service. These are all critical components of your platform or brand. If people want to know more about you, an easy way is to do an interview and provide the link on your website, blog, or as part of your media kit.

Why do some posts get more hits than others?

My experience with the interviewees I have worked with up to this point tells me that (1) they have a good product, and (2) they promote it with social media presence and tools that they USE actively (website, blog, Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Goodreads, email lists, etc.).

What are some other ways that I can build and expand my platform?

Hone your craft. Increase your involvement in online groups and social media. Make it easier for people to find you on the web. Be a guest blogger. Participate in forums. Start a blog and post at least once a week consistently. Focus on sharing information as opposed to just selling your latest creation. Building a platform is a marathon, not a sprint.

Are there any sites I can visit to learn more?

Here are a few that I have found especially helpful:

The Writer's Guide to Twitter by Debbie Ridpath Ohi

My Name Is Not Bob by Robert Lee Brewer

Rachelle Gardner by Literary Agent Rachelle Gardner


So, who are the top 10 interviews on The Writer's Block?

As of April 19, 2012, 9:56 am, here are the most popular posts! These talented people offer great advice and share intriguing stories about their journeys through the literary and creative worlds. Read one. Read them all. Share with a friend. Leave a comment. My hope is that you will learn something new, make a connection, and be inspired to keep reaching for your aspirations, no matter how big or small.

Joey Pinkney

Joyeeta Neogi

Debbie Ridpath Ohi

Kerry G. Johnson

Dianne de Las Casas

Braxton Cosby

Raychelle Muhammad

Melissa Foster

Katherine McCaughan

Damir Fonovich

Feel free to browse the archives for more interviews, articles, guest bloggers, book reviews, and artwork. Who would you like to see interviewed on The Writer's Block? Maybe you would like to share your work? Perhaps you would like to be a guest blogger? Would you like your children's book reviewed?


Keep your pen to the paper! Remember, inspiration is everywhere...

The Writer's Block Interviews: Tamara Ramsay

1) Tell us how you became an artist/illustrator?

The earliest memory I have of drawing anything I was about 4 years old growing up on the island of Barbados. I got the great idea to start defacing my grandmother's walls (in the veranda, mind you, where it was in plain view and the first thing guests saw as they entered the house). Of course, that did not blow over too well with my grandma, but the upside of it is my mom decided to start giving me some of her paper sheets (which were reserved for the typewriter). Then I could draw without getting in trouble. This inspired me to just doodle away day in and day out.


That was really the development of my love for art. When I graduated from high school I immediately enrolled in the Graphic Design program at the Barbados Community College. It was actually the only program besides Fine Arts that was being offered with the closest relevance to what I wanted to do which was illustration. Afterward,s I went on to study in the United States, where I enrolled in a Game Art and Design program – shortly after graduation I started freelancing: creating artwork for comics, video games and books.



2) Do you specialize in any particular medium? Describe your style.

I would definitely refer to myself as a digital artist first and foremost. This was more of a choice of efficiency when creating artwork.  I do use almost exclusively pencil and ink when drawing traditionally as a result of my first major influences being comic books!

I’d call my art style crisp, classical, gestural, and colorful. It often reflects a marriage of Western comic art styles and Japanese manga. I place emphasis on human form quite a bit and am very focused on line art. I tend to experiment with the language and weights of line more than anything in my illustrations.

3) Where do you live and work?

I live in San Francisco and work as an artist at a company called Ngmoco creating next gen mobile games.



4) Who or what inspires you?

Wow! Where do I start?

I was always inspired by comics all of kinds. I created and collected a lot of them growing up: X-Men, Sonic the Hedgehog to name a few. Video games were also a HUGE inspiration. I would say one of my absolute biggest. It was really a life changing point for me when I got my first video game system, the Nintendo, when I was 9 years old. There was something so inspiring about seeing the art become movable and interactive, and it was that marriage of technology with art that compelled me most to seek out how I could jump into art as a career.

Books were also a big influence I read a lot as a child. My uncle used to take me to the library when I was a little girl and I would go nuts looking through as many books as I could- what used to be picture books when I was a kid, like Noddy and Peter Rabbit turned into my collection of art collectives like the Spectrum Series and D’Artiste.

My family and friends are also a big inspiration. Also, people like Brian Froud, Stan Lee,Akira Toriyama, Hiroaki Samura, Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey, and Frank Frazetta are, too. I’m also very intrigued by old cities, architecture, and tribal cultures. 

5) What was your first illustration job?

A short job creating character art for a cool whimsical game.

I used to frequent forums in search of teams that were creating projects, they weren’t paid but it was just for the sake of collaboration. Well, it turned out the lead of the team I was working with had a dad who was contemplating starting his own company and actually thought I was talented enough to pay!

That was the first time I learned about contracts, terms and all the stuff that goes with it! Was a great experience, I created the first concepts for the main characters of his title.



6) How do you promote your work? What strategies work best for you?

Self-promotion is actually relatively new for me. My current project Kyooms marks the first time I’ve started putting myself out there for all to see. Before, I just hosted samples of my art on my personal portfolio site and asked individuals I was interested in working with to visit.

I’ve recently started using sites like Kickstarter to try promoting, as well as Facebook and Google ads and Twitter.

I've also joined relative meetups here in San Francisco and groups on sites like LinkedIn.

I honestly haven't really been doing it long enough to truly say which works best, so far it still seems to be word of mouth or me directly contacting someone about my work seems to be the winner.



7) What is the Kyooms Project?

Kyooms is a series of character-based artwork that incorporates positive and inspirational messages.

I wanted to create art that adults could give to kids in the form of room décor. That way kids are exposed to positive messages simply by being in their rooms.

Kyooms also has a series of postcards. With Kyooms, it’s all about the value of sharing positive affirmations.

The project is currently in fundraising mode here www.kyooms.com or http://kck.st/AyZLZ1 ,with just a few days left to go and over 20 people backing the project so far in trying to reach the $4500 goal.

8) What is your definition of success as an artist?

Becoming enough of an artistic influence to help change people's perceptions and make the world a better place.



9) What do you plan to accomplish in 2012?

I’d like to launch my first online store in July, and the Kyooms story book which I started writing in late 2011.

By October I’d like to partner with charities to distribute some of my artwork to children.



Artist Bio

Tamara Ramsay, is a Barbadian illustrator currently living in San Francisco. She brings a wide variety of art influences and backgrounds from comics, children's books, and video games. Her goal is to find unique ways in marrying technology, art, and cause to help change the world for the better. Her newest project launches in July at www.kyooms.com.

Twitter: twitter.com/kyooms

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kyooms/178259445590909

6 Reasons Authors Self-Publish by Rachelle Gardner

Here is a great post by literary agent Rachelle Gardner that sums up the benefits of self-publishing. Enjoy!

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On the heels of our lively debate the other day on my post “6 Reasons Authors Still Want Publishers,” today let’s look at the other side of the coin. Many of you are still trying to decide which path is right for you — or if maybe some combination of both might work. So hopefully these posts and the discussions in the comments will be helpful.

So here are six reasons writers choose self publishing:

1. To supplement an established writing career.

As we talked about a couple of weeks ago in our series on making a living as a writer, it’s a lot of work to be a full-time writer and be able to make a good income. These days many full time writers with traditional publishing contracts are self-publishing both new books and their backlist as a way to supplement their income and keep their work out there in front of readers, growing and expanding their platform and audience.
 

2. To revive a flagging traditional-publishing career.

Some writers get the bad news that their publisher doesn’t want to do a new contract with them. But they’re still writers and they already have experience with the whole process, from writing to editing to marketing. While this situation used to mean a writer was basically finished, nowadays self-publishing opens up whole new horizons.

3. They’d like a bigger piece of the pie.

Most self-publishing deals will pay anywhere from 30% to 70% royalties, which is much higher than traditional publishers pay. Of course, they don’t have nearly the investment or do nearly the work of the traditional publishers; nevertheless, many writers prefer to do the work themselves in exchange for a higher royalty.

4. They have the time, skills, and the money to do it well.

Some people have an entrepreneurial spirit and the ability to be a good business person and a great marketer. Not everyone has these skills, but they’re pretty much a necessity for self-publishing. Some people are writing to a niche audience and they have the ability to reach this audience on their own without the help of a publisher — another good reason to choose self-pub. The ability to cover the upfront cost is also a big plus if you’re considering self-pub.

5. Frustration

Some people can’t get the attention of agents and publishers; or if they are, they’re getting rejections. This is a very frustrating place to be — and even very good books get passed over simply because of the huge numbers of books that are being pitched. Many writers get fed up with the “system” and decide to go it alone.

6. Freedom

In self-publishing, you don’t have to listen to anyone’s vision for your book but your own. You get to choose your cover, your title, and everything about your book. You don’t have to wait years to be noticed; you do not have to wait a year or two for your book release after the decision is made to publish it. You set your own pace, answer to yourself, and take responsibility for your own success or failure.

What other reasons might lead you to pursue self publishing?

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Read the original post on Rachelle's blog: http://www.rachellegardner.com/2012/04/6-reasons-authors-self-publish/

Keep your pen to the paper! Remember, inspiration is everywhere...

The Writer's Block Interviews: Natasha Yim

1) Tell us a bit about who you are, and where you live and work.

I’m a children’s book author, freelance writer, and playwright. My first picture book, Otto’s Rainy Day, was published in 2000 by Charlesbridge Publishing. It was a Kids’ Pick of the Lists for that year. Cixi, The Dragon Empress, a picture book biography, was just released in October 2011 by Goosebottom Books. I have also written articles for adult magazines such as Vibrant Life, AsiaPacific, and Mendocino Arts as well as the children’s magazines, Highlights for Children, Appleseeds, and Faces. My ten-minute plays have been performed in venues around Northern California; Los Angeles; and Sydney, Australia. I live and work in Ukiah, a small town in Northern California.


2) Describe your journey to becoming an author.

My first love of writing came after receiving a creative writing assignment in my 7th grade English class. I've loved writing ever since and have wanted to be a writer since I was 11 years old. Throughout my teen years, I kept various journals where I wrote not only about my daily life, but poems and short stories. I attended Dominican College (now University) in San Rafael, California, a small liberal arts college. I started out with a Psychology major, but after a few creative writing classes, changed my major to English Literature with a Writing Emphasis to pursue my love of writing. But acknowledging that writing itself may not pay the bills unless one is as prolific as Stephen King, I then went on to attain a Masters Degree in Counseling Psychology, also from Dominican College. After college I worked professionally as a counselor and social worker, and wrote when time allowed. I began with non-fiction articles for adult magazines such as Vibrant Life, AsiaPacific, and UnchARTed. However, I worked primarily with children in group homes, foster homes and through my work with Child Protective Services, and in the mid-1990s, children's stories started coming to me. One stormy, rainy afternoon, I thought of the story of a little boy called Otto, and my first published book Otto's Rainy Day was born. I submitted the manuscript to Charlesbridge Publishing. A year later, they contacted me and told me they were interested in publishing the book. I was ecstatic! It took another year to sign on the illustrator, and it was finally published 3 years after they accepted my manuscript.


3) What kinds of books do you write? Who is your ideal reader?

I write children's books. At one point, I thought that some day I would write an adult book, but have discovered that I actually have zero interest in writing for adults, so I think I'll be writing for kids for the rest of my career. I've written primarily picture books, but I am interested in writing for an older audience, and I have a couple of middle grade/young adult stories in mind. Right now, I've been working on outlining a middle grade novel.

4) Tell us about Cixi, The Dragon Empress? How was the concept conceived and how did you come to write it?

Most of the time, a writer writes a manuscript then submits it to publishers. Cixi, The Dragon Empress was an entirely different process because the publisher, Goosebottom Books (www.goosebottombooks.com), a small, independent press that was established in 2010, has a very different approach. They publish biographies of powerful women in history that cover a span of countries as well as timelines. Their first series, The Thinking Girl's Treasury of Real Princesses featured 6 women in history such as Hatshepsut of Egypt, Isabella of Castille, and Sorghatani of Mongolia (the mother of Kublai Khan). The books in this series were all written by the publisher Shirin Yim Bridges who is the author of The Umbrella Queen (GreenWillow Books), and the Jack Ezra Keats award winner Ruby's Wish (Chronicle Books). However, for the second series Goosebottom Books wanted each book to be written by a different author so the publisher and editor (Amy Novesky, former editor of Chronicle Books) put out a call for submissions. They asked for a 1,000 word sample. I sent mine in, and was one of 6 writers chosen for the series. The publisher came up with the theme and title for the second series: The Thinking Girl's Treasury of Dastardly Dames, and she and editor Amy Novesky decided on the 6 women in history they wanted to feature: Cleopatra, Agrippina, Mary Tudor, Catherine de Medici, Marie Antoinette, and Cixi, The Dragon Empress. The writers were asked for their 1st and 2nd choices. Cixi was my first choice because in the last few years, I had become more interested in my cultural roots and my writing has reflected that. I was also very much interested in Chinese history because I did not study it in school (I went to an English high school in Hong Kong and we studied mainly European history). I was really glad to have been able to work on Cixi. The research was fascinating. She was a complex woman living in a male-dominated culture, society, and time period, but manipulated her way to becoming and remaining the most powerful person in China.


5) What other titles have you penned?

Otto's Rainy Day (Charlesbridge Publishing) was my first published picture book. My picture book biography Sacajawea of the Shoshone will be released in October 2012, and Charlesbridge Publishing will be publishing my picture book Goldy Luck and the Three Chans, a multicultural twist on the Goldilocks story in January 2014.


6) Who are your favorite authors? What is on your reading list right now?

I like the classic authors like Jane Austen, John Steinbeck, and William Faulkner. I'm also a great admirer of John Irving's works, and Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird is my all-time favorite book. Currently, I'm reading a lot of middle-grade and YA fiction because that's where my interests lie in terms of my writing. I love the Harry Potter series by JK Rowling, the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan, the Confessions of Georgia Nicolson series by Louise Rennison, and I'm currently reading the Bloody Jack series by L.A. Meyer (there are 10 in the series—so far). I've just finished book #8: The Wake of the Lorelei Lee. It's a fantastic historical, adventure series with a great voice. The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins is also on my to-read list.


7) How do you promote your work? What methods have worked best for you?

Promotion and marketing is still hit and miss for me. It's difficult to assess what is truly effective and what isn't in terms of book sales because there is no concrete way to track this and relate it back to your promotional efforts. For Cixi, The Dragon Empress, I did a blog tour through World of Ink tours; two book launches—one in my hometown and one in the San Francisco Bay Area; school visits and book events around Northern California, two interviews on BlogTalk radio as well as online and print interviews. I attended professional conferences such as the ALA (American Library Association) and the CRA (California Reading Association) and writing conferences where I could display, sell and sign my books. I also attended a Chinese New Year event hosted by Families with Children from China Northern California. Sometimes I sell a dozen books at an event, sometimes 1 or 2, so it's hard to tell what, if anything, draws more of a crowd than the other. I continue to look for ways to attain some exposure for myself and my books such as this interview. I also have a website: www.natashayim.com; a blog: www.imustbeamasochist.blogspot.com which recently was awarded a Sunshine Blogs award; two Facebook pages, an author page: www.facebook.com/natashayim.author and a Cixi, The Dragon Empress page: www.facebook.com/cixithedragonempress; and Twitter: www.twitter.com/natashayim.

8) What are your upcoming plans for 2012?

My new picture book biography for Goosebottom Books, Sacajawea of the Shoshone, is coming out in the fall, so I'm beginning to brainstorm ideas for promotion and marketing, book readings and signings etc. I have a ten-minute play in production at Mendocino Community College's New Plays Festival in May, and I'm currently writing a children's play based on the Thinking Girl's Treasury of Dastardly Dames series, a middle-grade novel, and re-working a picture book. I also have a full length play idea I want to flesh out into a script, but am not sure if it'll come to fruition this year.


9) What is your definition of success as an author?

It's interesting that you should ask me that because my friend novelist Jody Gehrman and I were just talking about this last month. It seems that the yardstick keeps moving up. First, you feel you've arrived as an author if you get something published, then if you get more than one book published, then if you actually make a living as a writer etc. You can read my blog post on this subject here: http://www.imustbeamasochist.blogspot.com/2012/03/monday-musingswhat-does-it-take-to-be.html

But all musings aside, this is such a competitive business and it's quite challenging to get your work published and noticed in the first place that I consider every byline, every publication a success whether it comes with monetary compensation or not. We have to celebrate the little things in life. And I'm so appreciative and grateful to have the editors I've worked with, my agent, my writer's group, and my writing friends critiquing my work, giving me advice and helping me shape my stories into something publishable.


10) What advice would you offer to aspiring authors?

Never give up. Goldy Luck and The Three Chans went through several rejections, four editors, an offer of publication followed by a cancelled contract when Random House decided to close down Tricycle Press, the imprint that had offered me the contract in the first place before it found a home with Charlesbridge Publishing. By the time it comes out in print, it would have been a nine year journey for this story. And keep working on other projects. You can't let rejections derail you. It's all part of the process. And you can't mope around waiting impatiently for editors and agents to get back to you. It'll drive you insane. So you have to work on other projects while your manuscript is making its submission circuit.


Author Bio

Natasha Yim is an author, freelance writer, and playwright. Her picture book, Otto's Rainy Day (Charlesbridge Publishing) was a Kids' Pick of the Lists selection. She has published articles in Highlights for Children, Appleseeds, and Faces magazines, and her ten-minute plays have been performed in venues around Northern California, Los Angeles, and Sydney, Australia. Her picture book biography, Cixi, The Dragon Empress, was released by Goosebottom Books (www.goosebottombooks.com) in fall 2011. Natasha’s upcoming books, Sacajawea of the Shoshone (Goosebottom Books) is due out in fall 2012, and Goldy Luck and the Three Chans (Charlesbridge Publishing) is slated for a January 2014 release.


Contact Natasha

Website: www.natashayim.com

Blog: www.imustbeamasochist.blogspot.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/natashayim.author
                   www.facebook.com/cixithedragonempress

Twitter: www.twitter.com/natashayim

The Writer's Block Interviews: Stephanie Rodriguez

1) Tell us a bit about who you are, and where you live and work.

My name is Stephanie Rodriguez and I am a freelance illustrator and painter living in Miami, FL. I work in my home studio with my three crazy dogs Gaspard, Leo and Chi-Chi. I have had the opportunity to work with over one hundred books and magazines from all over the world in many different genres from horror to children’s art. Currently, I am focusing on more projects for the children's book field.


2) Describe your journey to becoming an illustrator.

Ever since I was a little girl growing up in Queens, NY, I would spend hours drawing my favorite characters from the books that I read. With the encouragement of my mom, I began to pursue my career in art when accepted into New York City's Fiorello La Guardia high school of art and performing arts. It was here that I decided to become an illustrator. I went on to study illustration at FIT (The Fashion Institute of Technology) where I began to develop a technique influenced by children’s book art with the inspiration of artists Alice and Martin Provensen, Arthur Rackham and Howard Pyle. When I graduated with my BFA in Illustration in 2002, I moved to Miami, FL with my husband. It was then that I began my freelance career. I started illustrating for all kinds of magazines and book companies.


3) Describe your body of work. Which have been some of your most meaningful projects?

Since I started illustrating, I have had the opportunity to create many different kinds of illustrations using different mediums and techniques including pen and ink, oil paint, watercolor and color pencil. I think the most memorable projects have been the ones for the children’s book market because I enjoy creating whimsical art for kids; especially if it has a musical theme or historical reference. One of my favorite projects was for Music K-8, a magazine for elementary music teachers. The assignment was to draw a group of “Jazz” cats jamming together.

4) Tell us about your current projects.

Currently, I am working on a few different projects. Some are assignments and others are projects I am working on for my portfolio. I just completed a cover illustration for Plank Road Publishing's Halloween song collection called "MWA HA HA And Other Monstrous Favorites". The assignment was to draw a group of classic monsters singing together in a chorus. It was a lot of fun for me to draw because I had the chance to create a whimsical Dracula, Frankenstein and Wolfboy. The other project was fora horror/sci-fi magazine called Revelation. The assignment was to illustrate five black and white interior illustrations as well as a cover, which I illustrated in pen and ink. I am also working on a new series of pen and inks that are illustrations from my favorite classic novels such as Wuthering Heights and Frankenstein. I like to work on a variety of different projects simultaneously.


5) Who are your favorite illustrators?

I enjoy the classic illustrations of Howard Pyle and Arthur Rackham.


6) How does an illustrator go about getting work? What methods have worked best for you?

There are a various ways that illustrators go about getting work. The ones that have worked the best for me have been a combination of mailing out portfolios as well as emailing. Another technique that works well is follow-up postcards after the initial mailing to remind the art directors about your work. You have to be persistent and professional.

7) Where do you find inspiration? Describe your creative process.

I find much of my inspiration from music and books. I also collect a lot of reference which consists mainly of photos of people that inspire me like writer Oscar Wilde and musicians Chet Baker and Yngwie Malmsteen.

I like to play some music while I start sketching out ideas and this really helps me to get my creative juices flowing. I create many rough sketches before the final drawing on tracing paper. I like to work out the drawing until I am satisfied with it. The drawing to me is the most important part of the process.


8) What is your definition of success?

I think success isn't about being famous but truly loving what you do and knowing that people appreciate the work you do.


9) What advice would you offer to aspiring illustrators?

The illustration market is rough, you have to be knowledgeable and professional. You need to research the market you are interested in working for thoroughly and create a portfolio that best represents you. Most of all be true to yourself and your work will speak for you.



Author Bio

Stephanie Rodriguez is an award-winning illustrator from Miami, FL. Creating art and sharing the beauty of it is her passion in life. Stephanie has experience working with many companies from around the world some including Plank Road Publishing, Arté Publico Press, Aurealis Australian Science Fiction and The Artist and Graphic Designer’s Marketplace. Currently she is working on developing a portfolio for the children’s book market.



Website and Blog Links:

http://stephanierodriguezart.com

http://stephanierodriguezillustration.com

http://illustrationstephanierodriguez.blogspot.com/

Great Blogs for Authors and Illustrators!

There is a lot of great information about the world of publishing in cyberspace if you know where to look. I would like to make your quest for knowledge a bit easier, so I am sharing a couple of blogs that I find extremely valuable. Feel free to add to this list in the comments below!

Inkygirl by Debbie Ohi http://inkygirl.com/

My Name Is Not Bob by Robert Lee Brewer http://robertleebrewer.blogspot.com/

Literary Agent Rachelle Gardner http://www.rachellegardner.com/

Raychelle Writes by Raychelle Muhammad http://www.Raychelle-Writes.blogspot.com (I hear this one is pretty good. :) )

Keep your pen to the paper! Remember, inspiration is everywhere...

The Writer's Block Interviews: J.R. Nova

1.Tell us a bit about yourself and where you live and work.

I'm twenty-five and live in Iowa along the scenic Mississippi River. I have held various odd jobs, mostly in the grocery business. There's nothing special there except that it has given me many opportunities to get to know people, what they think, why, and how that effects their actions—and I feel this translates to my writing. A small town grocery store is a wonderful psychology experiment.

I'm self taught in just about all of my interests. I enjoy playing guitar, meditating, practicing Yoga and running. I'm fairly balanced as far as my interests outside of writing go. I have what I think is a profound joy for life.

I consider myself to be spiritual and mystical, and this effects just about everything I do, including my writing.


2.Describe your journey to becoming a writer/author.

I had an experience in first grade that had a profound effect on what I would later become. My teacher (we lived in Germany at the time) had made small, blank books from construction paper, cardboard and wallpaper, and let us fill them in. I teamed up with a classmate,writing out the story of a young girl who goes to the zoo, and my friend illustrated it. It's one of my fondest school memories, and though I no longer have the book I made, the memory stuck with me and writing was something I always related to, even though I didn't actually write anything on my own until a few years later.

Reading Lloyd Alexander's The High King in fourth grade was another pivotal moment for me. It was the first book I remember reading that affected me personally, and it was definitely the first thing I had read that made me want to read outside the classroom.

I wrote poetry in my early teens, and I began writing fiction when I was sixteen. I eventually quit poetry, but stuck with my stories. At one point I thought I would become rich and famous and that this would happen quickly, but I've since tempered my expectations and have worked harder at crafting a good tale than hoping to be the next Stephen King.


3.Do you gravitate toward specific genres in your writing?

I enjoy writing speculative fiction and fantasy set in more or less modern locations. I enjoy mixing magic with technology, the past with the future, history with the present. I enjoy asking deep “what if”questions and seeing what answers the characters give me.

In my fiction I have no qualms about being perceived as a genre writer.To me my mission is to write what others will enjoy, and many people enjoy a fast-paced, action-filled and suspenseful story. It's what I enjoy reading and it's what I hope to be successful writing, though I have a tendency to throw in deeper subject matter.

I'm also drawn to writing about spiritual and philosophical topics, like“awareness” and meditation. Even more so than being a published fiction author, I want to some day be a publishing nonfiction author.It is a greater challenge for me to actually address truths on the page than to merely show these truths through unreal characters.


4.Tell us about your novel, Rising.Where can readers find it?

I took a break from writing in 2011, taking more time off than I had since before I was sixteen, and it apparently did me much good,because in November I woke up one morning with the idea to Rising and wrote the rough draft in two weeks. I split that draft up, saving the second half for the second book, Sacrifice (unpublished), and went to work on rewriting, revising, and editing the first half, which has become Rising.

Rising is about a young witch, Clara Blackstone, who is searching for a man named Maximus Czar, a former general who had caused much chaos and pain throughout the sector (their name for “country”). After losing her family to his war, and having grown up under the tutelage of a great and powerful witch, Clara sets off to make Czar pay for what he's done, only to find out that Czar is not yet finished.

Clara finds and befriends a boy named Zen Mar, and together they must uncover and foil Czar's evil plans, or risk being destroyed, along with the rest of the world.

Currently, Rising is sold on Smashwords and Amazon as ebooks, but I hope to bring out a paperback through Createspace within the next month or two.


5.Who are your favorite authors? What is on your reading list right now?

I have many favorite authors, but if I were trapped on a desert island(or in deep space) and had only a few books to read, I would hope they were written by Michael Crichton or Frank Herbert. Then I don't think I could go wrong.

Right now I have a stack of a dozen used library books waiting to be read.Some Anne Rice and Colleen McCullough, who I really enjoy, and some old fantasy novels, as well as modern fiction on my Kindle by Rodney C. Johnson (his short story “Light and Fire”) and A. L. Tyler(her novel Arrival of the Traveler), just to name a couple. I'm also working my way through Lord of the Rings again.

Trying to edit my novel and read at the same time was impossible. I've probably read more in the last two months than I have in the previous year, yet it was the same twenty-four chapters over and over again.I'm glad to be able to read something else for a change!


6.How do you promote your work? What methods have worked best for you?

I think “making it” in writing is a mix of luck and word of mouth.I'm hoping to get my novel into as many hands as I can, and hope that people will enjoy it enough to recommend it to their friends, but I don't see how I can force this process.

Because of that I'm taking a long-term approach to marketing. I agree with the idea that my next book is my best marketing tool. What will happen will happen, but I've got to stay focused on what is important: writing.

I do my best to let people know I have a book, that they can buy it,without being an obnoxious spammer. I want readers to be aware of my stories, yet also appreciate my online presence.

Being diverse in marketing is a writer's greatest advantage, and it's what I hope to accomplish with my blog, my Facebook and Google+ pages,interviews and guest posts, as well as my stories. I can be a bit shy about self promotion, but I ignore whatever fear or doubt I have and dive in.


7.What are your upcoming plans for 2012?

I'm in a fortunate situation right now to have a bit of time to write and market myself, and I intend to take advantage of it the best I can. I know time is something many writers don't have a lot of, and it's not something I've always had a lot of. I'm not working full time right now, and it's really freed me up to get a jump on my writing career.

This is an opportunity I cannot waste, as I've wasted similar opportunities in the past. I hope to finish and publish Sacrifice by the end of the year, as well as a nonfiction book I'm working on titled Wrapped in the Present. I have a few shorter works right now, as well, a short story and a novella, and a story that may eventually grow to be a novel at some point. If I can work hard and get each of these projects finished, I may be in a better position for 2013.


8.What is your definition of success as an author?

In the big picture, I will be successful if I can pay my bills. Anything more than that is topping on a quite delicious cake.

But every day I find small victories, things that make me feel as if everything I've done is worth it. When people compliment me on what I write or thank me for changing their worldview, it propels me forward. Success is often more abstract than tangible. I hesitate to measure it by a large contract or an award. Success is happening all the time on an individual level, in how I affect others.

I want to live, and if I can live by writing, I'll be very happy. I don't think I can ask for more out of my own life if I can live by my writing and also change people's lives.


9.What advice would you offer to aspiring authors?

For years I've dealt with perfectionism and doubt. I wish I hadn't. Maybe it was a good thing, because it kept me from publishing what now I think was junk, but at some point I know I must leave these feelings behind, or be doomed to obscurity. When I began writing again last November, I gave myself only two rules:

I would not contend with doubt.

I would not be a perfectionist.

I may not have been the most positive and upbeat person in the last few months, but I'll be surprised if I've spent more than a single minute thinking I wouldn't succeed in publishing my first novel. And that I've finally published it is proof that I've caged my former perfectionism.

I would tell any aspiring writer to do his or her best, to learn craft (grammar, punctuation, character, pacing), to work hard, but to also trust that the story is good enough when the work is done. Even if it takes four or five drafts, understand when enough is enough and take a chance.

Readers are a much better judge of our own work than we are. We see it only through our personal perspective, but we are writing for our readers,now for ourselves, and it's their personal perspective that counts, not ours.

Author Bio

"J. R. Nova is an author of speculative fiction and fantasy. He plays guitar, meditates, runs, and philosophizes. Not much else is known about him, as he lives in another dimension with his pet, Harpy."

Contact J.R.

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/authorjrnova

Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/109068641765902025825/about

Twitter: @AuthorJRNova

Blog: http://jrnova.blogspot.com/

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5804900.J_R_Nova