Webwanderings

Sometimes my webwanderings and research for my ballet book link up with my webwanderings as a conference director. That’s how I came upon Mark Siegel’s blog posting on First Second Books blog. This is a great posting about character development. Short sweet and visual. Mark Siegel is the illustrator for the graphic novel To Dance, with the subtitle A Ballerina’s Story (Simon & Schuster/Atheneum) written by his wife Siena who danced at School of American Ballet with Balanchine. The connection is that I’m trying to pull together a group of graphic novel folks for an Illustration Academy at the 2009 conference. For info on this year’s Illustration Academy, keep your eyes on the mailbox and at NESCBWI for the conference brochure. It will be posted and mailed in Mid-February.

In other news…
1. I got a digital voice recorder for my interviews in New York. My kids want to record burps and other such bodily functions, so I’ve had to hide the recorder.
2. My lovely writing partner gave me feedback on my first chapter yesterday. I had high hopes that she would look at it and say, “Oh this is perfect don’t change a thing.” I’m glad she didn’t. The revision is a million times better.
3. We got a storm of “wintery mix” here last night and my driveway is like a skating rink. Only down hill. Eek.
4. Balanced the check book yesterday.
5. Printing images for the portfolio today.

NYC trip looming

Here is a unique idea in the world of gallery shows. “Fill in the Blanks” marries art and performance art by providing canvases, frames and lumps of clay for artists to develop over the course of the show dates. Mary Brooking of the Maine Illustrators’ collective will be one of the featured artists.

I am busy prepping for my trip to New York. The SCBWI conference does not start until Friday, the 8th but I am going early to show my portfolio to Art Directors and do research at the New York Public Library and meet up with friends and family. A week away from home! ACK! I’ve thrown myself into a whirlwind of laundry, packing, and list making. Lists for portfolio revisions, lists for what to take, lists of addresses and phone numbers, subway maps, amtrak timetables… I like traveling, love the train, and can’t wait to visit the city but I am a little nervous too.

A list:
1. Remember to breathe
2. Work on Chapter 2, Ballet
3. Revise cat montage
4. Finalize portfolio, make sure you have 2, dummy books attached
5. Pack clothing
6. Pack sketch book, traveling drawing kit.
7. Confirm appointments
8. Mapquest directions for Providence train station
9. Highlight relevant subway routes.
10. Check on subway passcard for the week
11. Society of Illustration hours?
12. Breathe.

Five things on a Saturday

1. It is amazing how normal things continue to happen even though extraordinary things dot the landscape of life. Preparing dinner, cleaning up after, walking the dog, carpooling children… these things still need to be done even though I’m staring at a contract from a lovely agent.
2. Because of snowdays and Martin Luther King Day my children will end up with only one full week of school in January. Those luck dogs. No wonder I’m behind on my blogging duties.
3. Anne Marie is right. (Of course) Just having the agent offer has given me a sense of purpose and time to create. No longer do I have to worry about where the proposal is going next or running to check my mailbox for rejections. I can concentrate on the project that is most important now and give it my full attention. I got so much done on Ballet yesterday.
4. My trip to NYC is fast approaching and I am so excited. If you are going to SCBWI-NY I hope to meet up with you. Leave me a comment. While I’m there, I’ll be able to meet with “my agent” (oooo, that sounds so sweet) and hopefully do more Ballet research at American Ballet Theatre and School of American Ballet. I’m crossing my fingers that I get to meet Angel Corella. (swoon)

5.When I get up at 5 am on a Saturday to work, my children (who refuse to get up at 7 am on school days) manage to wake up by 6:45 needing me.

Aahhh!

That is my huge sigh of relief. The Fall Folio Feast went well despite the impending storm remnants from Hurricane Noel. Chris Van Dusen gave a wonderful speech. He spoke about his experience in the illustration business and then took us on a journey of completing a page in the Mercy Watson books, by Kate DiCamillo that he illustrates. It was great getting to be a fly on the studio wall. Other people might not find paper, pallets, and paints interesting, but the audience of 35 illustrators and 12 art buyers were on the edge of their seats each time the slide changed and the illustration progressed.

A shout out to all the wonderful artists who exhibited their portfolios. I hope we all get jobs in the next year. You can find these and other artists at www.maineillustratorscollective.org click on Members! In the next couple of days, my wonderful partner in crime Leticia Plate will be posting pictures at the site as well. Check in and see the fun we had.

Another huge thank you to all the art buyers who showed up to view portfolios:
Candlewick
Tilbury Press
Islandport Press
Port City Life
Perry & Banks
Maine Reads
Curious City Books
Moo-Cow Fan Club
Portland Phoenix
Montgomery Design
Lucky Tangerine Design Studio
WGBH Boston

Next time you need an image. Skip the Stock! Go to Maine Illustrators’ Collective and hire an illustrator to create a unique solution for your communication needs.

Thanks also to Artist and Craftsman, Picture Book, Rosemont Bakery, Maine Coffee Roasters, Books Etc. and the Directory of Illustration for donating goods and services to make the event happen.

Eeeek!
That was my shriek at noticing the state of my house. Conference over. Now the real work begins.

Conference Meeting

I’m a map person. I hold on to interesting maps that arrive with the National Geographic, cool maps from the state park, road maps from Italy. I like mapquest. I use it often. I feel really comfortable with directions. I’m the kind of person who often just “knows” which way to turn.

Not yesterday. The towns inside 495 around Boston are so confusing to me. The are stacked one on top of another with old roads that snake around town squares and become new roads that are divided and disappear under underpasses and around rotaries. ACK! Even though I packed my kids for school the night before, woke up at 4:45, took my shower, got my boys to a friends house by 5:45 and left on time… I ended up at my meeting a half an hour late. I was almost in tears after calling Marilyn Salerno twice on my cell phone to be talked into her subdivision bit by bit.

Never the less, the meeting was great. We made decisions and worked well together. It is great to meet the people who give their time and expertise to help create the conference that means so much to me. I’m still learning names but…. a huge thanks to Gia, Julie, Gail Joanie, Janet, Jeanne, Pam, Dawn, Marion and of course Francine and Marilyn. (Hope I spelled them all correctly.)

I need to get through the Fall Folio Feast on November 3rd and I’ll be able to focus more on my work and SCBWI. Just an update on the Feast. We still have a few spots left for illustrators to exhibit their portfolios. Art Buyers include: Islandport Press, Tilbury House, Candlewick, Charlesbridge, Family Fun Magazine, Portland Phoenix, WGBH Boston, and many other wonderful designers and art directors who are looking for illustrators as part of their daily work. Follow this link for more info: Fall Folio Feast.

Workshop Proposals

Okay, I know how an editor feels. I’m slogging through 65 workshop proposals and here is what I can tell you.
1. The process of creating a book, is pretty much the same from person to person. Even though your wonderful, exciting, memorable experience was unique to you, it does not necessarily make for a great workshop.
2. Craft, we need more workshops where people get to DO something instead of being talked at.
3. Illustrators. Where the heck are ya’? I know you have knowledge to share. Get out from behind your drawing tables and type out a proposal for 2009 when I’m running the show. Geez.
4. There are a few great ones. Either they are really unique or the person has amazing experience to share.
My head feels like a soaked sponge. Heavy. Fuzzy.
Must keep slogging.

5. Targeting the workshop to a specific audience and market makes it more interesting than people who say their workshop is perfect for everyone.

Down Day

So let me just clarify that I am not down, or blue, or sad. No, it is a “Down Day” because I have no deadlines or places to rush to. Today my parents are coming to visit. That means that I should be cleaning house. But since they are my parents, they will understand when they arrive and have to wade through the dog hair puppies. Therefore I am coming to post on my blog, check in with the numerous wonderful friends I have on LJ, catch up on Brotherhood 2.0, and order new illustration promotional postcards for the Fall Folio Feast and my fall mailing. I am in the waiting room on so many things but I’ll try to list them here:
Illustrated Activity to Highlights High Five
Written story to Highlights High Five
Non-fiction query and board book to agent
Numerous picture book manuscripts to various publishers.
Illustration samples to Boyd’s Mills and an Educational publisher with local author.
Conference work:
8 spaces left for the Fall Folio Feast– sign up now!
Reviewing over 65 (WOW 65!) workshop proposals for NESCBWI meeting next Friday. (Hmmm… maybe that’s what I should be doing instead of cleaning my house. Isn’t that conveeeenient.)
Here is the postcard. You get it first!

A long overdue nap

My hubby has been especially helpful this week. He is changing jobs and had some extra time at home. Time to use for vacuuming, cooking suppers, shuttling children, and baking an apple pie (good even though he forgot the sugar). It has been just wonderful. Today I actually got a nap which my body has been craving all week long. I woke up with a scene from my newest project whole in my mind and heart. A quick jump to the computer and I had the entire scene written. It was a happy dance moment full of booty wiggles and “Booyahs!”

Don’t forget to submit those workshop proposals for New England Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Conference April 11-13. Proposals are due Monday, October 1st.

Hope you like the blog makeover.

Proposals, submissions, and snowflakes, oh my!

1. NESCBWI workshop proposals are due on Oct. 1. Get ’em in! Think big, propose two workshops. Click for guidelines, rubric, and leveling continuum.

2. Robert’s Snow auction will be starting in November to benefit cancer research in memory of Grace Linn’s husband who recently died. The snowflakes for 2007 are not available for viewing yet, but I got a sneak peak at

jacques

beautiful artwork at the conference planning meeting yesterday. (I can tell you it has frogs, but if you know Laura, you probably already know that.) If you are a lesser know illustrator, I’d like to post your snowflake link, web link, and short bio here. (ie: not Lynn Munsinger, Kadir Nelson, or Bruce Degen) Leave me a comment and your contact info.

3. To-do: stop blogging, redraw dummy pages, manuscript status and resend, first two chapters of non-fiction.

4. October is the month we’ll hear about SCBWI work in progress grant applications. I’m waiting on a non-fiction proposal, anyone else?

Crazy busy.

Things have been crazy busy. I’m finally getting a minute at the computer so here’s a quick list of recent happenings.
1. The NESCBWI conference went well. I’m really glad I got to see my friends with whom I have a once-in-a-while critique group. It was great to catch up and discuss the emotional ups and downs of the publishing (or not) business. I attended a few workshops that taught me something, others were a good review of stuff I know but need to be reminded of from time to time. My paid critique went well and I am hopeful.

2. My parents are visiting and I took them to Peaks Island yesterday during the amazing weather we had. Beautiful ferry ride, fabulous meal at the Cockeyed Gull overlooking Casco Bay, nice time with family, and lot’s of walking. My face is a little pink though. Mental note to self: Use sunscreen. The sun is at summer levels now even though it is chilly.

3. My printer is freaking out on me and I would actually like it to be done for so I could have an excuse to get and Epson with waterproof ink. However, I’m afraid that all it needs is a new ink cartridge.

4. I shared the first three chapters of my WIP at my regular crit group and the work was well received. The suggestions and criticism were right on. Now I have to figure out the answers to the questions my wonderful friends asked.

5. Laundry is stacking up like you wouldn’t believe. Who am I kidding? You believe it. Your house probably looks the same.

6. My sons were in a very professional but student danced version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. They were the spiders and did a great job of looking spidery. Their teacher and director, Elizabeth Drucker, is an absolute saint (I never heard her raise her voice through out the rehersals) as well as a choreographic genius. She is able to let everyone shine and really showcase the talent and experience of each dancer at his or her own level.

7. I’m starting to look forward to summer camp when both my kids will have full day schedules and maybe I’ll eek out the time to complete some of my WIP’s.