Wendy Martin Illustrator Extraordinaire!

Wendy Martin's art is absolutely enchanting. I adore her Art Nouveau style and her bright, beautiful colors. She does everything that I want to see in an illustration. I hope that I can one day make in a similar fashion!

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Dani: What is your favorite art style? 

Wendy: Art Nouveau specifically in the style of Mucha. You can see it in my own art. wendymartinillustration.com

Dani: If you could only choose digital or traditional art which would you choose? 

Wendy: Neither/both? I work in what I call mixed media, both traditional and digital tools. I think it’s silly to try and be a purist when it comes to your tools. After all, art is created by one’s soul, so what does it matter which materials are being used. I know some digital artists whose work is so amazing, you’d be hard-pressed to say what media they created it with.

Dani:What was your favorite freelance illustration job? 

Wendy: That’s a hard one to answer. I’ve been freelancing for over 30 years and I honestly can’t remember many jobs at this point. I think the flying sneaker I created for Kraft is up there.

Dani: Which mythical animal would you like as a pet? 

Wendy: A wyvern. They are very wise and not too big.

Dani: Do you have any advice for people who are struggling with their art? 

Wendy: Part of being an artist is the struggle. I was amazed when some of my idols admitted to having creative blocks and feelings of ineptitude at their craft. The struggle is what drives us to improve, to get better. Once we are comfortable with our art, we stop growing as an artist. Embrace the struggle. And draw all the time.

Dani: In 5 years, what do you see yourself doing? 

Wendy: I recently had to go back to the corporate 9-5 world. Health insurance – quality major medical has become a necessity until I can retire and qualify for Medicare. I’m still pursuing my art, and hope to grow my fan base enough to support a basic standard of living. Freelance pay has stagnated or even gone down from the 80s when I first began. So much so that the full time job became the only viable option if I wanted to be able to pay rent and have enough food to eat. I’m developing my own IP and will be crowd-funding it on Patreon patreon.com/wendymartin (and eventually Kickstarter.) At some point, I hope to earn enough to be able to go back to freelancing full time. So, pretty much the same as now. I think I will be doing what I do until the day I die. LOL

Follow Wendy:

Website: https://www.wendymartinillustration.com
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wendymartin
Twitter: @WendyMartinArt
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wendymartinart/

The Extraordinary Jade Johnson

Jade Johnson is a Artist, Teacher and Cartoon lover. I love how Jade always has wonderful things to say and share on social media. Her style is very cool and I love how she's constantly working to improve her craft. I'm happy to share this interview with you!

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Dani: What was your favorite illustration project?

Jade: My favorite project is usually my most recent! I’m particularly proud of my Imaginary Friend piece, made as a guest artist for Square Carousel. The theme was “extraordinary”.

Dani: Where do you find inspiration?

Jade: Inspiration strikes me in the strangest places. A nicely colored advertisement, a cute stationery pen, a funny line in a book I’m reading; they all can ignite that spark. More than anything though, my work is driven by character and story. Wanting to put them onto paper is what sees me through to the end of a project.

Dani:  I know you like cartoons. Which cartoons are your favorites?

Jade: I do love cartoons! Adventure Time, The Amazing World of Gumball, Craig of the Creek, and Bob’s Burgers are some of my favorites. They all have quirky and unpredictable storylines that keep me coming back for more. I also like Steven Universe but I’m behind. I need to catch up!

Dani:  How did you get started as a teaching artist?

Jade: Before I applied for my current position, I didn’t know what I wanted to do. I felt the draw to teach but wasn’t confident in my ability to command a classroom. Initially I’d been interested in teaching adult workshops but thought kids would be more fun and engaging, so I took the plunge. I got the job at my program, Upturn Arts, teaching 3-12 year olds and as it turns out, I love working with kids! It helps that I’m a big kid myself.

Dani: What's your favorite thing to teach?

Jade: Any type of printmaking! I taught basic foam printing techniques to my after school class and thoroughly enjoyed myself. I hope to teach block and screen printing this summer/upcoming school year.

Dani: What is your dream job?

Jade: To find a home for my children’s book We Found An Island, in which a band of researchers crash-land onto a strange island. Little do they know it was no accident! The story struck me while on a walk and has stuck with me ever since. I hope to have the dummy completed for querying soon. Wish me luck!

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Thanks again for including me, Dani! Everyone can find me on Instagram, Tumblr, Twitter, and more recently YouTube as @jadejohnsonillo. Find my portfolio at jade-johnson.com!

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Jen "Book Guru" Robinson

Today on my blog I have book blogger Jen Robinson on my blog. Jen's Twitter feed is interesting because you can tell Jen does her research when she talks about books. This research really shows when she shares her feed on her blog, except on her blog she sorts everything into subjects so books are easier to find. I love her articles. Her recent post about summer reading is great, and is a great read for parents!

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Dani: How did you get started book blogging?

Jen: I always loved reading children’s and young adult books. I also cared very much that children, those I knew and those I didn’t, would grow up with the chance to love reading. I was always talking about that (giving people copies of Jim Trelease's The Read-Aloud Handbook when they had babies, buying picture books for baby shower gifts, etc.). In late 2005 two different friends said to me, independently, “You should start a blog.” The message that I took from those suggestions was: stop talking about this and take action. So one December day I started my blog. I looked around online and connected with some of the relatively few people who were blogging about children’s books at that time, and I started reviewing books that I read. The blog took off from there.


Dani: What do you do when you aren't blogging about books?

I have a PhD in Industrial Engineering and I co-own a small software firm that sells a web-based reporting product for high-tech manufacturing companies. I also have a husband and an 8 year old daughter. So I juggle most of my time between responsibilities for my family, my work, and my blogging. When I have downtime I mostly read and exercise (often at the same time). I’m also a Boston Red Sox fan, and I like to watch baseball when I can. I live in California, and my husband and I like to go wine tasting. 


Dani: Why is reading so important for you?

I think that being a voracious reader as a child helped make me who I am today. Some of my core values were at the very least reinforced by things that I read in books. Books helped me to develop empathy and imagination. Reading many books left me with an excellent vocabulary and an ability to process information. I believe this in turn helped me to get into a good college, and to become successful professionally. I feel that reading has given me many gifts over the course of my lifetime. I blog because I want to help children accrue those same benefits.

I’m also extremely introverted, and reading is my number one way to recharge.


Dani: Describe your perfect reading area.

My favorite place to read is in a comfortable chair somewhere outside, with a view, in the shade. I once spent an entire day reading on a lounge chair on a little peninsula in Bar Harbor, Maine. I had ocean on three sides of me, and multiple books to read. It was pure bliss. In my mind, I sometimes try to go back to that spot. But these days, my backyard and a cup of tea or a glass of wine works pretty well, too.

When I was a kid I would read in a tree in our yard, and sometimes on the roof (my bedroom had a dormer window, so it was pretty easy to get out there).


Dani: How do you decide which books you are going to read?

I read a number of book-related blogs and magazines. When something catches my eye I often send myself a Kindle sample. Then I’ll periodically go through and read the samples, and decide which ones are interesting enough to read in full. I’m very picky, because my reading time is so precious, so I will stop reading anything that isn’t working for me. I do have quite a number of authors that I know I love, so I’ll read whatever new books they publish. I do a lot of my “reading” in the format of audiobooks, and I find that works especially well for series books. These days I’m reading a lot of mysteries, mixed in with some science fiction and some nonfiction.


Dani: What are your goals for the future?

My blog is in a bit of a transition at the moment - I’m reviewing fewer books, and talking more about the joy of learning in general. I think this is influenced by where my daughter is in the educational process (she’s about to finish second grade), and perhaps a bit of burnout after reviewing children’s and young adult books for 12+ years. A primary goal for me right now is making sure that my daughter continues to love reading. I’m particularly concerned that schools (AR programs and whole class novels and reading logs) sometimes quench the joy of reading, I don’t want that to happen to her. Because it’s what I do, I will be sharing the ups and downs of this process on my blog.

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Follow Jen:

Blog: http://www.GrowingBookworms.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/JensBookPage
Facebook: http://facebook.com/GrowingBookworms

Picturebooking Magic with Nick Patton

I don't know about you but I love to listen to podcasts when I draw. It's something that's not too distracting and helps improve my mood while working. I started listening to The Picturebooking Podcast when it first came out. At the time there were a few podcasts created by writers, but only Nick's (that I knew) podcast was from the perspective of an illustrator. This makes Picturebooking near and dear to my heart, because it's great when you are getting started as an illustrator to hear from other people who are in the same boat as you. Nick's podcast is insightful, creative and a ton of fun to hear! Nick isn't just awesome to listen to. His artwork is great as well. Check out his Instagram and Twitter pages to see his practice drawings and original artwork!

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Dani: What is your favorite thing about running a podcast?
Nick: My favorite thing about the podcast (by far) is getting to have in depth con
versations with picture book creators who love the craft as much as I do.

I don’t know about you, but the majority of people in my life don’t let me talk for hours about Melissa Sweet’s art or how darn funny an Aaron Reynolds story is. Not only do I get to geek out about this art form, but I get to do it with the people who created it. The whole thing just blows my mind. I’m so lucky.


Dani: How has having a podcast affected your own illustration work?

Nick: Studying and talking to professional illustrators made me want to step up my game. It made me want to toss everything I’d ever done out the window and start over. I have personally done a lot of thrashing and flailing.

For the first couple years of the podcast I’d find myself studying someone’s work and then twisting my own art to their style.

But recently I’ve been listening to some past interviews and I’m finding clarity in what Dani Jones, Ovi Nedelcu and others have told me.

Dani is all about keeping it simple. Just make stuff and show it to people.

And Ovi created his “look” out of necessity. He made sure his art fit into his whole life. This is something I’m trying to do more of. If a piece of art takes me weeks to create, it isn’t a viable way of telling stories.

I still love putting on someone else’s style, but now I just copy the art as a learning exercise … something Amy June Bates mentioned in our talk.


Dani: What is your favorite food?
Nick: Well I did the illustrations for a newly released picture book title SAM AND THE SEVEN POUND PERCH. It’s a funny story about a boy and his dream of catching a record perch. I don’t want to give to much away, but if I was Sam, the story would end with a Friday Fish Fry!

The first Friday of the month a church does a fish fry in our town. They get the perch from the local fish market and they use a recipe that was gifted to them by an old restaurant owner. It is amazing perch! And it’s where we will be this Friday night!


Dani: Do you have a favorite podcast (or podcasts)? Could you share what you learned?

Nick: My first conversation with Dan Santat, days before he won the Caldecott for BEEKLE was special. Vanessa Brantley-Newton singing on the show brings goosebumps. The playful sarcasm of Mike Lowery, the energy of Rafael López and the thoughtfulness of Antoinette Portis come to mind. Asking Peter Brown about peeing was pretty memorable, and just sitting back and listening to Will Terry talk was fun.

So many good moments that it’s hard to bring one to the top.

But if you want a show about actionable tips to break into the children’s book industry … I did an entire episode on the topic with 19 past guests!

Here is Kelly Murphy’s advice in that episode:

Determination. You have to keep telling yourself that this is important and why it’s important. Self evaluation. What are you doing and how does it work with what the publishing world is doing. Thick skin. Rejection is part of this deal. It’s part of this profession. So a thick skin is important.


Dani: Why did you start a Patreon Page?

Nick: My Patreon page is all about sustainability. Patreon allows listeners of the show to contribute a monthly amount for the content I produce.

I want to continue having these conversations and promoting this medium. The goal of the podcast is to showcase the authors and illustrators behind my favorite books. But I need the show to be sustainable.

I’ve read some marketing books and blogs. I’ve googled “how to monetize a podcast.” And I don’t feel like being a true internet marketer. It’s just not fun or interesting.

So maybe my Patreon page is just me being to lazy to truly monetize the show with ads and such. But I’d prefer to think it’s an opportunity for my listeners to support my art. It’s a simple way to give me the ability and freedom to make Picturebooking my way.


Dani: What's next for the Picturebooking Podcast?

Nick: I’m inching closer to the 100th show! And I’ve been asking a bunch of people why picture books are important. It’s going to be an inspiring podcast and it reminds me why I get up every day and work on this craft.

If you or your readers would like to answer the question and potentially be included in the 100th episode just record your answer and email it to me at nickpattonstudio@gmail.com. Please state your name in your answer … “Hi I’m Nick Patton and picture books are important to me because …”


Dani: What are your goals beyond the Picturebooking Podcast?

Nick: Four years ago, when I started the show I had this self-publishing vision. I really thought I was going to tell and share stories in some untraditional ways. But like monetizing a podcast, this self-publishing path runs headlong into internet marketing.

I’m not interested in doing everything myself. I get tired just thinking about posting on Facebook, let alone setting up an internet marketing campaign.

So my goal this year is to rebuild my portfolio, complete some “smart” dummy books and go fishing for an agent. When I catch one, we’ll have a fish fry … you’re invited!
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Follow Nick:

Podcast: http://picturebooking.libsyn.com/
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/picturebooking/posts
Twitter: @nickpattonillo
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/picturebooking/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nickpattonillustrations

Interview with Puppy Approved, Ashley Howland

I had technical difficulties with this post today! I had it all set up and ready to go, but when I went to look at the pre-scheduled post today there was no post! 😰 I do not know what happened, so I'm posting this and hoping it sticks.

When I was talking to Ashley about doing an interview I was convinced that she had done an interview with me before. I was looking through my blog to find the old interview and I found nothing. Well I found an old blog hop we did, and talked about her more than once on my blog, but there was never any interview! Well time to fix that oversight. Here is the wonderful Puppy Approved Ashley Howland!

Dani: Why did you decide to write for children?

Ashley: I’m not sure it was a decision. My brain is just wired that way. I have children, I work with children. It’s more than that though, I love to read and my favourite books have always been children’s books. They are the things memories are made from. Reading to my children has always been one to the best parts of the day. We still love to read stories together and share these adventures. I write because I love to share stories with my girls and with other children. Naturally I write for children, it’s the best way to share adventures.

Dani: I know you are a dog person, but how do you feel about cats?

Ashley: Ahh the wonderful cats. I love big cats, as in tigers, lions and cheetahs. Now the pet cat, I guess I can see why some people like cats. I just prefer dogs. Partly because my husband is allergic to cats. Mainly it’s a personality thing. The thing with dogs is they need you. They want to be with you, do things with you and be a part of your life. Most cats want you only when they need something from you. I also have issues when people let their cats roam the country without any thought for the environment. No bells, no curfew. That of course is the minority of cat owners. There are of course cats that are great pets, but unless it’s a part of the big cat family I would rather have my dogs.

Dani: What do you do when you aren't writing?

Ashley: I am a teacher, mainly Physical Education now. I teach in a primary school and have taught Science, Japanese and classroom. I have interests in digital technology and love to integrate subjects all together. I often teach through stories, it’s one of the reasons I started to write. When I’m not at work I am with my girls, often on a soccer pitch. That’s all part of being mum. I am currently coaching, but generally I just try and help as much as I can. I love to spend that time with them and their friends. Between work, the kids, the dogs (who also love soccer), and occasionally getting to the gym life is quite busy. Writing is my time out, my release and while I don’t get much time, I try to make the best of the time I have.

Dani: Who influences your work the most?

Ashley: I would have to say my daughters. They are part of all my writing. At times we have worked on ideas together. Each of them has helped develop characters, ideas and even the plots. The places we go, the things we do, our daily adventures, the books we read and the holidays we go on all form part of my writing journey. My girls also help with my editing. Before I sent any of my stories off for editing I read them to the girls. They are fantastic at finding any plot holes and helping to fix any issues. The best critics come in small bodies. They are honest and straight to the point. If they hate it they tell me, if the find it funny they laugh and if they love it they ask for more!

Dani: What's the best job you've ever had?

Ashley: That’s a hard question. There are bits of all the jobs I have had that have been amazing. As a teacher I love to work with students. It’s so incredible to see them achieve their dreams. To be a part of the growth of any person is incredible. There are aspects of teaching that are not so enjoyable, the paperwork, the data, test scores, things like that. If you can put all that aside and just focus on the development of the students then teaching is incredible.
I was also lucky enough to work with at risk youth to train Labrador retrievers as companion dogs. This job was really rewarding. The dogs were always a laugh and the students grew so much from the program. It was an incredible experience. One that has shaped me as a teacher.
I guess I have been lucky and had opportunities to work with some great people. In my spare time I have coached volleyball and now am coaching soccer. The best part about this has been the people in the clubs. That community is what makes it all worthwhile.
As for the best job – it’s all about the experiences and what you make out of all opportunities. There is no perfect job, just what you make of it.

Dani: What are you working on now?

Ashley: I have a few projects going now. I really want to get the second book in my Super Hero series published. I just need to organize the cover and the chapter illustrations. That’s job number one. Then I have books three and four in this series to edit.
As I like to keep busy I have a pirate story I need to edit and I really want to get the second book in my Not So Boring Series drafted. The first one Write Your Own Story was are fun book to put together. In this book anyone can develop their writing craft. What’s even better is in each chapter they get to focus on one story and will have something worth publishing at the end. I love hearing the stories people come up with. The second one is a travel / writing journal with a difference. I just need to get moving with it.
I have lots to work on and not much time, but that’s all part of writing. It’s my release, so I will make time when I can.

You can connect with me here:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorAshleyHowland
Obi Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Obi-the-Super-Puppy/575191985848747
Blog: http://ahowland.org/wordpress/

Dreamer, Katherine Locke

I love Katherine's Twitter feed. Kathrine is funny, interesting and just plain fun! I love how she shares her journey with her followers. She also shares some of her favorite books on her feed, so be sure to follow Kathrine! My words are failing me today, because I feel like I'm not communicating all of Kathrine's awesomeness, but believe me when I say she is awesome. 
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Dani: Why YA? 

Katherine: I love the precipice of change, liminal spaces. And adolescence is one of the best liminal spaces: you're not a child, not quite an adult. You're forming your own independent opinions about the world, but you're usually reliant on your family for basic needs. It's a really neat time in which you're growing and expanding really rapidly, but everything can feel like you're just holding your breath, waiting for real life to begin. I remember feeling that way and I love writing characters who feel that way too. The other reason is that teen readers (and really all kids) are the most open-minded about what they read. Whereas adults sometimes struggle with the types of books I write because they don't fit neatly into one category or another, teen readers just care if you're telling them a good story. I love that. 


Dani:  What are the most important aspects of your job as a writer?

Katherine: To me, the most important aspects of my job as a writer are to tell a good story, and to always be growing. First, I don't have an audience if I don't tell a good story. I'd be failing at the most basic part of being a writer! But I also want to be growing as a writer. I never want to tell the same story twice. I never want to dip my toes into the same pond. I want to learn as I go, and I want my writing to improve as I go. 

Dani:  How did you know your agent was right for you?

Katherine: I'm represented by Louise Fury at The Bent Agency. She challenges me to always be improving and leveling up with each book that I send her, which is great and definitely what I need. But I knew she was the right agent for me because I'm a flighty, anxious, dreamy sort of person/writer, and she's very grounded, no-nonsense and business-focused. She makes sure that I don't get too carried away with my emotions and that my dreams are always grounded in reality. Publishing can be a rough industry on one's emotional and mental well-being, so I appreciate that she's there to support me. 

Dani:  Do you prefer coffee or tea, and what are your thoughts on the other?

Katherine: I drink a lot of chai tea lattes. Like, a lot. It's a problem. (Says my bank account AND my kidneys.) Coffee's too acidic for me, so I end up putting tons of milk and sugar in it, and that defeats the purpose. And I do drink regular tea, especially if I'm just looking for a hot drink and not necessarily a ton of caffeine. 


Dani: What's one book you can read over and over?

Katherine: Emery Lord's Open Road Summer. I bet that comes as a surprise to people because it's a straight, contemporary YA romance but everything about that book is my catnip. I love the enemies to lovers, I love the fierce female friendship at the heart of it, and I love prickly girls in YA books. Reagan is prickly. 

Dani:  How much research do you have to put into "Girl with the Red Balloon" and "The Spy with the Red Balloon"?

Katherine: A lot of research. For GIRL, it was a lot of internet research--listening and watching interviews, movies, TV shows, using all sorts of different resources on the web to research East Berlin and the Holocaust (which I had a great deal of background knowledge in.) For SPY, I read a lot of books about Nazi science programs, the Manhattan Project, spies in WWII, parachute troops in WWII, etc. People often ask me if I research before or after, and the answer is I'm pretty much always researching. I do a surface level dive, then begin to map out and sketch out the book's main plot/conflict and characters, and that as I'm writing, I'm also reading and tweaking and researching and checking. I really like the research though. I'm a Ravenclaw through and through. 


Dani:  What's one thing that readers should know about your books? 

Katherine: Hmm, this is a hard one! I guess readers should know that I trust my readers, completely, to think and carry and question, and to be comfortable with being uncomfortable sometimes, to be open-minded and hopeful. Though my books deal with fairly dark times and topics, I like to think that they're ultimately optimistic and hopeful books. 

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Katherine Locke lives and writes in a small town outside Philadelphia, PA, with her feline overlords. She writes about that which she cannot do: ballet, time travel and magic (though not yet all in the same book.) She secretly believes most stories are fairytales in disguise. When not writing, she can be found horseback riding, tweeting, or browsing the aisles of a bookstore, buying more books than one person can reasonably read in a lifetime. The Girl with the Red Balloon was her Young Adult debut and a 2018 Sydney Taylor Honor Book. The Spy with the Red Balloon releases October 2, 2018 and is available for pre-order now. Katherine can be found online at KatherineLockeBooks.com 

Follow Kathrine:

Website: https://katherinelockebooks.com/

Twitter: @Bibliogato

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Bibliogato/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/katherinelockebooks/

Fuzzy Tiger, Benson Shum

I'm not sure where I met Benson online, but I can't resist his art! He has such a range of cute characters that he creates. My favorites include his He-Man, seahorse drawing, tiger illustrations and really anything fuzzy (which is a lot of what he does). Who am I kidding? I love them all!

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Dani: What was your education like?

Benson: I studied 2D animation at Capilano University in Vancouver, BC for 2 years, then worked locally for tv studios doing design and animation, but decided to go back to school to learn the computer side of things, and attended Sheridan College in Ontario to study Computer Animation.


Dani: How did you get started working for Disney?

Benson: It took me about 12 years to get to Disney. I got opportunities to work at various studios in TV, games, and VFX, which was amazing, as I believe every studio and friends I made and worked with got me here. In the fall of 2011, I attended an animation conference in Burbank called CTN Expo. It's an amazing conference where there are like minded artist, animators, illustrators in the industry. You can walk up to anybody and just start chatting with people that just got or getting into the industry, students, professionals and veteran artists. Disney had a booth there and was doing portfolio reviews, so I got in line. Luckily, they liked my demo reel and two months later, hired me for Wreck-it Ralph. It was pretty crazy. Luck and timing!


Dani: Do you have a favorite snack?

Benson: I love nuts! I can eat them any time, any day. That or a peanut butter sandwich, crunchy, not smooth! lol


Dani: What are some of the skills and ideas you bring from animation into your illustration?

Benson: I try to evoke emotions into my poses and story in my animation. We always try to get into the characters we animate, so I try to do the same when I'm illustrating.


Dani: What is your favorite thing to draw?

Benson: I love to draw cute animals, well every animal is cute, so just animals in general! And also diverse cultures and characters.

Dani: Where do you go from here?

Benson: I would love to keep writing, illustrating and animating and keep being creative. I get inspired by all the work I see on instagram, twitter and my colleagues. It's overwhelming, but in awe everyday.


Thanks Dani for this opportunity!

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Here are a few of my social media links:
Instagram: @bshum79

Twitter: @bshum79

Website: www.bensonshum.com

The Properly Improper Jordan J. Scavone

I met Jordan a few years ago on Facebook. It's amazing how many kidlit people I meet on social media. Anyway when I met Jordan had just released his book "Might E". Since then he's done a lot of school visits and learned a lot about the writing world. Today Jordan is here to talk about his experiences and his new book "The Mud Princess"!

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Dani: How long have you been writing?

Jordan: Technically, I wrote my first children’s book when I was 7! It is 1000% bad, and I actually still have it. It’s called “The Animals Look for Food!” and I will give you one guess what it is about. I bring it with me when I do events sometimes, and a second grader once raised her hand mid-reading of it (they asked me to read it) and said “Okay…you can stop now…” So, more or less, I’ve been writing, and interested in writing since I was able to write!


Dani:  What is the hardest thing about doing school visits?

Jordan: Setting them up and not being able to give every kid at every visit a free book. As an independent author, I have to arrange all of my school visits on my own. This means, I have to contact schools (sometimes I am lucky enough to be contacted.) So, I have to negotiate appearance fees, if the school is ordering books. At my last school visit, because it was so close to my house, I actually only took half the payment they offered, and they used the rest to order books to raffle off to the kids.


Dani:  Who is your literary hero (author or fictional character)?

Jordan: Author wise it would be Sendak, with Mo Willems as a close second. Sendak’s ability to write stories for children, while keeping adults engaged as well is incredible. He had the ability to write dark stories that dug deep into the imaginations and minds of those who read his books.


Dani: Yes or no to monsters and why?

Jordan: Yes, all the monsters all the time. I have a decent idea brewing in my brain meats for a monster story. Fictional monsters, prepare kids for the real monsters of the world, and being prepared sooner than later is the best idea.


Dani: What is your new book “The Mud Princess” about?

Jordan: The Mud Princess, is about just that, a dirty, loud, and “unproper” princess who is mocked by the other princesses in the kingdom. Georgia (The Mud Princess) is a stoically strong silent type who doesn't let the other girls get to her. When she is invited to a party, under false pretenses, by The Princess Eating Dragon, she is forced to act, and decide if she wants to help those who mocked her or let them be eaten.


Dani:  How is your work different than other books?

Jordan: One of the thing that I strive to do when I write is write books that aren’t “dumbed down” for children. I hate that phrasing, but that’s the simplest way express it. My books are long, Might-E my first book is close to 1,000 words long, and The Mud Princess is around the same length, and I don’t shy away from unfamiliar words. I use the word “gusto” in Might-E and almost every time I read it to kids they ask what that word means. Which, ultimately is what I want. I want them to ask questions like that, I want the to learn things, and I know that they will sit and listen, or sit and read the books. Very recently a friend came up to me who picked up the book about a month before and said,

“Jordan, I have an issue with you.”
“Oh?” I asked quite anxious.
“My kid won’t stop asking to read your books, I’ve read it almost every day.”
“Just almost every day?” I asked jokingly.
“Yeah, I work nights so I’m only home at bed times a few days a week, my wife reads it every other day!”
That’s what I like to think makes my books different. I don’t talk down to kids, I keep adults interested, and I’m able to keep kids coming back more for, apparently every day for over a month.

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Follow Jordan:

www.jordanjscavone.com
www.facebook.com/MightEBook
www.twitter.com/RealJScavone
www.instagram.com/RealJScavone
Might-E on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Might-E-Jordan-J-Scavone/dp/1973234416/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

Monday Coffee

I spent the whole day yesterday cleaning and rearranging my art studio. It's not finished yet (but I survived the webs and spiders that were hidden under canvases so far. I might actually be able to post pictures when I'm finished!

I'm posting today because I NEED YOUR HELP! I'm going to do an interview series on my blog and I need you to help me keep this going. I have 6 people who have agreed to do interviews, but that won't last long.

INTERVIEWS

Interview posts run on Fridays. 

- These interviews are for kidlit people only.  Board Books - YA. Graphic novels for a younger audience is okay. 

- Anyone being interviewed must have web presence. Something beyond a basic web page and may include non-private social media pages.  

- People with professional experience will be given priority. Teachers, Graphic Designers, Fine Artists, Librarians and even Parents could have an insight others might not. Having a book/art to sell helps!

- Unless a specific date is needed posts will run in the order I receive the completed interview.

- If you know someone who should be interviewed please have them contact me. I may not contact them otherwise as I have a lot of people I could ask to interview!

Send me a message if you are interested! You can email me directly with daniduckart@gmail.com. If you don't hear back from me in a week feel free to message me on any social media. 

Here are some old interviews for you to check out: https://daniduckart.blogspot.ca/search/label/Interview

Interview with Intisar Khanani

Kate Tilton has introduced me to another wonderful writer to share with you. Intisar Khanani writes Young Adult Fantasy Novels with strong female heroines. Since I'm a sucker for fantasy and awesome female protagonists I jumped at the chance to interview Intisar! "Sunbolt" is the first book in the Sunbolt Chronicles. Her new book "Memories of Ash" is out today (May 30th). Be sure to read to the end of the interview. Intisar is giving away her book on rafflecopter and you can win!

Intisar Khanani grew up a nomad and world traveler. Born in Wisconsin, she has lived in five different states as well as in Jeddah on the coast of the Red Sea. She first remembers seeing snow on a wintry street in Zurich, Switzerland, and vaguely recollects having breakfast with the orangutans at the Singapore Zoo when she was five.

Intisar currently resides in Cincinnati, Ohio, with her husband and two young daughters. Until recently, she wrote grants and developed projects to address community health and infant mortality with the Cincinnati Health Department—which was as close as she could get to saving the world. Now she focuses her time on her two passions: raising her family and writing fantasy.

Intisar’s latest projects include a companion trilogy to her debut novel Thorn, featuring a new heroine introduced in her free short story The Bone Knife … and of course, she’s hard at work on the remaining installments of The Sunbolt Chronicles."


Dani: Why YA?

Intisar: YA is where the hard questions are. Teens are getting to know their world, and they're dealing with real, deep issues in their lives. It's awesome to have the opportunity to write for an audience that is thinking about the hard things in life, that is fine with grim, or dark, or complex, but in the end also has an amazing amount of strength and hope for the future. Half the time, adult books end up having these cynical, jaded endings (especially literary books, but also fantasy). YA keeps its fire. I love that. I started reading YA as a teen, and never grew out of it. Oh, I read adult books, but at the end of the day, I come back to YA. Again and again and again. No wonder I write it!

Dani: Swords or Sorcery?

Intisar: If I have to choose, sorcery! Though I like a bit of both in my books.

Dani: Finish these thoughts:

1. Vampires are... not my idea of the ideal dinner guest.

2. If only... werewolves were real, we'd have some true champions for the protection and reintroduction of wolves into the wild.

3. Magic is... quite a bit more trouble than we muggles necessarily realize.

Dani: What's special about your work?
Intisar: I write strong heroines living in diverse worlds, and all my stories are strong in character development. While Thorn and The Bone Knife are "quieter" stories, if you will, Sunbolt is a fast-paced action-packed tale. So I guess I write different kinds of stories, but you can always count on those first three things.

Dani: What is your ultimate goal in life?

Intisar: I'm not really sure. I've got a few goals--I would love to earn a living as an author, see my children grow up to be positive forces in their own lives and in the world, and... oh, a whole host of other things!

Website: http://booksbyintisar.com
Blog: http://booksbyintisar.com/blog
Facebook: http://facebook.com/booksbyintisar
Twitter: http://twitter.com/booksbyintisar

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/booksbyintisar
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Intisar-Khanani/e/B00869D4L4/

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/intisar

Title: Sunbolt

Series: The Sunbolt Chronicles, Book One

Series Type: Serial Novella

Author: Intisar Khanani (http://booksbyintisar.com)

Cover Designer: Jenny Zemanek (http://supernaturalsnark.blogspot.com/)

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Release Date: June 17, 2013

Publisher: Purple Monkey Press

Price: US$1.99 (eBook), US$5.99 (paperback)

Synopsis:

The winding streets and narrow alleys of Karolene hide many secrets, and Hitomi is one of them. Orphaned at a young age, Hitomi has learned to hide her magical aptitude and who her parents really were. Most of all, she must conceal her role in the Shadow League, an underground movement working to undermine the powerful and corrupt Archmage Wilhelm Blackflame.

When the League gets word that Blackflame intends to detain—and execute—a leading political family, Hitomi volunteers to help the family escape. But there are more secrets at play than Hitomi’s, and much worse fates than execution. When Hitomi finds herself captured along with her charges, it will take everything she can summon to escape with her life.

Book Links:

Sunbolt:
Amazon: http://viewbook.at/Sunbolt (all marketplaces)

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sunbolt-intisar-khanani/1115656459?ean=2940016797007

Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/sunbolt

Apple iTunes: http://smarturl.it/sunboltit 

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18075001-sunbolt

Stephen Maquignon Shares His Secrets and PRIZES

I've known Stephen for a few years now. I can't remember where we met online, but we do most of our chatt..er important industry talk over Twitter. Stephen is wonderfully supportive and a fantastic guy. He is the illustrator of 11 picture books and one chapter book. You may remember his work from the last Tome dePaola award's Semi Finalists. Stephen has yet to miss a single deadline. You can visit Stephen's website here http://macquignon.wix.com/stephenmacquignon.

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Dani: What gets in the way of you creating (and how do you overcome it)?

Postcard Prize #1 

Stephen: Having a full time job! Nothing less fun than coming up with an idea or wanting to finish an illustration and realizing you need to get ready to go to work. But I have learned to manage my time by getting up early and spending time creating.

Dani: How long did it take you to find your style?

Stephen: It is an ongoing process. You never stop growing. Sometimes the changes are subtle and other times more noticeable.

Dani: If you could work on a project with any writer (alive or dead) who would it be?

Stephen: Maurice Sendak or Tomie dePaola.

Dani: Besides the Caldecott which honor or award would you like to receive?

Postcard Prize #2

Stephen: Awards are great. I would be lying if I said I didn’t care if I won an award or not, but to be truthful, I would be even happier receiving my next contract. 

Dani: Do you have any dummy advice?

Stephen: All I can say is be patient, don’t try to rush it, make sure the text is being supported by your illustrations not suffocated.

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Follow Stephen: 

Visit Stephen's Website here: http://macquignon.wix.com/stephenmacquignon-

Folow Stephen on Twitter: https://twitter.com/macquignon

@%@%@%@%@%

PRIZES!

Three people will receive a 2 post card prize pack with Stephen Macquignon's work. One of these prize packs will go to someone who has signed up to this event. The other two will go to people who complete their Dummy this month! 

Dani Jones my First Favorite

Dani Jones' name was the first one to pop into my head when I started Smart Dummies. Imagine getting started in illustration and having almost everything you need to know right at your fingertips. This is what happened to me when I first started illustrating. I found Dani Jones's blog and absorbed every bit of information I could find. Her blog helped and inspired me in my first days as she continues to today. Dani has a wonderful illustration style. I love that she does both beautiful graphic novels and picture books. 

Edit: Dani's Little Women Graphic Novel is just getting started. Read the first chapter here: littlewomengraphicnovel.com!
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Me: What was one of your biggest mistakes when you started out in illustration?

Dani: When I first started out, I had the tendency to rush into things. My attention was always divided, and I was doing about a million things at once. On one hand, this helped me a lot because I was unafraid to try new things or take risks. Ultimately though, I ended up with a lot of half-done projects and failed ventures because I would lose interest in them too quickly, or become too overwhelmed. I still try to keep that enthusiasm, but I think I’m more careful and smart about it nowadays.



Me: Where do you get your inspiration?

Dani: Everywhere. Absorbing constantly through art, movies, TV, music, books, comics, and life.

Some people look down at that stuff and say, “Don’t watch too much TV,” or, “You have to draw 15 hours a day if you want to be a serious artist.” But I think it’s the other way around for me. I actually have to carve out time to binge watch on Netflix or sit down with a novel. And to me, that’s important because liking things, absorbing things, becoming obsessed with things is what helps you find out who you want to be and what you want to create as an artist.

Me: How does your comic work influence your picture book illustration style?

Dani: I think just the sheer amount of drawing you have to do when you make comics has helped me tremendously. When I did my webcomic on a regular basis, my drawing skills skyrocketed. It also improved my pacing, expression, and storytelling.

Me: What is the most important thing that Illustrators should include in a dummy?

Dani: The most important thing a picture book dummy should do, to me, is show that you understand the relationship between pictures and words. You should not be able to have one without the other in a picture book. It should also show that you understand pacing and page turns. When you only have 32 pages, these things become immensely important to the success of the story.

Me:  Do you have any advice for those creating dummies?

Dani: Look at a lot of children’s books. Study them. Read them out loud. Understand how they are different from other media like prose novels and comic books. Learn what makes the good ones good and the bad ones bad. I think picture books are one of those things that lots of people view as simple, easy to make, or easy to figure out. There’s also a lot of preconceptions about how a picture book should look or what it should contain. As a result, many picture book dummies can be bland, generic, boring, overly sweet, pretentious, or condescending. So before you sit down to make a dummy, try to learn as much as you can, and your dummy will be a whole lot better for it.



News and links:

Dani's website and blog: http://danijones.com
Twitter: @danidraws
Instagram: @danidraws
Tumblr: http://danidraws.tumblr.com
Facebook: http://facebook.com/danidrawspage

Alison Hertz is the Doodle Queen

Alison Hertz is the fantastic organizer of Doodle Day. This event started in May of 2013. What was meant to be a one month challenge soon became a year - round event. Alison not only runs Doodle Day, but she lives it in her everyday life. She has committed herself to the daily sketch. Alison is an inspiration to hundreds of artists. Doodle Day is a safe Facebook environment for doodlers of all levels. I highly encourage you to join Doodle Day even if you don't see yourself as an artist!
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Dani: How important is it to sketch and how often should Artists sketch?

Alison: I think it is very important to sketch everyday. I started Doodle Day, an online daily drawing challenge with over 500 participating doodlers world-wide, to encourage people (not just professional artists) to draw every day. The more you draw, the more you improve your skills. Doodling before sitting down to work on an important illustration (or writing a book or even working on a business proposal) is like an athlete stretching before a workout. It warms up your hand and arm as well as getting your creative juices flowing. If you’d like to join Doodle Day (daily prompts are provided with new themes each month), click on this link:https://www.facebook.com/groups/DoodleDay/.

Dani: What is your favorite thing to draw?

Alison: My favorite things to draw are animal characters. I tend to get hung up on people having to look properly proportioned but with animals and made up creatures, I can just put together different features that I like and see what happens. When I’m not drawing animal or creature characters, though, I love to Zentangle on canvas. I do an under painting with acrylic and then add detailed patterns on top. This summer, I started getting into Hand Lettering because I see more and more picture books using it in the interior illustrations as well as on the cover.

 

Dani: What's one thing you'd like to achieve?

Alison: I’d really love to illustrate another book whether it be a picture book that I have written or someone else’s or the interior line art for a chapter book or middle grade in my current cartoony style.

Dani: Do you have any art regrets?

Alison: I guess my biggest art regret is that I didn’t take painting classes in college. I earned a double major in Architecture and City Planning for my B.ENVD and then a BFA in Toy Design so I took many drafting classes and drawing classes for presentation art, industrial design, and marketing products but I didn’t get to take painting classes until I was out of school and older. Juggling a family, volunteer work, doing school visits, hosting Doodle Day, and writing and illustrating leaves little time for painting classes but I squeeze them in anyway. I love painting and feel that I missed out on years of enjoying this form of expression.

Thumbnail Template

Dani: Share one thing you think people in Smart Dummies should know.

Alison: I think it’s important to know that when you are creating your dummy, you should start with thumbnail drawings that totally lack detail. Use blobs or geometric shapes to first establish the layout of each page and make sure you have enough scenes and perspective changes to keep the reader interested. Wait until you like the layout of the entire 32 pages before you draw any details and then just double the size of the thumbnails – maybe 2” x 2” or so which still isn’t room for much detail but enough to establish positioning of the page elements including characters and text. See attached thumbnail template I use to start laying out the scenes in a book dummy.

Ways to keep up with what Alison is working on are:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AlisonHertzAuthor

Website and Blog: www.AlisonHertz.com

Instagram: AlisonHertzDoodles

Twitter: @AlisonHertz

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Challenge

Use the thumbnail template and draw thumbnails of each of your spreads. These should be loose drawings and shouldn't take you more than a few minutes for each drawing. They only need to make sense to you! If you are working with text, then determine where the words are going now.