Summery summary

As predicted, my summer was spent dedicated to the new book that I'm illustrating. I just finished painting spread #10 out of 14. The final artwork is due in October, and as long as I keep at my slow-and-steady pace, I'll make it.

When I looked back at my journal entries for the past three months, even though it felt otherwise, I discovered I had done plenty of other things besides sit at my drawing table. I gave presentations at several libraries and teacher workshops, especially enjoying the time I was housed at a beautiful B&B in Lanesboro, MN. I had numerous "game nights" with my friend Gary and others (Dominion in all its variations is our current favorite game). My launch party for It's a Tiger! at the Red Balloon was great fun (and the book just received a starred review in School Library Journal...roar!). And like Potatoes Lauren and John, I spent a day as the "Home-Grown Author" at the Minnesota State Fair's Alphabet Forest, a very happy way to wind up the summer.

My summer vacation begins late this month when Gary and I head to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan for five days. I am very much looking forward to plenty of hiking and time spent outdoors near Lake Superior.

This summer I didn't venture too far from home, except for a weekend at the American Library Association (ALA) conference in Anaheim. Here is a photo during my session signing books at Lee & Low's booth, showing off f&gs of my upcoming fall release, Dreaming Up: A Celebration of Building.

I also signed Our School Garden! for Philip Lee's new publishing venture, Readers to Eaters. I worked in-house in publishing for many years, so it is fun when old friends and colleagues come West and I can see them.

One highlight of the summer was celebrating my mother's 90th birthday. I am fortunate that she is healthy in body and mind, and lives only five blocks away.

I traveled vicariously when my daughter went to Madagascar. She has been studying mouse lemurs with a research group at Stanford. This work culminated in the rainforest with the Stanford group teaching biochemistry to Malagasy students. Here are some Malagasy boys and the endangered Greater Bamboo Lemur (only 15 left and she saw two).

I also spent the summer developing curriculum for a new Graphic Design program I am teaching part time at my daughter's high school (my old hs). Kate is a senior this year, so I am invading her territory, but she has been most gracious about my arrival. Summer ends early here; we're already in the fourth week of school!

Summer summer summer...

I cannot believe it is Labor Day. For the most part, summer is over. In no particular order, here are some highlights of mine, some writing-related and some not.

1. My youngest graduated from high school. Definitely some tears, but also a sigh of relief that our days of K-12 education are over. She is on to be a Duck at the University of Oregon. ( As we are a Badger household, this has given rise to some conflict in terms of the impending football season.I did find myself cheering for the Ducks the other night though. It will be rough if they once again meet the Badgers in the Rose Bowl....)

2. I completed the sequel to The Compound as well as the equally painful first round of editorial revisions. I'm expecting the next batch of notes from my editor this week...

3. I got the contract for my middle grade series signed. The deadlines are wild: Book 1 due Jan 15, Book 2 draft due March 15, Book 2 final due June 15, etc. etc. Good thing I will have an empty nest.

4. My third YA novel The Raft was released August 21. We had a launch party at The Book Parlor, my local indie bookstore, and while I was in Minnesota on our family vacation, my family surprised me with this cake.

5. Another highlight was heading back to Lambeau Field for a Green Bay Packer game.

 

 

6. And I took my youngest to NYC for a couple days. I had breakfast with my agent, lunch with my editor, and saw some fabulous shows. Here we are about to head out to Sister Act.

So it was a great summer, I got a book written, and I'm onto the next season...

We'll be back next week! Until then, some advice:

A Grrrreat Publication Party

Sunday was the publication party for my brand new picture book, It's a Tiger, beautifully illustrated by Jeremy Tankard. Saint Paul's independent children's bookstore, The Red Balloon,  hosted the event. My good friend Julie Reimer did fantastic tiger face painting, attendees could make their own tiger tails (or neckties) and there was plenty of tiger cake to eat. It was a roaring success!

That's me pictured with my nephew Matt, my niece Sarah, and my four great nieces: Katelyn, Britta, Lauren, and Hannah, to whom the book is dedicated. You can check out more pictures of the event at my Facebook page. Roar!

Our Christy Hale

It was an honor to speak at the Mazza Museum Conference where I found this treasure by our own Christy Hale.

Mazza owns over 8,000 art pieces by illustrators of books for children. They have most of Steven Kellogg's collection.

If you are in Ohio, make sure to visit the museum and get a tour. The docents are very knowledgeable.     

The Secret to being a Champion

Check out this great article by Michael Wilbon about the secret to the amazing play of LeBron James in winning his first NBA championship. That's an MVP message.

http://espn.go.com/nba/playoffs/2012/story/_/id/8080433/lebron-james-read-nba-finals