fandoria has been sharing some of her Christmas memories, and it's inspired me to follow suit. Mine aren't as specific as hers, however.

( some memories )

What do you do for holiday traditions? Which holidays remain in your mind from childhood? What do you look forward to this year?

In January I will be running another Make Meredith Read Again Contest.  These contests are always open to published and non-published writers.  It's all the same to me.  :-D  

How to play:
Send in the first 2 pages of one of your stories.  In the subject line of your email please put Make Meredith Read Again.  Inside your email tell me your name and whether you would like your entry posted on my blog if it places as 1st, 2nd, or 3rd in the contest.

Multiple entries are welcome.

I don't critique the entries--sorry.  I will comment on why an entry placed.

The judges are me and my oldest daughter. 

The winners get super-duper retarded icons made by yours truly.   Plus, they get bragging rights!

The last time I ran my contest one of the winners snagged them an agent not long after winning.  :-)  I regret I had nothing to do with this, but still...

If you want to play in this round then spiffy them first pages up and get ready.   I'll announce the starting date soon and give you the email address for your entries.

If you find yourself contemplating writing a series, then I recommend reading FOUND with a writer's eye. Ms. Peterson starts with a Prologue: An airline employee finds an airplane full of babies, and then the airplane vanishes. The employee is told to never speak of what happened again.

The story picks up thirteen years later, with friends Chip and Jonah. Both are adopted, and each of them receives a mysterious letter. It says, YOU ARE ONE OF THE MISSING. See the series potential? Ms. Peterson can create a story for each child that was on the plane.

Chip and Jonah set out to solve the mystery, aided by Jonah's sister, Katherine. They discover a vast conspiracy that involves time travel. School Library Journal says, "Haddix's latest science fiction series starts off with a bang in this nail-biter...It will leave readers on the edge of their seats and begging for more."

On the very last page of FOUND, the kids find themselves transported to the fifteenth century. Lukily, there's a sneak peek at the next book in the series, THE MISSING, BOOK 2, SENT.

So I was asked to do a Top Twelve Songs of 2009 (which is terribly flattering, by the way. Getting told you have good taste in music is way better than being hit on in the grocery store line by a gross old guy with spots on his head, just sayin'.) Because I have to have music on to write, I . . . um . . buy . . .um . . a lot of music. So this list turned out to be more impossible than I thought. I ended up going with the most likely to be appreciated by non-crazy people list of songs, because there were far too many list otherwise.

So I got rid of the outliers (like "Duke" by Booka Shade, because unless you are into electronica, you probably won't like it)(and my editor informs me that many people are Not Into Electronica)(this entire conversation will become more relevant once LINGER comes out)("Id Engager" by Of Montreal goes into this category, as does "Anyway You Choose to Give It" by The Black Ghosts)("this category" being the "HAWT" category).

And then I tossed out the ones that I talk about all the time, in reverent tones. (that would be "Wash Away" by Matt Costa)(I lied, Matt. I still love you. The Bravery let me down so I'm happy to fall back into your arms, if you'll have me).

Then I chucked most everything that enjoyed a lot of radio play, because you guys would already know about it anyway. ("Countdown" by Jupiter One, "Oxygen" by Living Things, "Fireflies" by Owl City, and "Brand New Day" by Ryan Star).

And sadly, I got rid of the soundtrack ones that I loved to write to, figuring I'd highlight them in later posts after the relevant books came out. ("Page 47" from National Treasure and "The Blood of Cu Chulainn" by Mychael and Jeff Danna).

And finally, I got rid of ones that weren't on Youtube where you guys could listen (like the euphoric and upbeat "Koro Koro" by Matias Aguayo, the brooding, quirky "Back in Town" by Sound Team, and the mysterious and lovely "Dawel Disgyn" by The Gentle Good. And absolutely everything Celtic.)

Which leaves me with this sadly inadequate top 12.*

*And of course I must do the usual spiel which is this: if you love any of these songs, do the right thing and go out there and pay the buck for them legally so that musicians and the music industry get paid and stay in business and continue to make a musical career viable etc. etc. etc.

( LJ Cut for 12 videos which may fill some LJ'ers with rage )

That's Grandpa from Meet the Robinsons--I love that line when he screams, "Bake Those Cookies, Lucille!" and Grandma Lucille is dancing up a storm. So we've been baking like crazy the past few days. Most of these we give out as gifts:








Only problem is Little Guy has become attached to his creations and is freaking out when I put them in a festive gift container. "Those are my cookies! Don't give away my cookies!" I had to promise him we'd make another batch just for him.

Also, Big Guy thought he'd get creative this year and make misshapen monster cookies. Zombie Gingerbread Man anyone?




I sense a new holiday picture book coming on: Zombie Gingerbread Men from Outer Space. Festive, no?

Last night Steve called from work to ask if I wanted to drive up to the city for a surprise.

My response: "Will dinner be involved at some point?" (I was hungry!)

The answer was yes, so away we went!

( This is what we went to see )

My daughter has been harassing me with text messages since I got up this morning. 

They go:
Teen Drama Queen: I wnt be able to eat 2day
Me: Ur daddy gave u money last night
Teen Drama Queen: And it gone stuck it my jacket pocket and it gone
Me: That's ur problem
Teen Drama Queen: No it not if one of the little brats stole it!
Me: Leave me alone
Teen Drama Queen: Well
Teen Drama Queen: whatever. yall get on my nerves anyway

*rolls eyes*  That's me rolling my eyes at her, btw.

So this morning my Little M is Santa in his class Christmas program.  :-D  I can't wait to take lots of pictures and ooo and ahh over him.  He'll be in 1st grade next year so he might not let me do it again.  This afternoon I have a meeting.  I hate meetings.  They are so boring and pointless.  Why can't we all just communicate via email?  I mean I actually read emails.  At meetings?  When they're all, "Blah, blah, blah,"  I don't pay attention.  Droning voices put me smack dab in the middle of my WIP.  *shrugs*  I think the tone is some kind of magic spell or something.

Have a wonderful Thursday, y'all.  :-D

P.S.  Yes, I do plan on taking some money to my starving child.  Not because I'm a good mom or anything, but because I think it might be against the law to starve your kids.

Wonderful news of positive change from GLSEN (the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network)! After one year of their hard-hitting "Think Before You Speak" campaign, teens attitudes about anti-gay language have significantly shifted.

From the GLSEN website: "For instance, findings from a recent survey conducted by the Ad Council in 2008 and 2009 of teens aged 13-16 suggest that a higher percentage of teens in 2009 think that people should not say "that's so gay" for any reason (38% in 2009 vs. 28% in 2008) and a higher percentage also report "never" saying "that's so gay" when something is stupid or uncool (28% in 2009 vs. 18% in 2008).


"In the Ad Council's nearly 70-year history of creating campaigns to raise awareness and change public opinion and attitudes, we don't often see shifts of this magnitude in just over a year," said Peggy Conlon, president and CEO of the Ad Council. "We're looking forward to building on this success with a new series of PSAs and online tools that will help to further raise awareness and engage teens online."


Here is one of the videos that made the huge impact:



I adore Wanda Sykes. Just saying.

GLSEN is now started their second-year of education and awareness about the devastating effects of anti-gay hatred and language. Their website has information for parents and educators, along with all kinds of stuff you can put on your blog or website, plus polls, videos and lots more. Please take the time to check it out nd pass the word. (Thanks to School Library Journal's Extra Helping for the heads-up!)

Revision Tip #17

I keep thinking about the slightly different approaches Barry Lyga and I have to writing dialog.

I forgot to mention one part of that.

Your audience might affect your decision about how you structure dialog.

Many people are not sure who their audience is when working on the early drafts of their novel. Nothing wrong with that. But as you revise, you need to know who your reader is. The way you tell a story to olders teens will be different than the way you tell it to middle grade students. At least, I hope it would be.

My theory is that teen readers (ninth grade and above) have enough reading and life experience under their belts that they do not need as much visual action details accompanying dialog as younger readers do.

(This could also account for part of the difference between the Lyga and the Halse Anderson Schools Of Proper Dialog; Barry only writes for teens.)

The danger, of course, is that your middle grade (or younger) reader will get bored if you layer on the descriptive action with a heavy trowel.

Try this: Pull out only the action words from your dialog scene. Here's an example from a page I am working on now:

Character A speaks.
Character B gives reader visual description of Character A.
B speaks.
A reaches into sack and speaks. Hands apple to B.
B grabs apple, bites and speaks (note: he hasn't eaten for more than a day). Apple juice runs down his chin.
A removes hat, nods and speaks (introducing self)
B swallows, wipes faces on sleeve, speaks
A speaks
B speaks
A speaks
B chews and thinks
A speaks

I know - it's kind of boring to look at it that way, but by putting it under the microscope, I can make sure that the action details are an integral part of the story. They reinforce the fact that Character B is hungry, that he needs help, and that Character A might be a person he can turn to. It also balances a debt, because B helped A out of a bind in an earlier scene.

Bonus tip: since action in dialog scenes needs to be minimal and precise, it is a great opportunity to hone in on that perfect tiny detail that says volumes about the characters, setting, or conflicts at hand.

Okay, when I was feeling sorry for myself and missing Germany (which happens strongly at Christmastime), I didn't mean I was missing my old way of doing laundry. And the American clothes racks? Hello, who makes something to hang WET CLOTHES on out of WOOD? DH and son 1 are going out tonight to look at dryers before going to an event for said son. In the meantime, I have this pathetic clothes rack set up in my room right under the heating vent, which should be good, only PMB thinks it's the coolest thing EVAH, and is pulling the wet clothes off and hurling them at me as fast as he can. I could hang them in the garage, but it's cold out there. And I don't want my clothes to smell like garage. Argh.

Also. If you owe money on a student loan and have changed your phone number, PLEASE TELL THE COLLECTION AGENCY. I am very tired of telling them that no, I don't know this Owen fellow, no, I don't have another phone number for him, no, I moved here FROM ANOTHER COUNTRY and I have no idea who owned my phone number prior to getting it from the phone company. I don't know what is so hard to understand there.

In good stuff, son 2 placed third in his school spelling bee. I'm pleased to see that all of the kids who write are turning out to be good spellers. It just makes life easier. Son 2 has also started branching out in his reading. Usually it's Anthony Horowitz and NF a la Dangerous Book for Boys. Yesterday, he read (of his own choosing) Superfudge (Judy Blume) and Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life (Wendy Mass). He's also been doing independent research on Russia, just out of interest. He remarked to DH the other day that "maybe communism (pronounced com-MUN-ism) wasn't such a bad idea." Uh, yeah. Except for that whole market-falling-apart, no-civil-liberties thing. But hey, what fourth grader reads this stuff? If only we could get him to you know, sit down and do his homework. His teachers say he is really smart and knows a lot, but that it's hard to get him to write anything down. Don't we know it.

Daughter 1 is hovering, wanting me to read more Harry Potter, so I'd better book it. The smaller kids are having a lot of fun hanging and unhanging the clothes. Well, they are getting more um, air that way, right?

Hope you are all having a nice Wednesday evening.

So next week's Publisher's Weekly gives THE HALLELUJAH FLIGHT an amazing review! This high-spirited collaboration re-creates the historic flight of James Banning, the first African-American pilot to fly across the continental United States. Bildner (co-creator of the Sluggers series) chronicles this feat in the voice of Thomas Allen, Banning’s mechanic and copilot on the 1932 flight from Los Angeles to New York City. Propelled by breezy dialogue, including repeated cries of “Hallelujah!”, the story opens as Banning announces how they’ll fund the trip: those who donate food, fuel, and supplies along the way can write their names on the wings of the open-cockpit plane (“They’ll fly into the history books right along with us!”). Dubbed the Flying Hoboes by skeptical colleagues, the duo completes their mission despite such hurdles as a leaky engine pump, a fierce storm, and racial prejudice. Rendered in acrylic paint, Holyfield’s (Bessie Smith and the Night Riders) stylized paintings help this saga get off the ground effortlessly (night scenes, often lit in blue, take on the feel of movie posters). Especially uplifting is the image of the copilots saluting the sunlit Statue of Liberty from their plane, its wings crowded with signatures. Ages 5-8.

As per most things these days I keep forgetting to mention on my LJ those little important items about my life. My husband is off work for a very long time due to a knee injury. So far we're all still alive. I did yell at him yesterday to shut up because he insisted on having an in-depth conversation with our dog right behind where I sat staring hard at my WIP.

He did all the laundry in one day and night last week. All of it. I'm shocked and very impressed. I think he thought it would magically stay clean though. I started a load of jeans this morning and I guess he decided to do laundry again.

So there I was on my tummy on my bed, notebooks spread out around me, my pen stuck between my front teeth. I wrote out one line. It read:

Somewhere near 3:30 that afternoon, we landed in Memphis.

Joe came limping into my room. He picked up the hamper where I keep the dirty towels and he asked, "Is all this dirty?"

I said, "Yeah." I thought, "Hello? Like I keep the clean towels with the wet ones? Der, dude!"

He picked the hamper up then dumped the towels into the hamper on the other side of the room, which is where I keep our dirty clothes. He slammed the wet towel hamper back in its place and snapped, "We need ONE hamper. I'm sick and tired of picking up eight different hampers and carrying them around."

I rolled to my back and burst out laughing. "Seriously? You're complaining about laundry after doing it for one day?"

;-) The following weeks are going to be so much fun.

A rump pump pump:

There's a thread on Verla's right now about fanfiction and whether or not it's valuable for writers. Obviously, I can't answer for all writers, but for me, reading it has been invaluable.

So what has fanfic taught me? Well, I read HP fanfic -- and nothing else. But when I was a kid, I always made up my own fanfic stories (usually with myself inserted, btw) to put myself to sleep at night. I'd choose my current favorite book and contemplate what came next or how the story would continue to play out. I never wrote any of them down.

In college, I got hooked on the Star Trek books -- Next Generation, that is. There are a number of them which are pretty well written, and I'd read those -- especially during finals' week. I wasn't studying them, wasn't reading while contemplating why I liked them -- I just enjoyed them.

Right around the time HP7 came out, I discovered HP fanfic through sarahtales's LJ. I was fascinated, as I'd been quite ignorant of the fanfic community before then. It never occurred to me that people would sit down and write out stories about characters (other than Star Trek) from books. Since then, I've read a great variety. Some of it's meh, but some of it is very well done.

As a writer, what has it done for me? Simply this: when you know the characters (inside and out), and when the world is cemented in your mind, the only thing to focus on are the emotions, the relationships, the various reactions to situations. For someone like me (a plotter more than a character writer), I've been able to read and watch my own reactions. When I'm feeling that wonderful tightening in the chest, when I'm excited or sad or wistful -- simply because of what the characters are experiencing -- those are the stories I read over and over, trying to break it down and see how the writer pulled out that reaction from me.

I still have to work hard to accomplish something similar in my own writing, but I can see an improvement. It's not at all easy for me to be vulnerable as I write, to allow those innermost feelings of my characters to shine through -- let alone to do it in such a way which actually draws in the reader. Fanfic has made a difference, though -- I've seen how my characters are letting down their walls a bit, especially in the last two books, when I've been spending more time contemplating how these various fanfic writers do it.

Of course, as a reader, I simply enjoy the stories and the emotions I get to experience while reading them. I also learned, through sarahtales's stories, that I loved her writing, specifically. I managed to get an ARC of her first book, The Demon's Lexicon, and I loved it. This spring, her second comes out, and I'll probably pre-order it after Christmas. Cassandra Clare is another who built a huge fan base through fanfic, though I've not read any of her fanfic stuff (she took it all down -- so did Sarah, btw).

Will I ever try fanfic of my own? Probably not...it's enough work just writing the books for worlds and characters I come up with -- but I'll definitely enjoy reading more and studying more. And in my mind, where I can just let the thoughts float free without concerns about plot or character consistency, there I can write fanfic about anything and anyone ;)

What about you? Have you read or written fanfic?

Yesterday was.... let's not go into it.

Today is here and that is all that matters.

If you are still shopping for a winter holiday, read "Cheese and Crackers Never Changed Anyone's Life" and then finish your shopping at Indiebound.

There now - wasn't that simple?

Congratulations to Melissa on this WINTERGIRLS video - the project earned her a 100 in her class.

Revision Tip #16 (yes, I know it should be 15, but yesterday really was something of a mess and it's easier this way. Do you remember the "Bruce" sketch of Monty Python? Remember how there was no Rule #6? This is the same thing.)

Where was I?

Right, Revision Tip #16

Revision is the perfect time to brainstorm.

Really.

Brainstorming is not a one-and-done part of the writing process. Not the way I see it. After that messy first draft, I usually have chapters that feel empty or out-of-place. I mentioned the way I use huge sheets of paper to organize my chapters. Here is another technique.

1. Identify the critical chapters in your novel. Which are the ones that contain The Really Big Stuff?

The Really Big Stuff chapters will usually be separated by chapters in which the action unfolds in a slightly less intense way. Think of your novel as a wide river that your reader needs to cross. The RBS (Really Big Stuff) chapters are small islands in the river. The other chapters are either stepping stones or bridges that get the reader from one island to the next.

2. List the Stones & Bridges chapters, then prioritize them by how alive they feel. What is the chapter that feels the most flat - the chapter (or chapters!) you are secretly wondering if you should cut?

3. Don't cut them yet.

4. There is no Four.

5. Brainstorm as if you were starting from scratch. For each of the flat chapters, dream up ten different ways the action could unfold. Go ahead - be outrageous. I dare you. Sometimes thinking way outside the box is what you need to jolt your writer brain into clearer storytelling.

6. (Please note; there IS a Rule Six, Bruce!) Pick one of the ten and just freewrite the chapter over again. How does it help the reader understand the characters better? How does it move the story forward?

7. Rinse. Repeat. Send me questions.

Illustrator Cyd Moore has generously shared her time with us today. She has dozens of books to her credit. Her whimsical style has always been one of my favorites. You can visit her at her web site CydMoore.com.

When did you get started illustrating for children? What did you do before?

I’ve been illustrating children’s books for about 25 years. I’m also a graphic designer and worked in advertising, newspaper, and television.

You have a book planned for 2010 called Arbor Day Square. This book is about the founding of Arbor Day, right? Did you do a lot of research about the time era to get the clothing and environment correct?

I poked around in the 1800’s for weeks! Even with my wacky style, I feel that I should accurately represent the period as much as possible. I had a five inch stack of printouts with trains, store fronts, gingham and calico fabrics, dresses, school houses, toys, mules, wagons. It was fun learning more about those pioneers—they were a tough bunch!  I wonder if folks today could handle such a hard life! Above is a pic of a hard working lady from the 1800’s that was tacked on my board during this job—she was my inspiration for making the deadline! She’s pushing buffalo dung!!! She does not whine about her life—she does not expect someone else to take care of her. She is tough and strong and determined to do whatever it takes to keep her babies warm!!!! I LOVE her!

You work on a series of books for a character called Stinky Face. Can you tell us about that character? Are there more Stinky Face books planned?

Stinky Face all began with I LOVE YOU STINKY FACE, written by Lisa McCourt. I liked that it’s such a sweet story without being sentimental.  The little boy says, ‘Mama, what if I was a super smelly skunk and I smelled so back that everybody called me Stinky Face?’ She bathes him in bubble bath and sprinkles him with powder, but he still smells bad, of course. This is how he came to be known as “Stinky Face!”

I’ve been told by many parents that kids get hooked on Stinky Face and read it every night!  Hundreds of thousands of copies have been sold, so there are a lot of little ones curled up with their moms and dads reading Stinky—this makes me smile! Currently there are 5 versions of Stinky Face, including Halloween and Christmas versions. I’m working on 2 Stinky readers which will be out in July and December 2010. Stinky is growing up—he’s going to kindergarten!

What are you working on right now? Do you have any other books or art projects you’d like to talk about?

Soon, I’ll be working on a sequel for WILLOW for Sleeping Bear Press. The first WILLOW did quite well, winning lots of awards. Check out the cute site: www.willowlovesart.com.

I’m also working on another fun project for Sleeping Bear, but don’t know the title yet. Also a few magazine jobs and doing some graphic design projects.

Do you do non-children’s book art (licensing, fine art, etc.) or art just for fun? Is that art similar or different from your children’s book art?

I’ve done a lot of advertising work—McDonald’s happy meal boxes, Burger King ads, telephone book covers, etc. Also, lots of editorial work for magazines and newspapers. I enjoy painting canvases in oils and acrylics, but I don’t have much time for it. The style is rather whimsical—it’s what I do, I suppose.  Illustrating children’s books takes most of my time for many years now—I usually do 3-4 per year. I’m writing also, and developing my own projects.

Do you illustrate full time? If not, what else do you do?

Yes, full time many years. Now and then a graphic design job comes across my desk, but mostly children’s books. I feel so blessed to have a job that amuses me every single day!

I also do a lot of appearances at schools, libraries, and conferences. Meeting the kids, teachers, and parents who enjoy the books is such a treat. This is one of my favorite things about publishing—sharing my passion for art and reading with kids. The school program is really fun—lots of storytelling, art from when I was a child up to the most recent work on my drawing board. Lately I’ve been doing something a little different—Skype interviews with classrooms! These have been really fun! Just last week I was talking with a third grade class down in Atlanta, and I was sitting at my drawing table here in Michigan!

When you illustrate a picture book how do you decide what scenes and details to draw?

It’s hard to answer this question, because I don’t really ‘decide’ anything. It’s a very intuitive process—not cerebral. There is no ‘how to’ guide, but I can tell you how I eventually get there!

Everything, of course begins with the author’s text. Reading the story, I sketch and doodle any ideas that pop up—even if they are silly or bad! No editing during this phase, no filters, and nothing has to be perfect.  There definitely ARE good ideas and bad ideas, but all of them go down. The good ones keep you moving forward.

I believe this phase is necessary for any creative project. You can think and plan and scheme and fret. But until you actually move the pencil across the paper, or pick up a wad of clay, or paint brush, nothing really happens. Pushing that pencil generates concrete ideas. I spend more time during this phase than I do actually painting the books.

So, I put everything down, move it all about, taking bits and scraps from some and put them with others, and eventually it becomes a book. If I start thinking about it too much, or planning too much, I feel like I’m trudging through deep mud. PLAY is the process…play with the ideas that come—light and free and unattached. Sometimes, I’m amazed at what shows up to the party!

When illustrating picture books do you include a visual storyline not mentioned by the text or include animals or people you know?

An illustrator must follow the author’s story line of course. BUT, I believe good illustrators aren’t simply translating the author’s words. They illuminate the words—making them bigger than they were alone. Picture books don’t have many words, and kids won’t sit still for long descriptive passages. The picture book illustrator’s job is to place the story in a world, building the emotion and action. The art visually inspires little (and big) readers to take this journey for a little while. Alone, the story is the story and the art is the art. But put them together, along with editor and art director input, the book becomes something much bigger than the separate parts. The book is the art form.

Can you imagine GO DOG GO without the dog party in the tree? Or WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE without Max in his wolf suit? ALICE IN WONDERLAND is always ALICE IN WONDERLAND, but a Disney version of ALICE is a completely different world from Barry Moser’s ALICE. And I can’t wait for Tim Burton’s wild ride! The visual impact on any story is extremely powerful.

And yes, my pets and friends show up in books!

Can you explain your art process?

After all of the ideas are worked out for each page, I do a fairly tight pencil sketch of each spread at 100% scale—no color at this point. I make copies of all pages, and put them together as a dummy to send off to the publisher. After all of the sketches are approved, I transfer them to Lanaquarelle 300 lb hot press watercolor paper and paint in watercolor, gouache, and Prismacolor pencil.

Do you have a favorite color or palette?

Not consciously.

What is your favorite medium to work in? Have you always worked in this media? If not, why did you switch?

Always watercolors, gouache, Prismacolor pencils and sometimes ink for commercial jobs. It’s quick process. I LOVE to paint in oils, but I never use it for commercial jobs.

Did you always want to be an artist when you grew up?

I’m lucky that way. I always knew that I would do something in the art field. I was drawn to art therapy for a while when I was in college, but went with graphic design instead. I think children’s books can be very therapeutic!

Do you use models/source pictures or do you draw from your memory/imagination?

It really depends on the book. Most of the time, I’m just drawing out of my head. Many of my books are whimsical and silly, so imagination is the key. I use reference when I need it. The internet has made research so quick and easy. Last week, I had to draw a rainbow, and I swear I can never remember the order of the colors. I realize there is some tricky formula for this, but if I can’t remember the colors, how can I possibly remember the formula? Of course, the older I get, the less I can remember a lot of things!

If you could be anything other than an artist, what would you be?

A landscape architect or a botanist.  I became a Master Gardener last year—the program was so fun!

What gets you through an illustration when you’re stuck for inspiration?

The worst thing, of course, is to sit there and fret over it.  It helps to always be working. Taking time off away from the studio makes you rusty. As long as you’re in the room, experimenting, banging away at ideas, the rust fall away and ideas come more easily. Also, no talking about projects to others. I don’t enjoy brainstorming or sharing thoughts in the beginning. The good energy dissipates. It’s much better for me to put that energy into the project and then share the first sketches with others. Otherwise, I get too cautious, or side tracked trying to fulfill someone else’s vision.

That’s not to say I’m not open to input from editors and art directors. I’m quite excited to receive comments and suggestions after the first sketch stage. I simply mean that it’s better for my process to wait until I’ve put down my own ideas first.

What book do you remember from when you were young?

GO DOG GO and GREEN EGGS AND HAM were 2 of my favorites as a little kid. Later, I loved THE SECRET GARDEN. When my boys were young, we LOVED all things Roald Dahl, but especially The BFG. (The Big Friendly Giant)

Is there a children’s book illustrator whose work you gravitate towards in the bookstore now?

Maurice Sendak and Quentin Blake are always two of my forever faves.

If you could illustrate any writer’s new work, who would it be?

A really famous celebrity who writes well and gets their face on TV screens constantly!!!! No matter how wonderful the author and story, if people don’t buy the book in the first year, the publishers don’t keep it around long these days. Jamie Lee’s stories have made Laura Cornell a very happy illustrator over the years!

TV is so quick, effective and persuasive. I experienced this myself with a book called ALICE AND GRETA. The author appeared on Regis and Cathy Lee and on one of the morning news shows—the Today Show maybe. I had several book signings at that time and SO many people showed up wanting that book. I had other books that were really cute—I LOVE YOU STINKY FACE had just been published. But because folks saw ALICE AND GRETA on TV, that’s the one they wanted! Of course the book has to be good in the long run. Some celebrities have written some rather awful books, and after the big push in the beginning, the books quietly disappear.

Who do you want to be when you ‘grow up’?

Wise.

Thank you for a wonderful interview, Cyd. Have a wonderful holiday!

Originally published at Daily Art Food. You can comment here or there.

1.Knocked about a thousand words off the manuscript, only it will be more, because I took an entire scene that comes up later and reduced it to one sentence. Yay!

2. The dryer motor didn't stop working until AFTER the sixteen thousand loads of laundry I got to do this weekend after the incident of creepy crawlies in one child's hair. Unfortunately, there is still all the regular laundry that needs to be done, and I don't even have a German clothes rack anymore...

• 15:49 the yearly Christmas card letter is finished in its first printing! #
• 20:48 got her recital video in the mail...just in time to get me even more excited about teaching my first class tomorrow. BETTER NOT SNOW!!!!!!! #

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