Blog Tour for Quacky Baseball – Interview with Illustrator Frank Morrison

Today I’m happy to be interviewing Frank Morrison, the award-winning illustrator of Quacky Baseball. It’s Day 4 of the virtual tour for the book written by Peter Abrahams and just released by HarperCollins. Quacky Baseball is the delightful tale of Thumby Duckling, who is nervous to be up to the plate – he hopes he won’t strike out and let down his team, the Webbies, who are counting on him to save the day. Frank Morrison has taken the delightful characters Peter Abrahams has created and added his own colorful, lively touch. We believe those ducks are playing baseball, with gusto and duck-itude. Booklist cited the “dramatic angles” in his “action-packed paintings.” I love the vividly painted spunky ducks.





A Renaissance man, Frank Morrison has had a life full of creativity. He began drawing at an early age and went on to become a graffiti artist as well as a skillful break dancer, dancing around the world with well-known music personalities. On his website he tells of his ah-ha moment while visiting the Louvre in Paris. And he is now a well-known painter and the illustrator of 16 books for children.



Quacky Baseball is about a rookie player in a duck-y baseball game. You also illustrated Out of the Ballpark, and I just learned you have a book in the works about the Negro League, due out next year. Is it safe to conjecture you are a fan? Did you play the game as a boy?

Yes, I have to confess I am a sports fan. I played T-ball when I was 8. I played high school football. I'm still watching Michael Jordan DVD's.


Tell us about your early experience as a budding artist. I believe as a teenager you channeled your creativity into graffiti art. You then became a very successful dancer. What role did art play in your early life?

Al Hirschfeld said, "An artist never stops drawing." I picked up a pencil at the age of 7 and I never put it down. Even while I was on tour dancing for Sybil and the Sugar Hill Gang, I brought my sketch book along. I would draw the passengers on the trains and planes. I would also compare black books with other writers in different parts of the country and overseas. Graffiti was another way for me to express myself. I found a way to merge the two. At the age of 17, I signed with Essence magazine. Essence published my work for ten years.


You’re a well-known painter whose work is in galleries and private collections. When did you get into children’s book illustration?

I received a call from a publisher in 2003. To work on a book titled Jazzy Miz Mozetta, for which I won the Coretta Scott King award.


No wonder, it's a delightful book! Early on were there any illustrators who inspired you to create books for children?

I have to be honest, back then I did not know any illustrators. The fine art world and illustration world were totally separated. I was like a fish out of water for a while.


How long do you usually have to paint the illustrations for a picture book? What's your preferred medium; your favorite thing about your studio?

It takes me three months to finish a book. I prefer to work in oil. My favorite incentive about my studio is when my children come down to check out what I'm working on.


Do you have a project in the works now?

I'm currently writing my first children’s book.


And finally -- do you still dance?

Yes, I can still get down!


Thanks, Frank! Looking forward to seeing more great illustrations from you and books you've authored, as well.



The Quacky Baseball tour is not over! Visit these sites for more Quacky fun and don’t forget to comment here and on the other sites for a chance to win a signed copy of the book.

Monday, March 28 - Megan Frances Abrahams - On Beyond Words & Pictures - interview with Kristin Daly Rens, Senior Editor, Balzer & Bray

Tuesday, March 29 - Julie Musil  - Julie Musil - interview with Thumby Duckling - the main character - via author Peter Abrahams

Wednesday, March 30 - Corey Schwartz - Thing 1 and Thing 2 - author Peter Abrahams on the genesis of Quacky Baseball

Friday, April 1 - Hilde Garcia - The Pen and Ink Blog - interview with author Peter Abrahams

Saturday, April 2 - Lori Walker - L.H. Walker - book review/synopsis with input from Lori's children

Blog Tour for Grandma’s Chocolate – Interview with Mara Price

Today I’m happy to be hosting day 4 of Mara Price’s virtual book tour for her bilingual picture book, Grandma’s Chocolate. Illustrated by Lisa Fields and published by Pinata Books, Grandma’s Chocolate tells of a beloved Grandmother’s visit and her stories about the chocolate she and her granddaughter enjoy sharing.

Thanks, Mara, for answering some questions and letting us get to know you.


1. What was the inspiration behind Grandma’s Chocolate?

Thank you for asking this question. It brings me back to the smells and flavors of hot chocolate and evokes happy memories of growing up in Mexico with my grandmother. We drank chocolate every day, on special occasions and whenever we had company. We made different drinks of chocolate in winter like champurrado and atole to warm us up. Chocolate is also a central ingredient of mole, my favorite food.

Ever since I can remember I have been fascinated by history. I learned that pre-Columbian cultures in Mexico were the first to use many things we take for granted today, including chocolate. Thus, chocolate and my cultural heritage became the vehicles to tell this story of the love between a little girl and her grandmother.

2. Did you write and/or draw as a child? If not, when did you begin?

I wrote poems as a child. Rhyming words was a game that I liked to play.

My grandmother and I had a lot of games with words. I remember making little silly stories in Spanish where all the words would start with A and the next person tried the same. The longest story and the one that made most sense won. The stories were often funny and we laughed a lot. We played this game using many letters of the alphabet. It was a nice way to enrich my vocabulary.

I have also liked to draw since I was very little. I remember often drawing a house with tile roof and prickly pear cactus with red fruits. Sometimes I would draw the same house with tulips in the garden. I often enjoyed drawing dolls and fashion clothing, as well.

3. What is the best advice you have been given about being a writer?

Less is more; keep it simple.

4. Do you write for other formats?

I have done a little bit of everything. My first stories and illustrations were published by Iguana children’s magazine, in Spanish. I had the honor of doing an interview of the late Bill Melendez, the award winning Mexican animator, at his studio in Sherman Oaks, California. Iguana has kindly continued to accept my stories and drawings.

I have been a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) since 2001 and I submit articles and illustrations to the SCBWI Newsletter.

Los Bloguitos is a bilingual blog for children who speak and read Spanish. Among the pieces I contributed was a biography of Picasso. I wrote El Corrido de Los Bloguitos, a ballad in Spanish.

5. What books influenced you most when you were growing up? Were you an avid reader?

My mother would read to me about the Olmecs, Mayas and Aztecs. As long as I can remember I have been fascinated by pre-Columbian civilizations.

I remember walking with my grandmother to the second-hand bookstore where we got "new" books in exchange for ones we had read. I loved Jules Verne. I also liked comic books! To be honest, I never actually saw a children's picture book when I was growing up.

6. Are you working on a new project?

Yes, I am working on new projects for children's books and magazines. I'm looking forward to finishing a series of little illustrated poems for Iguana.

Diane, thank you for the excellent questions. It was fun visiting with you.

Gracias,
Mara Price

Follow the rest of Mara Price's virtual book tour for Grandma's Chocolate/El chocolate de Abuelita, listed below. And please leave your comments – there will be a book giveaway at each stop on the tour. At least four comments are needed to be eligible for Mara’s giveaway. Good luck!

Friday, November 19
Latin Baby Book Club
Book giveaway
By Monica Olivera Hazelton
http://www.latinbabybookclub.com/

Monday, November 22
VOCES
Writing a History-based Fiction Story for Children
By Adriana Dominguez
http://adrianadominguez.blogspot.com/

Check out Mara’s schedule or find more information about her at her website.

From North to South Blog Tour – Interview with Joe Cepeda, Illustrator

Today I’m hosting a stop on the Virtual Book Tour of From North to South/Del Norte al Sur, written by René Colato Lainez and illustrated by Joe Cepeda.

I know Joe through an L.A. SCBWI illustrators’ group, and am pleased to interview him for the tour. Joe has illustrated many book covers and award-winning picture books, including his Pura Belpré winner Juan Bobo Goes to Work.

You originally studied engineering at Cornell University and later got your BFA at Cal State Long Beach. When did you realize you wanted to have a career as an illustrator? And why did you decide to concentrate on children’s books?

I suppose, together, Cornell and I figured out I wasn't meant to be an engineer. As much as I was interested in science and the like (and still am), I wasn't all that good at it. I came back home sort of with my tail between my legs and had to figure out what I was going to do. Fortunately, I loved being in school and never veered far from the classroom.

While at a few stints in jobs I really hated, catching glimpses of corporate America, I went to school part time, eventually taking more and more art classes. I read the comics a lot on my coffee breaks and convinced myself I could be a cartoonist. I started doing editorial cartoons for school newspapers. This turned out to be one of the best decisions I ever made. I refer to editorial cartooning as boot camp for illustration. There's a saying in cartooning: if your audience doesn't get your cartoon in three seconds they never will. You learn quickly how to compose a picture so your reader sees primary, secondary, and tertiary information in the right order... so they move through your images, text, etc. and get your gag almost instantaneously. Seeing your work in newsprint is brutal. You'll know if you can draw or not; it forces you to be a good draftsman.

At the end of my scenic route through school I finished with an illustration degree and started looking for work. I thought of myself as an editorial illustrator (and still do) and looked for that kind of work. To be honest, I never really thought of doing children's books while at school. I didn't take a single class in the subject. When you're looking for gigs and you need money (I was in my thirties by this time), everything is an option. As I took a peek at the children's book market, I realized it was more artful than I gave it credit for. At the same time, I found humor sneaking its way into my work more and more.

I went to New York and showed my portfolio around town, to magazines and publishers alike. Believe it or not, I actually took original artwork with me. What I lacked in professional presentation materials, I made up for with confidence and a little bit of talent. Before I knew it I had my first picture book assignment, The Old Man and His Door. Arthur Levine was at Putnam at the time and signed me up right off the street. I also met Phoebe Yeh on that trip and she gave me my next book. I became a children's book illustrator because others saw it in me maybe even more than I did.

Who are your favorite illustrators in the field of children’s books? In what ways do they inspire or influence your work?
This question always embarrasses me a little. Since I wasn't aiming for work in the children's market initially, I never really bothered to study it. When I walk in a book store, I rarely go over to the children's section and look at what's "out there." I say this, realizing this may or may not be good. So, off the top of my head, it's hard to come up with a list of names, but here goes:

Robert McCloskey (the Homer Price books were a childhood favorite)
Marla Frazee
Martin and Alice Provensen
Shaun Tan
Kadir Nelson
Howard Pyle
Arthur Rackham
Allen Say
Ezra Jack Keats
Chris Van Allsburg

There are more, of course, just can't think of them.

The truth is, I don't look at other children's book illustrators for inspiration or influence as much as I look at other things... or other art forms. Sculpture, editorial illustration, movies, walking down the street, etc. influence me more than other book illustrators. For me, it's just not part of the process. This doesn't mean that I'm not appreciative of the work. Heck, sometimes I'm in awe like the next person; it's just not part of a working process, that's all.

You illustrated your first children’s book in 1995 – how has your work evolved since then? Do you use the same process, the same techniques?
I'd like to think that at technical aspects I've honed my skills over time. Nothing makes you better at your craft than simply working. The challenge is to stay connected and separate yourself from your work at the same time. I was signing books the other day and someone offered me a compliment. They remarked how they enjoyed my work - that I had such a recognizable style. I'm very grateful and I know what she's referring to, but that statement makes me cringe a little. I like to work, and I like the pursuit of work. At this stage, though, change is particularly attractive. Changing techniques and such can certainly spur innovation, but that's only part of it. I'm also interested in thinking differently.

Children’s Book Press publishes bilingual books created in the “first voice” – meaning they are written and illustrated authentically about one’s own culture. What do you feel you are bringing to From North to South from your own background?
The truth is I really didn't have think about it... My mom is from Mexico, as is much of my family. Immigration has always been part of our experience. I just painted the people I know.

The faces of the family in From North to South reinforce the hope and optimism expressed in the text. In what other ways do you try to add to the text of the manuscripts you illustrate?
Now, that was where I spent my time conceptually on this book. At its root, this is a story about the bond between a boy and his mother, and what it feels to lose that connection and gain it again. That's where I tried to do my picture-writing.

Your illustrations for From North to South are vibrant and textured. Could you describe how you created the illustrations?

The texture comes from the layering of paint, and trying to be as masterful and eloquent as possible. When you put a brush or pencil to a surface, that's your voice: it should have a cadence, a timbre… you should sing. Concept is imagination. You need both. There's nothing like oil paint. Better said, there's nothing like good oil paint. I allow the underneath layers to show through, which is how I create line much of the time.

I've been able to keep a studio away from home for the last eleven years. With this downturn in the economy I've seriously considered working at home. When it comes to studios, put everything on wheels. Even when you have too much furniture, if it's on wheels, you never feel like the furniture owns the room... there a level of flexibility there that can be useful. If you make sure everything has a home, you don't fret over making a mess because anything can be cleaned up in a day.

Could you share a picture, or description, of your workspace/studio? Is there a favorite art tool or product you feel you couldn’t do without?
No favorites... I like the whole tool box.

What are you working on now?
I just finished a story... it's about salvation.

Thank you, Joe, for helping us get to know you and your art.  And that new story certainly sounds intriguing – can’t wait to find it on Amazon!

Visit the tour stops below and make sure to leave a comment for a chance to receive a copy of the book. Three lucky winners will be announced at the end of the virtual book tour next Monday at Children’s Book Press’ blog, Many Voices, One World.

Wednesday, Oct. 6

http://www.christinarodriguez.com/blog (Christina Rodriguez) Christina Rodriguez

Thursday, Oct. 7

http://loricalabrese.blogspot.com/ (Lori Calabrese) Lori Calabrese

Friday, Oct. 8

http://www.examiner.com/latino-books-in-national/mayra-calvani (Examiner) Mayra Calvini

Monday, Oct. 11

http://www.childrensbookpress.org/blog (Many Voices, One World) Children’s Book Press

Blog Tour Finale -- Laura Lacamara's Floating on Mama's Song

I have very much enjoyed being part of Laura Lacámara’s virtual book tour this week! Laura is guest blogging again today, the last day of the tour, to announce the winner of a copy of her delightful book, Floating on Mama’s Song.

Thank you Diane, Megan, Tina and René for the wonderful job you each did hosting and conducting the Blog Tour interviews. Many thanks, also, to my fellow interviewees, Katherine Tegen and Yuyi Morales, for your heartfelt responses. It’s been more fun and enlightening than I could have anticipated.


Thanks to everyone who visited and posted comments.  Now (drum roll, please) announcing the official winner of the book giveaway contest:

Janelle, a/k/a “Brimful Curiosities,” gets a copy of Floating on Mama’s Song.

 
Be on the lookout for my next picture book release, The Runaway Piggy (Illustrated by Laura Lacámara, written by James Luna), to be published by Piñata Books on November 30, 2010!

If you missed any of the earlier tour stops, here are links to the host sites:

Monday, Aug. 30 - Floating on Mama's Song synopsis, reviews
Out of the Paintbox - Diane Browning

Tuesday, Aug. 31- Laura Lacámara (author) interview
On Beyond Words & Pictures - Megan Frances

Wednesday, Sept. 1- Katherine Tegen (editor) interview -- Publication day!
Tales from the Rushmore Kid - Tina Nichols Coury

Thursday, Sept. 2 - Yuyi Morales (illustrator) interview
Latin Baby Book Club - René Colato Lainez

Blog Tour -- Laura Lacamara's Floating on Mama's Song

Laura Lacámara and I are members of the fabulous SCBWI Westside Illustrators Schmooze. (Yes, my friend is multi-talented – an author AND an illustrator!) Last autumn we both spoke on an SCBWI panel, about what then seemed to be the far-off release of our first picture books – which we each wrote for, and dedicated to, our mothers. On Wednesday Laura’s first book, Floating on Mama’s Song – “a lyrical, uplifting tale” and “a magical celebration of family, music, and happiness” illustrated with the “stunning art” of Yuyi Morales – will be released by Harper Collins. I’m so pleased to be kicking off Laura and Yuyi’s virtual book tour!

Laura is guest blogging today, with information about her tour:

“Thank you for visiting my blog tour for Floating on Mama’s Song, and I hope you will come visit my website. The tour continues all this week. Friday please come back here to Diane’s site and I will announce the winner of a copy of Floating on Mama’s Song. Everyone who posts a comment here or on the tour stops listed below will be entered in the drawing. Good luck!

Tuesday Megan Frances (On Beyond Words and Pictures) will interview me. Megan asked to interview me months ago, before the idea of the blog tour. Thank you, Megan!

Wednesday Tina Nichols Coury (Tales from the Rushmore Kid) will be interviewing my editor at Harper Collins, Katherine Tegen. Tina created the beautiful tour banners – thank you, Tina!

Thursday René Colato Laínez (Latin Baby Book Club) will have an interview with the co-creator of Floating on Mama’s Song, illustrator Yuyi Morales.

Friday I announce the book drawing winner, here again at Out of the Paintbox.”

Thank you Laura. And here’s a preview of your lovely book, for those who will have to wait until Wednesday to buy one. Floating on Mama’s Song is a bilingual book, written in both English and Spanish, with both languages sharing each page. What a great way to learn a language!

Floating on Mama’s Song is the story of Anita, whose Mama loves to sing. She sings such beautiful, happy songs that one day something magical happens. Everyone who hears her music floats high above the ground. But then Mama stops singing. Can Anita find a way to bring back happy times and magical moments for her family?

In addition to being a Junior Library Guild children’s book selection for Fall 2010, Floating on Mama’s Song is getting great reviews:

Booklist praises it as a folklorish collaboration between Laura’s smooth-flowing story and the glowing colors of Yuyi’s illustrations.

Kirkus says “Together author and illustrator offer a story filled with whimsy and humor about the power of voice and family.”

Library Journal declares “a stirring Caribbean tale…..both the English and Spanish versions of the story are fun and easy to read.”

Remember, tomorrow the tour will be hosted (and Laura will be interviewed) by Megan Frances on her blog On Beyond Words and Pictures.

Signed, Abiah Rose Blog Tour Winner -- and a Birthday Salute!

I'm happy to announce the winner of a signed copy of my just-released book, Signed, Abiah Rose.  The commenters' names all went into a hat and the name pulled out was......illustrator Carolyn Le!  Thank you so much for visiting and for your lovely comments, Carolyn.

And much appreciation to everyone for contributing to the blog tour -- it was a fun 'trip.'

Today is Flag Day, which for years I celebrated as the birthday of my Siamese cat, Scout, named after the heroine in To Kill a Mockingbird.  My Scout was an extremely excellent cat, and much loved.  She lived to the ripe old age of 20, and is still greatly missed.  I painted her portrait in her heyday.  I'm posting it here in her honor.  Happy Flag Day!

Signed, Abiah Rose Blog Tour -- and a Big Thank You!

Well, the tour is actually over…. I’m sorry about the tantalizing ‘to be announced’ and ‘mystery guest’ – technical difficulties prevented inclusion of the finale tour stop. We’ll do it next time!

Being a new author/illustrator and new (non-technical) blogger is such a learning curve! There are so many things to take in, so many things to try, so many rules to bend and break-at-your-peril. Being inexperienced made this a very intense week, with little sleep and lots of attention to lots of details. And lots of nice feedback, and supportive friends and hoping the rough edges don’t show. Or at least don’t stand out. And while the tour was beset with glitches, near disasters and actual mistakes (how did comments get turned off yesterday?!?), I’ve had fun, and learned a lot, and (virtually) met some very nice people!

Thank you all for touring with me! Thank you, Abigail Samoun, for making Abiah a book!  And thank you Tina, Megan and Mary for being such great tour hostesses!

Catherine Linka, hostess extraordinaire of Writer to Writer, has written a review of Signed, Abiah Rose. As her post is flattering to me, it would be unseemly for me to recommend it – so I won’t look while you click over to her blog, Write Minded …….. 

No wait a minute!  Don't forget to check back Monday for the name-from-a-hat drawing for an autographed copy of Signed, Abiah Rose!

Signed, Abiah Rose Blog Tour -- and Confessions of an Illustrator

At this year’s SCBWI Writers Day Mary Peterson and I sat together in Nancy Sanders’ workshop and learned how blog tours work -- so now I’m very pleased Mary is hosting today’s tour stop. She’s interviewing Signed, Abiah Rose’s illustrator (me, again) at her blog A Beautiful Fish.


Doing the illustrations for Abiah was both fun and frightening. I couldn’t wait to get started. I could do this … even though there were so many paintings at once, and that deadline looming. I figured out how many to do a week, and paired up the simple ones with the complex. Finishing them and stacking them up gave me a wonderful sense of accomplishment, but where did the time go? Dozens of cups of green tea and boxes of crackers (caffeine and nervous food) and I was nearing the deadline. I have to admit I begged for a bit more time, and thankfully got it.

“Wait! Wait! Just a bit more detail over there”, and “I’m not quite happy with those trees,” I lamented, as my sister (tech support, psychiatrist and mail courier) grabbed illustrations from me and rushed to FedEx, while I kept painting on the next batch. I finished them! All of them. Off to the publishing house! But my perfectionist-self continued to suffer and agonize that I didn’t have just one more day (or two) to keep painting. Wasn’t there time for do-overs? You mean you like them?

I was never ‘through’ with the illustrations – even today I’d like to make changes. Well one thing, or maybe two, or three, or…..


Friday, if technical problems allow, the tour will include a (for now) mystery guest!

If you're just now joining the tour, prior stops include Tina Nichols Coury's Tales From the Rushmore Kid and Megan Frances' On Beyond Words and Pictures.

Don't forget to leave a comment at any of the tour stops -- you might win a signed copy of my book!

Signed, Abiah Rose Blog Tour -- and I Hit the Editor Jackpot!

My good friend and fellow Schmooze-group member, Megan Frances, is interviewing the editor for Signed, Abiah Rose today on her site, On Beyond Words and Pictures.

Like most first-time writers I believe I approached working with an editor with a combination of positive emotions and a little trepidation. Surprisingly, there wasn’t much trepidation, perhaps because I had briefly met my editor, Tricycle’s Abigail Samoun, and attended two of her workshops at the SCBWI Summer Conference.

As it turned out, working with Abigail was very comfortable. During the editing process she asked thought-provoking, probing questions. These caused me to delve deeper into my own story. Sometimes they challenged me to know ‘why’, or ‘where’ or ‘when,’ not necessarily to change it, but to be sure it was authentic and true. And surprisingly we didn’t, after all, shorten the story; sometimes I felt it was surely getting longer, and definitely getting better. Thanks to Abigail the manuscript became a richer, more polished story.

I’ve heard that editing isn’t what it once was, but I have to believe Abigail is an editor of the old-fashioned kind, in the best possible sense of the word.

Remember, comments posted here and on the other blogs on the tour make you eligible for a signed copy of the book!

Tuesday, June 8
Interview with Signed, Abiah Rose author - me!
Tina Nichols Coury
Tales from the Rushmore Kid

Wednesday, June 9
Interview with Tricycle Editor, Abigail Samoun
Megan Frances
On Beyond Words and Pictures

Thursday, June 10
Interview with Signed, Abiah Rose illustrator - me!
Mary Peterson
A Beautiful Fish

Friday, June 11
To be Announced!

Signed, Abiah Rose Blog Tour -- and the Perils of Writing and Illustrating

The blog tour is hosted today by Tina Nichols Coury on her site Tales from the Rushmore Kid.  I’m honored she agreed to kick off my blog tour.  Tina’s interviewing the writer half of me, which brings to mind some thoughts I had while working on my picture book.

At SCBWI workshops I have often heard advice about the roles of authors and illustrators and how to not get in each other’s way. These tips apparently apply even if the author and illustrator are the same person.  In my case the two kept ignoring each other in their desire to get their own way. My dummy was full of examples of this. Who were all those children who kept popping up?  The manuscript only mentioned four.  Artist-me wanted to include a baby. Writer-me insisted on including a wagon (several, actually). Wagon wheels are no fun. Writer-me tried to include a Native American that illustrator-me couldn’t find period-appropriate costumes for. Not in detail. Both of me really got annoyed, but we have declared a truce, and we’ve promised to consult each other more next time.

By the way, the author of this book failed to anticipate the confusion resulting from 1) predictable mis-pronunciation of the title character’s name and 2) the reading of the title.

1. Abiah is a Biblical name, and is pronounced uh-bye’-uh.
2. When reading the book title out loud, it goes Signed (pause) uh-bye’-uh Rose. Without the pause, it too often sounds like Signed by a Rose…….which, unfortunately, could also be the title. (Read the book – you’ll see.) Writers. They don’t think things through.

Remember, comments posted here and on the other blogs on the tour make you eligible for a signed copy of the book!

Tuesday, June 8
Interview with Signed, Abiah Rose author - me!
Tina Nichols Coury
Tales from the Rushmore Kid

Wednesday, June 9
Interview with Tricycle Editor, Abigail Samoun
Megan Frances
On Beyond Words and Pictures

Thursday, June 10
Interview with Signed, Abiah Rose illustrator - me!
Mary Peterson
A Beautiful Fish

Friday, June 11
To be Announced!

Signed, Abiah Rose Goes on Tour -- And a Box of Books

So it’s time to kick off Signed, Abiah Rose’s virtual book tour. Here again is the schedule for this week. And don’t forget that leaving a comment on any of the host sites (including this one) makes you eligible for the drawing for a signed copy of the book. Hope you’ll come with us on tour….. Tomorrow Tina Nichols Coury will be interviewing me as the author of Abiah, which will then be available in bookstores!

Monday, June 7      Here at Out of the Paintbox

Tuesday, June 8     Tina Nichols Coury's Tales from the Rushmore Kid

Wednesday, June 9  Megan Frances' On Beyond Words and Pictures

Thursday, June 10    Mary Peterson's A Beautiful Fish 

Friday, June 11       To be Announced!

Today I’m following the lead of blogger Catherine Ryan Howard.  She has a post called ‘Things you Can Do When a Box of Your Books Arrives’ which made me laugh out loud.  Catherine was right on the mark about first-time-author instincts when your first books arrive in the mail -- I just got mine from Tricycle.  Thank you, Catherine!   I’m doing what you suggested!

This is amazing!

Just LOOK!

What fun!  My book is rubbing shoulders with Melissa Sweet and Lisbeth Zwerger!

Check out Catherine’s blog (Catherine, Caffeinated).  She has LOTS of helpful tips on her site.

And don't forget to come on tour!

Signed, Abiah Rose Goes on Tour Next Week!

Monday I will be kicking off a virtual book tour for my previously (and often) mentioned first picture book, Signed, Abiah Rose. Because……. Tuesday is the day!  It will be officially ‘out’!

I am very pleased to have official stops on the tour at the blogs of Tina Nichols Coury, Megan Frances Abrahams and Mary Peterson, who will variously be interviewing the author, editor and illustrator of Signed, Abiah Rose.  And there will be an opportunity to win a signed copy of the book, which will be awarded to a randomly-selected (names in a hat) commenter on any of the following sites:

Monday, June 7       Here at Out of the Paintbox

Tuesday, June 8      Tina Nichols Coury's Tales from the Rushmore Kid

Wednesday, June 9  Megan Frances' On Beyond Words and Pictures

Thursday, June 10    Mary Peterson's A Beautiful Fish

Friday, June 11       To be Announced!

Stop by Monday, when I will unveil my box of books – you’ll have to wait till Tuesday to get one in a store!