PiBoIdMo 2015 Has Wrapped

Hip hip hooray! I did it!

Not to toot my own horn (well, maybe a little), I finished another great PiBoIdMo challenge. During the month of November, I joined with hundreds of other writers pledged to come up with 30 picture book ideas in 30 days.

Now I can share this lovely "Winner's" badge with you, designed by Troy Cummings.

Throughout the next year, I'll be working the best of these ideas into manuscripts to share with my SCBWI critique group.

Many thanks again to Tara Lazar for her tremendous work and organization in putting this all together. Bravo!

Picture Book Idea Month 2015

And drumroll please..... Voila!

Starting November 1st, I'll be participating in the wild and wacky writing motivation spree called Picture Book Idea Month. Hosted by the talented author Tara Lazar on her super helpful blog, Writing for Kids While Raising Them.

I participated in PiBoIdMo last year for the first time. It was an excellent exercise in not editing myself. I think sometimes as writers we think that whatever comes out of our brains has to be gold the first time. This can inhibit our freedom and imagination. An activity like this forces you to be less critical of your ideas, because you're brainstorming seeds of ideas, rather than a finished product. Afterward, you can go back and see what might be worth fleshing out into a full story. 

For more information, you can read my recent Writers' Rumpus post about PiBoIdMo.

Eric Carle Museum: The Art of Fred Marcellino

This weekend I took a trip out to the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art to see the special exhibit A Renaissance Man: The Art of Fred Marcellino.

Fred Marcellino was the illustrator of (probably) my favorite picture book ever, the 1990 version of Puss in Boots by Charles Perrault that was a Caldecott Honor book that year.

I remember getting the book when I was 13, which is a bit old for picture books, but I was drawn in by the beautiful illustrations and playful storytelling. Puss is the kind of hero anyone could appreciate. He's clever, shrewd, hard-working and determined. He uses his wits to keep himself from getting eaten and to help the miller's son find better fortune.

The exhibit included some of Marcellino's art supplies and tools from his studio.

Fred Marcellino's colored pencil carousel

His cabinet of inspiration

The exhibit featured much of the final artwork from Puss in Boots, quite a bit of Marcellino's other children's illustration, and some of his earlier work for adult books and album covers. (Alas, photography wasn't allowed, so I can't show you more.)

Not surprisingly, the Puss in Boots artwork was the highlight of the visit for me. To see in person, pictures I've loved for a long time and to see up close the detail and richness of original art that can get lost in reproduction, made me feel like I was reading the story for the first time again. I remembered how I felt as that awkward 13 year old girl and why she fell in love with picture books then.

I also learned that Marcellino spent time in France, sketching and researching the setting and costumes for Puss. The attention to detail in the work is staggering. His preparation shows in every page, from the miller's windmill to the Ogre's palace to Puss' ruffled collar.

The show is only up for another week, as it closes October 25. So, if you want to see Puss in person you better hurry.

Click here for more information about the Eric Carle Museum and this exhibit.

Mermaid of the Moment: Near Island Coffee

Over the summer, dear friends of mine were living on Kodiak Island, Alaska, working as camp leaders and counselors. During their time there they explored the beaches and hills, and fished for salmon in the rivers.

Another discovery they made was Near Island Coffee, with their lovely mermaid stamped coffee cups, as you see above.

She looks pretty friendly to me, a reflection I'm sure of the people you'll find in Kodiak.

Mermaid Tea Towel from Primitives by Kathy

Being a mermaid fan has its perks.

One of the best things is that friends occasionally give me cute mermaid swag, including this dish towel from Primitives by Kathy.

I did a search on their site and found they have a collection of fun mermaid gift and home items, perfect for the mermaid lover in your life.

(Hint, hint.)

Mermaid of the Moment: Candace as Ariel on DWTS

This video of Candace Cameron Bure on Dancing with the Stars combines two of my favorite things from my childhood, The Little Mermaid and Candace, who starred as DJ Tanner on the sitcom Full House.

The TGIF lineup on Friday evenings was a weekly ritual for myself and my best friend, Jill. We'd have a sleepover and we'd hang out in our jammies. As soon as the theme song for Full House started we'd perform a special dance we had choreographed especially for the opening.

When I was in fifth grade, I played Ariel in the school play. Singing "Part of Your World," I wore a sparkly green-tailed outfit with puffy purple seashells attached to a flesh-colored leotard. It was the highlight of my fifth grade year.

So, seeing Candace perform this samba for "Under the Sea" as Ariel on DWTS puts a big smile on my face :)

Mermaid of the Moment: Henry Hudson's Mermaid

In 1608, as explorer Henry Hudson was traveling with his crew off the coast of Norway, he recorded this account in his logbook:

This morning one of our companie looking over the boord saw a Mermaid,…from the Navill upward, her backe and breasts were like a woman's, her body as big as one of us; her skin very white; and long haire hanging down behind, of color black; in her going downe they saw her tayle, which was like the tayle of a porposse and speckled like a Macrell.

My artist hubby George, created an illustration depicting this event.