BookLust

Lewis Black on Writing a Book

Freakin' hilarious. (And yes, I still haven't figured out how to embed a video into my blog. That is not freakin' hilarious. That is freakin' sad).

BiblioQuotes 12

"You should know how to get the best out of leisure; it's a stimulating atmosphere for invention."

– Alexander Calder

(Ok, so he's an artist, not a writer, but it's still a great quote).

The Reviews Are In!

Well, ok, one review is in. But it's a good one! From Kirkus:

...Wonderfully expressive faces, hyperbolic cartoons and the occasional use of speech bubbles combine to make the illustrations both quirky and fun. This one will hit many a funny bone in old and young alike – pay particular attention to the endpapers and treasure maps. A rather lowbrow take on The Prince and the Pauper, but fun nonetheless.

When I read the 'low brow' bit, I laughed out loud. It's certainly a good thing getting a positive review from Kirkus, and well, I guess I would have been happier without the 'low brow' comment, but let's face it – I am low-brow.  I embrace my inner low-brow. I wave my low-brow flag, loud and proud!

Pirates & Penguins Arrive!

Calloo, Callay! Got me my Pirate & Penguin books, hooray!

Please forgive the never-ending shameless promotion of my book. But you see...this is my little baby! After months of hard work and neurotic angst and worry...my baby has finally arrived!

Break out the cigars, folks!

Arrrrrr!! The Pirate Jumped Out of the Book!

Here's a sneak peek of the hubby's costume for 'The Pirate and the Penguin' skit, which will be performed at Toronto's Word on the Street, and at McNally Robinson, too! (More on that in a future post). And of course, the Pirate will be at my book launch, too, making merry and hopefully not eating all the cake and cookies.

I still need to add a few pirate details, as well as finish painting the hat, but I think the costume has turned out quite well. Speaking of the costumes, I want to say a very, very special thank you to my wonderful and talented friend Tracy Morrison, who sewed the pants and the beautiful jacket. Tracey, you are amazing!!

I've been wondering lately...if the hubby had had any idea of what was in store for him in this marriage, do ya think he still would have said "I do"? Heh heh heh...

Pirate & Penguin Book Launch!

Hi there! Remember me? You know...that girl who has a blog but like, never actually uses it. Ahem. Well, my latest excuse is that I'm busy planning for my first ever book launch!! Woo-hoo!! Let's do a pirate and penguin dance, shall we?

Now wasn't that fun? You can do it again, if you'd like to.

Or, you can continue to read this post so's you can find out where and when the heck this silly book launch is happening! So, for those who wanna be in the know...

Please join author and illustrator Patricia Storms in celebrating the launch of her picture book The Pirate and the Penguin, on Saturday, September 12th, 2-5pm at the Yorkville Library Branch, at 22 Yorkville Avenue, in Toronto.

There will be plenty of pirate and penguin fun (you gotta see my hubby dressed up as the pirate!!), plus munchies and CAKE!!

Patricia will be signing books at this event. Please note that we will only be taking CASH or CHEQUES for book purchases. The Pirate and the Penguin is published by Owlkids Books.

Do you think you can stand that much fun? I hope so! Because I'd sure love to see you there! If you're on Facebook, here's a link to the actual event.

In the mean time, here's another image from the book.

It's actually from the back of the book (this copy that I've scanned is an advanced copy – haven't received the hardcover version yet). I LOVE the little 'elevator pitch' of the story (written by one of my very clever editors at Owlkids Books – thanks, John!) And I love the little annoyed looks those two dudes are giving each other. I wonder – do other authors fall in love with the characters they have created? Because I'm totally crushing on these guys, I must confess.

Anyway, I'd love to see you at my launch. Remember, there will be cake! Just the thought of cake makes me wanna to stand on my head!

I'm Drawn To You 3

Here's a twofer. Enjoyed myself this afternoon, doing some loosey-goosey sketching. Rather than say who these literary folks are, I was hoping that people might be able to guess their identities. C'mon – the prize is one million dollars! (she said with her pinky to her mouth).

Well, okay, not really. But give it a shot anyway.

UPDATE: Congrats to Brian Fies who got Joan Didion (aka E.T.) right, and BarbM who got Harold Bloom! Woo-hoo! The cheques are in the mail!....(snicker...)