30 Wednesday Aug 2017
Posted in Toot Your Horn!
SCBWI members’ publishing news is something to celebrate here at Kite Tales. Check out whose book is coming to a platform near you! Leave a digital high-five in the comments!
Sleepy Toes, by Kelli McNeil, illustrated by Cori Doerrfeld, Scholastic, ages 0-5, Board Book, ISBN: 978-133-803-07-23, released 3/1/17.
A Squirrel in Trouble, by Farida Mirza, Oxford University Press, ages 4-6, Picture Book, ISBN: 978-0-19-940485-8, released 5/1/2017. Continue reading
04 Friday Aug 2017
Posted in Author's Perspective, Illustrator's Perspective
Ashlyn Anstee is a story artist at Nickelodeon on Harvey Beaks as well as the author/illustrator of Are We There, Yeti? and No, No, Gnome! (Simon & Schuster, 2015 & 2016), a comic artist, film maker, and devourer of cookies. She talks with us about finding her agent through SCBWI, how professional relationships are just like any other relationship, and how she keeps her skills sharp.
Sarah Parker-Lee: You’re an illustrator, author, and storyboard artist for animation. Which came first and how do you find time for both?!
Ashlyn Anstee: It helps that all of them are a little different, so it’s actually been fun to jump between them, thank goodness. I started out first as a reader–I was a voracious reader as a kid (and my mom’s a teacher-librarian). I didn’t really start to draw until my teens. I fell in love with animation, and it wasn’t until I graduated from college that I started to rediscover illustration and kids’ books. I find writing the hardest, so I’ve been focusing on that, lately!
SPL: For those unfamiliar, can you tell us a little about being a story artist? How does it compare to illustrating a book? Continue reading
14 Wednesday Jun 2017
Posted in Tips and Tools
By Cheryl Bommarito Klein and Kara B. Wilson
Kara & Cheryl, 3rd from the left
Editor’s Note: Cheryl and Kara, who are in the same critique group, both won manuscript awards at this year’s Los Angeles Writers & Illustrators Day. I asked them to share their critique-group-secrets with us because they are definitely doing it right!
We all want the kind of support that keeps us motivated to create and improve our craft. For us, a well-organized critique group was exactly what we needed! Here are four tips we have learned over the last year that will help you to enhance or build the kind of group that fits you as illustrators/authors. Continue reading
24 Wednesday May 2017
Posted in Illustrator's Gallery
By Emily Asaro
I’ve always dreamed of illustrating children’s’ books since I was little, but I didn’t quite know how to get there. After college, I was lucky enough to secure an animation production job. I love my job, but it isn’t an art job. Being surrounded by so many talented artists, it was very easy to feel self-conscious about my own work. I found myself coming home tired and creating less art. All too often I was asking myself, “Am I a real artist? Am I good enough?” Continue reading
17 Wednesday May 2017
Posted in Author's Perspective
Tags
agents, authors, Bill Contardi, Colleen Kong-Savage, contracts, Helena Ku Rhee, illustrators, picture books, publishers, publishing, The Turtle Ship
Jessica Echeverria (editor, Lee & Low), Helena, and Colleen Kong-Savage (illustrator)
Helena Ku Rhee is the author of The Turtle Ship, a forthcoming picture book by Lee & Low (Fall 2018). Helena, trained as a lawyer, followed an uncommon path by negotiating her own book deal. She tells Kite Tales about her debut and navigating publishing without an agent. Continue reading
12 Friday May 2017
Posted in Toot Your Horn!
SCBWI members’ publishing news is something to celebrate here at Kite Tales! Check out whose book is coming to a platform near you or around the world. Horn-tooting ad digital hi-fives welcome in the comments!
How the Stars came To Be, written and illustrated by Michael Bayouth, Self-Published, ages 6-10, Picture Book, ISBN: 978-0692711224, released 12/01/16. (Stars Photo)
03 Wednesday May 2017
Posted in Los Angeles, Tips and Tools
Tags
Andrea J. Loney, Ashlyn Anstee, authors, Bethany Barton, Chris Robertson, illustrators, Jake Gerdhardt, LATFoB, Laurenne Sala, Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, PAL, Robert Mellette, SCBWI members, Summer
By Jacob Gerhardt
SCBWI members have a legendary reputation for being friendly and supportive. Working the SCBWI LA Times Festival of Books booth with fellow authors proved, as always, that this characterization is well deserved.
I would estimate about half the festivalgoers who stopped by our booth were interested in purchasing our books and the other half curious to learn more about the world of children’s books. We were happy to accommodate on both ends. Continue reading
14 Friday Apr 2017
Posted in Tips and Tools
Tags
authors, conferences, Cons, illustrators, networking, Summer, tips, Wonder Con, WonderCon, writers
I went to Wonder Con this year and it was the messy, funny, crowd-filled, creative mish-mosh that it always is. I also realized that as I get a little older, enjoying a convention, or “con,” requires a bit more preparation. But cons are great places to network with other authors, illustrators, editors, and publishers, not to mention the kid lit audience, so they’re worth it. Since there are several more cons and festivals coming up this year in our area, I thought a little “How to Prep for a Summer Con” guide might be in order. The more you know about what you’re getting into, the less intimidating it will be and the less you’ll feel like a grumpy-gus shaking your fist at those darn kids to get off your con-lawn. Continue reading
12 Wednesday Apr 2017
Posted in SoCal, Tri-Regional News
Tags
Erin Young, Estelle Laure, illustrators, Imagine 2, John Dadlez, Kate Sullivan, Salina Yoon, SCBWI events, SCBWI members, Steve Bramucci, writers
By CenCal Regional Team
Tahquitz Pines Retreat Center
Spring Retreat
It’s spring in the SoCal region and our Spring Retreat: Finding Gold is coming up soon! We have a few spots left for the perfect writer’s getaway at the Tahquitz Pines Retreat Center nestled in the beautiful Idyllwild mountains. Come join us May 5-7, 2017 as we seek to “find gold” in our manuscripts during this intensive revision weekend. Designed for Middle Grade and Young Adult authors, the retreat will include writing time, revision time, and roundtable critiques in an intimate setting with an editor or an agent, an author, and a few of your colleagues. Staff in Attendance: Kate Sullivan, Delacorte Press; Erin Young, Dystel, Goderich, and Bourret LLC; Estelle Laure, YA author of This Raging Light and But Then I Came Back; Steve Bramucci, MG author of The Danger Gang & the Pirates of Borneo! Hope to see you there! Register here. And read on for more awesome events you won’t want to miss!
Estelle Laure
Kate Sullivan
07 Friday Apr 2017
Posted in Community Corner, Writers Days
We asked attendees at Los Angeles Writers & Illustrators Day 2017 what the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators community means to them. From critique groups and partners on the journey to publishing to new lunch-friends and small-world connections, the day was full of smiles, introductions, and proof that a gaggle of introverts can build a thriving, dynamic community. As it turns out, we’re all just a big bunch of super supportive people who can’t get enough of each other! Here are just some of the things we heard: Continue reading
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