December events

 YEAR-END EVENTS

 
<sup>12/1
Garfield's Books, Tacoma, 1-4pm
Jingle Book Bash
Appearances by Northwest YA authors, including Helen Landalf, Megan Bostic, Jennifer Shaw Wolfe, and others. Panel, signings, games, treats, and prizes! 

12/1
Rob Schouten Gallery, Greenbank, Whidbey Island, 1-4pm
Anne Belov's book launch party
The painter-turned-cartoonist/blogger ("The Panda Chronicles") celebrates the release of her new book of cartoons, The Panda Chronicles, Book One: Your Brain on Pandas. In attendance will be her characters, Bob T. Panda and Babette de Panda. Also, original cartoons will be on display.</sup>


12/5
Barnes & Noble, Bellingham (4099 Meridian St), 7pm
Northern Network Meeting

The Great Critique is coming to Seattle on January 7! To prepare for it, we are going to do an informal “Mini Critique” session. To participate, please bring 5 copies of the first chapter of a story, a picture book manuscript, poem, nonfiction piece, or other writing. Illustrators, please bring 1-2 samples of your artwork. Don’t worry if you’re not able to be at the Seattle meeting. You’re very welcome to join in the fun in Bellingham! Here are the particulars:

Questions? Call Rebecca Van Slyke at (360) 354-5797, or email her.

  

^12/6

^{East West Bookshop, 7-8:30pm} 

^{Authors' Roundtable} 

Beginning Thursday December 6, from 7-8:30pm, Bill Kenower will lead a monthly roundtable at East West Bookshop in Seattle's Ravenna neighborhood. Here is your chance to talk about success, failure, acceptance, rejection, writer's block, writer's envy, and a writer's joy. Everything will be on the table, and everyone will is welcome. Sign up now.  Space is still available.

12/8
^{Finally Found Books, Black Diamond, 11am-2pm}
Young Adult Author Day
Come meet Northwest YA authors, including Helen Landalf, Joni Sensel, Kendare Blake...and special guest Peg Kehret!

12/13
SCBWI-WA Professional Series December Meeting, 7-9pm
Stay tuned for exciting (and delicious!) details! Save the date!

12/17
Third Place Books, Lake Forest Park, 7pm
Lish McBride, Necromancing the Stone (second in the YA Necromancer series, following Hold Me Closer, Necromancer)

Kid Lit Drink Night - December

Let's get started on our holiday celebrations by raising a glass of cheer! 

Please join us on Friday, December 7 at 7pm 

for 

Kid Lit Drink Night 

at Hale's Brewery in Ballard!

Monday morning catch-up!

Welcome to this, the Monday edition, of what I call "Playing Catch-Up"! Now that the turkeys have been reduced to stock and the pie pans contain nothing but crumbs, 'tis the time for me to catch up on some of your news.




Apologies to the stalwart crew who made it to the Kid Lit Drink Night on Bainbridge Island a couple of weeks ago! Here's the long-awaited recap of what went down on The Island, courtesy of Jennifer Mann:

Seven intrepid SCBWI-ers traveled from far and wide on a very dark and rainy Friday night recently to join up on at Casa Rojas Cantina on Bainbridge Island for Kid Lit Drink Night November 16. Kevan Attebury came all the way over from the Eastside (but departed before our photo shoot); Christina Wilsdon joined us from Seattle; Rowena Russell traveled from Bremerton; and Andrea Lawson came down in the dark from Port Townsend. Margaret Nevinski, Dawn Simon and Jennifer Mann made the relatively short journey from other dark and rainy neighborhoods on the island. Although we competed for the Noisiest Group Award with a large and lively crowd imbibing at the Cantina before seeing Breaking Dawn at the theater next door, we did manage to silence the room when we loudly brainstormed brilliant and unexpected markets for Kevan’s Monster-a-Day project. We also solved some vexing Photoshop problems, discussed the current state of publishing and generally toasted the wonder and joy that is children’s books. It was a great night to venture out into the rain! Next time maybe we’ll aim for a sunny summer evening, and a spot on the deck of the Harbour Pub.


Plus:

Check this out! Lois V. Harris was interviewed on Stacy Thies’ blog.

Karen Robbins will be signing Care For Our World and children will be doing an art drawing from her Shoe Print Art book at Market Street Shoes (2232 NW Market St #101, Ballard) on Tuesday, November 27 at 7pm. This is a combined book event with Secret Garden Books and Market Street Shoes. Please bring a slightly used pair of shoes to place in the collection box for Soles 4 Souls.  



 

Randi Platt's book release and events

Well, That Platt Woman’s gone and published another novel! 

This one’s a Christmas story for all ages!

LIBERTY’S CHRISTMAS, by Randi Platt

A girl in search of an education, a draft horse in search of one last chance, a derelict tractor in search of a missing gear, and a young Mexican-American in search of a home. These unlikely compatriots join forces and risk everything for a small bit of something during a time when nothing was king - The Great Depression.

Randi will be appearing at the following events, so come support her latest release:

TODAY! Monday - November 26 - 7pm - Joeseppi’s Ristorante - 2207 N Pearl, Tacoma - come early for dinner then join us in the back room for coffee and cookies!

Wednesday - November 28 - 7pm - Madrona Links Restaurant- 3604 22nd Avenue NW, Gig Harbor, Wa - come early for dinner then join us in the back room for coffee and cookies!

Friday, November 30 - 6:30pm - Liberty Bay Books - 18881 Front Street NE - Charming downtown Poulsbo!

Saturday, December 1- 5pm - Mostly Books - 3126 Harborview Drive - Gig Harbor - come down for the lighting of the Christmas tree across the street and join me and author Casandra Firman who will be autographing copies of her own Christmas book, ONE CHRISTMAS IN OLD TASCOSA!

Stacey R. Campbell's YA debut out today

Anacortes author Stacey R. Campbell's debut YA novel, Hush (Green Darner Press, a new imprint of Gemelli Press), releases today as an e-book, and the paperback will follow in mid-January. Please see her website for more details and information about Stacey, as well as her Facebook fan page.

The first in a planned series of Lakeview books,
Hush begins the story of a quest to find a missing heir to one of Europe's thrones, from the exclusive grounds of a boarding school to the United Kingdom. And it begins the story of Blakely and Max, and how their paths cross in the search for the truth.




Congratulations, Stacey! 

Helen Landalf's paperback release

Here's the good news Helen Landalf shared at the Professional Series Meeting last week, which everyone should know about.

Helen's debut YA novel, Flyaway, has just released in a paperback edition from Graphia, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, with a beautiful new cover.

 

 We agree, it's gorgeous! Congratulations, Helen!

Mark Holtzen book release

Mark Holtzen announces the release of his self-published children's book, The Pig War, which has garnered some impressive attention. It is being sold in about fifteen bookstores around the region  and received a starred review from Kirkus. Way to go, Mark!

When his parents send him to remote Mobray Island for a summer with his curmudgeonly grandfather, bookish Kell thinks his time is going to be a boring bust. But he and his boisterous sister Grace are quickly drawn into events from the island’s past—The Pig War of 1859. By summer’s end Kell learns that Mobray Island holds more adventure than he bargained for: shady ancestors, shadier neighbors, and even some discoveries about himself.

Mark was also a recent guest blogger on the PNBA site. Click to read his post.

The rest of November: Events worth your while

For the rest of this month, here's a sampling of author/illustrator events. Please not that from this point onward, I will need to receive your event/appearance by the middle of the month BEFORE you're scheduled. That way I can be more efficient and timely, and you'll get the most comprehensive, up-to-date schedule. For those pesky, last-minute events, of course send them my way and I will try to fit them into a weekly post highlighting goings-on and newsy tidbits.


TODAY, Tuesday, November 13, is Inside Story, featuring amazing book releases from our very own chapter! The lineup is extraordinary, and if you can get yourself up to the Mill Creek University Book Store by 7pm, you will be rewarded for your effort. Really.

Saturday, November 17: Teen Book Brunch
Featuring Helen Landalf (Flyaway), Martha Brockenbrough (Devine Intervention), J. Anderson Coates (The Wicked and the Just), Megan Bostic (Never Eighteen).
University Book Store, Mill Creek, 11am

Wednesday, November 28: Graphic Artists Guild Workshop
"The Secret to Happy Clients," with Patricia Belyea. Winning clients is hard enough, but how do you keep them coming back for more? Learn about client profiling, the dynamics of securing and retaining clients, and tips on making your clients delighted with your services.
Seattle Design Center, noon-1:30pm (doors open at 11:30am)
Pre-register for discount price. Further details at www.seattleguild.org.

 
Because this month began with such a bang at Weekend on the Water, with special guests Jordan Brown and Anne Ursu, it wouldn't be right to keep it under wraps. The latest writeup about this dynamic duo's take on revision and craft left many brains spinning, and here's Janel Kolby's post. Hopefully some of the nuggets of wisdom will make you sit up and have that long-awaited creative epiphany!


Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Welcome to the holiday season! 

Inside Story is TONIGHT!

SCBWI Western Washington's Fall 2012 Inside Story is happening tonight! 

We hold this party twice a year to celebrate new books by local authors and illustrators, and to share the secret "stories behind the stories" with fellow children's book lovers. Each presenter gets a couple of minutes to share inside information about their books. Booksellers, librarians, teachers, media people, and all other kidlit lovers are all invited. 

We'll have fun and PRIZES!

The Fall 2012 Inside Story will take place TONIGHT, November 13 at 7 p.m. at University Bookstore in Mill Creek. 

Congratulations to our fall presenters:

• Kim Baker with PICKLE
• Sean Beaudoin with THE INFECTS
• Martha Brockenbrough with DEVINE INTERVENTION
• Erik Brooks with WHO HAS THIS TAIL?
• Robyn Chance with EWELA'S UNBAALIEVABLE JOURNEY
• Kevin Emerson with THE FELLOWSHIP FOR ALIEN DETECTION
• Brenda Z Guiberson with FROG SONG
• Kathleen Kemly with MOLLY, BY GOLLY!
• Karen Kincy with FOXFIRE
• Randall Platt with LIBERTY'S CHRISTMAS
• Karen Robbins with CARE FOR OUR WORLD 
• Jeanne Ryan with NERVE
• Carole Lexa Schaefer with ABCERS
• Paul Schmid with PERFECTLY PERCY
• Maggie Smith with PIGS IN PAJAMAS
• Trudi Trueit with STEALING POPULAR
• Wendy Wahman with SNOWBOY 1,2,3
• Suzanne Williams with ZEUS AND THE THUNDERBOLT OF DOOM

We hope you'll be there to help us celebrate these wonderful new books!

Show your support for Rollin

One of SCBWI Western Washington's respected illustrators and teachers, Rollin Thomas, has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and we'd like to show him how much we're all thinking of him as his treatment proceeds.

Rollin has been a member of our local organization for at least 15 years and is always generous with his time and skills. About ten years ago, he began teaching in the UW certificate program and has since moved to the Pratt writing/illustrating program. Currently, he has gone home to Spokane for his treatment, but he will be returning to Seattle. We at SCBWI would like to help Rollin while he is in treatment. Contributions — which we'll give him for use on art supplies or anything else he needs right now — can be mailed to Joni Sensel, who'll gather them up and get them to him.

If you'd like to participate, send a check (payable to SCBWI WWA -- we'll consolidate it) c/o Joni to:
58402 114th Street East
Enumclaw WA 98022

Questions? You can email her at joni (at) jonisensel (you know, the dotcom thing). And feel free to pass the word to other writers and artists who may know him.

What's going on: The Weekend Edition

Karen Robbins has a busy day today! First, she will be at the Picket Fence in Sumner this afternoon from 10-noon, signing Care For Our World.  Then she'll be at Chico's in Westwood Village signing Care For Our World and Shoe Print Art from 1-5pm.  Chico's is generously donating 10 percent of their sales to Soles For Souls during the four hours. Please bring a slightly used pair of shoes for S4S for the shoe collection.



For those of you who missed last Thursday's Professional Series Meeting at Seattle University, Rebecca Van Slyke has graciously sent her take on the "Hands-On Picture Books: Making a Great Re-Read-Aloud" portion of the evening:
  
Ben Clanton (Vote for Me!) gave an entertaining talk on how to write and illustrate picture books that make kids say, “Read it AGAIN!” at the end. He showed many examples of books that were interactive. Kids love to be personally involved in the story. Having a character directly interacting with them is exciting to the picture book-aged crowd (ages 4, 5, and 6— although older kids love these books, too.) These books have strong central characters, are relatable, and even a bit subversive. Specifically for illustrators, simple expressions, humorous exaggeration and a great interplay between words and pictures make for a winning book. Even white space is important, allowing for the child’s imagination to fill in the blanks. Examples of these RE-read-alouds are Mo Willem’s Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus and his Elephant and Piggy series; There are Cats in This Book by Viviane Schwarz;  The Monster at the End of This Book by Jon Stone; and Ben Clanton’s own Vote for Me! Looking at these books will help increase your manuscripts’ “read it again!” potential.

Upcoming: Please support our local published members with recent book releases this coming Tuesday, November 13 at 7pm at Inside Story at the Mill Creek University Book Store, an always-impressive showcase of writers and illustrators from our chapter.

Think Tank open to all (first come, first served)

Interested in the legalities of publishing contracts so you're prepared before you get the chance to sign the next one -- or the first one? The Nov. 17 Think Tank with attorney Matt Hooper still has spaces, so you don't have to be a PAL member to attend. See more details here and let Joni know if you'd like to attend! (At this point, we'll probably have you bring your $25 fee to that session rather than trying to mail it now, just in case.)

REMINDER: Professional Series Meeting Thurs

See you tonight, Thursday, November 8 at 7pm at Seattle Pacific University, Demaray Hall 150

(This friendly reminder about November's Professional Series Meeting was brought to you by that master of illustrative shenanigans, Dana Sullivan.)

PSM newcomer Tip #1:
REACH ACROSS THE AISLE and introduce yourself to someone you don't know!

Weekend on the Water's golden nugget

Helen Landalf also shared her experience attending the Weekend on the Water retreat last weekend on her blog, where she reveals one of the most valuable pieces of information you could ever need for revising and thinking about your novel-in-progress. Let's call it the Golden Nugget. It's that good!

Chinook Update event deadlines

Hear ye, hear ye!


For those of you––and there luckily have been many!––who have upcoming or imminent book events (release, signing, appearances, panels, etc.), there is going to be more reason to the rhyme of how we announce and post this on the Chinook Update.


So, without further ado:

- If you are a SCBWI-WWA member and have a book event, lecture, appearance, signing that is NOT a release, please submit your information (who/what/when/where/contact info) TWO WEEKS before the beginning of the month it is slated to happen. That way I can make sure it is part of a consolidated news post for the month or the given week it is slated to happen.

- If you are a SCBWI-WWA member who has a book release/new publication, please follow the same timeline, TWO WEEKS prior to the month it happens. Your release will appear a separate blog post to celebrate your efforts and let you have your moment in the spotlight. Huzzah!


Thanks for your patience as I start to implement some structural and content-related aspects to posting for the Chinook. I'm here to serve you all, and to make sure you have a place to relay news and to support your efforts.


Happy Autumn,

Emily

Don't care about your rights?

Really? There aren't more of you PAL-level SCBWI members with questions like these?

• How can I get my rights back to an out-of-print book so I can make an e-book of it myself? 
• What if it's still in print but the publisher isn't making an ebook from it?
• What's the current thinking on standard e-book royalty rates?
• What's the Random Penguin merger likely to mean for boilerplate contract provisions?
• What should authors think about the court's rejection of the Google case settlement?

These and more can be addressed at our PAL Think Tank with attorney Matt Hooper on Nov. 17... but only if you come! See this post for details.

And if you're not a PAL member but are interested, stay tuned... there might be room for you, too.

Kirk Parrish book release

Seattle-based illustrator Kirk Parrish is excited to announce that his book, The Pepperoni Palm Tree, is officially available!

It's the story about the only tree of its kind in the world and a boy named Frederick, and delves into the challenge of being true to oneself while celebrating the uniqueness that enables each of us to shine.

The book was written by Aidan Patrick Meath and Jason Killian Meath, with illustration by Kirk Parrish.

For more information, please visit www.PepperoniPalmTree.com or Kirk's website.

Congratulations, Kirk!

Suzanne Selfors book signing...with chocolate!

Please join Suzanne Selfors and her friend, Sheila Roberts, as they sign copies of their chocolate-inspired books, The Sweetest Spell and Better Than Chocolate. Goodies and prizes await!

 

 

 

"Chocolate Madness" Book Signing

When: Saturday, November 10, 11am

Where: Barnes and Noble, Federal Way

 

Special note from Suzanne: 

If any SCBWI members would like to meet beforehand and pick my brain about writing, publishing, whatever, I'd be happy to get there early so please email me at mail@suzanneselfors.com to arrange.

Cheers!

Back from Weekend on the Water

Brenda Winter Hansen writes about the Weekend on the Water, which took place in Port Ludlow last weekend.

See her blog post to hear all about it! See Brenda's wonderful blog for more insights, literary and culinary and otherwise.

It was, truly, a terrific, inspiring, and relaxing time for thinking about how to keep our butts in chairs through the winter!

Penny Holland picture book release

A hearty congratulations to Penny Claire Holland, on the publication of her new picture book, The Adoption of Boris. Check out her site for more details and read Peggy Anderson's review!

Suzanne Selfors book release

The long wait be over!  

 

 

 

 

 

Smells Like Pirates, the third book in the Smells Like Dog series, has arrived. Come join Suzanne Selfors as she celebrates her latest release, signs books, and announces the winners of a local Student Writing Contest. Pirate costumes encouraged.

 

When/Where: November 11, 3pm at Eagle Harbor Books, Bainbridge Island

Craig Orback wins 2012 Charlotte Award

This past weekend illustrator Craig Orback attended The New York Street Reading Association's 

convention in Syracuse, New York. 
 

Why, you might ask?
He received the 2012 Charlotte Award for The Can Man. It was voted by 12,000 kids across New York 

State as their favorite book in the Intermediate category.  

(No hurricane was going to stop him!) 

Craig has created a blog post at and would love to share his 

weekend with others. To learn more about his work, visit 

his website. 

Congratulations, Craig! Well done, you! 

Writer/Illustrator wanted

 Just passing on a query from someone looking for help writing/illustrating a book for kids:


Hi, My name is Bob Culliton. I live in Everett, and I am 74 years old. 
I'm going to write a digital children's book about an old Model A Ford Truck I own named Ahooga. It has had an interesting life, and I would like to find a Writer/Illustrator to work with me and get it done. 
Can you recommend a person who might be interested in doing this? 

Thank You, Bob Culliton (cully.1938@yahoo.com)
 

Inside Story, November 13

The Inside Story is a twice-yearly event celebrating new books by members of our SCBWI chapter. Each presenter gets a couple of minutes to share inside information about their books. Booksellers, librarians, teachers, and media people are invited to the event. We hope you'll be there to help your peers celebrate their new books!

Congratulations to our fall presenters:

Erik Brooks                  Who Has This Tail?

Karen Kincy                  Foxfire

Paul Schmid                  Perfectly Percy

Randall Platt                  Liberty's Christmas

Karen Robbins                  Care For Our World 

Kim Baker                          Pickle

Wendy Wahman                 Snowboy 1,2,3

Robyn Chance                   Ewela's Unbaalievable Journey

Kevin Emerson                   The Fellowship For Alien Detection

Martha Brockenbrough      Devine Intervention

Trudi Trueit                   Stealing Popular

Brenda Z Guiberson           Frog Song

Jeanne Ryan                   NERVE

Carole Lexa Schaefer   ABCers

Suzanne Williams           Zeus and the Thunderbolt of Doom

Sean Beaudoin                   The Infects

Kathleen Kemly           Molly, by Golly!

Maggie smith                   Pigs in Pajamas