It’s the Martha book trailer.

Book trailers. They don’t give out an Academy Award for them – yet.

Here’s a trailer for How Martha Saved her Parents from Green Beans. If you haven’t picked up your three copies of the book yet, order soon. Remember, when ordering new books it’s alwasy best to have several extra to lend out or give as gifts. How many times have you been excited to get that new book and BAM! There’s a flash flood and that book is just so much moist tissue paper. Too bad you didn’t have an extra copy of that book, carefully wrapped in protective plastic.

A few notes about this book trailer. It cost about 19 million to make and took almost a year of post production. We lost a great deal of the live action footage when several external hard drives failed after being used as cutting boards. The actors had already moved to their next films and there was no way to get Ben Affleck and Meryl Streep back to the set. So this 35 seconds is all we got…

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If it feels like work…

When I am not walking the dogs, trying to avoid cooking or getting speeding tickets in West Linn I sit at my desk and try and write books.

This should be the great pleasure in my life, no? I have strived and worked towards having this opportunity for many years. I feel increadibly fortunate to be doing it. I continue to do other types of work as well:  design, sculpture, animation and illustration, but having had  two picture books acquired as well as writing and drawing a graphic novel for Chronicle Books, I was thrilled to actually get results from all the hundreds, if not thousands, of stories that I have written that never made it off my monitor. In fact, many never even got an ending. At least a good one.

But sitting here writing ‘books’ it feels pretty much like work. It IS work. I’m reminded every time I feel like walking away from what I am writing. What I am TRYING to write. It’s challenging and can be creative, and fun and I feel amazingly lucky to be getting the time to pursue this. But it’s also good-old-fashioned, irritating, stress inducing work.

Now, back to work.

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This is no ordinary stuffed bean…

I was trying to get laundry in the dryer when I heard a knock at the door. By the time I opened it all I saw was a box sitting on the welcome matt. A box that seemed to be moving slightly. I picked it up and heard muffled exclamations coming from inside. Before I had gotten back to the kitchen the box was opening on its own and out popped one ornery bean!

Obviously he jumped off the pages of How Martha Saved Her Parents from Green Beans, a new picture book written by David LaRochelle and illustrated by some guy from Oregon by way of Minnesota and Wisconsin and California. And now this bean is here to stay.

This totally too-cool Bean was made by the super talented Jody Rice. You can check out some of the cool beans stuff she sells at her Etsy store. As they say, ‘You’ll never be disappointed in a Satsuma Street Design!’ (And a Lannister always pays their debts.) But sorry, this bean is not for sale. He’s the rarest of green beans. A one of a kind.

But check out her Etsy store for all your cross stitching desires.

This bean enjoys yelling things at the neighbors from my dining room windows.

You will notice that this stuffed bean is a perfect replica of the baddest bean in the book. You can see him and his bean minions below. As grandpa used to say, “Never trust a green bean with a hat.” Of course grandpa also warned me to make sure I kept the monkeys out of the cheese.

Order your copy of How Martha Saved Her Parents from Green Beans before it’s too late. And remember, always order three copies of new books. What if one gets water spilled on it from the night table? Or perhaps it is left alone with an excitable 3 year old and RIP! Keep an extra on hand so at least one book stays in mint condition.

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Little book, big book, book friends…

I am in no way an expert on the history of books that are small in size, but I have collected quite a few through the years. I don’t know why…I just realized that I have several boxes of some very odd, almost always mass-produced (these are NOT artisan creations) books that are just really, really small.

This is named, obviously, Chooch, The Little Engine. It’s copyright states it’s Vol 2, book 13, from 1966. A series produced by Cracker Jack Miniature Books. It measures 1.25 x 1.75 inches. A double page spread would be a whopping 2.75 inches wide, though it has no double page spread.

I recently acquired another book released a few years ago from IDW. It’s a collection of the cartoon work of Sergio Aragones, who was and still is my all time cartoon hero. Called Groo The Wanderer, Artist’s Edition. It’s one of a series of books printed by IDW that are at 100% size of the original art done by the artists. They shot the actual art pages, white out, notes, printing comments and all. It’s beautiful. Remember a few months ago I was going to stop buying books…well not so much.

It measures in at 12.25 x 17.25 inches and DOES feature double page spreads that are 24.5 inches wide. WOW.

Here are the two books and a Sharpie for reference.

Little book and big book getting along just fine. But sharing the same shelf is probably not in their futures.

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A Box of Books

The highlight of any day is the arrival of that first box of new books. There are a bunch of copies in the box so you know it’s an actual book that will be for sale and on shelves and in libraries…at least the good libraries…

Thanks to David LaRochelle for his wonderful manuscript and all the editors, art directors and designers at Dial who helped make a wonderful picture book.

They’ll be available for purchase soon. And as I remind people often, one copy really isn’t enough. The American Association for Book Illustrators, Writers, Salesmen and Book Sales Establishment Owners (or the TAABIWSBSEO) recommends you always buy three copies of a book. Just in case…

And here’s the Kirkus review, which should be available in a day or so.

And here’s David’s web page for his newest book!

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The Secrets to Success

Because I’m either overworked or lazy, todays post is a repost from last year. Think of it as a BEST OF posting…Anyway, here it is again for the new readers since everything on a blog is dead two minutes after posting.

From 2/2012

The Three Keys to Success!

Yup. Here it is. The Three Keys to Success in Kids’ Lit! I imagine you are pretty excited to read this. I mean, THREE KEYS to success! Even I can count that high and I’m an artist.

Ok, here we go…number one…. numero uno…I’ve been thinking, maybe it’s more like 8 keys to success. So, how about  ’8 KEYS to SUCCESS in Kids’ Lit’. That way I have enough room to get to issues like – ‘Make sure you run spell check’.

So, here they are: 8 KEYS to SUCCESS in Kids’ Lit…

1. I was going to start with, ‘Stay focused’. But I keep stopping to check emails and deleted part of the list by accident.

As I think about this, I realized I have more like 13 Keys. So I could call it something like: The 13 Keys to Fabulous Kids’ Lit. And that gives me room to include items like, ‘Smile more.’

But 13 is a horrible number. Bad luck. I mean buildings even skip that number. It’s not small enough to be catchy and not long enough to sell as a novel length How To Book.

Actually I have too many tips. So, I’m thinking ’23 Magic Steps for Success in Kids Lit.’ You don’t want to deal with 23 KEYS. Keys are heavy, they jingle, they jangle, after awhile you forget what they open or why you have them. They end up collecting dust in the drawer with spare change and nearly empty Tic-Tac containers…but 23 STEPS seems like reasonably good exercise, especially if you are like me and sit in front of a computer for 11 months of the year. But I can easily break the 23rd step into 4 additional steps…So -

The 27 Steps To Be Successful In Children’s Lit.

1. Name your book Harry Potter.

2…OK. That first one doesn’t really work, as I seem to remember that name being used already in a TV show or a movie. Or a game. Or a theme park. Or on a package of jelly beans.

You know, I’m going to regroup here because the list just keeps getting longer, which is ironic, as number 11 on the list is, ‘Keep things simple’ and I think number 19, ‘Keep getting better’, isn’t very helpful because it’s too broad.

So there you have it. I have spent months writing this post, and my 3 Steps to Kids’ Lit Success (copyright Mark Fearing, 2012) just keeps getting more complicated. And I am on deadline so I really should get back to writing the book I am working on. But if I can’t break this down to under a hundred steps, I don’t deserve to write step-based or key-based lists at all.

And yes, you could interpret this list as a sideway glance at any How To Succeed list. But I am working on a new post called – ’42 Awkward Lurches to Kids’ Lit Success’. I think 42 is exactly the right number.

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I wasn’t a big reader as a kid.

I’ve spoken about this when I give talks at schools but I haven’t written about it much here. I have a confession to make. I wasn’t a big reader as a kid. I know, I know…that’s not what I’m supposed to say. Don’t I write and draw books for a living now? But I was a kid who liked doing things. And I grew up in the country with plenty of space to have adventures. A river to swim in and build rafts on, horses to ride, a few chores tossed in of course. And I liked to draw and sculpt and make stop motion movies on 8mm. So reading wasn’t my first choice on how to spend my time.

I had some favorite picture books, which I still have and have talked about before. And I remember the elementary school librarian making a valiant effort to get books into my hands. I read a few, but my life in 6th grade was so alien from the tortured life presented in some of the middle-grade novels I was given, I couldn’t make the leap to be that interested in them. And then there was the time my mom had me check out the Little House on the Prairie books by Laura Ingalls Wilder and read them. I enjoyed them well enough actually. But when the kids on the bus saw I had them checked out, they were not so generous of literary spirit as to excuse what they saw as ‘girl books’ in my possession.

In 7th or 8th grade an English teacher had me read The Wizard of Earthsea by Urlusa K. Le Guin. At first I didn’t expect much. Dragons, fantasy…not really my favorite stuff. I didn’t play Dungeons and Dragons. I didn’t know what a mage was. But I loved that book and finished it within a week. I created maps of Earthsea. I drew a comic about it. I could picture the opening scenes in my head as if I was there. And I read the other books as soon as I could. From that point in 7th grade on I started to wander book aisles and pick books out at random. I did it in college in the art library too. And that’s still my favorite way to find a new book. I have several stories about picking a book randomly off a shelf that later played a big roll in my life.

I think many of us find reading when we find it. We are not all ‘bookworms’ as kids. And often as not it’s finding the right book at the right time to interest a kid. For me it was The Wizard of Earthsea even though I had no notion I would enjoy fantasy lit. I don’t write high fantasy now. I read a bit of it but am certainly not an expert on the genre. It’s not even my favorite genre. But that book introduced me to a story I wanted to read. And the habit stuck.

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Q&A Monday

I sometimes receive emails from this blog with legitimate questions. Not the ones offering to sell me something. Or asking that I wire money to some exotic locale. Why not make blog content of these questions!? It’s like Thanksgiving leftovers. In a good way. Plus I can correct the spelling that was in my original response.

Q: Do you draw on the computer?

A: Yes. Well, not ON the computer, but using the computer. I have been doing this since it wasn’t cool. Since art directors used to say, “We don’t want digital work.” Which wasn’t that long ago. But I do almost all my sketches using good old pencil and paper. Then scan them in and use Photoshop. I mix in lots of textures I’ve scanned and brushes I make in Photoshop.

Q: You don’t talk about illustration much. (On this illustration blog).

A: See above question! Actually I’ve been accused of this before. And you are right. I don’t mean this blog as a How To so much as it is, just about whatever I want it to be. I spend most of my working life developing stories; writing and illustrating them. So it ends up about that process and generally things I find interesting. I am mostly inspired by the story side of things. Drawing for me is directly connected to the narrative experience. Because of this and my stay-at-home-dadishness I do very little art that is not on deadline. When I have free time, I usually play video games…no. I usually write stories. Which I send to my agent and he patiently reads them and explains whey they won’t sell. Then I do it again. It’s a good relationship. He leaves me with hope and really, what more can you ask for!? Honestly having others read your work and offer honest appraisals about what you do best is very helpful. If you find people who will do that for you, treat them well. BTW my hobbies are hiking, swimming and the improper use of punctuation marks!

And the final one for today!

Q: Do you draw or write a story first?

A: This came from a student asking for a school paper or some such thing. It’s a good question. But as with most answers to art issues, what I do is just what I do. It’s not the ‘right way’ to do it. I almost always write first. I tend to think of a character or a situation and form a rough outline. I write this out. Sometimes the time between when I am thinking of the story and actually sitting down to write it is a long time. In that case I often start some drawings or doodles. These can greatly effect the story. So even if I write it out first, the drawings and doodles and roughs will help shape the story. Sometimes change it entirely.

Happy Monday!

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Headed down North Carolina way.

The Dogwoods won’t be blooming but I will be in North Carolina in October.

The Book That Eats People won the picture book of the year award there. So obviously it didn’t eat all the kids who picked up a copy. (BTW it’s a GREAT Halloween book if you want a scary book without trick-or-treating)

I’ll be speaking at the NCCBA event but I won’t be doing my famous mime routine titled: Child being eaten by book. I’ve retired that part of my show.

This will also be the first meeting between author of The Book That Eats People, John Perry and I. I’m not sure what will happen. I’m a little nervous. I mean, if he has books that eat people, what’s that say about his appetites? I’ve read stories about him, seen his picture (here), did the usual criminal background checks…he seems OK. He often emails me telling me that he beats me in arm wrestling all the time. But as I have never met him, I wonder who he is arm wrestling?

And did you know that North Carolina’s state dog is the Plott Hound? They are said to be hardworking, tenacious and loyal. Happy to hunt bear and wild boar. They are also one of only two known dog breeds that can write their name. And as far as I know, The Book That Eats People has never eaten a Plott Hound.

Ok…maybe I made up the ‘write their name’ part.

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Short Story Thursday…

I’m starting something new on my blog. I will be publishing short stories I have written. I mean, what else can you do with them? Sometimes they will appear with lavish illustrations (I can’t tell you how exited I am to be able to use the word lavish here!) and sometimes not. I will run a disclaimer each time – These are short stories, usually under 800 words. They often take on the tone and style of fairytales. I write these (A LOT of these…) to avoid my real work and I don’t always get around to illustrating them. Or I only complete one or two illustrations. Putting them up here is better than leting them diminish on the hard drive.

First up is a tale about the malleability of history. So take a few minutes and read a story. Why not?

Fantastical Tales of Occasional Oddness

presents:

The Forgetful Kingdom.

Once upon a time there was a powerful King. A fierce lion and a flaming sword adorned his Kingdom’s crest.

This King was going mad. He commanded the royal architect to build a sturdy tower and stock it with provisions for 30 lifetimes. At the very top a window was cut into each side of the tower. Once the King entered the tower it was sealed with masonry.

His army formed a circle around the tower and stood guard all day and night.

After a year of this, the King began to worry that his soldiers would turn against him, smash down the tower and kill him. So he yelled down to the Royal Alchemist ordering him to plant a grove of giant, poisonous trees around the tower.

The alchemist could not create a poisonous tree with barbs that would kill on contact. Instead he planted fast growing Skeet trees. They bloomed a terrific red each spring but they were not poisonous. He wondered, how could he please the King and keep his royal standing?

The alchemist devised a plan. He selected a troop of soldiers and each morning had them charge the tower. But when they reached the trees they fell flat and pretended to be dead. The King would see the soldiers collapse and would feel secure. Every night under the cover of darkness the soldiers would get up and return to their barracks.

Each spring the trees burst into bright red flowers. This carpet of red impressed the King and he asked the alchemist what name he gave to so deadly and yet so beautiful a tree. The alchemist called them Blood Trees and said they become more deadly as each year passed.

The King rewarded the alchemist and he grew powerful and wealthy beyond his dreams. All the while the King stayed hidden in his tower, surrounded by poisonous trees that weren’t poisonous, under attack from soldiers who were not really attacking.

Each evening the king would peer out the windows and search the horizon for enemies and traitors who might come to take his crown. He heard beautiful music coming from the forest of Blood Trees, which now stood 40-feet high. The king saw a tiny yellow bird land on a tree branch. He expected it to die, but instead it flew into the sky, than came back down to a nest it had built in another Blood Tree.

This powerful bird greatly impressed the king. The King asked the alchemist what kind of bird it was. The alchemist said it is a magical bird called the Switter. Each night it sings an enchanted song that keeps it immune from the Blood Trees. But the Switter bird (and had the King any common sense he would have known) was actually just a common Barn Swallow.

The King believed the Switter the most powerful of all nature’s beasts. He yelled orders to change his royal crest by replacing the lion with the bird and the flaming sword with the Blood Tree; the true and loyal protector of the King. The King ordered that Blood Trees should never be cut in his kingdom and no one must harm even a single Switter.

In time the King grew old and walked less to the windows to shout orders. The trees spread further and grew higher until the King could no longer be seen or heard at all. The alchemist died in a most unfortunate way and the Kingdom came to be ruled by various of its citizens.

Soon, no one remembered the King in his tower. In time the kingdom developed into a prosperous country.

Now in the center of the country, in its greatest city, is a majestic park filled with towering Skeet Trees and yellow birds. At the center of the park are the ruins of an ancient tower where it is rumored, the bones of the greatest King of ancient times lie; the King who protected the forest and celebrated the birds. People come to the park each spring when the trees are in bloom and the yellow birds dart about. They lay bundles of flowers upon the tower ruins in memory of the wisest of Kings whose name has been forgotten but his great deeds live on.

The End

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