Debbie Ridpath Ohi's Blog, page 119
March 15, 2012
MiG Writers Blog: meeting one of my critique partners face-to-face for the first time!
I just posted on the MiG Writers blog about finally getting to meet one of my MiG Writer friends face-to-face for the first time.
TU Books seeking middle grade and YA speculative fiction novels
Thanks to Kathy Temean for sharing this Call For Submissions from TU Books and Stacy Whitman. Basically, they're looking for middle grade and young adult novels from SCBWI members. See Kathy's blog post for details.
March 10, 2012
Mar/2012 Torkidlit Meetup at the Bedford Academy
I had great fun at the monthly Torkidlit (Toronto Area Middle Grade and YA Author Meetup) earlier this week. First-timers included: Julie Miller and Emily Pohl-Weary.
Nelsa Roberto brought a copy of her brand new YA book, THE BREAK (Great Plains Publications, 2012):
And Jo Karaplis had the coolest t-shirt:
And my sister came out to the meet up, yay!
I brought copies of my I'M BORED f&gs as well as TOMO:
For news about Torkidlit authors, see the Torkidlit News Facebook Page.
If you're a Toronto area middle grade or young adult author, feel free to join our Torkidlit Facebook group to get notifications about upcoming meet ups.
Here's what some Torkidlit members are up to these days:
Maureen McGowan
- Found out that her new series will be called THE DUST CHRONICLES. The first title, DEVIANTS, will be part of Marshall Cavendish's Fall catalogue.
Jo Swartz
- Invited to do a workshop at TPL in October as part of the Young Writer's Conference.
Cheryl Rainfield
http://cherylrainfield.com/- Pro Page on Facebook.
- Did a talk at York university, went beautifully!
- Did a radio show with Dr. Beth on self-harm, SCARS, ritual abuse, HUNTED
- HUNTED came out in Canada from Fitzhenry & Whiteside in February
- Having a launch for HUNTED on Mar.31st at Bakka-Phoenix Books, 4-6 pm
Karen Krossing
- Her book THE YO-YO PROPHET (Orca) was an Honorable Mention on the Ontario Library Assocation Best Bets List.
- Has written 10 chapters on her work-in-progress.
Megan Crewe
- Had a successful THE WAY WE FALL launch.
- If you're in the Toronto area and want a signed copy of the book, stop by Bakka-Phoenix Books to get your hands on one.
Lena Coakley
- Has been invited to be a speaker at CANSCAIP's Packaging Your Imagination conference
- Lena is also on sub and hopes to have news soon!
Mahtab Narsimhan
http://www.mahtabnarsimhan.com
- THE TIFFIN is on the OLA Best Bets list for 2012, and is also shortlisted by CLA for the 2012 Children's Book Award.
Marina Cohen
- Signed with John Cusick of Scott Treimel, NY
Nelsa Roberto
http://out-of-the-wordwork.blogspot.com/
- Her new book, THE BREAK, just launched!
Tamara Leavitt
http://beginwithinproductions.com/?page=about2
- Preparing to launch her picture book and ebook in the Spring
Anne Laurel Carter
- Teaching at the University of Toronto, Continuing Studies: "Writing For Children" on Saturdays 11-1:30 starting April 14th
Emily Pohl-Weary
It was Emily's first time at a Torkidlit meet up! She's revising a teen novel for Penguin Razorbill (Canada) and Marshall Cavendish (U.S.).
Ruth Ohi
My sister! Her new picture book just came out from Annick Press: CHICKEN, PIG, COW'S FIRST FIGHT.
Debbie Ridpath Ohi
My talk at last weekend's Autodesk SketchBook Toronto Event went well (and I'm dreaming of that amazing Susur Lee 12-course dinner!). Also visited the offices of SImon & Schuster Canada to talk about I'M BORED promo and have been working on the I'M BORED scrapbook (covers the process of creating a picture book with Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers).
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To find out more about Torkidlit, see:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/127433455731/
https://www.facebook.com/TorKidLitNews
March 8, 2012
Everything you ever wanted to know about middle grade: by Molly O'Neill & Michael Bourret
HarperCollins children's book editor Molly O'Neill and Dystel & Goderich literary agent Michael Bourret are talking online about middle grade books, and the conversation is fascinating as well as informative...
Part 1: Everything you ever wanted to know about middle grade…and were willing to ask
March 5, 2012
Inspiration, Art and a 12-Course Susur Lee Dinner at the Autodesk SketchBook Toronto Event
I have been a fan of the iPad since it 1st came out, and my favorite art app is Autodesk Sketchbook Pro. A while ago, I posted a sketch that I did with the app on my iPad while waiting in an airport. I had noticed a little boy with his family nearby, and he noticed me sketching. Curious, he came over to look. I did a quick sketch of him, and he was delighted.
I posted about the experience, pointing out how cool it was that a quickie little sketch could bridge the communication gap between different cultures. Chris Cheung, the SketchBook product manager at Autodesk, e-mailed me about the post; we kept in sporadic touch after that, Eventually we met in person, hit it off (we're both nerds and love SketchBook -- how could we not? :-)) and he invited me to speak at SketchBook's first dedicated Toronto event.
Above: Nick Pagee, TIFF Consultant: Gaming & New Media
I HAD AN AMAZING TIME. First of all, the other speakers were fantastic. You can see some of the lineup on the Sketchbook blog. They included Skottie Young, Bobby Chiu, Nick Pagee, Miguel Sternberg, C.B. Cebulski, Francis Manapul and Benjamin Rabe, among others. You can read their bios on the the SketchBook blog.
One surprise guest (above): renowned Toronto chef Susur Lee, who talked about inspiration and food. After Susur's talk, he went back to his restaurant to prepare a 12 course meal for all of us (!).
Above: C.B. Cebulski from Marvel.
The event was invite-only, and apparently even the waiting list filled up quickly. The speakers could invite a few people, so I sent invites to my sister (a children's book writer and illustrator) and Patricia Storms (cartoonist and children's book writer/illustrator). Sadly, Ruth couldn't come and I knew Chris Cheung (the organizer and SketchBook Product Manager at Autodesk) was interested in the NCS, so I asked Patricia if any of the other National Cartoonists Society members would be interested.
Above: my guests - Jonathan Mahood, Mike Cope (Chairman of the Canadian Chapter of the NCS), Patricia Storms and Katie Shanahan.
It was especially great to have Patricia in the audience since we were already friends through Torkidlit (Toronto Area Middle Grade and Young Adult Author Group) because whenever I got too nervous, I just focused on her smiling "YOU CAN DO IT!!" face. :-)
From the feedback I received afterward, I think my talk went pretty well. Chris had asked me to describe my unusual career path from being a computer programmer to being a children's book illustrator with Simon & Schuster.
Several of the people that approached me afterward said that they were programmers with creative streaks similar to mine, and that my story was inspiring (yay!!). Some said they enjoyed hearing about my process while others seemed drawn by the personal narrative. A lot of people mentioned my enthusiasm. :-)
Above: Patricia Storms and Tina Burke.
(Above: Autodesk staff peruse my I'M BORED f&gs. On the right: Brendan Frye of Comics & Gaming Magazine.)
The Autodesk offices are gorgeous. It didn't get a chance to take one of the tours, but I loved what I saw. When I arrived, I was asked if I'd be willing to be interviewed by the media. I ended up missing some of the talks as a result, but I had fun chatting with Mark Askwith (Space Channel), Joanna Adams (Toronto Standard) and Brendan Frye (Comics & Gaming Magazine). Found out that Brendan is a fellow board gamer (on BoardGameGeek, he's bfrye26).
Above: Bobby Chiu & Kei Acedera from Imaginism Studios
There were plenty of opportunities throughout the afternoon for chatting with other attendees. Plus Marvel's senior VP, C.B. Cebulski, was available for one-on-one meetings throughout the day (he's always scouting for talent).
Two people I especially enjoyed meeting were concept artists Bobby Chiu and Kei Acedera. Bobby and Kei are co-owners of Imaginism Studios (Kei is also a children's book illustrator. They've done work for Disney, Warner Bros., Dreamworks, Sony, Universal Studios and Bobby best known for designing creatures for Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland. He also teaches on Schoolism.com
So many giveaways and freebies handed out throughout the day! Prizes ranged from graphic novels to artwork to a Intuos drawing tablet, Wacom Inkling, soooo much other cool stuff. Everyone who attended received a Silver Snail gift certificate, a bunch of Autodesk Sketchbook Pro tshirts, a copy of THE PERFECT BAIT by Bobby Chiu (tips for artists about finding your own style and creating demand), and (yes) more cool stuff.
Epson had an area where you could test out some of their artist quality printers by e-mailing them a file or ask any questions. In another area, you try drawing on Cintiques. Cake and other snackables on another table.
No one wanted to fill up on snacks, though, because we all knew that after the talks, we would all be heading over to Lee and feast upon 12 courses prepared by Susur:
Thanks you SO MUCH to Autodesk and Chris Cheung for inviting me to this event. I had SUCH an amazing time.
February 29, 2012
Woohoo! My contributor's copies of TOMO are here!!
YAY! My contributor's copies of TOMO arrived today!! TOMO (which means "friend" in Japanese) features 36 stories for teens by authors and artists around the world. One of these stories is by me: it's my very first solo published short story. Here's the first page of my story:
A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this book will benefit teens affected by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake. Please do consider buying a copy, and tell your friends! You can point them to this online postcard about TOMO.
Find out more about the anthology here: tomoanthology.blogspot.com/ (includes an interview with me)
Buy on Amazon (On sale for $9.95 right now)
February 28, 2012
New Blog: SUSAN SAYS - by children's book literary agent, Susan Hawk
I enjoyed meeting Susan Hawk at the SCBWI annual conference in NYC, and I just found out she has a new blog!
Susan worked in children's book marketing for over 15 years, most recently as the Marketing Director at Henry Holt Books For Young Readers. Before that: Library Marketing Director at Penguin Young Readers Group. While at Penguin, she also helped acquired projects for Dutton Editorial.
From her About page:
I handle books for children exclusively: picture books, chapter books, middle grade and YA, fiction and non-fiction. In middle-grade and YA, I'm looking for something that makes me laugh out loud, I'm a sucker for bittersweet, and I can't resist a character that comes to understand how perfectly imperfect the world is. I want a book to stay with me long after I finish reading, and I'm looking for powerful, original writing. I'm open to mystery, scifi, humor, boy books, historical, contemporary (really any genre). My favorite projects live at the intersection of literary and commercial. In non-fiction I'm looking for books that relate to kid's daily lives and their concerns with the world. In picture books, I'm looking particularly for author-illustrators, succinct but expressive texts, and characters as indelible as my childhood favorites Ferdinand, Madeline, George and Martha.
Where you can find more info about Susan:
Her Susan Says blog: http://susanhawk.blogspot.com
On Twitter: @susanhawk
Also, Heather Ayris Burnell recently interviewed Susan Hawk about picture books: why she represents picture books, what she looks for, common submission mistakes, and preferred word count.
Blog Highlight: Schiel & Denver's Ramblings From A Busy Publishing Office
Just discovered this blog while doing a Google search for publishing news: a great mix of publishing industry news and info of interest to writers. Schiel and Denver is an on-demand publisher with offices in the U.S. and UK.
Blog URL: http://www.bookpublisherblog.com/
On Twitter: @schieldenver
