B.B. Shepherd's Blog, page 22
July 10, 2012
Goodreads Giveaway – July 2012
Hey everyone! Just a short post to let you know we’re having a giveaway over at Goodreads. For this go round we’ve got four hardbound editions of Bronze available to readers in the U.S., United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia. I hope to have another open more worldwide later this summer. Here is the link for those of you over there at Goodreads! (For those on Goodreads: sorry for the previous mess…for some reason Goodreads’ version of my blog post doesn’t show the widget, just the script, so I’ve moved it to the end of this post.)
I am also interested in doing giveaways/interviews/etc. at well established book blogs, especially those for YA literature. Contact me here if you are interested!
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Goodreads Book Giveaway
The Glister Journals
by B.B. Shepherd
Giveaway ends August 11, 2012.
See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.
July 4, 2012
Artwork, Road Trip, Music! (Part Two)
I'm very pleased to present a piece created by an exceptional illustrator and comic artist, Jeff Stokely.
Jeff has, since doing these pictures for me so long ago, worked on some pretty impressive projects, including illustration for one of the first stories and the first cover of the new Fraggle Rock comic, as well as work for Mattel and TokyoPop. I am especially fond of his "Wonderland" take on Alice's world, and his "Labyrinth" piece which was recently chosen as design of the day by Tee Fur...
Artwork, Road Trip, Music! (Part two)
I’m very pleased to present a piece created by an exceptional illustrator and comic artist, Jeff Stokely.
Jeff has, since doing these pictures for me so long ago, worked on some pretty impressive projects, including illustration for one of the first stories and the first cover of the new Fraggle Rock comic, as well as work for Mattel and TokyoPop. I am especially fond of his “Wonderland” take on Alice’s world, and his “Labyrinth” piece which was recently chosen as design of the day by Tee Fury. Among many other things, he is also doing the illustration for a new comic, “The Truth About Dragons” which is looking great! It will be available through Archaia in 2013.
Jeff did two commissions for me a couple of years ago, but I wasn’t quite ready to share them. And now with the release of the hardbound edition of Bronze I am! I was originally going to defer artwork for this post as I was hoping to perhaps lay some color on this, but the way things are going it won’t happen soon, and I’ve waited too long as it is! This first piece is Jeff’s concept for Dave and Chris from The Glister Journals and I really love it. I don’t quite see them this way, but that’s the point! They could look this way! Those of you who have read the book (or at least the online chapters), what do you think?
Back to my Northwest road trip:
DAY TWO
Knowing how to give good directions should be a requirement of people who work front desks of hotels. After all, if you’re staying in a hotel, it would be reasonable to assume that you might not know the area. At all.
On asking the hotel clerk if there was a Starbucks close by–wondering if, in the wilds of Medford, Oregon** they’d even heard of Starbucks–the nice lady said, “Oh, yes, of course! There’s one right over in the plaza by Fred Myers.”
She might just as well have said, “It’s over in the blahblahblah by the blahblahblah.” Who or what the heck is Fred Myers? More importantly, where exactly is he/it? I headed out in the direction she had vaguely waved in and eventually saw the big “Fred Myers” sign. I guess it’s like a WalMart or something? Enlighten me. I didn’t venture in. I was on a mission.
Fortified with my caffeinated substance of choice (black tea), I hit the I-5 again.
Roseburg is where I decided to stop for gas (and more tea). Buying gas in Oregon is a strange experience. It feels weird to let someone else pump my gas for me; makes me feel guilty as if I’m being selfish or acting entitled. I’d forgotten about “no self-serve” in Oregon, but I could probably get used to it. Especially the gas prices! At least fifty cents a gallon cheaper than what I usually spend. Apparently it costs MUCH more to transport gas into California. You know, because it’s so inaccesible and everything.
I love California, but Oregon is, of course, gorgeous. Most of California (that I had passed through) was brown already, or almost brown, but Oregon was emerald still. I appreciate that.
Somewhere north of Drain (yes, Drain–one of the things I love about road trips is noticing place names!) I passed a pasture where a horse was lying down and standing behind him, obviously nuzzling or licking the crest of his neck and mane, was a small calf. Was this a random occurence? The calf just happened to wander over to the horse and, curious about a different creature, start nuzzling? Or is the calf actually a minion of the horse, subjugated to serve it? Or is it a symbiotic relationship: you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours? I can’t help but wonder about these things. I wished I could have stopped to take a picture, but it’ll make a cute drawing if I ever get around to it.
It seems impossible, but Washington is even more lush and green than Oregon. I have to admit that, so far, it’s my second favorite state (I’ve only been through fourteen). Just from a driver’s point of view, some of the things I noticed:
The “keep right” law. We have signs in California that state, “slower traffic keep right,” but few people pay attention to it and I’ve never heard of anyone being pulled over for blocking faster traffic in the left lanes. I wish I had! It’s one of my biggest pet peeves (that and people not using indicators…grrrrr.) In washington it’s LAW. Awesome.
Signage stating, “Litter and it will hurt,” a vague, non-specific threat that kept my imagination endlessly occupied and made me smile every time I saw it.
Washington Highway Patrol is on the job. Noticeably. The only reason I mention it is because driving through Washington was also noticeably pleasant with people (for the most part) yielding and merging respectfully, using their indicators, driving an acceptable few miles over the speed limit (instead of ten or twenty under or over) and driving on the far right whenever possible unless they were overtaking. An amazing system that actually works.
And MUSIC
For the first part of the journey through Oregon I listened to Gotye’s Making Mirrors. By now I’m sure everyone’s heard “Somebody That I Used to Know” which I still like in spite of it being overplayed, but just for the record, I do NOT like the remix version. Whose idea was that I wonder? Wally’s or a producer’s? The song was fresh and original and they took and made it sound like every other pop tune on the radio. Thankfully the remix is not on the album.
Wally DeBacker (Gotye) has one of the most versatile voices I’ve heard in a long time, not just in range–there seems to be quite a lot of male singers out there right now with incredible range–but in quality and tone. He really works his voice, which I can appreciate. I also love his tendency to use tribal rhythms in much of his music rather than straight-up rock drumkit or electro-dance rhythms. I guess that’s why i don’t like the STIUTK remix. Ah well…
One of my favorite tracks on the album, and which I’d already become familiar with through the video, is “Eyes Wide Open.” This took on even more meaning as I drove through Oregon’s gorgeous pine forests and over blue rivers.
Another track that I really enjoyed on the trip was State of the Art. I admit it took a little while for me to really uderstand what he was talking about, but then I had to listen to the whole thing again and laughed quite a bit. It may not mean much to a lot of people, but it reminded me strongly of someone I actually knew, who had one of those keybords that have rhythms and whatnot programmed into them. It probably cost about a hundred dollars. He thought he was a pretty good musician. He also only used the one-finger chord setting and sang in a “lounge”-y style. Hahaha…oh, memories. Anyway, I like the song better than the video (I think it’s ugly and annoyingly repetitive) so gave you the link in case you want to check it out, but I don’t expect it would mean much to most people.
“Bronte” had me driving through tears, thinking of beloved pets, past and present. When thoughts of people creep in too it’s almost overwhelming for me. I have posted it before here, at the end of the post, so I won’t post it again.
I will leave you with this song which is another favorite. The video is kind of repetitious and annoying too, but the animation is pretty cool (though very simple) so I like it anyway. Haha. Enjoy and I’ll see you next time!
**No offence is meant to Oregon or Oregonians. It’s just my sense of humor. I LOVE Oregon and find the people warm and friendly, even when they know I’m from California!
Note: All original text and materials by or commissioned by B. B. Shepherd are copyright 2012 to China Blue Publishing.
The Glister Journals: Bronze can be purchased through any bookseller, or purchase now at Amazon.com
Reviews for The Glister Journals: Bronze
More Glister info and chapters at the book’s website here: theglisterjournals.com
The chapters can also be read here at the top of my blog. (and also in a menu in the sidebar!)
And please “Like” us on Facebook!
June 22, 2012
Artwork, Road Trip, Music! (Part One)
Sorry again for the hiatus. I had hoped to post before now, especially as I am officially on vacation, but life's been go, go, go!
First of all, another piece from wonderful Katelynn Chambers. This time it's Robin and her horse, Gali. I don't quite picture Robin this way myself, but I love the picture anyway. The relationship implied between the characters is perfect, and I love her jeans! The colors and artwork in general is amazing. I just love her work so much!
(c) 2012 Katelynn Chambers...
Artwork, Road Trip, Music! (Part One)
Sorry again for the hiatus. I had hoped to post before now, especially as I am officially on vacation, but life’s been go, go, go!
First of all, another piece from wonderful Katelynn Chambers. This time it’s Robin and her horse, Gali. I don’t quite picture Robin this way myself, but I love the picture anyway. The relationship implied between the characters is perfect, and I love her jeans! The colors and artwork in general is amazing. I just love her work so much!
Robin and Gali from The Glister Journals: Bronze
On to the road trip.
DAY ONE
On Monday I headed north, destination: the northernmost part of Washington (state) to visit a person very dear to me. I got a very late start due to errands that needed to be run, and tried to get as far as could without stopping. I don’t often get further north than Sacramento, so, especially once past Redding, I began to be a little more interested in the scenery. I was also looking for a potential Starbucks stop, but didn’t want to have to go looking for one. There were no signs, so I kept going.
I admit to being tempted by the little city of Dunsmuir (apparently “Home of the best water on earth” and, according to the city’s website, “the small-town home of 2,000 you wished you had grown up in.”), but eschewing the potential delights of the Dunsmuir Historical Gardens, I continued on. It was probably closed anyway.
I wanted to take pictures along the way, but there are very few places to actually stop, especially not where there’s anything interesting to photo. Here’s a picture of Mount Shasta, northern California
Not a terribly good picture; it’s much more impressive in person. By this time I was in need of tea and ready to venture off the beaten track in search of it, but this mountain town (I didn’t write down the name)
didn’t look like it would have a Starbucks. Just finding the way back onto the I5 was an adventure. Of course that could be said of most large cities too.
I took some better pictures of Mount Shasta on my “good” camera (which I will add later–I have to wait to get home to download them) some place north of a town called Weed. Yes, that’s right, Weed. There’s actually a South Weed, a Central Weed, and even a North Weed Road (or something similar.) Weed is obviously a Very Important Place.
I was struggling to keep my eyes open by the time I crossed over the border into Oregon, but finally rolled into Medford about 10 p.m.
To finish off with MUSIC:
I had picked up three new CDs for the trip: The Black Key’s El Camino, Keane’s Strangeland, and I finally got Gotye’s Making Mirrors, which is wonderful. But more about that next time. For now I’ll leave you with Keane’s Silenced By The Light which is on the radio quite a bit right now. I got to listen to the CD once through, but I’ll listen again and have more to say about it on the trip home. I hope you enjoy!
Note: All original text and materials by or commissioned by B. B. Shepherd are copyright 2012 to China Blue Publishing.
The Glister Journals: Bronze can be purchased through any bookseller, or purchase now at Amazon.com
Reviews for The Glister Journals: Bronze
More Glister info and chapters at the book’s website here: theglisterjournals.com
The chapters can also be read here at the top of my blog. (and also in a menu in the sidebar!)
And please “Like” us on Facebook!
June 10, 2012
Glister Journals Art
I’m VERY excited to be able to introduce you to artwork created in conjunction with my fiction series, The Glister Journals. If you’re like me, when you read a book, you imagine the characters very clearly. That’s the main reason I like to read a book before I see a movie made from it. I like to have my own mental picture of characters and places in my head before seeing someone elses. I have plans to get some of my own sketches out this summer too, but still haven’t had much time to concentrate on art. But I also love seeing what other people think characters look like, or think they might look like.
Which was my idea behind finding artists to help render my Glister Journals characters. I commissioned two amazing artists to do character sketches for me, a couple of which were actually finished a couple of years ago, but I have been waiting for the right time to share them. And that time is now!
For the next few weeks I’ll be posting one piece each weekend beginning with this lovely picture by Katelynn Chambers:
(c) 2012 Katelynn Chambers and China Blue Publishing
I love the sense of movement and the color palettes she uses in her pieces; they are all unique and wonderful. You can see more of her work at her portfolio site, Nettlebeast Studio.
I’d also like to show you the updated cover for the revised editions of Bronze. Both pictures make very nice wallpapers and you are very welcome to use them for personal use, but please respect the copyrights. 
(c) 2012 B B Shepherd and China Blue Publishing
Click on the pictures to see them full size. All artwork can also be found at my new Tumbler account. And I’m going to throw a giveaway in here: the first person to comment on this post telling me the name of the horse on the cover of Bronze wins a free hardbound copy. I’ll even sign it if you like. More about giveaways and locations next week.
Now I think we need to finish with a little music, don’t you? I haven’t got back to finish my Cinco de Mayo post, so I’ll borrow some music I might otherwise have posted there (don’t worry, there’s plenty more for that post, and I will finish it!) This is “Fire Escape” from Civil Twilight, definitely one of my favorite bands right now, but I’ll get back to them on a previous post (Yes! Time travel!)
Have a great week!
Note: All original text and materials by or commissioned by B. B. Shepherd are copyright 2012 to China Blue Publishing.
The Glister Journals: Bronze can be purchased through any bookseller, or purchase now at Amazon.com
Reviews for The Glister Journals: Bronze
More Glister info and chapters at the book’s website here: theglisterjournals.com
The chapters can also be read here at the top of my blog. (and also in a menu in the sidebar!)
And please “Like” us on Facebook!
Glister Journals Art
I'm VERY excited to be able to introduce you to artwork created in conjunction with my fiction series, The Glister Journals. If you're like me, when you read a book, you imagine the characters very clearly. That's the main reason I like to read a book before I see a movie made from it. I like to have my own mental picture of characters and places in my head before seeing someone elses. I have plans to get some of my own sketches out this summer too, but still haven't had much time to concentr...
May 27, 2012
Cinco de Mayo, Fiesta, and…wait a minute…
Where the heck did May go? And I had such great plans for it!
This is just a quick update to let you know what’s been going on and what’s going to be going on in the near future.I will probably be posting again tomorrow; a post that was started some while ago. On to today’s subjects.
On Cinco de Mayo I spent a lovely day with a friend at the Fiesta of the Spanish Horse held at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center. It was not exactly what I had imagined, but it was a perfect day and so good to enjoy with a friend (thanks T!) I took some video which (yes, I’m sure you’re getting tired of hearing this) I hope to get edited, converted, and uploaded at some point. I have some vacation time coming up . . . we’ll see. I should at least get some nice pictures from it which I’ll add to this post. Anyway, details, pics, etc. will be added here or in a separate post later.
I’ve had many projects to finish at work which have kept me very busy and preoccupied, and I have just finished tweaking the cover of Bronze. All of which has left me with little time to blog.
More importantly, next Friday, June 1, 2012 marks the official release day of the hardbound edition of Bronze. The larger print paperback edition will be rereleased some time this week too. My publisher and I plan to host multiple giveaways, so keep checking back for the locations and sites for those. I’m sure that we’ll be giving several away through Goodreads, so if you’re a member there you can watch out for it.
I was so excited to find that Bronze was reviewed by Booklist Online. I thought the review reserved but accurate and very fair, and I feel honored to have gotten it at all! You can read it here: Booklist Online–Bronze by B B Shepherd
Another thing I’m immensely excited about is the release of some very special artwork I had commissioned. It will be released in several online locations. So I hope you’re hanging in there with me!
To celebrate these upcoming activities let’s have some music! How about some Maná? An older one, but one of my absolute favorites. (It’s even my phone ringtone 
)
Reviews for The Glister Journals: Bronze
More Glister info and chapters at the book’s website here: theglisterjournals.com
The chapters can also be read here at the top of my blog. (and also in a menu in the sidebar!)
And please “Like” us on Facebook!
Cinco de Mayo, Fiesta, and...wait a minute...
This is just a quick update to let you know what's been going on and what's going to be going on in the near future.I will probably be posting again tomorrow; a post that was started some while ago. On to today's subjects.
On Cinco de Mayo I spent a lovely day with a friend at the Fiesta of the Spanish Horse held at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center. It was not exactly what I had imagined, but it was a perfect day and so good to enjoy with a friend (thanks T!) I took some video which (yes, I'...
April 29, 2012
It's been an Extreme week
In the meantime, let me share a little of another very special ev...
