R.R. Russell's Blog, page 3

Wonder Light Book Release Party!

I’m having a book release party for Wonder Light: Unicorns of the Mist! I’ll be signing books, munching on unicorn-themed treats, and doing a short talk and reading. Join me at the Garfield Book Company at PLU on May 2, at 7 PM.

Join the event on Facebook. You can pre-order your personalized, signed copy before the event. Just visit this page on the Garfield Book Company’s site.

Updated Cover for Wonder Light: Unicorns of the Mist

The cover for Wonder Light: Unicorns of the Mist has been updated, with a blurb from the amazing and generous Robin Hobb! I’m so thrilled and grateful!

“Dares to explore a world where unicorns are creatures of wonder and power, and girls can find both strength and courage to be themselves.” -Robin Hobb

My Sculpture of Twig and Wonder—Finished!

It started out as a horse-like blob . . .

and turned into a unicorn . . .

who needed some ground to stand on.

First I baked the unicorn, then I baked the ground. I used Sculpey’s Bake and Bond to glue them together, then baked some more.

But what’s a unicorn without a rider? I sculpted Twig, then used Bake and Bond to bake her onto her unicorn, propping the whole thing with cotton balls during baking.

I painted the sculpture with watered-down acrylic craft paint.

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I added some dark, super fine glitter to give Wonder the “quicksilver eyes” I describe in the book.

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“They glided through the mist, leaving Twig’s troubles on the ground. Wonder was a streak of white, Twig’s jacket no longer a shell, but a wave of bright red, her hair flowing like Wonder’s mane and tail.”

The Inspiration for Mountain Center, and an Excerpt from Venture Unleashed

Today I posted on my Venture Books blog about my upcoming trip to Idaho and how the judo club there inspired part of my book, Venture Unleashed. Check it out and read the chunk of Venture Unleashed that was inspired by the judo club in McCall, Idaho!

Wonder Light: Unicorns of the Mist Goodreads Giveaway

I’m giving away a signed ARC of Wonder Light on Goodreads!

Goodreads Book Giveaway


Wonder Light
by R.R. Russell

Giveaway ends March 01, 2013.

See the giveaway details

at Goodreads.

Enter to win

 

My First Signing at ALA

I had my first signing at the American Library Association’s Midwinter Conference in Seattle on Saturday! The Sourcebooks crew did such a great job talking up Wonder Light to everyone who passed by our booth that we quickly ran out of ARCs. It was a thrill to sign books to the students of various elementary and middle schools. What fortunate kids, to have enthusiastic librarians trekking to ALA and going on the look-out for new books for them! But I enjoyed signing for the handful of kids that showed up the most. So much fun to put my book directly into the hands of a child!

My editor, Aubrey Poole was there, so I got to meet her in person for the first time. What a treat to spend the day with the lady who did so much to help my story become a book!

I met Sourcebooks authors Janet Gurtler (How I Lost You), Jennifer Fosberry (Isabella: Star of the Story), and C.C. Humphreys (Jack Absolute), who were all so gracious and kind. Janet didn’t mind at all as I watched her expertly sign her books—without even looking at the page! Jennifer took me to have a look around, and talked up her favorite books everywhere we went. C.C. Humphreys gasped in delight when he learned my book was about unicorns. He showed me his ring, engraved with his family crest—a unicorn! And I showed him my necklace, made by my talented niece, Jessica, who recently started her own jewelry business.

I got a lot of compliments on my necklace. Thanks, Jessica! And a big thanks to Sourcebooks for inviting me to sign at ALA!

Sculpting Unicorns Update—My Horse-like Blob

A couple of weeks ago, I confessed that I had plans to play with clay during my self-imposed December writing break. The squooshing and carving has begun!

This:

is now this:

Next comes the mane, tail, cloven hooves, and of course, her horn!

Merry Christmas to Me! ARCs!

Yesterday the Fedex man delivered a mysterious little package to my door. I opened it to find this:

A beautiful ornament hand-made by my editor at Sourcebooks, Aubrey Poole!

And today, this arrived:

Advance review copies of Wonder Light, my first book in print!

This is the first time I’ve seen the spine design, and I LOVE it!

Wonder Light is available for pre-order from any bookstore or online retailer. It releases in hardcover May 1, 2013. There’s more info here.

Sculpting Unicorns—Or, What to Do with No Deadlines

, the second Unicorns of the Mist book finally agreed to let me title it Herder’s Secret. The first draft  is done and off to my editor. The proof pages for Wonder Light have been combed through and sent back to production, and my discussion and activity guide for Wonder Light is with the design team, getting prettied up. And that means . . . no more deadlines! Woohoo!

After writing 2 novels and a novella—Venture Unbroken, Herder’s Secret, and Boundless—not to mention revisions and edits for Wonder Light, Boundless, and Venture Unbroken all in 2012, all under deadlines, I promised myself I’d spend the rest of December writing ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.

I even made a list, while I was writing away all year, of things to do after deadlines. On that list, right after Christmas cards and dusting the ceiling fan—Play with clay! An old friend’s been calling my name—Sculpey—the king of bakeable modeling clay.

This lump is telling me it wants to be a unicorn!

Wonder Light Cover Reveal!

It’s HERE! Thanks to the talented Ian Schoenherr and the amazing team at Sourcebooks, Wonder Light: Unicorns of the Mist, my middle grade about a scrawny, unwanted girl named Twig, a mist-shrouded island, and a secret that changes her forever, has a beautiful illustrated cover. I can’t wait to hold a copy in my hands!