Teresa Robeson's Blog, page 7

The fabric of (holiday) time

It’s the weekend before Christmas, and it’s far too late to order this fun fabric for this year, but it’s a perfect time to order it so you’re ready extra early for next year!

And if Christmas is not your thing, I have some spring motif patterns you might like.

Just check them out at my Spoonflower shop!

Have a restful, low-stress holiday season. See you in the new year!

Oprah didn’t give me a car, but….

I got even better gifts! (I don’t drive anyway.)

It’s great to be recognized by the American Librarians Association (like Queen of Physics was), or Junior Library Guild, Kirkus, and Horn Book (all three of which have snubbed my books), but it’s even better to have my book recognized by a world-renowned institution like the Smithsonian. My friends who don’t have kids or who aren’t in the publishing industry are much more impressed by the Smithsonian.
You can imagine my complete delight that Clouds In Space was picked by Smithsonian Scholars as one of 11 “best books of 2024”!!! It is the only kids book on the list!

Screenshot of Smithsonian website page

For those who are in the kid lit world, this other recognition for Clouds in Space might be more cool. The book made one of Betsy Bird’s coveted year end lists. I think only one of my other books have been noticed by her, so this was fun to see. Check this this (rather niche) category of “fabulous photography for kids” books. I am so glad I insisted on including photos from NASA, which was part of my original vision when I wrote the first draft of this book in 2014.

Screenshot of Betsy Bird’s list

Making these lists is truly an early Christmas present for me…one that I didn’t know I wanted so much!

Food feast

Thanksgiving at our house was mercifully quiet and uneventful. We ended up with a turkey this year, along with the usual sides like cornbread dressing, mashed potatoes, gravy, and even a green bean casserole.

But the highlight for me is usually dessert. This year, I made a pecan pie and…oddly…a strawberry pie. We had a bunch of strawberries in the freezer from our abundant summer harvest and it seemed like a good idea to clear some out.

And because Kid1 was home for the holiday, I also made cinnamon buns (a very close facsimile of the famous University of British Columbia ones). Mmmm!

NCTE highlights

Last weekend was a whirlwind of activity at the National Council of Teachers of English conference. In addition to doing a book signing for Queen of Physics at the Union Square booth, I also presented at a panel on writing poetic nonfiction. For fun (as much fun as an introvert can have anyway), I attended a Candlewick Press author reception, met up with author/illustrator friends, online critique partners, and some editors, and ate some tasty seafood!

Since I’m still digesting my Thanksgiving meal, and need to go make some sourdough crackers, I will keep this short and not show you the desserts I made for yesterday until  next week.

I hope you had a lovely and low-stress holiday!

That was then, this is now

Last weekend, I was at the annual Books By the Banks festival in Cincinnati where I signed books and also appeared in a panel called Scientifically Speaking: Science Nonfiction along with Carmella Van Vleet and Jillian Scudder, moderated by Mary Kay Carson.

I also got to see a bunch of author friends. From the Kidlit For Growing Minds group, there’s Katie Mazeika, Debra Shumaker, and Keila Dawson. In the photo on the right is me and Robin Newman.

The left-hand photo is of me and Laura Gehl. Annnd, I got to meet THE John Scalzi (you sci-fi folks will know why I’m geeking out).

This weekend, I am in Boston for the National Council of Teachers of English conference. I’ll be at the following panel (see below) as well as signing copies of Queen of Physics at the Union Square booth (#704) today (Friday, Nov. 22) at 10:30 a.m. So if you’re there, stop on by!

CLOUDY with a chance of book signings & giveaway

The lovely and talented Lydia Lukidis featured an interview of me about my newest book, Clouds in Space, on her blog this week. Be sure to check it out as there is a giveaway!

And if you’re near Cincinnati, OH, tomorrow (Saturday, November 16), do drop on by the Cincy Main Library for this spectacular annual Books By the Banks Festival. I’ll be there signing and am also a panelist for a talk called Scientifically Speaking: Science Nonfiction.

A moment of silence

Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to mourn the death of a country and its morals. Don’t mind the ground shaking; it’s just the bodies of all the World War II veterans rolling over in their graves.

We got books…and authors!

On the very slim chance that anyone reading this lives near Bloomington, Indiana, I want to invite you to a local authors fair tomorrow (Saturday, Nov. 2nd) that will be fun for all ages.

Notable authors like graphic novelist Nate Powell and best-selling author-illustrators Rob Harrell and Keiko Kasza will be there! I will, too, but as a minor star in among bright constellations. I’ll be signing my latest book, Clouds in Space.

There will be free cake and cookies, too! That’s what I’m really there for.

Scratching the Surface

I have been wanting for years to learn how to create products with designs on them but only learned recently that it’s called “surface pattern design.”

Mostly, it began with fabrics. I was a fabric hoarder for a long time. I’m no longer as obsessed, but I still love fabric with unusual designs. As well, I love notebooks with gorgeous covers (and hoard notebooks, too). 

So, it was about time I learned how to do it. I only wish I had learned 20 years ago. I’m on my second intensive course on it and I absolutely love it. 

Here are some basic rosettes I’ve created in addition to a drawing of dogwood blossoms. They will need to be inked, colored, and vectorized. I can’t wait to make fabric, wallpaper, or other products with the designs! 

What do you think? Would you buy my products with this type of art on them? Tell me over at my blog.

Want to learn how to write a graphic novel?

The breakout session on “writing graphic novels for the first time for total beginners” that I taught at the Marvelous Midwest Conference was very well received. It was a step-by-step guide based on my experience writing two graphic biographies combine with everything I learned from courses I’d taken, books I’ve read, and research I’d done. 

Since a number of people have mentioned that they would have liked to have been in that breakout, I decided that making an e-course would be the best way to reach the most people.

The course will comprise of “bite-sized”, manageable lessons that include video and text, as well as exercises and handouts. I plan to have it available as a self-paced course that people can do on their own schedule. But I will, once or twice a year, offer a guided option, too, where I can meet with students several times during the asynchronous lessons.

If you know anyone who’d like to take the class, have them sign up here to be notified as soon as it comes out in the early part of next year, stamina willing.