Andrew Peterson's Blog, page 52

A New Drawing for Will Silander

You guys may remember a contest we held last year, in which two reviews of The Monster in the Hollows were chosen (one for blogs, one for Amazon reviews). The two winners were to receive an original Wingfeather Saga drawing, and if I could swing it I'd try to draw whatever they wanted. The two runners-up were to receive signed prints of the same drawings. WELL. Last year was busy, and I had a hard time getting into a sketching frame of mind, so I'm just now getting to work on the first drawing.(So sorry, Will, Hamiltons, Kelly, Jeri, and Nora!)

Will Silander was the winner of the first contest, thanks to his most excellent stop motion video (scroll down a few posts to see its coolness), and he requested a scene from the library at Ban Rona, hopefully featuring the creepy librarian. What I came up with is a picture of the Great Library, with Janner and Oskar approaching on a carriage. Hopefully that'll work. I got several hours in last week, then my tour started and everything was put on hold till I get back this Sunday. I thought I'd share my progress with you guys.

This is the rough sketch. In the book I described how people were strolling from the balcony straight to the limbs of a giant tree, reading books in the boughs. I liked how these tree branches turned out so much that I chickened out and didn't draw any people up there for fear I'd mess up and have to start all over. If I were a real artist, I'd have gone for it.

Here's a closeup of Oskar and Janner on the carriage. I don't think it's necessarily a good idea to illustrate the faces of main characters; I'd rather you fill in the blank and let Janner be your Janner rather than mine. I don't know if you've noticed, but I don't spend much time describing the details of the main characters' features for this reason, and in several of Justin Gerard's illustrations the characters' faces aren't visible. So I wanted to frame this picture so that we didn't see Janner and Oskar too clearly.

Now I've tightened up Janner and Oskar. I showed the drawing to Aedan, and he said Janner didn't look quite right. I happen to agree. Maybe he looks too small next to Oskar? Or maybe it's that Oskar really is as squishy as I describe him. Either way, I was too invested in the picture to turn back.

I've officially spent more time on this tree than any tree I've ever drawn. One thing I've learned between now and when I was an aspiring Batman penciller in high school is PATIENCE. It takes a long time to write a book. It takes a long time to write a song. And it takes a long time to draw a good tree. Twenty years ago I went crazy after the seventeenth leaf and got sloppy. This time I kept reminding myself to slow down, and I think you can tell a difference.

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Here's where I left off Monday night. I spent a while drawing the stones on the face of the building, and to be honest, I'm dreading filling in the bricks on the rest of it. Aedan pointed out that drawing every little line on the next section of the building might make it look too busy, especially since I don't want to draw too much attention from Janner and Oskar in the foreground. Once I finish tightening up the rest of the drawing ("tightening" is a what Justin Gerard calls it, so I feel a little pretentious as a hobbyist using professional lingo). I'll add the shading, which scares me silly. If I screw up the shading, I might have to start from scratch. We'll see.

Anyway, Will, I hope you like it so far. (And you too, Jim Hamilton and family, since you'll get a print of it.)

Thanks for reading my stories, folks. I'm getting excited about starting The Warden and the Wolf King later this month.

Great News for Kindle Users!

Hey, folks!

As of tonight, The Monster in the Hollows is available on the Amazon Kindle. I've gotten quite a few requests over the last few months, and I'm happy to announce that it's finally live. Of course, nothing can replace the fine feel of a real book–but for the folks who live overseas or who have made the full transition to eBooks, now you can find out what happens to the Igiby Three.

Click here for the link.

Thanks, everybody!

AP

The Warden and the Wolf King?

Hello, Dear Readers.

I'm writing this from the Honda dealership, where our minivan is getting a much-needed oil change. The pressure's on, because we're about to drive down to Florida for Thanksgiving, the last real family time I'll have before I hit the road for the Behold the Lamb of God Christmas tour. We're doing 16 concerts in 18 days, traveling everywhere from Texas to North Carolina to Alabama to Ohio, and I hope some of you Wingfeather fans can come out to the shows. I'm always eager to meet readers, and one of my favorite things to see is a beat-up copy of one of my books in the hands of a kid (or grownup).

Lots of people have been asking about The Warden and the Wolf King, so I figured I'd let you know the plan. During the Christmas tour I'm planning to write songs like crazy in order to be ready for the studio in January. I'll start recording a new album then, which will hopefully be finished in the early Spring (in between concerts with Steven Curtis Chapman). There's usually a short lull between finishing the record and releasing it, and that's when I plan to sit down and dig in to that most terrifying and daunting and thrilling of things: CHAPTER ONE.

That's the good news. The bad news is, I can't write a whole book in a recording or touring lull. There will probably be promotional stuff and more touring in the summer and fall, which will make it really hard to do any serious writing. But as soon as the fall tour is over and my brain is sufficiently un-fried, I'm hoping to set aside a few months just for writing. If some strange alignment of energy and inspiration and time occurs before next fall, I may be able to finish the book in time for a Christmas release. But knowing what I know about my limits, I doubt that will happen. Which means (sorry!) The Warden and the Wolf King will probably be published in spring of 2013.

I just slumped my shoulders while I typed that last sentence. In fact, even now I'm rethinking the whole thing, and will probably spend some time today with a calendar, trying to find a way to finish the story sooner. I don't want you guys to be all grown up by the time I finish!

To sum up: I'm recording a new CD after Christmas, to be released in the summer or fall. I'm going to do my best to finish the book in time for next Christmas, but I'm preparing myself for a 2013 book release (again, that sounds forever away, and I wince at the thought). In the meantime, please continue to spread the word about the books! It's been so exciting to see the story continuing to make its way into the world, and that's all because of you. THANK YOU.

Final notes: I still haven't found time to draw the two pictures for the contest winners. Don't worry! I'll do it as soon as I can. Also, the audiobook for North! Or Be Eaten and the Kindle version of The Monster in the Hollows are both still in production. We're close, but as busy as Christmas/Thanksgiving can be, it might be a short wait. So many projects, so little time.

Thank you again. May your Thanksgiving be free of thwaps, gribbits, and all manner of toothiness.

AP

A Most Excellent Cave Blat

Two quick things:

1) THANK YOU for all the kind comments you guys have left. It's a dream come true that this story has connected with so many of you.

2) My son Aedan (12) is quite the artist. He spends a ton of his time painting watercolors and penciling, and has even had a few official commissions. More than once, folks have come to our house, fallen in love with one of his paintings, and paid him to paint something for their house. It's amazing. I drew like crazy when I was his age, too, but he's way better than I ever was back then. I offer this drawing of a cave blat as evidence. He posted it on his art blog, The Crimson Phoenix. He also just posted another Wingfeather drawing–a fierce Grey Fang from the climax of North! Or Be Eaten. Visit his blog to see it. If you dare.

 

 

 

The Shortest Post Ever

Someone sent me this picture (or maybe I saw it on Facebook) and it made my heart happy.

The purpose of this post is to inform you, faithful readers, that I'm still here. This week I plan to carve out time to draw the Wingfeather pictures for the contest winners (see below). I'll do my best to update you on my progress. Your comments have been so encouraging. Thank you!

 

Wingfeather Contest Winners Announced!

First of all, I spent the last four hours or so reading all your reviews, and I've cried about four times. That's partly because I'm a crybaby, and partly because I prayed almost every day of the writing of The Monster in the Hollows that the book would connect with you, Dear Readers. What a joy it is to see that, in at least your cases, it did.

Second of all, it was HARD to choose a winner. There were so many well-written and thoughtful posts to read, and even after I narrowed it down to five reviews it wasn't easy. At the bottom of this post you'll find a list of all the blogs, and I encourage you to visit them when you get a chance. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for telling your friends and relations about these books.

Now. On to business. The winner of the blog contest is eleven-year-old Will Silander, whose stop-motion Lego trailer pushed me over the edge. My sons went through a phase of making videos like that so I can attest to how much time it takes to make one. I loved it. Check it out:

Congratulations, Will! Send an email to andrew@wingfeathersaga.com and let me know what you want me to draw. I'm no Justin Gerard, so I can't make any promises, but I think we'll come up with something pretty cool.

Second place goes to Jim Hamilton. Jim and his kids were among the first to review the book, and have been enthusiastic about the story since they discovered it. In fact, they emailed me an uber-cute video earlier this year in which they pleaded with me to send them an advance copy. Thanks, Hamiltons! Will gets the original, but I'll send you and the other runners-up a signed copy of the drawing.

Here are the rest, in no particular order:

Nathaniel Miller (good writing, Nathaniel)

Carrie Luke (with a GREAT picture of her daughter reading in a treehouse)

Jeanne ? (includes hilarious "happy dance" pictures)

Joe Thacker (kudos for the copious Scripture references, Joe)

Sarah Sawyer (if Galadriel blogged)

Christina Szrama (complete with a reading guide–thanks, Christina!)

Brian Wilhorn (honored, especially in light of how many books you read)

Hot Dogs and Marmalade (an open letter that cracked me up)

Justin Hase (wow. Thank you, Justin)

Trish Hixon (great pictures!)

Amateur (you must be a librarian)

Honey and Locusts ("pogonophobia" = funny)

Abiding in Grace (thanks, Sarah)

Marshall Benbow (well done, Marshall)

The Pickwick Portfolio (more great pictures)

Dan K (movies would be fine and very fine)

Moriah Potter (thanks, Moriah)

Loren Warnemuende (includes a great list. I like lists)

Heather Rose (the Wingfeathers get their own page!)

Sarah Newell (I plan to steal the "book date" idea)

Jim Daniels (hilarious picture, Jim)

Mark Collins (well-written, thoughtful review)

Again, this was really difficult, you guys. I wish I had time to draw you all pictures. Thanks so much for writing these.

Next up: the Amazon review contest. This was much more random, since there were so many reviews.

I chose Kelly Fulcher, because she mentioned Where the Red Fern Grows, Narnia, AND orcs in one review. To be included in that company was a fine compliment. Well, not the orcs, but you know what I mean. Kelly, send me an email at andrew@wingfeathersaga.com and let me know what you'd like me to draw. There was a tie for second place at Amazon with reviews by Jeri Tanner (for describing the books as "heinously awesome" and saying that a picture of Artham on her wall would be "trollin", a word I'm troubled that I'm too old to know) and Nora Wait. Kelly and Nora, you'll each get a signed copy of the picture.

Thank you all so much! Hopefully the contest and your reviews spread the word about the books. I couldn't do this without you.

 

Win an Original Wingfeather Saga Drawing!

This is the official release week for The Monster in the Hollows, so we're celebrating by having a contest. Nay, we're having TWO contests. Contests which are really just a way for me to beg you guys to spread the word about the new book and the Wingfeather Saga in general.

Contest the First: For the Bloggers. All you have to do is write a review of The Monster in the Hollows (and the Wingfeather Saga in general) for your blog. (Psst! Try not to include spoilers.) Then post a link to the blog as a comment to this post, and on Wednesday, June 1, my cohorts and I will choose our favorite. You get extra credit if the blog includes a creative photo of you and/or your family with the book. (Oh! And if you can, link to the Rabbit Room store (or Amazon) so they can order the book.)

Contest the Second: For the Amazonians. This one's pretty much the same as above, only I'm asking (begging) you to leave a good review on Amazon.com. We'll choose a favorite on June 1 and either leave you a comment on Amazon or email you. (Note: You needn't have bought the book on Amazon to leave a review there.)

Here's the fun part: Each of the two winners will receive an original hand-drawn picture from the Wingfeather Saga. Hand-drawn by me, that is, just for you. You're welcome to make suggestions via email about the characters, creatures, or scene you'd like me to draw, but I reserve the right to make the final decision, mainly because I'm not sure I can draw, for example, a gargan rockroach. When the picture is finished I'll mail you the final piece in a frame-ready mat.

That's it! Thanks for your support with this. We have six pallets of books (which is a lot of books), and my goal is to get every last one of them into the hands of readers. The trick is, I can't do it without your help. Thanks for letting me tell this story. In the words of the Sage of Brivshap, "I can hardly believe it. Seriously."

There’s a MONSTER in the Hollows!

Reader,

I’m so glad to tell you that a few days ago, I opened a box of pretty, green books. The Monster in the Hollows is printed, published, pressed, and waiting in the queue to be mailed to everyone who pre-ordered (and some of you have already gotten yours!). I confess, one of the best things about being an author is the immense satisfaction one feels to hold in one’s hands a handsome book with his name on it. It’s something I dreamed about as a kid, and I don’t take that blessing for granted.

Part of it is a feeling of anticipation; I can’t wait for folks to read it, and I’m anxious to know if the story connected. It’s also a feeling of pride; I’m sure it could (and has) turned into a sinful pride, but right now it’s the good kind–like the pride a parent feels for a son or daughter about to strike out into the world. I did the best I could to get it ready, and now it’s time to sit back and see if it can fly.

This is me, feeling like a ten-year-old on BDD (Book Delivery Day).

It’s also a feeling of gratitude, to God for letting me do this and for the community that came together to help me tell the story. My brother, A.S. Peterson is a much, much smarter version of myself, and was extremely helpful in the editing process. My editor Jessica Barnes helped me steer the ship when I was off course. Jennifer Trafton, author extraordinaire, copyedited it (and made a lot of great editorial suggestions, too). Brannon McAllister did an amazing job of putting together the design so it would look just right sitting on the shelf next to the other two books. Justin Gerard‘s illustrations are geek-worthy in the extreme.

Note the kid in the bottom left, thumbing through his brand new copy of the book. Awesome.

So when I hold the book in my hands, my excitement is for you, for them, and for me. In a really weird way, I’m also excited for the Wingfeather children. The story I made up a few months ago is about to be lived out in a lot of different imaginations, at different times, in subtly different ways. The same adventure is going to be underway all over the country, and the really strange part, the mind-bending part, is that for Janner, in each case, it’ll be for the first time. How weird of a thought is that? (I’ll answer for you: very.)

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This is what greeted me when I showed up at River Ridge Elementary in Augusta, GA. Many thanks to the library team for the cool display. (And for the sandwich.)

Earlier this week I did my first school visits in support of The Monster in the Hollows. Don’t get me wrong; I love to play music. But I also love talking stories and books with a bunch of eager young minds. The students in LaGrange and Augusta, Georgia were delightful. Favorite questions: “If the book is more than 300 pages long, were you worried that you’d run out of paper?” (Answer: “Nope. I was worried I’d run out of coffee.”) And “Who is the monster in the Hollows?”(Answer: “You’ll have to read the book to find out. But I’m pretty sure it’s not what you think.”)

Thanks, everybody, for your many tweets, re-tweets, posts, and emails. With your help, Janner is living his story again and again all over the world. Can’t wait to hear what you think of the book!

Sincerely,

AP

There's a MONSTER in the Hollows!

Reader,

I'm so glad to tell you that a few days ago, I opened a box of pretty, green books. The Monster in the Hollows is printed, published, pressed, and waiting in the queue to be mailed to everyone who pre-ordered (and some of you have already gotten yours!). I confess, one of the best things about being an author is the immense satisfaction one feels to hold in one's hands a handsome book with his name on it. It's something I dreamed about as a kid, and I don't take that blessing for granted.

Part of it is a feeling of anticipation; I can't wait for folks to read it, and I'm anxious to know if the story connected. It's also a feeling of pride; I'm sure it could (and has) turned into a sinful pride, but right now it's the good kind–like the pride a parent feels for a son or daughter about to strike out into the world. I did the best I could to get it ready, and now it's time to sit back and see if it can fly.

This is me, feeling like a ten-year-old on BDD (Book Delivery Day).

It's also a feeling of gratitude, to God for letting me do this and for the community that came together to help me tell the story. My brother, A.S. Peterson is a much, much smarter version of myself, and was extremely helpful in the editing process. My editor Jessica Barnes helped me steer the ship when I was off course. Jennifer Trafton, author extraordinaire, copyedited it (and made a lot of great editorial suggestions, too). Brannon McAllister did an amazing job of putting together the design so it would look just right sitting on the shelf next to the other two books. Justin Gerard's illustrations are geek-worthy in the extreme.

Note the kid in the bottom left, thumbing through his brand new copy of the book. Awesome.

So when I hold the book in my hands, my excitement is for you, for them, and for me. In a really weird way, I'm also excited for the Wingfeather children. The story I made up a few months ago is about to be lived out in a lot of different imaginations, at different times, in subtly different ways. The same adventure is going to be underway all over the country, and the really strange part, the mind-bending part, is that for Janner, in each case, it'll be for the first time. How weird of a thought is that? (I'll answer for you: very.)

[image error]

This is what greeted me when I showed up at River Ridge Elementary in Augusta, GA. Many thanks to the library team for the cool display. (And for the sandwich.)

Earlier this week I did my first school visits in support of The Monster in the Hollows. Don't get me wrong; I love to play music. But I also love talking stories and books with a bunch of eager young minds. The students in LaGrange and Augusta, Georgia were delightful. Favorite questions: "If the book is more than 300 pages long, were you worried that you'd run out of paper?" (Answer: "Nope. I was worried I'd run out of coffee.") And "Who is the monster in the Hollows?"(Answer: "You'll have to read the book to find out. But I'm pretty sure it's not what you think.")

Thanks, everybody, for your many tweets, re-tweets, posts, and emails. With your help, Janner is living his story again and again all over the world. Can't wait to hear what you think of the book!

Sincerely,

AP

A Jolly Good Audiobook Announcement

Dear Reader,

At long last, the audiobook for On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness is available in the Rabbit Room Store. You won't find it cheaper anywhere else, so I suggest you go ahead and snap up every copy you can. Here's the link.

In other exciting news, we're about to begin production on the audiobook for North! Or Be Eaten, and Peter Sandon, whose rich voice and British accent were put to good use in the first one, has agreed to do it. Yes! I know a lot of you have kindly asked to hear me read it, but you have to believe me–Peter will do a better job. Hopefully soon, he'll be cozied up in a studio in London reading about Janner, Kalmar, and Leeli. I'll keep you posted.

Here's the review I gave him over at Amazon.com:

"I've narrated three or four audiobooks over the years and enjoyed the process (and not just because it paid pretty well). When my kind publisher asked me to narrate my own book and I declined, they were understandably surprised. "But," I told them, "I wrote this book with a British accent."

It's true. For the third or fourth self-edit of the manuscript, I read the entire book aloud in my cheesiest Oxford brogue, hoping my wife and children were fast asleep and couldn't hear me. (Reading your book-in-progress aloud is a great editing tool, by the way.)

After quite a bit of my begging, the publisher succumbed and hired Peter Sandon, an esteemed Englishman, to read On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness. His voice is rich and deep, and with the exception of a few pronunciations that got lost somewhere in the Atlantic between here and the British Isles (he sounds the "G" in Gnag and Gnorm, for example), his reading of the novel is, as they say, spot on.

Lately, my second son (who's not much of a reader) has been following along in the book while Mr. Sandon's warm voice narrates through the CD player. More than once I've stopped on my way through the room thinking, "Is that really my book?" It sounds timeless–which, in my wildest dreams, is what I wanted this story to be.

I hope you enjoy it."