Chris Van Dusen's Blog, page 2

Sorry!

I’m sorry, but I’m not taking on any new school visits for the 2017-18 school year. Things booked up very quickly this year. Plus, I have to allow time for two new book projects that are already in the works.

If you’re interested in having me visit your school in the future, I’ll start booking for the 2018-19 school year in January 2018.

Again, sorry, but thanks for understanding.

Children’s Book Fair By-the-Sea

If you happen to be in town this weekend (Saturday, August 19th in Camden, Maine) and you’re looking for something to do with the kids, please stop by the Children’s Book Fair By-The-Sea at the Camden Public Library from 1:00-4:00 PM. I’ll be there along with a list of authors and illustrators including Kara LaReau, Matt Myers, Florence and Wendell Minor, Ronni Arno, Jim Arnosky and Gina Perry. Sherman’s Books will be providing books for sale and each of us will do a 20 minute reading/presentation throughout the day. I heard it might be a little rainy, so …

… I hope to see you there!

Cancelled: Nonesuch!

If you were planning on stopping by Nonesuch Books this Saturday to see me, I’m afraid this event has been cancelled. My next event will be The Children’s Book Festival By-The-Sea held at the Camden Public Library next Saturday, August 19th from 1:00 – 4:00 PM.

Sorry for the inconvenience!

Correction!

I just found out I made a mistake in my last post titled Summer Events. I have an event this Saturday, July 8th at Tree House Toys but at the Portland, Maine location NOT the Portsmouth, New Hampshire location. I will be there from 1:00-2:00 PM. So again, here’s the correct listing:

Summer Events

I had a very busy spring with the release of two new picture books (Even Monsters Need to Sleep and Hattie & Hudson) and I have a few events planned for this summer, too. Not as crazy as the last few months, but still worth mentioning.

Spring Schedule

With two new picture books out this spring, Even Monsters Need to Sleep (3/14) and Hattie & Hudson (5/9), I have a few things coming up that I’d like to tell you about:

Saturday, May 6th – I’ll be at The Briar Patch Bookshop in Bangor, Maine at 10:00 AM celebrating Kid’s Central Festival.

Friday, May 12th – I’ll be signing books at The Children’s Book Cellar in Waterville, Maine from 3:00 to 6:00 PM.

Saturday, May 13th – At 11:00 AM I’ll be signing books at Longfellow Books in Portland, Maine.

From May 15th through May 25th, I’ll be on a book tour promoting Hattie & Hudson. I’ll be visiting cities in the Mid- Atlantic states. Here are some specific places I’ll be during the tour:

Tuesday, May 16th – I’ll be signing books at the Moravian Book Shop in Bethlehem, PA at 3:00 PM.

Thursday, May 18th – I’m so excited that I will finally be visiting Children’s Book World in Haverford, PA. I’ll be there at 7:00 PM.

Saturday, May 20th – I’ll be at the Gaithersburg Book Festival in Gaithersburg, Maryland.

Sunday, May 21st – Hooray for Books will be sponsoring a Potomac River Cruise for Hattie & Hudson from 1:00-4:00 PM. Part of this event will include a Hudson monster spotting contest from the deck!

Monday, May 22nd – At 4:30 PM I will be holding a public event at Barston’s Child’s Play in Arlington, VA.

Tuesday, May 23rd – I will be at Politics & Prose in Washington, DC at 10:30 AM. Later that day, at 7:00 PM, I’ll be at the Takoma Park Library in Tacoma Park, MD.

Wednesday, May 24th – I’ll be at BBGB Books in Richmond, VA at 7:00 PM.

Saturday, May 27th – I’ll be at my hometown bookstore, The Owl & Turtle in Camden, Maine from 10:00 AM to noon.

Saturday, June 3rd – At 2:00 PM I’ll be signing books at the Toadstool Bookshop in Keene, NH.

Saturday, June 10th – I’ll be signing books at The Mustard Seed Bookshop in Bath, Maine from 10:00 AM to noon.

Saturday, June 17th – I’ll be at G. Williker’s in Portmouth, NH from 1:00-4:00 PM.

Needless to say, it’s going to be a very busy spring!

MONSTERS Signing

My new book, Even Monsters Need to Sleep (written by the fabulous Lisa Wheeler) was released recently and this weekend, Saturday, April 8th, I will be launching and signing the book at The Owl & Turtle Bookshop in Camden, Maine. I will be there from 10:00 AM to noon. The store will also have some of my other titles available and I will happily sign those as well.

I hope you can stop by, meet the new owners, Maggie and Craig, and pick up a few books.

See you Saturday!

Three Book Year

I was thinking about the upcoming year yesterday, and I realized that for the first time in my seventeen year career as a children’s book author/illustrator, 2017 will be a three book year for me. In other words, I will have three new books released this year. One I wrote and illustrated, the other two I illustrated for other authors. They are:

Even Monsters Need to Sleep by Lisa Wheeler. This is a fun bedtime book about a little monster reluctant to go to sleep until her dad reads her a book all about other monsters going to sleep. Lisa writes terrific rhymes and the illustrations are big and full of detail. Monsters will be published by Balzer+Bray and it comes out on March 14th.

 

Hattie & Hudson . This is the first book I both wrote and illustrated since 2012’s If I Built a House and I’m really excited about it. It’s different from my previous books because it’s the first book I’ve written that features a girl as the main character, instead of a boy or man. It’s also the first book I’ve written that’s non-rhyming, which believe it or not, was much harder for me than writing in rhyme. It went through several versions (including starting out as a rhyming book) until I finally got it right. My editor, Joan Powers, was very patient and guided me through the whole process. Hattie & Hudson will be published by Candlewick Press and it comes out on May 9th.

 

Eugenia Lincoln and the Unexpected Package by Kate DiCamillo. This is the fourth book in the Tales From Deckawoo Drive series of chapter books that have been released over the past three years. Like the other books in the series, the illustrations are in black and white and feature the characters from the original Mercy Watson books. Eugenia will be published by Candlewick Press. Look for it in August.

 

I wish you all a happy 2017 filled with beautiful books.

Cheers!

Prints for Christmas

Give the gift of Mr. Magee this Christmas. Or Randy Riley. Or Circus Ship. Or If I Built a Car. I have prints from all these books and more available on my Prints page. You’ll also find a list of original art for sale from the Mercy Watson books on the same page. All orders are packaged and shipped Priority Mail on the day I receive them, so there’s still time. But the window is closing soon, so don’t delay!

Just Added – Holiday Signing!

Happy Holidays!

I just found out that I will be at The Briar Patch Bookshop on Thursday, December 8th from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM. The Briar Patch is located at 27 Central Street in downtown Bangor, Maine. Please stop by if you’re in the area. I’d love to see you!