Kathy Duval's Blog, page 2

Congratulations Gerry Turley!

 

 

I just got the wonderful news that Gerry Turley will have art from A BEAR’S YEAR exhibited in the annual The Original Art Exhibit of the Society of Illustrators for illustrators of “the best children’s books of the year.”

http://www.societyillustrators.org/The-Museum/2015/OA/The-Original-Art–Featured-Artists.aspx

This honor doesn’t surprise me, as I’ve loved Gerry’s art since I first saw his lovely prints of bears that were shown in the Bologna Book fair several years ago.

‘Just perfect’ are the words that come to my mind to describe Gerry’s illustrations. They are both child-friendly and sophisticated, with an inviting warm palette. The illustrations elicit my memories of being in Alaska, seeing mama bears with their cubs.

Just lovely.

Congratulations, Gerry, and thank you for making this book so special.

 

 

 

 

It’s Here!

No more waiting!

I arrived home from vacation and a real bonafide copy of A BEAR’S YEAR was waiting for me. I can hold it, and I can read my story accompanied by Gerry Turley’s wonderful illustrations. Gerry and the folks at Schwartz & Wade did a bang up job of taking my words and turning them into a beautiful book.

Happily, I can now share A BEAR’S YEAR with you. You can pre-order it at your favorite indie or other preferred source and receive it when it launches on Oct. 27.

So now I’m waiting again, for the best perk of being an author. Meeting readers. Right now I’m scheduling visits to schools, libraries and bookstores. Thankfully this waiting won’t be long

 

 

 

 

 

Waiting…

 

Yes, I’m waiting.

On October 27 my new book A Bear’s Year will launch.

The story started as a spark, a thought. Do bears dream?  That spark turned into a poem about a mother bear and her cubs in their winter den, then turned into a longer story that follows the bears through an entire year. I was thrilled when this story sold to Lee Wade at Schwartz & Wade.  These bears were going to be dealt with in style!

Talented UK artist Gerry Turley created the lovely whimsical illustrations that show the bear’s journey. I feel so lucky that this story found him. Once on a trip to Alaska, I saw a mother grizzly and her cubs (not too close!) fishing by a river, and Gerry’s illustrations took me back to that memorable experience.

After the fun of writing— and rewriting— and more rewriting (thanks to Lee’s sharp eye and sensibility) I finally saw Gerry’s sketches. I loved them and couldn’t wait to see the final art. But I had no choice except to wait. When the publisher mailed me an F&G (the printed pages, not yet bound into a cover), I danced around my house, so happy  to see that completed art was even more beautiful than I’d imagined.

But the waiting isn’t over yet. The stages of publication require time and so many people to nurture the process along. Soon, however, the waiting will be over and I’ll hold this book in my hands. I’m sure there will be more dancing, much more dancing.

Imagine! From a spark to a book! If that’s not magic, I don’t know what is.

So while I wait for the production to be complete, I’m busy thinking about sharing this book.  I’m planning a super story time and already have a stack of bear paw tattoos for kids to enjoy. A major perk of being an author is the fun of sharing your book with kids, and showing them that a spark within them can turn into something tangible and wonderful whatever their dream might be.

So this waiting is a busy time.

And of course, there’s always more writing and waiting to be done.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tend Your Writing Garden

Spring is here at last!

The gloom is gone, the sun is out. In my garden, plants are waking. It’s time to water, feed, trim, weed, and plant.

 

If you’re anything like me, your writing garden  needs some extra-special loving care, as well.

What better way to give your writing life a boost than inspiration from a conference or workshop to inspire new ideas, revise completed work, and to decide what belongs in your garden and what doesn’t. Do you need to weed to give space in your mind-garden for new ideas to take root and sprout?

 

Yes! I need to weed!

Fortunately for those of us here in Houston there are some great opportunities for tending our writing garden this month.

On April 18, the annual HOUSTON SCBWI CONFERENCE will give writers all kinds of nourishment for their work. Opportunities for learning, smoozing, and fun abound!

On April 25, I’m offering my workshop, MAKE IT SHINE! a revision workshop for picture book writers at Writespace, a great new writing venue in Houston. Maybe you have a new manuscript you want to polish up for an agent or editor, or maybe you have one in that drawer that you need to re-pot.  I’d love to see your work in progress progressing!

Plant new stuff!

 

 Make it bloom!!

Let’s gather some tools, find some really rich soil and interesting seeds and plant!

Cover Reveal! A BEAR’S YEAR

I’m so happy to be able to show you the beautiful cover for my upcoming book, A BEAR’S YEAR, which will be published by Schwartz & Wade in October.

Gerry Turley’s illustrations are perfect for this story of a mother bear and her cubs’ adventures through the seasons.

Here is the publisher’s description:

Deep in her den under a snowflake blanket, Mama snuggles her newborn babies. When spring arrives, the bears awaken and emerge from their lair, and as the weather warms to summer, Mama teaches her young ones to fish, gather berries, and dig for roots. Then, in fall, the leaves turn gold, food grows scarce, and the family prepares for hibernation and the coming winter.

With spare, accessible text and charming illustrations, here is a sweet, gentle introduction to how bears experience the changing seasons, perfect for the youngest readers and listeners

I can’t wait to hold this book in my hands and share it with you!

Happy 2015!

My 2015 is getting off to an exciting start!  I hope yours is off to a great start, too.

First some good news: I’ve received the long anticipated final art for A BEAR’S YEAR. The illustrations by Gerry Turley are perfect for this story of the seasons in the life of a bear family. The soft palette captures the feel of  changing seasons beautifully, and the scenes alternate between vast landscapes and intimate scenes of mama and her cubs. Thanks, Gerry! I can’t wait to hold this book in my hands.

I also want to thank my editor, Lee Wade at Schwartz and Wade for masterfully pulling all the pieces together for this beautiful book. And of course, many thanks to my super agent Erin Murphy, for making it happen.

Now comes the preparation for this book’s launch in October— the perfect time for a story that starts in the dead of winter.

On April 18-19, I will be at Houston’s SCBWI Conference. Guest speakers will include author-illustrator Kelly Light; art director Isabel Warren-Lynch executive editor at Random House Children’s Books; agents Susan Hawk at the Bent Agency, Molly Jaffa at Folio Literary Management, and John M Cusick with Greenhouse Literary; and editors Wendy Loggia, Executive Editor at Delacorte Press, and Annie Berger at Simon & Schuster. They will offer critiques and portfolio reviews.

Local author Kimberly Morris, Sherry Garland, Crystal Allen, Joy Preble, Anna Maria Rodriguez,and myself will also offer critiques.

Check here for more information about submission guidelines.

I will also be giving another picture book workshop at Writespace Houston on April 25.  Make It Shine is hands-on— we  will focus on revision of completed picture book drafts to ready them for submission. Writespace is heading into 2015 with a great line-up of workshops for writers of children’s and adult lit. Click here for more information.

All this and some upcoming Skype visits are in my future. Last year I started delving into doing Skype visits and found I love them! I do 15-20 minute free Q&A visits for classes or groups that have read at least one of my books. Kid ask me questions.  I can do this from my home. It’s great. I do get out of my pjs and wear regular clothes, however.

I’m looking forward to this year. May it be good to us all!

 

 

 

Writespace Fall Workshops

I’m excited to be teaching another picture book revision workshop at Houston’s Writespace on November 1. For more information about this class and the other classes being offered this fall check out Writespace’s website here http://www.writespacehouston.org/workshops.html. There is a great selection of topics to help you polish your craft.

Writespace’s director, Elizabeth White, has recently been interviewed by NPR  http://www.houstonmatters.org/segments/segment-e/2014/09/11/center-offers-new-place-for-writers-to-collaborate and Front Porch journal writespacehouston.org/director.html). Writespace is also collaborating with other literary organizations including Houston Writers Guild, the Writers League of Texas, Nanowrimo, and Blue Willow Books.

These are exciting times for Houston’s new writing center!

I hope you are enjoying this beautiful fall weather! Happy reading and writing!

 

 

WriteSpace Comes to Houston!

 

I’m very excited to be part of WriteSpace a brand new organization in Houston to nourish and support writers and their work. Summer workshops are getting underway soon! Over 15 workshops are being offered this summer for novelists, poets, children’s writers, and teen writers. Writing space is also available for those who’d like a place to work in away from the distractions of home. You can find a spot to work on your own, or in the company of other writers.

What else could you want? Maybe editorial services and consulting? That’s available, too.

If picture books are your thing, I’ll be offering “Make It Shine: Polishing Your Picture Book Manuscript to It’s Full Potential” on July 19. If you have a picture book manuscript to revise before submitting, we’ll spend the day getting it ready.

WriteSpace is located in the Silver Street Studios in the Houston warehouse district at 2000A Edwards Street, Houston, 77007. A place surrounded by artists studios, WriteSpace is an inspirational place for working and hanging out with other writers. Here are maps and more lovely pictures of the location.

Here are maps of the location and more pictures of this lovely space.

WriteSpace promises to be a great resource for Houston writers!

Let’s Skype!

I LOVE Skyping with schools! What a great way to for authors and readers to connect.

For classes and groups that have read my books, I do free twenty-minute question and answer sessions. I can go anywhere, anytime! It’s so much fun to visit a classroom clear across the country in the blink of an eye. I’m intrigued and enlightened by the questions students ask about my books and the writing process.

Please contact me if you’d like a visit. kathy@kathyduval.com.

Why not have several authors visit your class? Here’s a list of other authors who are Skyping.

http://www.katemessner.com/authors-who-skype-with-classes-book-clubs-for-free/

Hope to see you soon!

Icing On The Cake

I love visiting schools!

I’ve had great visits these last two weeks to Duchesne Academy and Bunker Hill Elementary in Houston.

I’ve been showing students this picture of myself taken on my recent vacation which included this stop in the Kasbah in Tangiers. I’m terrified of snakes and discussed this as an example of trying something you think you might not like. (Within reason, of course. The guy with me is a snake charmer and that snake is pretty tame.)

I related this to how I became a writer. As art teacher, I’d always identified myself an artist and never had any idea that I’d become a writer, until I took a course in writing at a university near my home. You say you don’t like broccoli? How can you know, if you never try it? Who knows, it might turn out to be one of your favorite foods.

it was certainly a joy to discover writing when I did, and sharing my writing in schools is icing on the cake!

 

Another wonderful thing about being an author is the opportunity to meet librarians, who love books and instilling that love in their students. It was a delight meeting Tammy Holley, librarian at Bunker Hill Elementary, as well as Rebecca Howard the PTA volunteer who helped her put this event together. Yay, PTA!

I also enjoyed meeting Katie Turner and Megan Woods, hard-working lower school librarians at Duchesne. The Duchesne Book Fair the next day was hosted by Georgette Radford at Barnes and Noble in Town and Country, who also served as judge for the tin foil hat contest.

Yes, we children’s writers definitely are able to have our cake and eat it, too!