A mental break...

Packing is consuming my life right now. We move to Georgia on Saturday. I took a small break to paint. The colors soothe me and Benny makes me smile. Enjoy the day and I hope Benny makes you smile, too. Still aspiring...

Dreaming

While shopping, I came across a whole shelf of cartwheel books! They are so cute and kid friendly. My boys loved them. My youngest is very much into the dinosaur one. It is currently on his bed at home. I could see Andy as part of this collection. Here is to hoping, dreaming, and ALWAYS aspiring.

what do you do to relieve your stress?

Moving day is coming  up fast. Soon, my new home will be in Georgia. Life has been seriously busy. On my downtime, I sketch. If you look at my facebook page, you will be able to witness some of the art that made its way to paper. I have sent my illustrator promo cards out and now I wait. I am going to create one of these in color next week. As always, I am still aspiring! Never give up, never surrender!

this is my first attempt at this style. 

Poor Andy had lost his way.

Waiting game starts now...

How about a publishing contract instead?

Well, dreams aren't just granted by the touch of a wand. They require work and follow through. I continue to sketch, create stories, characters, and connections. I did put all of my eggs in one basket. My promo card was sent out on Wednesday and should arrive in New York sometime next week. I really hope it makes it passed the horrid slosh pile that I hear so much about. Many of my manuscripts have gone to die there.  Next week, I will try to contact agents again using "The Book" from SCBWI. I love SCBWI. I have learned so much from this society. My move to Georgia is imminent now. August 1 is the day we get in the car and leave. I will miss Mid Missouri. This state has been very good to me and my family. I am sure Rome will be just as wonderful.

The head of the Georgia/ Alabama region responded with an email to welcome me to the area. There is a conference in October that I hope to attend. My next step will be emailing the illustration coordinator and meeting others who love illustrating. 

My promo card is on its way to scholastic. This is a pipe dream. I get that. How often does the opportunity arise to submit to a company of this stature with out an agent? Well, close to zero. I have checked out books from the division and researched their brand to make sure it is similar to mine. I don't want to waste anyone's time...least of all, mine. 

I research every agent and publisher before I submit. I would hate to receive good news from an incompatible source. If I want my work out there, they need to compliment my style as much as I compliment theirs. I guess that is why I don't mind the rejections that I receive. If an agent doesn't have passion for my work, how will we both benefit from their work? 

Changes are good. Right?

I am making a plan like Benny and Lilly. Today is the day that the mail will deliver my promo card and information to Scholastic. I have spent the morning working on my blog to set it up to facilitate contact info and illustration gallery. I want you to know more about me and I hope this helps. My promo card has been the death of me. It haunts me even now. I find myself wanting to improve and make it better. I guess that is a sign of a true artist, right. Your work is never complete. It can always improve upon itself. I have my favorite illustration on the cover of my postcard and the above sketch on its reverse. I hope that I will be able to tell Andy's story to thousands of kids someday. I want to share his journey through words and illustrations. I hope the new format works well. Please visit my FB page. I do update it a bit more often as it is easier to use by phone and tablet.