To celebrate, I’m signing and sending two books out from here WAY back in May (sorry, I’m late with this). The names I drew are: Kati and Jenn, who I’ll be emailing. Yay! I hope you and your sweet wee ones enjoy the book. More Same, Same but Different giveaways are happening online from now until the end of the year so keep your eyes open. :) Illustration Friday is hosting the first one here but hurry — it ends this evening (Monday).

Thanks for all of your shared excitement and support everyone!

I am not embarrassed to say I had several moments of being emotionally overwhelmed during the night. It was dreamy! I got choked up when they played Tomi Ungerer‘s acceptance video for the Lifetime Achievement Award from his home in France (we are big fans of Mr. Ungerer’s Moon Man and Crictor and more). He is just as charming as his books! Ok, even more. :) Robert McCloskey (another book creator we love) also received the Lifetime Achievement Award, accepted by his daughters. Lane Smith, Kadir Nelson and Rosalyn Schanzer were award winners, too, and WELL deserved! What an honor to be included in this incredibly talented crowd! I was in awe, and of course humbled, and gratefully energized and inspired.

I did not have my camera, only my ipod, and I only managed to snap a handful of pieces. Still, I thought you’d enjoy these and wandering the artists’ websites. Top row: Melissa Sweet: Balloons Over Broadway, Carin Berger: The Green Mother Goose. 2nd Row: Oliver Jeffers: STUCK, William Joyce: The Man in the Moon, David Wiesner: ART&MAX, Calef Brown: His Shoes Were Far Too Tight, Tom Lichtenheld: Cloudette. Bottom Row: me :) from Same, Same but Different and yes, that is me on a subway — so different then the forest! Seeing original book art makes me want to create more books. And to experiment with medium, scale and even create some images with collage alone.

As you can imagine, I want to get ALL the books featured in the show for my library! Ha. Patrick would cut my credit card in half for sure! I did, however, purchase a few, and I am madly in love with them! I highly recommend these:  Melissa Sweet’s Balloons Over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy’s Parade, Lane Smith’s Grandpa Green, Maurice Sendak’s Bumble Ardy, and Jon Klassen‘s I Want My Hat Back. Really though, if you are interested, GO SEE THE SHOW! AND, check out the list of artists/books featured!

The show is up until the end of the year at the Society of Illustrators in NYC. I think the show is such a gift to the public — not only fellow illustrators, but to kids and parents. To view the book as the art it is, adds a whole new dimension and appreciation to the artist and art form!

My new picture book came out in stores yesterday! I am presently soaking in the hot springs on a much needed vacation en route to my first bookstore event.

I have events planned in Taos, Santa Fe, Durango, Boulder, Denver, Kansas City, Omaha, St. Louis and NYC, and I would LOVE to see you! Bring your kids, grandkids, nieces, nephews, little friends, or simply YOU.

If you’d like your very own copy and you live in one of these cities, I think it’s REALLY groovy to support your LOCAL, independent bookseller! :)

Come celebrate with me! Masala chai for all! And please spread the fun — Share with anyone you know who lives in these cities!!

Saturday, Sept 17, 10AM
MARIA’S BOOKSHOP, Durango, CO
A joint reading/signing with author Uma Krishnaswami!
Masala chai, curry puffs, and a craft for kids!
970-247-1438

Saturday, Sept 24, 11AM
TWIRL TOY STORE, TAOS, New Mexico
Reading/signing, craft for kids, masala chai and treats, and twirl-fun!
575-751-1402

Saturday, Oct 1, 11AM
BOULDER BOOKSTORE, Boulder, CO
Reading/signing, craft for kids and masala chai
303-447-2074

Saturday, Oct 1, 3PM
TATTERED COVER, (Highland Ranch Store) DENVER, CO
Reading/signing, craft for kids
303-470-7050

Sunday, Oct 9, 11 -11:30
4th Annual New Mexico WOMEN AUTHOR’s Book Festival
NM History Museum Campus, Santa Fe, NM

Tuesday, Oct 18, 6:30PM
Reading Reptile, Kansas City,MO

Saturday, Oct 22, 10am
The Bookworm (A joint event with the fabulous Laura Huliska-Beith!), Omaha, NE

Tuesday, Oct 25, 6:30PM
Kirkwood Public Library, St. Louis

Thursday, Oct 26 – Dec 29, Original Art Show at the Museum of American Illustration at the Society of Illustrator’s, NYC

And, come visit my FB page for my art and events!

The countdown has begun! :) My next book will be in bookstores in just FIVE months — September 13th. And I just got the go-ahead to share the cover art and 3 interior spreads. WoooHOOOOOO!

The two boys become friends thru the mail…with their drawings and musings…and discover beautiful surprises in their “same, same but different” worlds.

You can pre-order it thru your local, independent bookstore or here with Powell’s Books (soon, i hope), or now on Amazon.com here.

I’ve mentioned before that this book has been an epic journey for me. Beautiful in every way. And epic in the way that journeys can take you to wild places in the world and in your heart that gift you with priceless “aha!” moments over and over. The idea for this book first sprouted when I jumped out of my safe, comfy creative-corporate existence and into the unknown, to the other side of the world, facing nearly all my fears head-on. And, also to simply experience ‘something else’ and to connect with little people. There’s a lot more to the story…wandering, love, another book, a baby, becoming a mother, and more…all nourishing food for the soul, and a book! Thanks to ALL my family and friends for their support with this one, and to you, for your patience. Hope you enjoy the visual glimpses…

OH! And with this countdown, I plan on posting all sorts of fun things about this book — PROCESS, Q&A on how to prepare and present your kid’s book for publishing, classroom skype visits, behind the scenes on the making of this book, a book trailer, and more — on the 13th of every month thru September 13th. I will be giving away 6 signed copies, one name chosen from comments on each of these posts. So stay tuned! And leave a comment below. Today’s comment question: WHERE in the world inspires you most, creatively, and how? (art, writing, cooking, music, fashion, etc.) Please share specifics … I’m working on a travel wish list and want to discover new lands!

I need your help. My publisher, Henry Holt, just sent ten copies of my book, My Travelin’ Eye, that I need to find homes for. Perfect timing for the holiday season! I’m looking for ten places to send them to: children’s hospitals who have libraries, a shelter or community center, special ed or art therapy programs, maybe your son or daughter’s ophthalmologist’s office, etc. Basically, a variety of places where a lot of kids are likely to discover and enjoy it. Please leave your suggestion in a comment below, and if a lot more than ten suggestions pile up, I’ll keep them for the future. Thanks!!

Connie Gotsch of the radio show Write On Four Corners here in the SW interviewed me last September about my first book, My Travelin’ Eye. It was finally broadcasted today! I was super nervous and had major morning sickness goin’ on when she called…so I was a bit clumsy with my words at first…but I think it turned out ok. Hope you enjoy it! And thanks, Connie, for having me on your show!

You can listen to the show by going to www.ksje.com — or click here to play the mp3.

I got the coolest belated first mother’s day gift in the mail last week : a one of a kind book entitled, “The Mom Book: Advice for Tulsi’s Mom”, written and illustrated by my niece Katie and her classmates. I was shocked! It’s the best thing to get home made presents, and this one goes down as one of the all time best for me. Last year I visited Truman Elementary in St. Louis. I read My Travelin’ Eye and talked with a few hundred aspiring author/illustrators about how I made my first book. It’s obvious that Katie’s then-Kindergarten-class is passionate about making books! Their words and pictures were sweet, unique, and made me giggle SO much. I know this book is going to help me be the best mom I can be to Tulsi! Thanks Mrs. Creech and all your students!

**ALL of the writing and illustrations are AWESOME. I just couldn’t scan them all in! I LOVED them all. Here are just some… Wouldn’t you agree they are very talented?! Click on image to zoom.

Makes me so happy that My Travelin’ Eye is continuing to receive such positive attention. Thank you Sherry and CCBC!

Something interesting about travelin’ eyes (that I don’t think I’ve shared before) is this article about how travelin’ eyes actually aid artists! There are some famous artists in history and today who have one!

Hope you enjoy the recording!

The students at Spring Lake rocked! We had so much fun. Two FULL days of art makin’! Everyone made their own travelin’ eye–in the form of a fashionable, cool button. Then, we used our travelin’ eyes to dream up a 50 ft cloud mural!

Spring Lake also gave away a whoppin’ 75 books to kids who came to my library night! The kids were really excited!

After Omaha, I went to St. Louis (my home town) where I had the BEST night at the Kirkwood Public Library. Special guests included 2 main characters in my book–Mom and Dr. Dave!–and Dad, more family, grade school & high school friends AND teachers (insert smiley!), and a lot of new faces, too. It was such a special event! My parents and Dr. Dave even signed MY book! Dr. Dave (Dr. Robert D. Lewis) wrote, “to the only woman to ever make me famous!” Hee. I also had a really nice visit at Truman Elementary and a fun video conference with 5 classes throughout the St. Louis area.

My last stop was Kansas City–another ‘old’ home of mine. I saw TONS of friends from my Hallmark days. I also got to see more family and meet a lot of new people. Kelly won BEST dressed, doting a wild, Odd Fellows Lodge coat from the late 1800s with a few BIG EYES staring out! I’ll have to request a picture from her to share, since I missed the photo-op (darnit!). Also, if you haven’t visited Kelly’s blog, you MUST! She is an amazing artist, always creating straight from her big heart and with so much depth. I just love her! (And Kelly’s husband Rhett, too! His sculptures are of the wow-factor.)

I have to say my trip was both invigorating and exhausting. I learned that authors really have to get out and promote their books, especially as a newbie-no-name. At first I thought it was odd to ‘promote’ my book, like I was saying, “Look at me! I’m so cool!” That is so not me at all. BUT, connecting with the kids was the BEST part and worth every bit of insecurity I felt and little sleep I got, and mostly, I felt really comfortable with everyone. It didn’t feel like I was advertising myself–it felt more like sharing, and inspiring, which is something I love to do naturally. It made me laugh when I overheard some kids in an art class saying, “I really like Jenny Sue. She’s so fun and funny.” One girl came up to me after a library event to say, “My dad says you rock!” Hee. I can’t imagine better compliments!

In writing and illustrating a kid’s book, a lot of time passes from conception to birth–sometimes 3 years, as with My Travelin’ Eye. When you’re finally able to share it and hear kids’ reactions and talk about it, it grows into something you couldn’t have ever imagined. I especially liked the school visits since I could connect with hundreds of kids in one day. The kids were really interested in learning about my process, from a notebook-full of drafts (trying out different perspectives) and writing down ideas as they come (even on napkins at a cafe) to letting the story sit (incubation time). Some kids guessed it took me one week to write my book, and when I told them it took me over a year, their eyes opened abnormally tall. We looked at some originals, too, and they guessed the different mediums I used.

The kids also had a lot of questions and comments about Jenny Sue and how they related to her in some way or another. We talked about how differences are mostly scary or weird when we don’t understand them, and when we learn more about each other, what makes us different is what makes us all one-of-a-kind. They all wanted to look at my eye, and I showed them how my ‘lazy’, travelin’ eye sees. I drew a picture of a man walking in front of me. Then, I drew a dog walking further away and to my right (the same direction my eye travels, up and to the right).

I showed them what happens sometimes when my travelin’ eye decides to take charge. (Yes, it really does have a mind of its own!) It grabs what it sees to my upper right and throws it in front of me, creating a mixed-up image that my brain tries to make sense of:

The kids agreed it would make a pretty cool super-power…if only I could figure out how to make it happen on command! I told them I’m working on that for the sequel…

They were also curious about how I became an illustrator and author, and I shared about my schooling, apprenticeships and continual study. I met MANY students who want to be authors and artists! One 1st grader asked a great question: what should you do if you send your story to a publisher and they don’t like it? I only had a second to respond but blurted out, “That’s just ONE person’s opinion! Believe in yourself and never give up!”

I signed a ton of books last week, but I also got a lot of autographs myself! I’m excited about all the new friends I made on this trip and want to thank them for inspiring me! Also, a BIG, big thanks to all my hosts in Omaha, St. Louey and KC for such nice events! Thanks for your support! xojenny sue