What a Week!

Greetings, Blog Friends!!
My almost-a-whole-week in New York was amazing!  I left a few days before the conference started in order to see family and friends (definitely NOT enough time for this), and to meet with the fabulous people at Simon and Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books.  We were originally scheduled to have lunch on Thursday of last week, but my art director, the brilliant Lucy Cummins, decided to go dog-sledding up in the wilds of Canada!  So we had breakfast on Wednesday, instead.  My intrepid agent, Joanna Volpe (New Leaf Literary and Media) joined us-- as well as, of course, my editor and publisher, Paula Wiseman herself :) After a delicious omelette and a much needed cup of coffee (my west coast bio-rhythms told me it was 6 a.m.), we walked over to the S and S offices for a gander at some samples of HENNY.  It was so wonderful to hear all the enthusiasm they have for my dear little bird! It was so exciting to hear that the release date for HENNY is slated for February 4, 2014 AND that she may be ready for pre-order on Amazon.com SOON (could be two weeks, or two months. This seems to work in mysterious ways...apparently we just have to keep checking!).
Here we are at S and S:

l to r: Paula Wiseman, ERS, Joanna Volpe, Lucy Cummins

It was truly a fun and thrilling morning with these gracious and talented professionals!

 

Leading up to the conference, I got to hang out with some family, visit some bookstores, pop into the Society of Illustrators, and had a nano-second to go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art--just enough time to take in one exhibit. It was a tough call between the Matisse and the George Bellows exhibits. I chose George. It was stunning! 

Then Friday rolled around, and the SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writer and Illustrators) conference began. First up was the Illustrator's Intensive--lasting all day and ending with the portfolio showcase in the evening. I am so happy to report that my very talented friend Lori Nichols (Lori is also represented by Joanna at New Leaf Literary) and my fellow Seattle resident and illustrator-extrordinaire, Jessixa Bagley, were honored as portfolio runners-up. Huge congrats to Lori and Jessixa! 

Then on to the main events...talks, presentations and breakout sessions, and in-between gatherings with so many fun and talented people.  

The conference presenters included a star-studded cast of writer/illustrators, including 

(but not limited to):

Shaun Tan

Barbara McClintock 

Mo Willems

Tomie DePaola

David Ezra Stein

The Brothers Hilts

Floyd Cooper

and...believe it or not, Julie Andrews (yes, that Julie Andrews) and her daughter, Emma Walton Hamilton. Who knew?

I also had the great pleasure of meeting Alexandra Penfold, who was my editor for HENNY. Alexandra, seeking more time for her growing family, has moved on to be an agent at Upstart Crow Agency. I was so sad to see her go, but also excited to have Paula Wiseman as both my editor AND publisher!

The conference was as exhilarating as it was exhausting.  I met some fascinating people, got some fabulous feedback on my portfolio, and learned a lot.  I'd say... "Mission Accomplished!" 

So, dear blog friends, those are the highlights :)  

I leave you with a few pages from my portfolio (click on the images if you wish to enlarge). 

I am looking forward to playing catch-up with all of your blogs!  

Thanks, as ever, for stopping by :)

-ERS