Icky Ricky ARC

A few days ago I a copy of my "Icky Ricky" ARC.  An ARC is an "Advance Reading Copy" and is essentially a test run of the book.  It's on cheaper paper, and there will usually be tweaks to the text and art before the final book off is sent to to be printed.  The ARC is also used so that marketing can get a sense of the book, and have something to show while selling it. Ricky is a much longer piece of writing than I have ever done.  Each page has art, along with a paragraph or two.  The book is 124 pages, and will be out in May of 2013.  Random House is publishing it.

Summer Sketchbook

I was just putting away a sketchbook that I had finished up over the summer, and I had remembered a question that a student had asked me during a school visit.  He wanted to know what kinds of things I keep in my sketchbook, and I had told him that I keep quick drawings of real things...(Here's some chairs and umbrella at the local swim club.)

More involved drawings of real things...(He's our tote bag filled with things to use at the swim club.)

Drawings of imaginary things...(Some goofy monsters for a picture book I'm thinking about.)

Notes and little drawings about stories I am working on...(Some ghouls and text ideas for a zombie book I'm trying to figure out.)

And sometimes I simple just use the pages for writing...(Some dialog/text from another story that I am trying to work through.  Good luck reading that chicken scratch.)