The Blog Realm

Happy Valentine's Day!

2012-02-14T18:29:00.000-08:00

Here is a beautiful photo my partner Joey Pedersen took:

Btw, did you guys see these awesome Game of Throne Vday cards by Chris Bishop? I love the Dothraki one!

Hope you all have a great day!

--Realm

Art - Trailer for DON'T BREATHE A WORD

2012-02-08T06:00:00.000-08:00

Holly Cupala's DON'T BREATHE A WORD trailer is out! It is produced by her awesome husband, Shiraz. My illustrations for the graphic novel version of the first few chapters were used in the trailer. Shiraz did an amazing job bringing the illustrations to life!

Hop over to Holly's blog and join the trailer launch party to win some prizes!

Also, check out the trailer below and tell her what you think:

--Realm

Shelli Johannes-Wells - ON THE BRIGHT SIDE

2012-01-31T06:00:00.000-08:00

Shelli Johannes-Well just came out today with the eBook version of her new tween angel novel called ON THE BRIGHT SIDE. Shelli has an awesome blog with marketing tips for authors--go visit if you haven't seen it! Today, I am interviewing Shelli on the life cycle of her book and how it changed from the last time I interviewed her in 2009 about it. If you haven't seen the interview, please do check it out. I did a drawing of Gabby in the interview, which I've posted here again (below) in case you haven't seen it.

Here's more information on ON THE BRIGHT SIDE:

Gabby is a disgruntled tween angel who has just been assigned to protect her school nemesis and ex-beffie. Problem is her ex-beffie is dating Gabby’s longtime crush. Instead of protecting Angela, Gabby pranks her (since when is sticking toilet paper to her shoe or spinach in her teeth a sin?) Soon, Gabby gets out of control and is put on probation by her SKYAgent, who has anger management issues of his own. Determined to right her wrongs, Gabby steals an ancient artifact that allows her to return to Earth for just one day. Without knowing, she kicks off a series of events and learns what can happen when you hate someone to death.

1. When did you first start writing OTBS and what inspired you to start it?

It was Dec 08 at Christmas time. I was subbing Untraceable to agents and needed to pass the time. The book started out as a darker YA from a dead person’s perspective.

In the spring, when other dark angel books started to sell, I started to think about how I could make this book different. I wondered if I could do a book about death in a humorous way and make it a little younger. Tweens is a tough market and I thought I could find a niche.

The question became “what if an angel is forced to protect someone she doesn’t like?" This brought back all the times I wished I could have been a fly on the wall, listening to my crush and eavesdropping on my frenemies.

Now THAT was much more interesting. I knew if I was going to do a middle grade or tween, I needed it to be more fun and light and adventurous. Something more like Meg Cabot or Ally Carter meets Harry Potter.

On the Bright Side is funny and light even though death, loss, forgiveness, and the fear of moving on are at its core.

2. Can you tell me about the whole life cycle of OTBS?

This is like the book that wouldn’t die – (pun intended ) My agent used to say that. Because it just kept going and almost making it.

When my agent signed me in May 09 with Untraceable, she had read a partial of OTBS and wante dto go out with that book first. After some revisions, OTBS went out on submission in Sept/Oct 09 and - within hours - went to a few editorial and acquisition meetings at some big houses. I actually ended up working for a couple months with an editor at Penguin on noncontractual revisions, adding in an additional 50 pages.

Unfortunately in Feb 2010 – it got rejected there, so I did more revisions and went out on more rounds over the next year, where I did a couple more noncontractual revisions that ended up falling through.

After a year and half and 3 rounds, OTBS was eventually shelved in Winter 2011. It was hard because it had gotten close so many times. I had rewritten it a few times and none of the noncontracual revisions panned out. That book was hard to put away. I felt like a failure.

After putting out Untraceable myself in the fall, I decided I owed it to this book to get it out before I started something new. I love Gabby and think the story is unique and fun at a time when so many books are dark. I wanted to test out the tween market. If there was one reason why this book didn’t sell – it was because they either wanted it purely middle grade or aged up to Young adult.

3. We talked about OTBS back in 2009. How does OTBS differ today from what you wrote in 2009?

The beginning didn’t change much. I mean it opened the same way – with Gabby watching her funeral and being upset that someone would dare to pair Devil’s Food cake with Celestial teas.

But I added in more pages with her living and her first days in Cirrus (AKA Heaven) so you get to see her transition. So now you see Gabby and Michael and Angela before Gabby dies a tragic death (death by texting) and then you see Gabby up in Cirrus and how she gets oriented. I would say overall, this book expanded more and developed more. But the core was always there.

4. What was the most difficult part to revise in OTBS?

When I was doing a noncontractual revision for one house, they wanted the book to be even lighter than it was. There was a whole subplot with Gabby dealing with the grief of her mother. I felt those scenes were very poignant and as a mother - I loved them. But in the end, I agreed they were too heavy for the book – esp as a tween book - so I had to write her mom out of the scenes. I do miss those scenes. That editor had also wanted the adventure part gone – the parts where the dark side starts to chase Gabby because she is going against the Code of a Bright. But, I wasn’t willing to take those out. I think they had a level of light suspense.

5. What's something about self-publishing you learned that you want everyone to know (or wish someone told you)?

I wish I knew how many roles I would play. How hard it was. I thought I would put up a book and market it. I mean I knew I would do cover and copy and such. But the accounting, legal matters, and business aspect is hard. I am now calling myself an “Entrepreneurial Author” (nice ring to it right?) because it feels like I’m running a business. I have my own business in marketing and this seems harder to run because I constantly have to keep on something. Here is a post I did on the 30 roles I think I play almost daily.

Thank you for all the insightful answers, Shelli! I think tweens everywhere are going to love ON THE BRIGHT SIDE!

______

S.R. Johannes is the author of Untraceable (a teen wilderness thriller) and On The Bright Side ( a tween paranormal). She lives in Atlanta Georgia with her dog, British-accented husband, and the huge imaginations of their little prince and princess, which she hopes- someday- will change the world. After earning an MBA and working in corporate america, S.R. Johannes traded in her expensive suits, high heels, and corporate lingo for a family, flip-flops, and her love of writing.

_______

Cheers,

--Realm

Art - Graphic Novel for DON'T BREATHE A WORD

2012-01-03T21:23:00.000-08:00

Eeee, so excited that Holly Cupala's DON'T BREATHE A WORD just came out!! Happy Book Birthday to Holly! Head over to her blog and congratulate her and check out her new book! She also made a video showing around Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood where I live.

Also, I drew the graphic novel rendition of the first two chapters of DON'T BREATHE A WORD!

Please check out the graphic novel here!

Holly is giving away DBAW artwork signed by both me and her over at her blog. I hope you all enjoy DON'T BREATHE A WORD!

--Realm

Happy 2012!

2012-01-02T06:00:00.000-08:00

HAPPY APOCALYPSE!!!

Look at the space needle explode:

I hope you all had a happy new year! I just got back from Belize (where I saw the Mayan ruins) and I stayed home with Joey + friends this year and put on some apocalypsy music and drank champagne. We walked across the street before the fireworks went off on the space needle. Got there one minute in time!

Did you write your resolutions? I did. It's full of writerly goals, perhaps overly ambitious, but still... doesn't the 2012 make you want to do something big?

Happy New Year!

--Realm

Art - Autumn Sale

2011-12-12T06:00:00.000-08:00

First of all... hurray for VGA awards! My Portal 2 team won best PC game and best multi-player, among other things! Congrats to the team and all the other teams that won different categories.

In other news, here's some art I did for the Steam Autumn Sale that ran during Thanksgiving weekend:

Leaves, rain, wind... brr, I can't wait for spring...

--Realm

News Week - 11/30/11

2011-11-30T06:00:00.000-08:00

Autumn has brought us a ton of great, new book releases! Many of my writer friends got their new novel out in the past few months and I'm excited to tell you about them. I'm especially excited because these writers are super kind, hardworking, inspiring, talented, and full of will power and determination.

Shelli Johannes-Well's Untraceable:

Shelli Johannes-Wells has been offering marketing advice on her awesome blog for a long time. I really love this recent blog post she wrote on indie publishing--you must check it out. Back in 2009, she also interviewed me. Shelli has always been so helpful to the writing community and I'm happy to see Untraceable's launch success! Her YA thriller sounds like a great concept.

Untraceable blurb:

Grace has lived in the Smokies all her life, patrolling with her forest ranger father who taught her about wildlife, tracking, and wilderness survival. When her dad goes missing on a routine patrol, Grace refuses to believe he’s dead and fights the town authorities, tribal officials, and nature to find him. One day, while out tracking clues, Grace is rescued from danger by Mo, a hot guy with an intoxicating accent and a secret. As her feelings between him and her ex-boyfriend get muddled, Grace travels deep into the wilderness to escape and find her father. Along the way, Grace learns terrible secrets that sever relationships and lives. Soon she’s enmeshed in a web of conspiracy, deception, and murder. And it’s going to take a lot more than a compass and a motorcycle (named Lucifer) for this kick-butting heroine to save everything she loves.

Gretchen McNeil's Possess:

Gretchen McNeil has also been a giant supporter of writers. She is often busily working on YaRebels. And she's a singer, a hard worker, and always there to cheer writers on. Big glass of champagne to her success! Her debut Possess is out! If you like horror and YA, this is for you.

Possess blurb:

Fifteen-year-old Bridget Liu just wants to be left alone: by her over-protective mom, by Matt Quinn, the cute son of a local police sergeant, and by the eerie voices she can suddenly and inexplicably hear. Unfortunately for Bridget, the voices are demons—and Bridget possesses the rare ability to banish them back to whatever hell they came from. Literally.

Terrified to tell her friends or family about this new power, Bridget confides in San Francisco’s senior exorcist, Monsignor Renault. The monsignor enlists her help in increasingly dangerous cases of demonic possession, but just as she is starting to come to terms with her freakish new role, Bridget receives a startling message from one of the demons. And when one of her oldest friends is killed, Bridget realizes she’s in deeper than she ever thought possible. Now she must unlock the secret to the demons’ plan before someone else close to her winds up dead—or worse, the human vessel for a demon king.

Linda Benson's The Girl Who Remembered Horses:

Linda Benson is a kindred spirit who loves nature. She reached out to me when I was down and has always been so encouraging. It warms my heart to see her book out. Giant congrats to Linda! Read the blurb for The Girl Who Remembered Horses--sounds beautiful.

The Girl Who Remembered Horses blurb:

Several generations into the future, Sahara travels with her clan in a barren environment where recyclables are bartered for sustenance, and few remember horses or their connection to humans. But Sahara has recurring visions of riding astride on magnificent animals that run like the wind.

With the help of Evan, a young herder from the Gardener's Camp, Sahara discovers a crumbling book containing pictures of humans riding horses and learns her visions are real. Confronting a group of hunters led by hot-headed Dojo, Sahara rescues a wounded horse, but the animal escapes before it can be tamed.

Sahara is labeled a foolish dreamer and almost gives up her quest. Following horse tracks into a remote ravine, she finds wild dogs attacking a dying mare, and must drive them off in order to save the foal. Now she must attempt to raise the young animal, finally convince her clan of the ancient bond between horses and humans, and learn the secret of her true identity.

Karen Duvall's Knight's Curse:

Karen Duvall came out with Knight's Curse, an urban fantasy. (Did you know she's also a graphic designer?) She is another author who worked very hard and has always been there for others. This is so well-deserved. Thank you for all the support, Karen.

Knight's Curse blurb:

A skilled knife fighter since the age of nine, Chalice knows what it's like to live life on the edge—precariously balanced between the dark and the light. But the time has come to choose. The evil sorcerer who kidnapped her over a decade ago requires her superhuman senses to steal a precious magical artifact…or she must suffer the consequences.

Desperate to break the curse that enslaves her, Chalice agrees. But it is only with the help of Aydin—her noble warrior-protector—that she will risk venturing beyond the veil to discover the origins of her power. Only for him will she dare to fully embrace her awesome talents. For a deadly duel is at hand, and Chalice alone will have to decide between freedom…and the love of her life.

Lisa Albert's Mercy Lily:

Lisa Albert's contemporary YA--Mercy Lily! Lisa is warm-hearted and always cheering us writers on. Love the clear concept of Mercy Lily and how it shows through in the cover art. Thank you for all your support, Lisa! Many cheers to Mercy Lily.

Mercy Lily blurb:

I take the bees outside, unscrew the lid of the bee jar, and listen to their angry buzzing.
"I hate you," I whisper.

Lily's mother has slowly been losing herself to multiple sclerosis. After traditional treatment fails, she uses bee sting therapy, administered by Lily, to alleviate her pain. Lily is trained as a veterinary assistant, so she can easily handle the treatments. What she can't handle is what happens when the bee sting therapy fails and it becomes clear that her mom wants to die.

One beautiful spring day, Lily's mother asks her for the most impossible thing of all—mercy. While navigating first love, friendship, and other normal worries faced by high school sophomores, Lily also has to choose: help her mom go, or cling to her fading life for all it's worth.

I hope you guys picked some of these new books up for your winter vacation reads!

________________

In other news, did you guys see The Simpson's YA episode? (It's on Hulu now!)

--Realm

News Week - 10/31/11

2011-10-31T06:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween! Check out this pumpkin I carved (it's supposed to be a beastly cat face):

I made borsht (vampire soup), pumpkin pie from the carved pumpkin, and roasted pumpkin seeds.

We just got back from Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Joe and I stayed at my Grandpa's ancient Victorian house near Brown University. We drove over to Massachusetts around the Berkshires for our friend's lovely, autumn wedding. The red and gold leaves were beautiful.

In other news, while I'm on submission, I completed a first draft of a new novel! I am totally excited about this one and am revising it now. A month and a half is the fastest I've ever written.

I've got a couple art posts coming up, so stay tuned!

--Realm

Fairbanks, Alaska Trip

2011-10-10T06:00:00.000-07:00

Fall is here! Joe and I just got back from Fairbanks, Alaska. We went on a quest to see the northern lights. Since there's been a lot of solar storms, we thought our odds were good. The first night, we only saw a foggy, white cloud which was the aurora. Then, the second night, after some snow, we saw a bright patch in the corner of the sky. We bundled up in our winter gear and went outside. The aurora spread across the sky and eventually began to dance and whip about, streaming like rays. We saw an aurora that appeared to be "galloping" toward us before it faded. Another one swirled above us. In summary, the aurora borealis rocks!!! My nerd-astronomy-loving heart is satisfied. The aurora is not as green in real life as photos, but it's still bright. I didn't expect the aurora to move so wild like it's got a mind of its own! Once we got really cold, we went back inside, but I could still watch the lights through my window as I drifted to sleep.

A walk in the boreal forest, which consists of beautiful, white elm trees and utter silence:

Our cute lodge with mountain view (Why make the pic so small, blogger?):

Walk with reindeer:

Ice bar! We got an appletini in an ice glass:

Husky ride! The dogs run fast and seem to have unending energy:

Food! The left is the aurora borealis cocktail. The middle is a giant steak--best steak ever. And on the right is a milky way martini, which was like chocolate:

We hiked Angel Rock, where there are many tors studding the mountain top:

Nice views:
I got an aurora borealis labordite necklace to remind me of my trip:

This pic isn't from the trip... it's from new year's eve! On NYE this year, we went to an aurora borealis party where the ceiling was strung up with fake auroras made out of ribbons. Little did I know I would see them this year. I guess it's a reminder to seek the unknown:

In short, Alaska was peaceful, quiet, and wonderful. The people were kind, the air and water fresh, and the food delicious. I've been on many trips, but this was one of the few times I had a really hard time leaving. I miss the stillness and making breakfast while looking out at the mountains. When the air, view, and everything is pristine and pure, it's hard not to feel healthy and good. I wish I could transport that feeling into Seattle, but our little city is quite crowded and muggy. And I have a view of the street. Oh well!

--Realm

News Week - 09/26/11

2011-09-26T06:00:00.000-07:00

Kidlitcon happened this month. I didn't get to go, but YA author Holly Cupala did a talk on marketing there and announced a little project I worked on for her. It's the graphic novel version of the first two chapters of her next book DON'T BREATHE A WORD! I had a lot of fun drawing for her book. You can see the sneak preview here:

Also, if you're interested in Holly's handout on DIY marketing, go to her blog and email her.

For those of you in the NW, if you missed Kidlitcon, you can still go to Bookfest next week! (Tons of fab authors, panels, talks, and... it's free!) I will sadly miss it though. If you go to Bookfest and blog about it, point me to your blog, and I'd love to see how it went for everyone.

___

In other news, Seattle's short summer vanished and now, rain and autumn leaves are whipping by. We will likely not see another sunny day until April. How do you cope with the winter blues?

Joey knows I hate the cold, so he got me a locket with pictures of the grains of glass sand beach on one side, and the blue ocean of Maui on the other. (Both pictures were from our trip.) So that will help me through the winter, as well as as lots of coffee.

In other news, my book is on submission and I am drafting a new story at the same time. Whenever I draft a new story, I truly feel like I don't "choose" what I want to write, but rather, the story chooses me. I don't tell myself that I want to write an urban fantasy and start plotting, rather, I randomly become fascinated with some idea and can't help writing about it, even if I wanted to write some other story instead. Anyway, it's truly wonderful to write at least 2000 words per day and feel completely enthusiastic to do so. I never know how a story will turn out, but I remind myself having fun and writing for myself is the first most important step. What about you, authors? What makes you start drafting a story for the first time? I think for me, it is curiosity.

Have a happy start of autumn, all!

--Realm

Author Interview - KODY KEPLINGER (2nd visit)

2011-08-29T06:00:00.000-07:00

Hello, everyone. Kody Keplinger is back on The Blog today! Last time, she was interviewed for her debut book THE DUFF. (She was published at age eighteen--wow!) She is once again published by Poppy for her new book SHUT OUT. It will be out September 5th--that's next week!

For the featured illustration, I drew the main character of SHUT OUT. Her name is Lissa and Kody says, "she's a bit of a control freak - well, okay, more than a bit. She's quite neurotic, actually, and worries all the time. But she can also be fun and goofy when she's with people she trusts."

1) What is SHUT OUT about?

SHUT OUT is a modern re-imagining of the Greek comedy "Lysistrata," a play by Aristophanes. The play is about a group of women who go on a sex strike to end a pointless war. So in SHUT OUT a group of high school girls, led by Lissa Daniels, are sick of a rivalry between the football and soccer team. The girls decide to go on a strike - withholding all physical relations - from their boyfriends - until the rivlary ends. As the strike goes on, the girls grow closer and begin to discuss their views on sexuality, boys, and relationships. Ultimately, its a lot of fun with a little bit of romance.

2) What inspired you to write the story?

My freshman year of college I had to read "Lysistrata" for a class. I LOVED it so much! I couldn't help imagining what it would be like with modern, teenage girls. Obviously, some liberties had to be taken, but I tried to stay true to the themes.

3) What a cool idea! Are you a fan of any sports? Or did you have to learn about football and soccer?

I'm so not a sports girl. I try so hard to get into them, but its just never been my thing. So when I started writing this novel, I had to have some help. I understand enough about football to write the parts I had to, but not soccer. I've always thought soccer was cool, but I never really got it. Lucky for me, a friend of mine (as well as a fellow writer), Shelby Bach, took the time to explain soccer to me. Not sure how much of the explanation stuck, but enough to work in a few soccer details!

4) What makes the football and soccer team hate each other?

When I was coming up with the idea of a rivalry that these girls would have to end, I knew it needed to be a very pointless rivalry - one that just wasn't worth fighting. And I knew that it would need to be within one school so that these girls could logically team up. The idea behind the football and soccer teams fighting was basically that they share a season - both play in the Fall. Because the soccer team was only started ten years ago, the football team back then (when Lissa's brother was in school) lost some of their funding and started having to share the weight room and locker rooms. This started some tension that morphed into an all out battle, one that never died and heats up every fall, even ten years later. So its pointless, old, stupid, and utterly annoying to all the girlfriends of these boys.

5) How are the two boys, Randy and Cash, different from each other? How does Lissa feel about each boy?

Randy and Cash are polar opposites. While Randy is the kind of guy who acts now and thinks later, Cash is a little more careful about things. Randy can be sweet, for sure, but he can also be a little abrasive - he makes his feelings on things clear. Cash, on the other hand, is more sensitive to how people feel and keeps his thoughts to himself, to a fault at times because people can misunderstand him. The boys do share one thing in common - they are both gorgeous! As for Lissa, at the start of the book she is completely in love with Randy, just not completely comfortable around him (she's a bit of a control freak and its hard for her to relax around anyone). And while she is drawn to Cash and feels at ease around him, she also has an old grudge against him because of how he hurt her in the past. So she's conflicted, to say the least.

Thanks for telling us about your latest book, Kody! Sounds like you wrote another fun, upbeat teen story with plenty of romance and comedy! Readers, go check it out here.

Cheers!

--Realm

News Week - 08/22/11

2011-08-24T06:00:00.000-07:00

First news... I interviewed YA author Kody Keplinger for her upcoming book, SHUT OUT. The interview will be up next Monday, so stay tuned!

Also, I just got done with my book revisions and am sending it to my agent today. Hurray!

Japanese Lantern Festival

In memory of the victims of Hiroshima and all others victims of violence and war, every year, hundreds of people float lanterns across Green Lake in Seattle.

There was a musician playing a wooden flute as the lanterns floated. It was a peaceful event and good to see so many different people coming together for the festival. People wrote kanji words representing peace and friendship on the lanterns before floating 'em off.

Olympic Peninsula and Forks

Joey's fifteen year old niece, Madison, was visiting and she likes Twilight, so we decided to take her to the peninsula. I've lived in Washington for over ten years but never been, so I was excited about our summer trip. We took the ferry to Bainbridge Island and drove over to Forks. I was hoping it'd at least be a creepy town... but it was really small and bland. There wasn't much to see except for a ton of Twilight advertisement plastered all over town. We went to a diner for lunch and the place was decorated with game animal heads. Outside, there were a lot of logger trucks.

We went to the rainforest. It was full of my favorite kind of trees--ones draping with moss, like curtains.

(Hah! The frown on Joe's face.)

Seattle Library

I've also never been to the Seattle Library (famous for it's eccentric architecture), so we took Madison there. There's one floor that's just blood red from floor to ceiling so we took some pictures there.

We look like someone in a horror flick:

Up Monday: Kody's interview!

--Realm

News Week - 08/01/11

2011-08-02T06:00:00.000-07:00

It's the last month of summer. Seattle hasn't had the sunniest summer and my vacation is over--I am back at work! I enjoy having a routine again and working on art full-time. It seems like I have more art projects than ever and I am really looking forward to seeing my book go on submission this fall.

Before I tell you about the events I've been to so far, I want to geek out for a second and tell you that I tweeted astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson a question about when the northern lights peak, and he actually answered! 2012/2013--mark your calendars. Astrophysicists are rock stars to me. They figure out the universe!

Final Fantasy Symphony

I was lucky to go to this. I got the tickets as a gift. The symphony was all the way in Vancouver, so it was a three hour drive. My boyfriend Joey does not play games and does not know anything about games, but he drove anyway. What a nice guy!

Joey and I got there early so that we could enjoy dinner. We went to a piano bar where I had delicious oyster stew and the waiter pronounced trout as "troot."

The Final Fantasy Symphony was at the Orpheum Theater. It was beautiful inside with chandeliers and gold.

Nobuo Uematsu himself was there, wearing his awesome bandana and being cheerful. I grew up playing Final Fantasy and I couldn't be more satisfied with the concert. They played videos of the game and cut scenes as they played the music. They played battle songs, chocobo theme, Celes' opera song, and all the other important theme songs. It made me very nostalgic. At the end, I was a bit sad because they didn't play One-Winged Angel...but they actually played it last as a surprise! It's the best villain symphony ever.

Yes, the symphony was well worth the road trip! You can hear some of the music on my previous post...be sure to listen to One-Winged Angel.

Carmina Burana

This song plays in every movie and commercial...it was cool to see it played in real life! If you don't know the song, listen to it on youtube and you'll instantly know it.

Casablanca

This is such a great movie. The scenes and dialogues are very deliberate. I wish movies were still like this. I saw it on the big screen while a real orchestra played the soundtrack.

Humphrey Bogart is so very, very cool.

Into Eternity

A well-shot documentary about an underground nuclear waste storage facility in Finland. Machines in tunnels...sterile, layered passages...and more shiny, creepy machines! It's all visually and conceptually interesting. Some neat ideas about how to convey to the future civilization about dangers underground via signages and other visual languages. I recommend it!

The Builders and The Butchers

Saw them at Tractor Tavern. I enjoyed the rustic music and thorny lyrics.

More updates soon! Few author interviews are pending. There's going to be many books out this fall!

--Realm

Art - Heal Japan

2011-07-11T06:00:00.000-07:00

It's been several months since the disaster in Japan and I still struggle to put into words how much the disaster sits uncomfortably in my heart.

When I was first told of the earthquake, I wasn't worried because Japan always had quakes--we were used to it. Then the tsunami news came in with the horrible stories of the waves taking out lives. The phone was dead when I tried to call my family and I didn't hear from my dad for days. My family in Japan was luckily safe. Seeing old temples broken and all the hard-working, humble families struggling was tough.

Since Japan is a part of my life, though I was donating, unless I was personally there picking up the rubbles, I felt like I wasn't of much help. The art on this post is some things I painted after the crisis.

The bright side was that Japan remained strong, and said they will remain strong. Everyone around the world donated and helped out. It was good to see all the heroic stories that happened in Japan. There was no looting or insane behaviors--just people helping each other out. Seeing how Japan handled the crisis was a humbling experience.

Japan is making great progress with many things like science and art and entertainment. (Neil deGrasse Tyson show a map of the world in terms of scientific progress--Japan was nearly taking up the whole globe.) The comics and games from Japan were also a huge influence on me, shaping my career. And the culture, all the patterns of my past...cicada songs, temple bells, the tatami under my feet. I hope they keep going, continuing to inspire all of us. The crisis is still affecting Japan, so I hope the world keeps helping out.

Some links:

Article on Fukushima accident by Michio Kaku.

And if you haven't seen this heroic story...check it out!

Peace to Japan,

--Realm

Art - New House Art, Gorilla Cat

2011-07-07T06:00:00.000-07:00

I bought art from my friend Tiger Parker! Check out his website...he does paper cut-out art. I bought a piece with a white gorilla holding a black cat. I like the idea of a beast holding a cuddly animal. The gorilla reminds me of the King Kong flicks me and my brother used to watch...and the cat looks like my cat, Baron. Tiger made this for a jazz show. Keep in mind every detail was carefully cut out and pasted by him.

Drawing by his friend, Laura Bearl:

He also gave me a rubbing of his ouija board art! I like his ouija board art because it looks very simple and iconic.

Tiger at his show:
While we're looking at my house art, I'll tell you that I recently did some serious organizing since my partner Joey moved in and also brought in his art.

My forever growing Tezuka Osamu comic book collection:

Skateboard art (it is hung up):

Record player:

Joey's pop art panels by his friend Lucas Vidana:

New addition to the dining table, also Joey's:

I'm going to a Casablanca symphony this week:

My favorite flower:

The beautiful elm coffee table my friend Kyle Wallace made me. I got to pick out the slab of wood and tell him the look I wanted:

My favorite Escher piece--there's a bird in outer space:

I designed this butterfly piece for Joey and got it made--two butterflies coming together and overlapping their wings to represent harmony, like a yin yang. (There's a polythemus moth next to it - not shown, due to too much glass glare - which is the same species as the giant moth that flew into the house during my grandma's last week of life.):

I love the organic, simple look. I try to keep my home serene--with a heavy dose of nostalgia, which tend to involve vintage things as well as fragments of my Asian/American background. Hope you enjoyed a peek at the growing art pieces in my home!

--Realm

News Week - 05/20/11

2011-06-27T06:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Summer! Though I am on vacation, I've been really busy with projects. I've got a nerd-post today. I somehow completely forgot about blogging about Emerald City Comicon this year, so I'll be doing that...and I went to a videogame symphony. I know, it's really nerdy, but I heard they would play Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy music.

First...Comicon! I went an hour before it closed and that's when my art friends also happened to show up, so it worked out well. Really packed and full of art--so much art, I didn't know where to look.

I bumped into friend and pop artist Ken Taya--behold his rainbow of art:

Also, graduated from same school, Ken Dart and Chris Turnham--amazing artists:

As always, a pleasure to see my comic artist friends Mike Oeming and Taki Soma! (Sorry, didn't take a pic of their booth.) And David Mack...You gotta check out his awesome graphic novel series Kabuki.

I came across this print...which I loved. Long live Carl Sagan:

I posed with some Vulcans:

As for the vgame symphony...I loved hearing songs from Chrono Trigger, Chrono Cross, and Final Fantasy. (I was disappointed that they didn't play One-Winged Angel, though.) I was fortunate enough to attend the FF composer Nobuo Uematsu's lecture a while back, if you haven't seen it, here is the link. I love his music!

Here's an example of how CT sounds live:

Cheers,

--Realm

News Week - 5/23/11

2011-05-25T06:00:00.000-07:00

It's time to catch up on the many events! While I may not be going to BEA this week, I've attended quite a few little events this past month. (And...revisions for my book is done! Well, the first pass, at least.)

John Scalzi

After tweeting with sci-fi author John Scalzi, I finally got to meet the kind, humorous, and talented author. (He knows a bunch of my coworkers and loves videogames.) He did his reading for Fuzzy Nation at UW. He even included a little puppet show and a ukulele musical by Molly Lewis based on Fuzzy Man by Paul and Storm.

Neil deGrasse Tyson

Neil deGrasse Tyson is one of the best communicators of astrophysics! He is so fun and full of energy. I love how he makes everything simple to understand. I am fortunate that I got to attend the lecture at UW...it was quite packed. I highly recommend watching his lectures (or attending them). He talked about the demotion of Pluto (it comes down to the fact that there are bigger Kuiper Belt objects and there are moons bigger than Pluto). He also touched on the notion of "2012" -- Are you going to trust ancients or today's astrophysicists? He just came out with a book The Sky is Not The Limit.

Hal Sparks

Hal Sparks is an actor and comedian. He played the character Michael Novotny (adorable!) from Queer as Folk. I wasn't sure what to expect from Hal's stand-up. I don't know him as a comedian and...I've never been to a stand up before! Well, he was freaking hilarious. I just about cried. He makes a good Seattle-emo impersonation. He's also a nerd, talking about dinosaurs, space, and biology. I heart him more than before.

Magic Flute

I've always wanted to see The Magic Flute (opera composed by Mozart) and finally did. Why did I want to see it? Well, like everyone else I wanted to see The Queen of Night! A Japanese lady named Mari Moriya played The Queen of Night and I couldn't believe such a powerful voice came from such a small body. She was confidant and hit every note right. I also liked her starry stage.

Listen to the song here (though not same singer). In this song, The Queen tells her daughter to murder:

Of Montreal

Of Montreal played midweek, midnight -- ouch for people that work full time! I didn't stay for the whole thing, but I enjoyed their crazy costumes and energy. I heard them for the first time in a little club in Berlin and never forgot them.

Marc Kaufman

Astrobiologist Marc Kaufman writes for the Washington Post. He talked about extremophiles (organisms that survive in extreme conditions) as well as planets with potential for microbes. I found it most interesting that he mentioned the potential for METI (like SETI, but instead of listening, METI would "project" -- increasing likelihood of finding intelligence "out there"). But many still fear of being "found by an alien" through METI. Marc just wrote a new book called First Contact.

That's all my ventures for the month!

--Realm

Art - Life Drawing 5/16

2011-05-17T06:00:00.000-07:00

I am on a bit of spring vacation right now, so I've been able to attend classes lately, like dancing. I'm also revising my manuscript for submission this summer. (Much art projects in the works, too -- I'll keep you all updated on 'em once completed.) Also, I've been able to attend life drawing sessions...Haven't been in so long!

I drew two models last week -- both opposites. One had long, black dreads and many tattoos. The next had short, blonde hair and no tats. I found myself making many dark smudges for the first and cleaner lines for the second. Does it have to do with the hair-do?

I repeat...I have not gone in a long time.

If any of you are interested in pursuing art, I highly recommend attending life drawing to practice!

Realm

Sketch - Vanessa the Violet

2011-05-09T06:00:00.000-07:00

Before my plane ride headed for Kauai, I drew a sketch for Sarah Kelly's mom (Patte Jordan Huberman) as a birthday gift. If you don't remember Sarah, she is an author I interviewed a while back for her historical novel The Fidelity Trial. Her mother is working on a picture book called Vanessa, the Violet Who Didn't Want to be Purple.

Characters: Vanessa the Violet, Oswald (an oak tree), William the Wise Owl, Bonnie (a yellow butterfly), Felipe (a frog), and Hattie (a young girl).

Here's the sketch of 'em:

And during my trip, I saw a tree that looked like Oswald:

Cheers!

--Realm

Upgraded Webpage

2011-05-03T06:00:00.000-07:00

I know I've mentioned doing this for a while...but I've finally upgraded my webpage! I converted to a flash site with an easy interface. Simple is best for me, so I kept it mostly white. There is a new gallery section so you can see my blog art from various author and agent interviews I've done for this blog, as well as some WIP art for personal projects. There's also art from my illustrated YA novel, CLAN.

Hope you guys like it, too! Any feedback is welcome, of course.

Cheers,

--Realm

Art - Lithograph

2011-04-28T06:00:00.000-07:00

Hey, guys -- just a brief art update. I had the honor of creating a limited edition lithograph. It's only available till it runs out, so I thought I'd share:

Here is the link to the description. Hope you guys enjoy. While you're looking, be sure to check out the other merchandise on the site as well.

Cheers!

--Realm

Author Interview - Victoria Schwab

2011-04-20T06:00:00.000-07:00

I've been talking with YA author Victoria Schwab for a couple of years, anticipating the releasing of her book THE NEAR WITCH coming from Disney-Hyperion. Finally, there's a release date! 08/02/11! I've always been intrigued by Victoria's artful writing style and am excited to have her featured here today. Kindly, Victoria is answering not five, but six questions today!

For the illustration, I drew the main character, Lexi. She is described to have wild hair, like tree barks -- "Her hair is never smooth, and tendrils escape as soon as they can." Combined with the description of the book, I had a picture in my mind for Lexi. Overall, I wanted it to look haunting and misty.

1) Thank you for joining us today, Victoria. What is THE NEAR WITCH about?

There’s an old ghost story in the town of Near. It tells of a witch that lived on the edge of the village, and gobbled up all the darkness, and sang the hills to sleep, and loved the children almost as much as the garden she kept beside her house.

Sixteen-year-old Lexi Harris, the daughter of a tracker, has heard the stories her entire life, first from her father, and then from old Magda and Marta, who might be witches themselves. Everyone loves to tell the story, but everyone knows a different ending. Some say that the Near Witch blew away on a gust of wind. Others tell of darker things. Of murders and curses and buried bones.

To Lexi, they’ve always been stories, nothing more. But when a strange and silent boy walks into the village of Near, and then the wind begins to lure children from their beds at night, she starts to wonder if there’s any truth in them. Could the Near Witch be more than a ghost story?

2) I love the story description so much! What inspired you to write about THE NEAR WITCH?

I love words. I love the way they sound, and the ripples of sound they can make, so it's little surprise that my stories almost always start with a line. I wrote the sentence, "There are no strangers in the town of Near," and liked it, but had no idea what it meant. I tucked the line away in a file, and six months later, another line popped into my head, "The wind on the moors is a tricky thing." I immediately knew the two lines went together, and the whole book blossomed out from them.

3) What's your character design and story construction process?

For THE NEAR WITCH, it was messy. The setting came first (and this might be why people have called Near it's own character). Equipped with a setting, a line or two, and a short list of things I feel "fit" with the vibe/tone/world of the story, I went exploring. I would write a few sentences about the story idea, and then a scene, this case in the narrator's voice. I then wrote five or six scenes, and just looked at the ways those scenes fit together, and what they told me. The story and the characters and the voice all kind of emerge simultaneously. They climb over each other and grow off of each other. For this book, it was largely about discovery for me. I discovered the world and the characters and their story as I was writing. That said, I always have an idea of the absolutely essential scenes plot-wise. But everything else is exploring, then hacking and pruning and shaping. Messy.

Working on my next book, it hasn't been nearly AS messy, but it's by no means a straight line from none to done.

4) I like your method of just letting things grow. How do you like working with Holly Root?

I am enamored. She is sweet and terrifying and wonderful, hungry, and an incredible grounding force, and she helps me keep my head on. I've never felt so much like part of a team (Team Root FTW!) and an agent's only client at the same time. And to be honest, Editor Abby and Agent Holly together are like an awesome sandwich. Or maybe bookends. Either way, they keep me together. I couldn't be happier.

5) Can you tell us about your journey toward getting your book deal with Disney-Hyperion?

It was longer than it seems! The Near Witch wasn't my first project. My first book was a dark Middle Grade. While it was out on submission, about eight months into its submission actually, I needed a distraction, and started writing The Near Witch (while finishing my thesis and my college education) and for some reason the story just poured out. And I loved it. It went out on submission summer of '09 and just under two months later, I got the call!

6) Wow! And your journey has only begun...What's your next book about?

THE ARCHIVED, about a teenage girl who must return the restless, ghost-like Histories of the dead to their rightful place in a labyrinthine supernatural library known as the Archive; when more Histories begin to wake and escape, she must stop the doors between the worlds of the living and dead from breaking open, all without falling victim to a beguiling History who is more human - and more disarmingly attractive - than the others.

THE ARCHIVED also sounds super awesome. Victoria, thank you so much for joining us today!

Readers, THE NEAR WITCH can be pre-ordered here.

Cheers!

--Realm

_____

If you're an author, editor, agent, or illustrator and would like a five question interview and a drawing of your character (or of yourself), email me at rtlovejoy (at) yahoo (dot) com. Check out the FAQ page for more information!

Portal 2 is out!

2011-04-19T06:00:00.000-07:00

I've been working on the Portal series for 7 years with my team (including my college years). Portal came out in 2007...and now, finally, Portal 2 is out today. It's truly awesome to contribute art to a game I believe in and I hope everyone enjoys it.

Previews:

And here are some links to concept art:

http://superpunch.blogspot.com/2011/04/lots-of-portal-2-concept-art.html

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/109153-Portal-2-ARG-Unleashes-Flood-of-Concept-Art

Have you taken the personality quiz? (I got GLaDOS.)

http://www.thinkwithportals.com/coop_survey.php

Have fun thinking with portals!

--Realm

News Week - 04/18/11

2011-04-18T06:00:00.000-07:00

News Week time! I've got a lot of catching up to do with this blog, but I am determined.

First of all...Hope you guys are excited as I am for PORTAL 2's release this week! Other than work, I've been going to events as usual. I went to the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrator's (SCBWI) drink night at the Marriott -- it's the pre-conference kick-off! I got to talk with the ever-wonderful Holly Cupala, whom I haven't seen in a while...and met lovely YA authors Liz Gallagher, Kevin Emerson, and Heather Davis.

I've been going to non-YA-writing events as well and I'm going to summarize all the ones I haven't gotten to yet!

____

Michio Kaku

A couple of weeks ago, I got to attend physicist Michio Kaku's talk. He is the co-founder of string theory and a communicator of science. He has just written a new book called Physics of The Future, describing possible technologies in a hundred years. (Computer contact lenses, health scanners, GPS-controlled cars, etc.) He made a lot of references to Star Trek and Forbidden Planet. He also applauded some sci-fi writers. (Go, writers!) Writing is like making theories, isn't it?

Mr Kaku had laryngitis that night, but he made many jokes regardless (he was listed as one of the 100 smartest people in NY -- Kaku said, "but Madonna also made the list."), and spoke eloquently with his usual storytelling charm. Surely, with all that's going on in Japan, he was a bit down as well.

He said the situation was as bad as Chernobyl when it had just begun...and he's was right. There should be cement over the reactor before it's too late. He said it is difficult for architects to prepare for a once in a thousand year event like that.

If you are not familiar with Michio Kaku, I highly suggest watching his lectures, because he makes complicated things easier to understand.

Kaja and Phil Foglio

The married couple writes and draws a popular web comic series called Girl Genius. I'd like to check it out, but I've never read it. It was interesting to see them, anyway -- especially their animated way of reading their work. They have a strong fan base. Many asked questions eagerly. One performed a fan song. Some wore costumes. The couples are now trying out a novel because, well, it's quicker to produce than a comic. (And do I ever agree! Trust me, I've tried making comics...) Their novel is called Agatha H and The Airship City.

Mozart's Requiem

This is Joey's favorite symphony, so I had to see Mozart's Requiem. It is very dramatic and tragic and something to wear a black dress to...Mozart's swan song! I have a record of the Requiem and enjoy listening to it when it's either raining, snowing, or storming. It's actually an Amadeus soundtrack, if you haven't seen that movie you should -- you won't regret it.

Richard Panek

An author of science, Richard Panek just wrote a book called The 4% Universe. It's all about dark matter, which is something I'm really fascinated with. Basically, dark matter is the unknown force pushing out the galaxies. The highlight of the reading was when an old man that looked like Mr Miyagi approached the stadium, and with a wise voice, asked, "HAVE YOU EVER HEARD OF DARK FORCE?"

Richard was like, "You mean...dark flow?"

Brian Greene

Author of The Elegant Universe, theoretic physicist, and string theorist...Brian Greene! It was an honor to attend his talk. Like Kaku, he is also a great talker. He came out with a book called Hidden Reality, about parallel universes. Basically, if you believe in math, you believe in parallel universes. If you shuffle a deck of cards a million times, you will eventually get the same order as an order you once had. Hence, he thinks that somewhere out there, something like Earth has happened. Very interesting perception on how math interacts with our world. When he described gravity, it made me very aware of how I am pulled toward the Earth -- almost made me feel heavy.

Little Dragon

I went to their concert on a tired work night, mid-week...but was pumped once I got there since the music is full of life. Never heard of 'em? Just look at this vid and love it (there are shadow puppets that cry little beady tears and trees that whisper into the air -- you want to see it):

Opera: Songs of Cleopatra

This was part of the Baroque series. The intense Isabel Bayrakdarian wore a dramatic, red dress and sang her lungs out. I particularily enjoyed Morte Col Fiero Aspetto -- pretty and emotional.

____

I hope you guys found something interesting out of the things I've been up to this early spring! More updates soon!

--Realm

Back from Kauai!

2011-04-05T06:00:00.000-07:00

I am back from Kauai! Hope you guys all had a great week. Big thanks to Mark for guest blogging while I was away. I'll admit, Seattle seems so dark upon my return compared to Kauai...I miss the sun! It's really gray and rainy here. Joey and I stayed at the Grand Hyatt by Shipwreck Beach. I wasn't so sure about the beach at first because I heard the waves were rough...but I loved Shipwreck Beach with the waves and the crazy, doomful cliff. If I were to write everyday on the cliff, I'd probably write something dramatic. We got to hike along the cliff to the other side, where another beach is.

We hung out plenty by the resort pool. Eventually, we ventured to the west to go see the Weimeia Canyons. We tried to look for Barking Sand Beach, but it was closed off. (Too bad...I heard the sand makes a barking sound when you walk on it.)

The only thing disappointing was going to a luau, which was very cheesy and touristy -- kind of my idea of tropical hell. I was hoping to eat in darkness while people threw around flaming sticks and drums thundered...NOPE. It was more like full bright with cafeteria food and too much aloha going on.

Joey had his Pentax camera, so he took some awesome shots. We often pulled up by the road to take a pic, like this one below:

This picture was taken at Kipu Falls...a hidden waterfall and pool in the woods:

I took some black and white shots below, and these are my faves...Even with sunny colors, I am a fan of black and white often times:

We found an incredible little beach called Glass Beach. The grains of sand are made out of glass that's been polished over time. Apparently, some factory used to dump glass bottles into the ocean nearby. I got to collect some sea glass here, found a ruby-looking gem stone, and some metal pebbles. Example of "sand" is below:

Some more random shots that turned out well:

Up north, there are some of the most bluest oceans ever. It's a bit windy and cloudy at times, but the beautiful Tunnels Beach was worth seeing:

Now, for the more moody beach...Shipwreck Beach:

One of my favorite thing to do there was to get some L&L BBQ to go and eat at the beach. I know, it's really cheap...but I love it. So satisfying. Look how happy I am with BBQ:

It was truly a magical trip...Looking at the pics, it all seems like it was just a dream. Well, time to get back to work! Even though I was on vacation, I kept thinking about story ideas, things to paint, and my writing.

--Realm

Guest Blog: Vicious Half-Truth #1: Write What You Know by Mark Murata

2011-03-30T06:00:00.000-07:00

To make a story vivid and compelling, to make it real, write what you know. Relive your family dramas, the life goals you achieved through tears and self-sacrifice, or your romances that flowered or never were. Visualize fields you’ve run through, ocean vistas that overwhelmed you, or quiet fireplaces with a cat or dog curled up.

But what if you run out of what you know after just a couple stories?

Well then, fake it.

James Rollins once told of how he researched on the internet a particular village in Latin America to include in his story. After the book was published, someone called him up, saying he had visited that same village a few years ago, and wondering when Rollins had been there. Research these detailed accounts of famous and obscure locations, including amateur videos -- like this panoramic view from the Areopagus in Athens, which starts with the Acropolis.

Read to your weaknesses. Use the popular-level magazines with articles by experts. Afraid of guns? Read a copy of Soldier of Fortune, cover to cover. Think psychology is bunk? Pick up an issue of Psychology Today. Even better, participate. If you wonder if sexy CSI workers really use those nifty techniques you see on TV, catch a writers’ conference with a CSI speaker -- it’s eye-opening and disturbing at the same time.

Eat in fast food joints to hear everyday dialogue. Listen to cliques of teenage girls in malls. If you don’t know what workmen sound like, watch Dirty Jobs with Mike Rove. If you need to add some elitist language, watch one of those reality modeling or fancy cooking shows.

Are your plots recognizable and your characters feel like stereotypes? Join the club. In how many Bruce Willis movies does a villain pop up in the second to last scene? When you saw Inception right after seeing Alice in Wonderland, didn’t the characters seem familiar? Or even copied?

Add fresh plot twists and personality quirks to fake it with the best of them.

Read widely. Fake boldly. Never let them see you guessing.

_________

The art of "writing what you know" is quite a mixture of memory, imagination, and lots of research, isn't it? Articles on this topic is great! Thank you for guest-blogging today, Mark! You can read more of Mark's articles at his blog.

Cheers,

--Realm

Author Interview - ELIZABETH LOUPAS

2011-03-21T06:00:00.000-07:00

Today we have historical fiction author Elizabeth Loupas joining us! She is represented by the fabulous Diana Fox and her debut book THE SECOND DUCHESS just came out from NAL.

For the illustration, I drew the 26 year-old Barbara of Austria, the main character of THE SECOND DUCHESS. I wanted her to look as unique as she does in her historical depiction.

1) Welcome to The Blog, Elizabeth! What is THE SECOND DUCHESS about?

It’s about three people—a Renaissance duke and his two duchesses. The duke is Alfonso II d’Este, the last Borgia duke, grandson of Lucrezia Borgia, ambitious, powerful, resplendent. His first wife—only fourteen when he married her, only seventeen when she died mysteriously—was the beautiful and wayward Lucrezia de’ Medici. Did he murder her, or have her murdered? Everyone whispers but no one dares accuse him. Then he takes a new bride, Barbara of Austria, and Barbara finds she cannot rest until she knows exactly what happened to the duke’s first duchess...

2) What an intriguing concept! What inspired the story?

It’s a riff on Robert Browning's poem “My Last Duchess.” I’ve always loved the poem and have probably read it a thousand times. Then one day when I was tutoring a high school student through an essay on Browning, it struck me: what, exactly, did the second duchess have to think of all this?

3) I'm curious myself. What was your process for developing the heroine Barbara of Austria?

At first I thought Browning had made up his duke and duchesses. When I started to dig around I found that he’d based the “story” of his poem very loosely on real historical personages. So I started reading everything I could get my hands on, in English, Italian and German. (I had to get the Italian and German sources translated.) I based my Barbara on the historical Barbara as closely as I could. Even her looks are based on a real portrait.

4) How did you go about weaving your historical research into this fiction? Any finds that particularly made an impression on you?

It sometimes seemed as if I had to stop one sentence at a time to look things up. I collected everything I could find. The first images I found of Alfonso were engravings, and quite stylized. Then one day I came across a stunning painting of Alfonso as a young man, and his personality simply leaped to life.

Other great finds were images of objects in museums—the poison flask, the thumbscrew, the chess set, Barbara’s saddle.

And the books Barbara and Alfonso owned! I Modi is a real book, originally published in 1527, and the engravings will simply make your eyes pop out.

5) What was your road to publication like?

It took me several years to write the book itself—it was a start-and-stop project. Toward the end of that period I began to focus on the book seriously, finished it, polished it, and started sending queries. There were a few bumps and bruises along the way, as virtually every writer experiences, and I’m very fortunate to have ended up with the fantastic Diana Fox as my agent and NAL as my publisher!

Congrats, and thanks for joining us, Elizabeth!

Cheers!

--Realm

_____

News Week - 03/07/11

2011-03-07T06:00:00.000-08:00

Book:

Lisa and Laura Roecker's THE LIAR SOCIETY is finally out!!!!!! YAAAAY!

To celebrate, I pinkified the drawing I did of the main character, Kate. I drew it back in 2009 (the title is obviously different now then back then, though):

Blog:

Calling all guest bloggers!

I will be out end of March and am looking for guest bloggers! Any article relating to the book industry, writing, and art will work. If you are interested, please email me at rtlovejoy (at) yahoo (dot) com. Due date for article is March 23rd.

Cheers!

--Realm

Author Interview - CARMEN FERREIRO-ESTEBAN

2011-03-01T06:00:00.000-08:00

Over email, I met a kind author named Carmen Ferreiro-Esteban, and now she is here to talk about her first YA book TWO MOON PRINCESS published by Tanglewood Press. Whether you're a reader and/or writer, I think you'll find her in-depth, and wonderful answers fascinating. She's got great advice on world building and provided some pretty photos. Plus, she's got a PH.D. in biology! Carmen was born in Galicia (Northern Spain) -- "A land of rolling hills and green valleys surrounded by ocean thought in medieval times to be ‘Finisterre,’ the place where the world came to an end."

For the illustration, I drew Andrea, the main character of TWO MOON PRINCESS. I wanted to capture her strong personality, balanced by soft moonlight. "Andrea is strong willed, naive and fiercely independent. She is also compassionate, loyal and has a strong sense of duty."

1) Thanks for joining us, Carmen! What is Two Moon Princess about?

In short:

A Spanish Princess.
An American Boy.
A King set on revenge.

An unrequited love
and a disturbing family secret
bring a World to the brink of War.

Two Moon Princess is a coming of age story. It's the story of a girl, Princess Andrea, who grows up in a patriarchal society where girls have no power, and thus no choice. To escape the life her parents have designed for her, she leaves her father's castle, and crosses a portal into another world. In this new world, modern day California, Andrea discovers she has the freedom to become whoever she wants to be. So it is no wonder than when, by accident, she returns to her parents' kingdom, she will do anything to go back. But going back may be impossible for her actions have unearthed an old feud and started a war that will challenge Andrea's beliefs and change her forever.

Two Moon Princess is also a love story. It follows Andrea through the giddiness of her first crush and the devastating pain of unrequited love to her awakening to a more mature love rooted in respect and trust.

2) What inspired the story?

The basic idea of a girl from the Old World (Spain) coming to California and falling in love with an American boy is autobiographical.

I made the girl's world medieval to emphasize the contrast between the stern, chauvinistic world where she grew up and the freedom she discovers in California.

The rest of the plot, including the unrequited love story, the old family feud, and the dark enemy king, I made it up.

3) Can you tell us more about the world Two Moon Princess is set in?

The first scene I ever wrote that made it into Two Moon Princess was the description of a broken arch by the ocean. The arch is real. It stands on a beach I used to visit as a child, in Galicia, northern Spain.

So I knew from the beginning Andrea's world would look like Galicia. It would be a land of rolling hills ending on cliffs as they reach the ocean.

And to the South there would be a river between Andrea's kingdom and that of the enemy king.

The river I imagined is the River Mino, that separates Galicia from Portugal, and the sacred mount Andrea visits in the story is the Monte Tecla that dominates the river mouth (left on the picture below).

As for the modern world, California, obviously, I didn't make that one up. I just drew from my memories for I lived in California for four years. You can see pictures of the places I mention in my novel here.

To create the history of Andrea's world, I stole freely from Medieval Spain.

During medieval times, the peninsula that now includes Spain and Portugal was divided in small kingdoms that constantly fought each other. It was a world of castles and kings and knights, and of princesses given in marriage for political reasons. A world where men played war and women took care of the wounded and produced more children for the next war.

I connected Andrea's world with ours through the real story of King Roderic, the last Visigothic king who disappeared in battle, fighting the Arabs in 711 A.D. In my version of this historical event, Roderic and his knights fled to the northern mountains and once there escaped through a portal into another world where they became the ancestors of Andrea's people.

4) Wow, your world is so thought out, I can see it in my mind! What was your process for building the world? Any advice?

The first part of this question I answered above. I think.

As for my advice on world building first and foremost: Make it memorable.

As writers we have only words to tell our story, thus we should use every one of them effectively. If we go through the trouble of creating a world we should also use it as a plot device, or even as a character. Why waste words (and the reader's patience) describing a world, creating a society, if it is not relevant to the story?

In other words, my advice is: Create a world that is germane to the story.

Think Dune (Dune by Frank Herbert), where the planet itself determines the plot and shapes the characters. Dune is the center of the empire, without its unique ecology, there would be no worms, no spice, no intergalactic travel, no Paul Atreides, ergo no story.

Think The Lord of the Rings where every wood, plain or mountain chain becomes intrinsic to the story for it models the society of the people (humans or otherwise) that inhabits it.

My last piece of advice would be: Make it consistent.

I remember reading a book once that was set in a tropical climate. When the author mentioned the houses were lit with pine rushes, she totally lost my trust. I don't care if this is our world, or an imaginary world, pine trees don't grow in the tropics for the same reason that lions don't have hooves. They just don't. It's a biological impossibility.

5) That's great advice and I couldn't agree more. How do you reach out to teens with your book?

In person, by doing school visits in my area.

Online, I have a website where readers can gather information about Two Moon Princess and its world. They can also learn about Andrea's next adventure by reading a sample from the upcoming sequel to Two Moon Princess, The King in the Stone.

They can also follow me at my blog or at my Goodreads address.

I read many teen blogs. Over time, I've contacted several teens and they have reviewed Two Moon Princess in their blogs.

And, of course, I always answer the e-mails my readers send me.

Thank you so much for having me in your blog and super special thanks for Andrea's drawing.

Thank you, Carmen, for the beautiful interview and photos! It was a pleasure to have you on the blog. I hope you all enjoyed the interview, dear readers!

TWO MOON PRINCESS can be purchased here.

Cheers!

--Realm

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News Week - 02/28/11

2011-02-28T06:00:00.000-08:00

Hey, guys! Just a brief update. I'm still polishing up a synopsis among other work. Aside from that, I just had my birthday, and Joey took me to a restaurant called Salty's to celebrate. Wonderful sea and city view (even though it was snowing when we went) and delicious crab legs! I got a nice white chocolate cake there with a candle in it. If you ever visit Seattle, go there!

Though I am journeying further into my twenties, I don't feel too bad (yet)...because everything I do gets better as I age.

By the way, did you guys get to check out the Valentine's video from Aperture? Check it out. Yay.

Books:

I also wanted to share that Gretchen McNeil just announced her cover design! Isn't is so beautiful? Love the tree branches.

Congrats, Gretchen!

Blog:

Heads up, I will soon call for guest-bloggers, for I shall be gone for a week at the end of the month!

Cheers,

--Realm

Author Interview - SUZANNE SELFORS (second visit)

2011-02-14T06:00:00.000-08:00

Today we have author Suzanne Selfors back again! Last time, she interviewed for Coffeehouse Angel...now she returns with a new YA book called MAD LOVE. Just in time for Valentine's Day!

Neat fact: In MAD LOVE, there's a character named Realm. Here's what Suzanne said about her character Realm in the 2009 interview, "I met you last year at an event at Barnes and Noble in Bellevue. Your name really stuck with me. I'd never heard it before and loved it. So in my next teen novel, which I'm currently revising, there is a girl named Realm. She's darker than my usual characters. She struggles with an eating disorder."

It was trippy and cool to see my name in a book.

For the illustration, I drew Tony Lee -- a character from MAD LOVE. He has a skateboard with a dragon on it. I'd love to have such a skateboard myself.

1) What is MAD LOVE about?

It's about love in all its crazy shapes and sizes. Motherly love, neighborly love, burn-a-hole-in-your-gut yearning love, eternal love, lost love. It's all in there.

It's about a girl named Alice who tries to write her mother's next romance novel, with the help of a boy named Errol who claims to be Cupid.

2) What inspired the story?

I'm really into mythology. In my last book, Coffeehouse Angel, I reimagined Hermes, turning him into a modern-day messenger. Years ago I wrote a book in which I reimagined Cupid. It was for adults and I never did anything with it. But I really liked the idea of bringing Cupid to a contemporary setting so I rewrote the book, changing the main character to a teen.

3) Can you tell us about your outline or drafting process for the story?

I never outline. It just doesn't work for me. I've tried it and I ended up changing the direction of the story almost immediately. My process, if you can call it a process, is this - I always know the beginning and the ending of my story, but the journey inbetween is a mystery. That's the fun and terrifying part of the writing. I discover the story as I go.

4) How did you apply your research to the story?

I did some research on bi-polar disorder. I personally know a lot about depression, having suffered a serious, clinical bout in my early 20s that knocked me out of the world for a good year. And I knew a bit about the manic side from my father. But I still needed more research. Since my books tend to have touches of magical realism, I played a bit with the illness. That's what a fiction writer gets to do.

5) What kind of lesson does the heroine of MAD LOVE learn?

Alice wants desperately to be loved. She's grown up with a bi-polar mother and there's been a great deal of neglect and lonliness. As a little girl, she blamed her mother's illness on herself, as young children tend to do. She's felt unloveable and this effects everything she does. What she learns is that she won't be open to love until she learns to love herself.

That's a great lesson. Thanks for joining us again, Suzanne! Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!

--Realm

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Jen's Blog Tour Interview - POSSUMS ARE AWESOME

2011-02-09T06:00:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the POSSUMS ARE AWESOME blog tour for the middle-grade book, POSSUM SUMMER by Jen K. Blom, coming out in March! (Have you preordered yet?) Jen was interviewed on The Blog a while back, so check that out, too -- it has a lot of info about POSSUM SUMMER.

Today Jen answered a few questions for The Blog! P also joined in and well, did her thing...but you have to wait until the end of this little interview to see what she did!

First off, a little about the book:

a lonely kid.

an orphaned baby possum.

a dad that says no way.

how do you keep that kind of secret?

and what happens when you’re found out?

So! On we go with the Thrilling Three questions!

Realm: Princess sounds like a great character. How do you relate to the main character Princess and how did you use your own experience to create her?

JKB: I'd like to think that I had a bit of P's spunk, but I just don't know. She seemed to jump into my head about 15 years ago, and commented and railed and hissed until I broke down and wrote what she was saying. I admire her attitude and I'm proud of her being a strong-willed girl! We need those in our literature!

Realm: Princess has Oklahoma as Tom Sawyer has Mississippi. I imagine the setting must be very well done. What is your process to establish a scene/setting?

JKB: Gosh I love this...and you're absolutely right! P *is* Oklahoma, just like Tom *is* Mississippi! I like to think that they'd be best friends if she could get Mart to give up his spot. And if she moved to Mississippi, of course.

But setting. I grew up with the Oklahoma plains as my best friend, so it's very important to me in all my books that the setting has as much to say as the characters themselves. You could consider the setting a character, if you like. After finishing my first draft, I go through in successive drafts checking off particular aspects that are important to me ... and setting is first on my list. If you can't sit down and feel that story, well then, what's the point in reading it?

Realm: I don't see a story with a possum often (or ever) so I think that makes your story very unique. What drew you to them and what's an interesting possum fact you've found?

JKB: Possums get a bum rap. They're actually amazing animals, and I should know - I had one when I was little. Let's see. A very cool fact? It's extremely difficult for possums to contract rabies (practically impossible) as their blood temperature is lower than that of most other mammals. Possums FTW!

And now...Princess joins us!

Princess: HELLO MISS REALM! Miss Jen says you're an ARTIST! I am a FAN! You did a good job of drawing me here even though you gave me too many freckles! I don't like freckles!

JKB: P. Not again.

P: The last one went good! You're not the boss of me! My question is What's your favrite food?

Realm: I like steak. *JKB gives up*

P: Steak! Steak! I like steak! My dad raises Charolais! Have you ever had them? They're fat! Well, what's your favrite activit

ies? *JKB tries to chill*

Realm: Writing and drawing!

P: I don't like writing any, but drawing! Yeah! NEXT: What's yer most inneresting body part about yourself?

Realm: I am Eurasian so I have distinctly shaped amber eyes.

P: Wow! I think your eyes are really neat! They look like an animal I saw just the other day, so I already knew who I'd pick for you as an Oklahoma animal! I drawed you! I hope you like it seeing as you're a profes-proffe-an expert drawer!

P: You're definitely a Western Grey Fox, what with your eyeballs! They are really neat and did you know they can climb trees? True story! I wouldn't lie to you! Why, the other day ...

**scuffle**

JKB: I hope you enjoy my little interview, here! *P stutters* Next up is the amazing and talented Gretchen McNeil, author of POSSESS !

Jen K. Blom writes about animals, the land, and kids, not necessarily in that order. Her debut, POSSUM SUMMER, is available March 2011. Just the thing to give to a kid to start their summer of reading off right! (Available from your local indie, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Borders, or Book Depository!)

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Hurray, thank you, Jen! I am honored to be a part of your tour...and what a treat to have a drawing for me! Love the gray fox!

--Realm