Diana Rodriguez Wallach, a young adult author from Pennsylvania with Spanish words in all her titles, takes on the feat of a lifetime: getting Stephen Colbert on her side.
So not only does she love My So-Called Life but her attempts to get on The Colbert Report are pretty clever... This is one author I must read soon!
24 July 2009
20 July 2009
Author Monday:: Interview with cartoonist Hope Larson
This entry marks the 5th installment of my Author Mondays, where I shall endeavor to post something “author-esque” each Monday. Whether it's an interview or a one-shot question, here is a chance for various authors to have their say.
I started reading Hope Larson's award-winning graphic novels when I was only suspecting I'd be a teen librarian. I remember picking up Gray Horses from the adult comics section of the Central Library in San Antonio. I was so completely mesmerized by Noemie's expressive features and familiarity that I wrote my first book review on it.
I couldn't find her debut Salamander Dream in San Antonio so I went through Interlibrary Loan. By the end of it, Larson had accomplished something unprecedented. I'd never reacted so emotionally to someone's entire oeuvre (she only had these two titles out at the time). Even now, reading her books this morning, I can’t help but feel she has a gorgeous way of storytelling that is unique to her.
Hope Larson was a total sweetheart by letting me interview her briefly over a year ago. The only reason why I hadn't posted it earlier was because I was waiting to interview more authors so I could post them up in a consecutive series, like I’m doing now. On an evening in June last year, I interviewed both Hope and her husband Bryan Lee O’Malley—that interview is coming next week—and I’m happy to say they were my firsts. In retrospect, I should have asked her more about Chiggers, which hadn't come out yet, and her contribution to Comic Book Tattoo. Still, this was one of the coolest things I’ve done and I’m thankful to both cartoonists for their generosity and patience.
And now, please sit back as this blog proudly presents that interview a year ago:
~
VG: Did you have a Eureka moment or did you just gradually make the decision to create graphic novels?
HL: I think I was kind of bullied into making them [*chuckle*] by the comics community. When I started drawing comics for the first time, it didn't click with me. It didn't seem like something that I was going to be any good at or something that I would want to have for a career. I moved to Toronto and started living with Mal [husband Bryan Lee O'Malley] and got more in touch with the comics community, I guess. There's a really good comics store, The Beguiling in Toronto, and I started reading a lot more different types of comics and I just felt like I could fit in. And then I just drew a book. And I can't really imagine doing much else at this point.
VG: Cool. Did your style start off from the very beginning? You have a very... very... [my husband slips me the answer] distinctive, yeah, distinctive style.
HL: Well, it's really evolving. It's changed a lot since the first book. Salamander Dream and Gray Horses-- I was really inspired by the artist Seth and by Charles Burns. They both have really slick inking. And I kind of wound up doing primarily vector work in the W Illustrator. So that was the style I was comfortable with-- like, really clean flowing lines.
VG: In my mind, both Salamander Dream and Gray Horses deal with innocence and isolation. Are these aspects that you're familiar with in your life?
HL: Yeah, definitely, especially isolation. They're both primarily nostalgia books. I was living in Canada and, you know, I missed the US, I missed the South. By the time I got around to writing Gray Horses, I missed Chicago too, a little bit, even though it wasn't the city for me. I missed things about it. As far as innocence... I don't really know. I guess I don't have anything to say about that.
VG: For me, the first one, that's what really touched me about it. Going back to childhood, seeing all the things one abandons as one grows older... It just... It touched me very much.
HL: Thanks. I think now [with Chiggers] I'm dealing more with the down and dirty version of childhood. I'm moving more in that direction.
VG: Right, right. Of all the stories you've done, this is for your youngest audience then, right?
HL: Yeah.
VG: I guess you didn't really choose that.
HL: Yeah. I just wrote the story. My agent and publisher figured out who it was going to be for.
VG: In Gray Horses, your main character is French. Was there a reason for this, as opposed to Italian or Russian?
HL: I have a lot of fondness for France 'cause I lived there for a year when I was a kid. And I sort of remember how it felt. When I moved to France, I didn't speak any French. My parents just kind of took me and chucked me in the local village school and I had to pick it up on the go. So I wanted to translate that to a slightly older character.
VG: Two more questions. Do you have a purpose for your stories other than storytelling?
HL: I don't know. That's a hard question. I don't know what else I would do with my life if I wasn't doing this. All my thoughts run into storytelling, you know? That's what inspires me. It's what interests me. It's really the only thing, so...
VG: That's awesome. It's something I don't know that I could do, so it's very admirable. Um, okay, I lied. Two more questions. [Laughter, on both sides, not just me!] Do you have advice for up and coming [cartoonists]?
HL: Draw a lot. Write a lot. Put your work on the web-- it's really important. Try and make friends in the comics community. People are really friendly and they love to help up and comers. And be patient 'cause it takes time.
VG: And the cookies question. If you could bake homemade cookies for up to three fictional characters, who would you choose and what kind of cookies would you make?
HL: I guess I should think who first, and then figure out a cookie. Okay, I'm gonna say Meg from A Wrinkle in Time. She's one of my favorites. And... for the cookies? Hmmm. Maybe just oatmeal cookies, 'cause it gets cold up in Maine or wherever it is she lives. [Laughter]
VG: That works. Thank you very much.
HL: No problem.
~
As I understand it, Hope’s new book Mercury is coming out next year and she’s hard at work on something new. Also, checkci out her lovable work on Geektastic: Stories from the Nerd Herd as edited by Holly Black and Cecil Castelluci. If you want to follow Hope on Twitter, her handle is @hopelarson. If you are lucky enough to be at the San Diego Comic-Con, then you might see her around, too. And you will be a very, very lucky person, ha ha.
I started reading Hope Larson's award-winning graphic novels when I was only suspecting I'd be a teen librarian. I remember picking up Gray Horses from the adult comics section of the Central Library in San Antonio. I was so completely mesmerized by Noemie's expressive features and familiarity that I wrote my first book review on it.
I couldn't find her debut Salamander Dream in San Antonio so I went through Interlibrary Loan. By the end of it, Larson had accomplished something unprecedented. I'd never reacted so emotionally to someone's entire oeuvre (she only had these two titles out at the time). Even now, reading her books this morning, I can’t help but feel she has a gorgeous way of storytelling that is unique to her.
Hope Larson was a total sweetheart by letting me interview her briefly over a year ago. The only reason why I hadn't posted it earlier was because I was waiting to interview more authors so I could post them up in a consecutive series, like I’m doing now. On an evening in June last year, I interviewed both Hope and her husband Bryan Lee O’Malley—that interview is coming next week—and I’m happy to say they were my firsts. In retrospect, I should have asked her more about Chiggers, which hadn't come out yet, and her contribution to Comic Book Tattoo. Still, this was one of the coolest things I’ve done and I’m thankful to both cartoonists for their generosity and patience.
And now, please sit back as this blog proudly presents that interview a year ago:
~
VG: Did you have a Eureka moment or did you just gradually make the decision to create graphic novels?
HL: I think I was kind of bullied into making them [*chuckle*] by the comics community. When I started drawing comics for the first time, it didn't click with me. It didn't seem like something that I was going to be any good at or something that I would want to have for a career. I moved to Toronto and started living with Mal [husband Bryan Lee O'Malley] and got more in touch with the comics community, I guess. There's a really good comics store, The Beguiling in Toronto, and I started reading a lot more different types of comics and I just felt like I could fit in. And then I just drew a book. And I can't really imagine doing much else at this point.
VG: Cool. Did your style start off from the very beginning? You have a very... very... [my husband slips me the answer] distinctive, yeah, distinctive style.
HL: Well, it's really evolving. It's changed a lot since the first book. Salamander Dream and Gray Horses-- I was really inspired by the artist Seth and by Charles Burns. They both have really slick inking. And I kind of wound up doing primarily vector work in the W Illustrator. So that was the style I was comfortable with-- like, really clean flowing lines.
VG: In my mind, both Salamander Dream and Gray Horses deal with innocence and isolation. Are these aspects that you're familiar with in your life?
HL: Yeah, definitely, especially isolation. They're both primarily nostalgia books. I was living in Canada and, you know, I missed the US, I missed the South. By the time I got around to writing Gray Horses, I missed Chicago too, a little bit, even though it wasn't the city for me. I missed things about it. As far as innocence... I don't really know. I guess I don't have anything to say about that.
VG: For me, the first one, that's what really touched me about it. Going back to childhood, seeing all the things one abandons as one grows older... It just... It touched me very much.
HL: Thanks. I think now [with Chiggers] I'm dealing more with the down and dirty version of childhood. I'm moving more in that direction.
VG: Right, right. Of all the stories you've done, this is for your youngest audience then, right?
HL: Yeah.
VG: I guess you didn't really choose that.
HL: Yeah. I just wrote the story. My agent and publisher figured out who it was going to be for.
VG: In Gray Horses, your main character is French. Was there a reason for this, as opposed to Italian or Russian?
HL: I have a lot of fondness for France 'cause I lived there for a year when I was a kid. And I sort of remember how it felt. When I moved to France, I didn't speak any French. My parents just kind of took me and chucked me in the local village school and I had to pick it up on the go. So I wanted to translate that to a slightly older character.
VG: Two more questions. Do you have a purpose for your stories other than storytelling?
HL: I don't know. That's a hard question. I don't know what else I would do with my life if I wasn't doing this. All my thoughts run into storytelling, you know? That's what inspires me. It's what interests me. It's really the only thing, so...
VG: That's awesome. It's something I don't know that I could do, so it's very admirable. Um, okay, I lied. Two more questions. [Laughter, on both sides, not just me!] Do you have advice for up and coming [cartoonists]?
HL: Draw a lot. Write a lot. Put your work on the web-- it's really important. Try and make friends in the comics community. People are really friendly and they love to help up and comers. And be patient 'cause it takes time.
VG: And the cookies question. If you could bake homemade cookies for up to three fictional characters, who would you choose and what kind of cookies would you make?
HL: I guess I should think who first, and then figure out a cookie. Okay, I'm gonna say Meg from A Wrinkle in Time. She's one of my favorites. And... for the cookies? Hmmm. Maybe just oatmeal cookies, 'cause it gets cold up in Maine or wherever it is she lives. [Laughter]
VG: That works. Thank you very much.
HL: No problem.
~
As I understand it, Hope’s new book Mercury is coming out next year and she’s hard at work on something new. Also, checkci out her lovable work on Geektastic: Stories from the Nerd Herd as edited by Holly Black and Cecil Castelluci. If you want to follow Hope on Twitter, her handle is @hopelarson. If you are lucky enough to be at the San Diego Comic-Con, then you might see her around, too. And you will be a very, very lucky person, ha ha.
17 July 2009
Jumpin' Friday:: Alpine, Texas
Welcome to Jumpin' Friday, formerly known as my Road Map entries, which consisted of my beloved jumpies across the country. For those of you not in the know, here is a pretty loose description of what I call a jumpy:
A librarian + a road trip + a library + a camera = a jumpy, or a picture in mid-jump
I've been to hundreds of libraries in various countries. Going there is easy, thanks to my adorable and dedicated husband, who has pulled many (responsible) James Bond maneuvers whenever I squeal at the sight of a library sign on the road. It's the chronicling that's hard.
And now, here's a brief look at a solitary library-- the one in Alpine, Texas.
~~Alpine Public Library
Alpine, TX (06.06.09)
There was clearly something powerful in the desert air. These are the best jumpies I've taken in a long time. My God! I'm gorgeous!
I found the mural on the library wall very special. It's called "Libraries - Windows to the World," which was designed and painted by Carol Fairlie and the Sul Ross State University Fall 2003 student mural class. I find artistic partnerships with the library to be win-win situations. It's enough to inspire anyone.
And yet, I invite you to take a closer look at this detail from the mural:
Am I misled here by interpreting these purple squigglies, upon initial gut reaction, as flamboyant sperm? I'm not sure what is forbidden here-- making babies in the library, or procreating in general, or having the creativity to have these lines represent something entirely ethereal. After all, those squigglies are dead set on hitting that castle. Could it be that the Castle of Despair is going to get a good dose of bright colors, like the tour bus in The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert?
Naturally, I kid because I love. It really does make me wonder, though, what the locals-- teens, in particular-- think of this artistic flare. We arrived on a Saturday afternoon, when the library was already closed, and we had no one to really ask.
Still, Alpine was very welcoming and at least the library was very clearly marked as such. Yay clear and present libraries!
A librarian + a road trip + a library + a camera = a jumpy, or a picture in mid-jump
I've been to hundreds of libraries in various countries. Going there is easy, thanks to my adorable and dedicated husband, who has pulled many (responsible) James Bond maneuvers whenever I squeal at the sight of a library sign on the road. It's the chronicling that's hard.
And now, here's a brief look at a solitary library-- the one in Alpine, Texas.
~~Alpine Public Library
Alpine, TX (06.06.09)
There was clearly something powerful in the desert air. These are the best jumpies I've taken in a long time. My God! I'm gorgeous!
I found the mural on the library wall very special. It's called "Libraries - Windows to the World," which was designed and painted by Carol Fairlie and the Sul Ross State University Fall 2003 student mural class. I find artistic partnerships with the library to be win-win situations. It's enough to inspire anyone.
And yet, I invite you to take a closer look at this detail from the mural:
Am I misled here by interpreting these purple squigglies, upon initial gut reaction, as flamboyant sperm? I'm not sure what is forbidden here-- making babies in the library, or procreating in general, or having the creativity to have these lines represent something entirely ethereal. After all, those squigglies are dead set on hitting that castle. Could it be that the Castle of Despair is going to get a good dose of bright colors, like the tour bus in The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert?
Naturally, I kid because I love. It really does make me wonder, though, what the locals-- teens, in particular-- think of this artistic flare. We arrived on a Saturday afternoon, when the library was already closed, and we had no one to really ask.
Still, Alpine was very welcoming and at least the library was very clearly marked as such. Yay clear and present libraries!
04 July 2009
Jumpin' Friday:: Uvalde, Del Rio, and Marathon in Texas
Welcome to Jumpin' Friday, formerly known as my Road Map entries, which consisted of my beloved jumpies across the country. For those of you not in the know, here is a pretty loose description of what I call a jumpy:
A librarian + a road trip + a library + a camera = a jumpy, or a picture in mid-jump
I've been to hundreds of libraries in various countries. Going there is easy, thanks to my adorable and dedicated husband, who has pulled many (responsible) James Bond maneuvers whenever I squeal at the sight of a library sign on the road. It's the chronicling that's hard.
This particular trip was made recently so we could attend a wedding in Marfa, TX. Of course, we took the long way around to get some new pictures of libraries. And here they are!
a) El Progreso Public Library
Uvalde, TX (06.05.09)
We did not get a chance to go inside this library, since we were on the road and in need to reach other library destinations in the daylight. (Taking library pix at night with our Canon camera is not recommended as it makes for grainy mementos.) What I do remember of this library is that we arrived just as it was closing, and that the ants on the ground were the plumpest and most venomous-looking I've ever seen. I was scurred!
b) Valverde County Library
Del Rio, TX (06.05.09)
I'm not very flexible, particularly in tight jeans, so even though this pose on top of the sign looks easy, I guarantee you it was not. It was Husband-san's idea, and I agree that it makes for a cute pic.
Check this out! I frikkin' love libraries that advertise their services for both children and teens. Yay!
Del Rio was a good host town for us. We spent the night at a Motel 6 in front of a tiny mall where I tried to find a decent shirt.
c) Marathon Public Library
Marathon, TX (06.06.09)
Yeah, try getting a good picture out of a construction site, ha ha. Marathon is a very quiet and very hot town. The library was tiny and closed on the Saturday that we showed up. We still got some pretty good pictures.
More from this trip to Marfa coming later.
Thanks for viewing these!
A librarian + a road trip + a library + a camera = a jumpy, or a picture in mid-jump
I've been to hundreds of libraries in various countries. Going there is easy, thanks to my adorable and dedicated husband, who has pulled many (responsible) James Bond maneuvers whenever I squeal at the sight of a library sign on the road. It's the chronicling that's hard.
This particular trip was made recently so we could attend a wedding in Marfa, TX. Of course, we took the long way around to get some new pictures of libraries. And here they are!
a) El Progreso Public Library
Uvalde, TX (06.05.09)
We did not get a chance to go inside this library, since we were on the road and in need to reach other library destinations in the daylight. (Taking library pix at night with our Canon camera is not recommended as it makes for grainy mementos.) What I do remember of this library is that we arrived just as it was closing, and that the ants on the ground were the plumpest and most venomous-looking I've ever seen. I was scurred!
b) Valverde County Library
Del Rio, TX (06.05.09)
I'm not very flexible, particularly in tight jeans, so even though this pose on top of the sign looks easy, I guarantee you it was not. It was Husband-san's idea, and I agree that it makes for a cute pic.
Check this out! I frikkin' love libraries that advertise their services for both children and teens. Yay!
Del Rio was a good host town for us. We spent the night at a Motel 6 in front of a tiny mall where I tried to find a decent shirt.c) Marathon Public Library
Marathon, TX (06.06.09)
Yeah, try getting a good picture out of a construction site, ha ha. Marathon is a very quiet and very hot town. The library was tiny and closed on the Saturday that we showed up. We still got some pretty good pictures.
More from this trip to Marfa coming later.
Thanks for viewing these!
29 June 2009
YA Lit:: 2009 Young Adult Book Challenge Part Trois
The premise to this book challenge is simple. Just read 12 young adult novels. I've interpreted this 2009 Young Adult Book Challenge as a means to entice me to read more YA novels, the old school way. No audio books, no downloads, nothing. Just my eyes on the page. Aw yeah.
Luckily, I have two new titles to report. As usual, the new titles are in italics.
Luckily, I have two new titles to report. As usual, the new titles are in italics.
- The Possibilities of Sainthood by Donna Freitas
- Sucks To Be Me: The All-True Confessions of Mina Hamilton, Teen Vampire by Kimberly Pauley
- Luna by Julie Anne Peters
- Deep in the Heart of High School by Veronica Goldbach
5. Secret Keeper by Mitali Perkins
6. Absolutely, Positively Not by David LaRochelle
So it's the end of June (halfway through the year) and I've read six novels (halfway through the 12-book challenge). Now I just need to read at least one YA novel a month before the year is over. It can be done, right?
No audio books, no downloadables, just my eyes on the page. Ah...
YA Lit:: 999 Reading Challenge Part Sept
Earlier this year, I took on this 999 Reading Challenge. It basically means that I'm looking to read 9 books in 9 categories in 2009. Some of the categories have changed throughout the year. Just because. I feel like I'm on a pretty steady track. I'm still reading graphic novels and picture books even though technically those categories are finished.
As usual, new entries are in italics.
As usual, new entries are in italics.
- 9 teen books with multicultural characters
~The Possibilities of Sainthood by Donna Freitas
~The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Vol. 1: The Pox Party, by M.T. Anderson
~Deep in the Heart of High School by Veronica Goldbach
~The Eternal Smile by Gene Luen Yang and Derek Kirk Kim
~Secret Keeper by Mitali Perkins
~The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Vol. 2: The Kingdom on the Waves, by M.T. Anderson - 9 teen award-winners
~Japan Ai: A Tall Girl's Adventures in Japan by Aimee Major Steinberger
[YALSA's 2009 Great Graphic Novels for Teens]
~Life Sucks by Jessica Abel
[YALSA's 2009 Great Graphic Novels for Teens]
~Emiko Superstar by Mariko Tamaki and Steve Rolston
[YALSA's 2009 Great Graphic Novels for Teens]
~Luna by Julie Anne Peters
[National Book Award Finalist, 2004]
~Absolutely, Positively Not by David LaRochelle
[Sid Fleischman Humor Award, 2006] - 9 graphic novels (Category finished! 05.01.09)
~The Plain Janes by Cecil Castellucci
~Janes in Love by Cecil Castellucci
~Skim by Mariko Tamaki
~Batman: The Killing Joke by Alan Moore
~Watchmen by Alan Moore
~Awkward and Definition by Ariel Schrag
~Abandon the Old in Tokyo by Yoshihiro Tatsumi
~American Widow by Alissa Torres
~Blankets by Craig Thompson - 9 blogs & podcasts
~YALSA blog
~The YA YA YAs
~Stuff You Should Know podcast
~Stuff You Missed in History Class podcast
~Book Lust with Nancy Pearl podcast
~Sound of Young America podcast - 9 webcomics
~Unshelved
~Cyanide and Happiness
~Achewood - 9 Overdrive audiobooks
~Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock
~Something Rotten by Alan M. Gratz
~The Rules of Survival by Nancy Werlin
~True Story by Bill Maher
~A Brief Chapter in my Impossible Life by Dana Reinhardt
~Story of a Girl by Sara Zarr - 9 picture books (Category finished! 04.08.09)
~Dad Runs Away with the Circus by Etgar Keret
~Chester by Melanie Watt
~Scaredy Squirrel by Melanie Watt
~A Visitor for Bear by Bonny Becker
~Bad Kitty by Nick Bruel
~The Cat's Tale by Doris Orgel
~When Randolph Turned Rotten by Charise Mericle Harper
~Are You Ready to Play Outside? by Mo Willems
~Wink! The Ninja who Wanted to be Noticed by J.C. Phillips - 9 non-fiction books
~Obama: The Historic Journey by The New York Times
~The Oxford Project by Peter Feldstein - 9 titles I never thought I'd read
~The Coffee Trader by David Liss
15 June 2009
Author Monday:: Stephen Chbosky's homemade cookies
This entry marks the 4th installment of my Author Mondays, where I shall endeavor to post something author-esque each Monday. Whether it's an interview or a one-shot question, here is a chance for various authors to have their say.
Today's Author Monday centers around the amazing Stephen Chbosky. I met him at the American Library Association annual conference in Anaheim last year. I admit, I hadn't read The Perks of Being a Wallflower yet, but I told him I had lived in Pittsburgh, and he got so excited that he volunteered to give me a hug. This remains the only time an artist I don't know has volunteered to hug me. And I *love* hugs. He was just so affable. I took a picture with him, but he made me promise I wouldn't post it online, so I haven't.
That summer, living alone for the first time in a long time and enjoying my status as a new librarian, I'd come home to a hot apartment and curl into a fetal position to read the book. What followed was pure goo. Chbosky wrote of infinity in the tunnel systems of the 'burgh, and I remembered driving through the Squirrel Hill Tunnel to get to Oakland, and I broke. It was one of those beautiful moments when you're both overjoyed and nostalgic and sad, so you don't even know why you're crying, but you are anyway.
So in Anaheim I asked him my cookie question:
If you could bake homemade cookies for up to three fictional characters, what would they be and for who?
His answer is one of the most original I've heard:
Then again, I don't think I really need to meet him again. It'd be nice, of course, but it's not a necessity. I have my golden experience reading the book, my secret picture, and a short but absolutely perfect dedication in the book he autographed for me for free.
Today's Author Monday centers around the amazing Stephen Chbosky. I met him at the American Library Association annual conference in Anaheim last year. I admit, I hadn't read The Perks of Being a Wallflower yet, but I told him I had lived in Pittsburgh, and he got so excited that he volunteered to give me a hug. This remains the only time an artist I don't know has volunteered to hug me. And I *love* hugs. He was just so affable. I took a picture with him, but he made me promise I wouldn't post it online, so I haven't.That summer, living alone for the first time in a long time and enjoying my status as a new librarian, I'd come home to a hot apartment and curl into a fetal position to read the book. What followed was pure goo. Chbosky wrote of infinity in the tunnel systems of the 'burgh, and I remembered driving through the Squirrel Hill Tunnel to get to Oakland, and I broke. It was one of those beautiful moments when you're both overjoyed and nostalgic and sad, so you don't even know why you're crying, but you are anyway.
So in Anaheim I asked him my cookie question:
If you could bake homemade cookies for up to three fictional characters, what would they be and for who?
His answer is one of the most original I've heard:
- chocolate chip for Willy Wonka
(from Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) - snicker doodles for Romeo and Juliet
(you should totally know that's by Shakespeare) - peanut butter for Jay Gatsby
(from F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby) - poison cookies for Hamlet
(another quintessential Shakespeare drama)
Then again, I don't think I really need to meet him again. It'd be nice, of course, but it's not a necessity. I have my golden experience reading the book, my secret picture, and a short but absolutely perfect dedication in the book he autographed for me for free.
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