Book Launch Countdown (or Am I There Yet?)

Today is Thursday. It occurred to me last week that I happen to be Thursday's Child. For those of you who have never come across the rhyme, it goes like this:

Monday's child is fair of face.
Tuesday's child is full of grace.
Wednesday's child is far from woe (some say full but I prefer the positive version).
Thursday's child has far to go.
Friday's child is loving and giving.
Saturday's child works hard for his living.
But the child that is born on the Sabbath day is bonny and blithe and good and gay.

You can see why the rhyme may have sunk into oblivion, but I'm not going into that today.

As a child, I remember having a discussion with my sisters about our particular days of birth. It was agreed that I fit the Thursday's child mold although the reason why escapes me now. It's quite possible that we arranged whatever factual odds and ends we had to suit our version of who we were (or wanted to be!). It's rather like those personality tests that we love to take. If the outcome is to our liking, then it's  hastily shared with a degree of smugness and self-satisfaction. If, however, the outcome proves to be undesirable, we just take the test again, convinced we missed out on certain details that affected the outcome.

And so, for the longest time, I was of the idea that I would go to many places, do many things, learn many things. Then the whole business of growing up happened and the rhyme, along with the promise, faded away. Then last week, it resurfaced as I was trying to do some mental housekeeping. The flurry of activities that had me juggling projects was responsible for the sudden onset of this housekeeping. I had dodged the hurry-hurry-ding-ding kind of living only for it to catch up when my dream of having my very own published children's book finally happened.

An aside: Which proves that you have to work to make your dreams come true. As John Whitney (delightfully played by Mike Myers in View From the Top) said, "You have to get off your ass to make a buck."

So am I there yet? Maybe "there" is the operative word. Taken within the context, it points to the end of  the journey. If I had done this years ago, before the age of Indie publishing, hashtags, likes, tweets, etc., that may well have been the case. But it isn't that way anymore. Getting the book accepted by a publisher is just one leg of the journey. The next leg is another adventure altogether!

Consider this, then, an invitation. Do join me tomorrow on The Pink Net when Erin is finally launched. There will be no champagne or pastries, but there will certainly be some giveaways both from myself and my fellow authors at the Anchor Publishing Group. It will be a celebration of the next chapter in this adventure made more special because you'll be there sharing it with me!

Happy Finds

Launch date of my book, Erin, is looming up ahead and in spite of the lists I've managed to write and rewrite, it looks like I've not successfully squashed every bit of anxiety that's nagging away at me. But this post isn't about sharing the anxiety. Best to focus on good things and this weekend came with a couple of them.

The first happy find was a little contraption that maybe not many of you might appreciate. I had been sewing a little skirt for my niece's little girl that required loads of ruffling. Skirts are not hard to sew. Neither are ruffles. But making the ruffles can take forever and no matter how small that skirt is, the ruffles (specially if they come in tiers) can certainly hog most of your day. Then I sewed up a simpler skirt for myself that I posted on my Happify.com page. The ruffles were more sedate and made up only the bottom part of the hem. It still look longer than I thought. That's when I remembered seeing an attachment for sewing machines that made ruffles.

the sedate ruffles

That sparked the urge to go to Joanne's. I wasn't sure if they even had it and I had forgotten to check online. But a visit to Joanne's is always a treat (at least for me--the hubby makes sure to bring his music or a tablet to keep himself entertained while I'm inspecting bolts of fabric or skeins of yarn that I've convinced myself I need). After a detour along the "special cotton fabrics on sale" aisle, I worked my way to the notions area. And there it was! The ruffling contraption thing! I asked one of the ladies if it'd work on any sewing machine and she said it probably would since it was a generic brand for as long as it wasn't on a quilting machine.

I have not tried it out yet as this was the weekend I announced on Facebook that I would be working on the floor cloth that's about to have a birthday (truth be told, it's probably had one already but my brain doesn't process time lines very efficiently).

Next happy find was yesterday. It was also the first outdoor Sunday Mass at the Lourdes Grotto Shrine - pilgrimage season opens in May. It was a sunshine and cool breezes day and we were thinking of where to have lunch. As we passed through Bantam, we decided to take a peek at the Arethusa Farm store. There was a sign that said "Butter like it used to taste." Who can resist that? I had resolved to stay away from butter since I've been trying to avoid all kinds of dairy but while I can easily resist meat and sodas and alcohol, it's never been quite the same with butter. Butter and I are friends!

The store smelled like milk. I don't particularly like milk. I feel that should be said upfront. But this milk smell conjured up the kind of deliciousness that you know comes from something fresh and real, something that couldn't possibly be in a carton on a supermarket shelf. If you're from Manila, you might think of the pastillas de leche made from carabao's milk and that's not even close! We walked out of there with a pint of mint chip ice cream and some cultured butter.

Fast forward to later that afternoon in the apartment (we did find a place to eat but I'm going to save that for the next post because The Bantam Inn Seafood Restaurant will need more than just a blurb). It wasn't long before the ticking of the oven toaster told me someone couldn't wait to taste the butter! I could still feel lunch so I just ventured a sampling.

My resolve to stay away from butter dwindled into a fast-fading memory. A lot of happy in that butter!

Now back to prepping for the book launch. If you still haven't heard, take a peek here.

This Business of the Picture Book

I have a picture book that's coming out soon. It still doesn't seem real in spite of the fact that I spent hours working on the illustrations, often feeling as if the fingers on my right hand will never straighten out again. It doesn't seem real in spite of my publisher posting the test copy on Facebook for me to see. It doesn't seem real in spite of the fact that I am now agonizing over the creation of a book trailer.

This grappling with the reality of my own picture book finally making it to print has nothing to do with the whole concept of dreams coming true. No, it's not that the journey is over and the destination paled in comparison to the adventure. It's more of a rude awakening akin to winning the fabulous house of your dreams that stands on acres of beautiful rolling hills (okay, even grassy plains will do) and then realizing someone's got to clean all those bathrooms and maintain all the greenery.

Not that I'm complaining. Let's just say I'm doing a few minutes of whining so I can move on and get things done.

I know I'm going to broadcast the release of the book and post pictures and email everyone I know but there is this other thing that's looming close behind and it's been there since I began to do research on what comes next after the book is out. As the tabs on my browser multiplied, it became clear that a writer's job isn't done when the writing (and illustrating, in my case) is done. Nowadays, there is the added responsibility of promoting one's own work and that in itself is a whole other project.

That whole other project involves Social Media, of course, and if you're not sure what that is, pop me a message and I'll gladly explain the whole thing to you. Social Media leads to other things like prizes or giveaways, contests (which I probably won't do for practical reasons that might be known only to me), book trailers, finding people who can create the buzz about the book, creating a website just for the book, and so on. And on. And on.

I wonder what Jo March would think of all that.

But here's the good side to all of this. Like any new undertaking, the first is always the hardest. It's where you make the mistakes that you learn from. It's where you discover that when you manage to ask for help, help will come. It's the time when you begin to understand what you're willing to do, how far you're willing to go, how hard you're willing to work to finally become what you always believed you were meant to be.

On top of all that, you actually learn new things, perhaps acquire a few new skills (like making that book trailer), connect with people who share your passion, make new friends.

It can be overwhelming, to be sure. Maybe when the frenzy has died down I'll even get the chance to revel in the fact that I do have a published book that's my very own.

Rabbit!

After sitting through Stephen King's The Stand and jabbing my fingers a few times with the felting needle (I truly was warned), my little guy's finally done! Well, I should probably say "about done" because unless I've put it away, nothing I work on is ever quite done. I'd like to start work on his friend and make a proper setting for them but that will depend not only on my ability to manage my time but the space available in the apartment.

You might be thinking that I exaggerate--it is a small rabbit, after all. But after my FB share of the ParaNorman behind-the-scene footages, well....

I know, I know. I'm very ambitious.

It's a nice thought, though. As I told one of my friends who commented on that post, it's always a wonderful thing to be able to create magical, imagined worlds. Even more wonderful is the fact that it can be done not only with sculpted creatures but with words or illustrations or even movement and music.

Hmmm...now there's a thought.

Meanwhile, here's Little Rabbit! As an aside, I meant for his tummy and ears to be more on the pink side but that's what I get for working in low light. I didn't realize the wool was more purple than pink!

Felting

A few years ago I had the privilege of working for a Waldorf school. During my stay, I discovered a whole new way of learning. I've always been an advocate of a Montessori Education and I still am, but there's something so "natural" and "earthy" about the Steiner method of education. The words I use might be far from appropriate, but those are the words that always come to mind when I revisit memories of the school.

It was there that I first learned about felting. I've always been a craftsperson--came hand in hand with my art--and I'm always excited when I discover a new craft. One morning, my friend, who was also responsible for bringing me into that wonderful environment, handed me a coin purse and explained that it was "felted." Of course I wanted to learn how it was made but at the time, there were many other things going on and learning a new craft was just not possible.

Fast forward to the present.

I have a habit of following links that interest me only to realize later on that I had lost track of what I was doing in the first place. Well, this is how I discovered a site called Living Felt. Exploring the site was a must! I had seen the bears and the hats and the dolls. The dolls! I have a weakness for anything that has to do with doll making. It's still the one thing I have not been able to give my full attention to. But on the site, there was a link to contest winners and the sight of the dolls had me hooked. Before I knew it, I was ordering the beginner's Bear kit. That's the bear I posted on Facebook!

Last week, I wrapped up work on illustrations for a book written by Laurel Heger. Laurel and I have collaborated on two ebooks for uTales and this time, one of them will be released in print. In honor of the coming release, I decided to felt one of the characters in the book. If time allows, maybe I can do both characters! 

When I decide to start a project, I spend a lot of time seeing the process in my head. It's the same when I illustrate. The images work their way into my head and when they're ready to be let go, I pick up my tools. This character decided it was time last night so as I sat to watch Criminal Minds (not advisable if you're felting), I began to work on the pipe cleaner armature and the head.

So this morning, before taking off for work, I posted this on Facebook.

And that's today's Ta-Dah!!!

2013

January is past its halfway mark and I find myself having to finally come face to face with the promises I made to myself before 2012 slipped away. 2012 was not a very good year and even I, with my rose-colored glasses can't say I was untouched. 

But now we have another year to start, to reboot, to look forward to. This must be a year of commitment for me. 

This must be the year that I resolve to continue taking care of my health. I don't know if I can actually reverse my diabetes, but right now, I'm managing it with the help of medication. The goal should be to rid myself of the medication and not allow it to become a bosom buddy. I have not stepped over to total veganism--it is unfortunate that my happy foods happen to include cheese and butter. And while I have never been fond of meat, I do have hamburger cravings! So this is the year when I find the balance that will allow me to be healthy and happy at the same time. No one wants to be around sullen, unhappy people whose source of unhappiness, unbeknownst even to them, is nourishment! So this is also the year that I give thanks for websites, videos, books, and blogs that have led me on this journey to better health. I will post more about those in future blogs!

This must be the year that I summon the courage to submit my work to more agents and magazines. Those of you who know me or read my blogs know that I am most happy and content when I am immersed in some kind of creative activity. If I am to make a living doing what I love to do, then I ought to be bolder about presenting my work to people outside of my circle of family and friends. So this is the year when I will be posting more work for sale and will be preparing for a gallery exhibition. Perhaps the latter will not be as daunting if I keep reminding myself that it will be for a good cause--there is a fund-raising project in the works and I feel truly honored to have been asked to be a part of it.

Before you think that all I did last year was ponder and plan and plot, let me announce as well that this is the year that my first real-in-print children's book is to be published and released! You will be hearing quite a bit from me when May comes around. Another book that is due for release even earlier will also have my name on it as the illustrator. This one began an as ebook collaboration that has been posted on past blogs and even on my website. Come March, it will resurface as a printed book. When I have permission to make the announcements, I will post them here and on Facebook. For now, all I can tell you is that it involves a cute little rabbit and a wily fox!

And finally, I have begun to work on adding merchandise to my Zazzle shop. Another very dear friend "forced" me to get my butt moving by ordering hoodies so I had to set up shop in a hurry. I moved the illustrations I had posted on Printfection over to Zazzle (more choices of products) and this is one of them:

Flap Ballchange by MopStudio
Create custom t shirts at zazzle.com

See? I even managed to copy the html code for posting!

I am ending this post with a request, though. If you know a printer who can print designs on larger areas of clothing, please send me the link! 

Fridays

It's a rainy Friday. I woke up this morning to the sound of tires on a wet road and that's how I knew it was raining even before I opened my eyes. But I like the rain and I love Fridays so this is, I thought, a good time to get writing on the ol' blog.

Fridays are special to me for several reasons.

Friday mornings I'm sure to see an email from Illustration Friday letting me know what the topic of the week is. Not that I've been doing any of them of late, but I try to keep up with the intention of getting around to coming up with an illustration. It just makes me feel better when I know what the topic is. It's the same as tucking in leftover ribbon into my "treasure" box in case I'm working on a project and I happen to need just that exact ribbon. Hazards of the trade (not the writing one--the mixed media art one).

Fridays are my winding down days as well. It's when I've done most of the week's work and have enough free time to immerse myself in other projects. Right now, it's finishing up the painting on two wooden trays from Michael's. Our tiny living room needs a bit more color and fun. Plus, I'd like to be able to set my glass or mug on the ottoman without worrying about spills. Function and fun--it's a standard I like to keep at my home (the missing element is the pet but it's not possible for now so I have to content myself with my poor tomato plant that's still alive in spite of me).

Then there's Joanna's blog. Joanna Marple is a writer, an adventurer, a lover of the written word, and every Friday, she posts Perfect Picture Book Friday. She includes the book cover, a synopsis, a review, and even links to resources. Joanna is also very diligent about sharing her resources and finds on Facebook and this past few months, I've come to discover so many other wonderful writers and artists and articles that I may never have found. She's also backpacked her way to different continents, doing what she loves so needless to say, I'm a fan.

This particular Friday, thanks to Joanna, I found Poetry Friday Kids' Classic which is on a site called No Water River. The site is owned by Renee LaTulippe and she has videos of the poems which I think are brilliant. There are also resource links for parents and teachers and lovers of picture books and poetry. What's not to love?

And finally, Friday is when my husband comes home from work! I tell my friends I'm like Ina Garten that way except I don't cook like she does or live in the Hamptons (but hey, I live above a flower shop, right?).

A bit of a warning before I post the illustrations I've done for a T-shirt line I'm setting up (I'm just waiting for a sample to arrive before I do a shout out). We have a juicer that's about to be delivered by Amazon. This was ordered with the intention of taking on a healthier lifestyle (I'm vegan six out of seven days a week and if I'm offending die-hard vegans, please remember these are personal choices we make and life is too short to be just black and white when there are so many wonderful colors in between--and I don't mean the greys but I won't even go there). This means the next post could be about the whole juicing experience.

Meanwhile, here are the illustrations! More to come in the line before I move on to another theme.

Happy weekend!

New Chapters

The 15th of October this year will mark three years since I set foot here in America, husband and one of two sons in tow. My everyday now includes a panoramic landscape dense with trees that never fail to take my breath away. I have come to expect the changes that are part of living in a place that sees four seasons. I have slipped on ice, had doors opened for me by seniors with walkers (which have led to apologetic expressions of gratitude), become friends with the mailbox, and have come to the conclusion that all the Chinese takeout places in our little town must be run by just one family.

We also found our own little personal preferences, including which supermarket is best for certain things, which salon does hair better (or cheaper), which big box store carries what we might be needing at a particular time. We've also found our spiritual home at the Lourdes Grotto Shrine in Litchfield and that's where we go every Sunday morning. The 40-minute drive is our way of enjoying the trees (lots more out there!), the towns, and even our music of choice for the day.

Last July, we made the big move and rented an apartment above a flower shop in town. With the help of cousins (who made our immigrants' experience way more cushy than it could have been), the apartment was quickly turned into a comfy living and working space. I now have an office space for digital work and the landlady's glass-top dining table has become my art and craft work table. It sometimes functions the way it was meant to but we did purchase a couple of folding tray tables from Walmart in case I had artwork that can't be moved going on.

The walls have yet to be filled with art--my husband's black and white photos will soon grace the living room. I intend to put my favorite poem on one of the walls. For now, we are finally rid of the 80's chintz roman shades and curtains. I found a black and white printed curtain from Ikea and the kitchen window has the Eric Carle print that I had bought more than a year ago at the Eric Carle Museum. One bedroom window has another Ikea product hanging from it. The other window has to wait.

Work continues, of course. The BD Lifestyles pillow covers are still available on Amazon    and on the website. Illustrations for a book by Jaimie Hope are ongoing, and I hope to be able to add a shopping cart to my website as well.

2012 has been a roller coaster ride so far (I have purposely left out the dips in this post because--and I am outing myself here--I really am a kind of a Pollyanna). I find that as I move on to new chapters, I feel better leaving older ones just slightly ajar. Must have to do with my packrat tendencies. I just know that there will be a use for that one thing that I tucked away. 

By the way, July also closed with a big whoop. We received our Welcome Letter from the USCIS and are now permanent residents of the United States. The permanent home may or may not happen but for now, this nest above the flower shop suits us fine.