Fan Mail Wednesday #20
Tuesday, November 11th, 2008 Posted in Fan Mail, Six Innings | 3 Comments »And so I find that I've become what I had always feared: Homework. Dear Mr. Preller, My name is Elliott and live in a small town in the suburbs of Chicago. I did a book report on one of your books, Six ...
For Mets Fans (and Elliott) Only: IV
Tuesday, November 11th, 2008 Posted in New York Mets | 2 Comments »Two aerial photos from Chopper 880 -- tales of destruction and construction -- taken by Tom Kaminski. Shea Stadium: Citi Field, where the infield takes shape:
The Tourist Map of Literature
Monday, November 10th, 2008 Posted in Around the Web | No Comments »It would be fun if they did this for children's books. Or, okay, maybe not "fun." Mildly diverting? Ultimately useless? Anyway, it's a neat effect and concept. Just type in the names of favorite writers -- and yes, the big names in ...
Character Is . . .
Monday, November 10th, 2008 Posted in Bystander, Greatest Hits, Readings, the writing process | No Comments »Often we read about painters or novelists who listened to a certain kind of music while they worked on a given project. It helps get them in the right frame of mind. For example, I understand that Matthew Cordell listened ...
Picture Book Slide Show: NY Times Best of 2008
Monday, November 10th, 2008 Posted in Around the Web | 1 Comment »I don't get to see as many new picture books as I once did -- I no longer manage book clubs or consult for book fairs -- so I thoroughly enjoyed this very cool slide show of the The 2008 ...
James Marshall: An Appreciation
Sunday, November 9th, 2008 Posted in Interviews & Appreciations | 2 Comments »"For me, as an illustrator, it often comes from what will look funny. The idea of a character pouring soup into his loafers is a funny kind of thing. It's visually funny. The words come to me later." -- James ...
For Mets Fans Only III
Friday, November 7th, 2008 Posted in New York Mets | 1 Comment »Some sad but cool footage of the dismantling of Shea Stadium, vessel of so many great (and not-so-great) memories . . . [youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7enkF9_4-4]
Deleted Scenes 2: Six Innings
Thursday, November 6th, 2008 Posted in Six Innings, the writing process | No Comments »When revising Six Innings, I eliminated about 25% from the first draft (for more on that topic, click here). One of the plot lines that got axed involved Alex Lionni's relationship with his father, a man utterly disinterested in sports ...
Fan Mail Wednesday #19 (Clinton Edition)
Thursday, November 6th, 2008 Posted in Fan Mail | 2 Comments »I'm a day late and I know you're upset. But you've got to move past that, okay? Don't let it eat at you. Trust me, I've read books about this. What you've got to do is take that anger, that hurt ...
Jigsaw Jones Cover: Part 2, Over to the Artist
Wednesday, November 5th, 2008 Posted in Jigsaw Jones | 1 Comment »I recently received an email from R.W. Alley (that's him, up there), the artist who does the covers for the Jigsaw Jones series. R.W. -- or Bob, as his friends seem to know him -- has been an enormously productive ...