Tag Archive for James Preller images

FAN MAIL WEDNESDAY #274: From (Presumably) a Really Big Fan!

 

I can’t be sure — it’s hard to tell from here — but I suspect that this letter came from a GIANT named Brady. 

Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

Could there be any other explanation?

I replied:

Dear Brady,

Wow, you sent me the coolest letter ever! Kind of huge, don’t you think?

Thank you for reading Jigsaw Jones: The Case of the Christmas Snowman. There’s plenty more where that came from!

I also loved your drawings. You’ve got a lot of talent, young man. Keep it up.

You wondered where I live. It’s Top Secret!!! No, actually, I live in upstate New York, a town called Delmar, just south of Albany. Our nearest river is the Hudson and the nearest Duncan Donuts shop is five minutes away. The way a car needs gas, I need coffee to run. In fact, if you ever see me stalled on the side of the road, bring me a cup of regular with milk, no sugar. I’ll perk right up!

I am 57 years old. But I don’t look any older than 54. It’s the little things, Brady.

I LOVE that one of your two favorite lines from the book was, “With what?” That was a good day when I wrote that line. 

Ah, sweet inspiration.

Hey, have a great summer. You addressed your stamped envelope to your elementary school, so I hope you get it before school starts up again.

Keep reading books, any books at all, even mine.

Your friend,

James Preller

This Week’s Greatest Thing Ever

In Short Hills, NJ, at Hartshorn Elementary, they sure do know how to treat an author right. Look at that beautiful wall of welcome.

Now let’s zoom in for a closer look . . .

Yeah, I pretty much love this. Note to Self: Get the name of the art teacher who created it so I can thank her properly. Because obviously she’s some kind of genius.

Come to Warwick Children’s Book Festival on October 7th!

imgres

Come to beautiful, cozy, friendly Warwick, NY, for a really nice afternoon with more than 60 authors and illustrators along with the assembled book-lovers.

“Companions of the flame!” as the poet H.D. wrote.

It’s a great scene and sends an important message to your children. We value books, reading is important, and it’s fun, too. We can’t spend our entire lives driving to soccer practice!

Time is 11:00 – 4:00.

On a personal note, yes, please say hello. I’ll have my new Jigsaw Jones books there, as well as — for the first time! — 10 advance copies of my brand new middle-grade novel, Better Off UndeadI’m so excited about this book and can’t wait for young people to read it.

Also: Ask me about school visits!

 

YeOldeWarwickBookShoppeFestival

CRITICAL PRAISE for

BETTER OFF UNDEAD!

Hilarious . . . splendidly lurid.” — Booklist, Starred Review.

“This uproarious middle grade call to action has considerable kid appeal and a timely message.” School Library Journal.

“Espionage, mystery, and the undead make for a satisfying experience for readers.” —Bulletin for the Center of Children’s Books.

“A message of empowerment and acceptance.” — Publishers Weekly.

23 Random Images from Recent School Visits — Just for Fun

I’ve been visiting schools lately as a guest author, speaking to grades K-8, traveling from Buffalo to Binghamton, Rochester to Wallkill, and places in between. Here’s a variety of images from those visits. Maybe this composite will offer an inkling of the “school visit” experience. I especially appreciate the posters and student artwork that’s created in anticipation of “the big day.” Feeling honored, grateful, and a little fried. (And, yes, still full from my first taste of “breakfast pizza” — it’s a Buffalo thing.) Thank you all for making these visits possible. I know that someday the phone won’t ring, there will be no invitations, no email queries. For now, during these good times, I feel privileged to be welcomed into so many schools, and to see those young faces, and to try to make each place I visit just a little bit better than it was the day before.

IMG_1674

IMG_1688

IMG_1651

IMG_1687

IMG_1675

 

04-IMG_0512IMG_1638IMG_1678IMG_1046 (2)11-IMG_0467IMG_1681IMG_164202-IMG_0502IMG_1059 (1)IMG_1048 (1)IMG_1640IMG_1667

IMG_1664IMG_1662IMG_1682IMG_1634IMG_1666IMG_1653

IMG_1673

SCARY STUFF: Highlights from My Interview at the “Awake At Midnight” Blog

quote-there-is-no-terror-in-the-bang-only-in-the-anticipation-of-it-alfred-hitchcock-13-32-72

I want to direct readers to a recent interview I did over at the Awake at Midnight blog. My gracious interlocutor, Sean, was well prepared, asked great questions, and best of all, genuinely respects and values the craft of scary stories. Honestly, it was one of the better blog interviews I’ve ever done — so thank you, Sean. Great work.

Please start clicking wildly right here to get the whole kaboodle in full glory. In the meantime, here’s a few random sample selections, just because.

James-Preller-Today

Talking about a favorite scary book from childhood:

“At a young age, I endlessly pored over those illustrations. They were frightening and fascinating. I can close my eyes and still picture them. That’s the thing I’ve learned about scary. It jars you. It upsets you. It disturbs your universe. And for that reason, it sticks to you.”

 

From SWAMP MONSTER.

From Scary Tales: SWAMP MONSTER.

On how to judge if a story is too scary?

“For starters, I decided that children today are quite sophisticated. They’ve all watched Harry Potter. If they picked up a book by their own choosing that’s called “Scary Tales,” the worst reaction would be for them to shrug and say, “That wasn’t scary.” They are seeking a certain quickening of the senses, the heart beating faster. You don’t go on a roller coaster and hope it travels at cautious speeds. For readers at this level, which I’ve seen range from grades 2 all the way up to reluctant readers in grades 6, I decided that no character would get killed. In the end, everyone comes out okay. I would deliver the reader back to a safe world. As for your other question, how do I know? Well, I don’t. I can’t know. But I’ve learned that the best children’s writers have a natural sense of their audience, a way to tap into the age group that is completely outside any sort of calculated analysis. I think we see that in everyday conversations between adults and children. Some folks can make that connection, others simply can’t.”

On how to convey shivers without getting too intense for young readers:

“I always think of Alfred Hitchcock, that close-up of the footsteps slowly climbing the stairs, step by step. I decided that the best sentence for my purposes was: The doorknob slowly, slowly turned. It’s all about tension, the twisting knot in the stomach, anticipation and suspense -– rather than the bloody payoff and cathartic release.”

Scary Tales: ONE-EYED DOLL, illustrated by Iacopo Bruno.

Scary Tales: ONE-EYED DOLL, illustrated by Iacopo Bruno.

On why scary stories are important:

“Many brilliant scholars and artists have spoken eloquently about the value of a good, safe scare: The experience of it, and the experience of moving beyond it. Whew, you know? I survived. I have decided that some of us actively seek the bone-rattling thrill of having our universe disturbed. A feeling of “up-set-ment.” As a parent watching the development of my children, I’ve come to believe that growth follows a simple, reliable pattern. There’s a period of disequilibrium, followed by equilibrium, in an endless pattern, like a set of stairs going up, up, up. You can’t grow without some sort of “dis-ease.” A new school, a new job, a new friend. You grapple with the changes and adjust. A lot of people want to be scared; they like it. There’s value in having our universe disturbed.”

 

Art by Iacopo Bruno from SCARY TALES: NIGHTMARELAND.

Art by Iacopo Bruno from Scary Tales: NIGHTMARELAND.

Again, I’m not looking to steal content from Awake at Midnight, just hoping to wet your whistle (and whet your appetite). See what I did there with my fancy grammatical flourishes, wet and whet used correctly? There’s lots more over at Sean’s place.

Thanks for stopping by.