Friday Links List & Illustrators' Treehouse News - 18 September 2020

EVENT: World Kid Lit Month Kicks Off with Virtual Celebration: September 30th

From Shelf-Awareness: National Book Foundation Honoring Walter Mosley

From Brightly: Must-Read Picture Books Written by Black Authors

The New Centre for Fantasy and the Fantastic launched Wednesday with a keynote from Ellen Kushner and other noted Fantasy experts. You can watch it HERE.

From The Horn Book:
     John Rocco Talks with Roger about HOW WE GOT TO THE MOON
     Children's Books and Contradictions

From EAB: Is your institution prepared for Election Day? EAB’s advice on urgent to dos for institutional leaders

From SLJ:
     2020 National Book Award Longlist Announced!
     Story Books to Help Kids Get Smart About Voting

From Library Journal: Explore the World with Virtual Travel

From Forbes: 9 Children’s Books Recommended By Children’s Bookstores For Fall 2020

From CNN (via PW Children's Bookshelf): Black lives matter in children's books, too. That's why this couple started a nonprofit CNN Special Projects Portraits Amy Chillag

From HuffPost: 17 Children's Books To Help Kids Navigate Life During A Pandemic

From PW:
     Remembering Tomie dePaola
     HBG Releases Diversity and Inclusion Progress Report
     2020 CBC Diversity Award Winners Announced

Watch this adorable book trailer for SKUNK & BADGER written by Amy Timberlake and illustrated by Jon Klassen



ILLUSTRATORS' TREEHOUSE NEWS
EVENT: The State of Black Design Friday, September 18, 2020, 8:00 PM – 10:00 PM EDT, FREE

EVENT: Lightbox is free this year! - Click here to read more about it and see an interview with Bobby Chiu

EVENT: Adobe Max The Creativity Conference, October 20–22 FREE!

PARTICIPATE: AIGA VOTE Campaign

From CommArts: Designing Bilingual Lettering

Do you know about Industrial Designer: Giulio Iacchetti? It's fun to look at his creations!

From HarperCollins: Join HarperCollins Children's Books's crowdcast launch for their new Graphic Novel imprint: Harper Alley

From Print and Pattern: Virtual Blue Print - view samples online (this is one of the industry's big trade shows)

From Muddy Colors:
     JESPER EJSING: ACRYLIC PAINTING TUTORIAL Cool!
     The Sketchbook Series
     Morphic Pool world-building painting walk-through

From Mark Manson (via Muddy Colors): Screw Finding Your Passion

From Folklore Magazine: Virtual Special Issue: Dragons

From Make Art That Sells: Meet Vanessa Brantley-Newton in our FREE video series: Introducing Live with Lilla

From The Federation of Children's Book Groups: The Klaus Flugge Prize at Five

From Presto Sketching: Easy ways to show more diversity in your sketches

From Myth and Moor:
     The Faerie Art of Brian and Wendy Froud
     We Are Storytelling Animals

From The Art Room Plant: Anna Subauer




OFF TOPIC BUT INTERESTING
From St. Louis Public Radio: Are Schools That Shield Coronavirus Data Interpreting HIPAA Correctly?

From the BBC: Edinburgh University renames David Hume Tower over 'racist' views

From The Chronicle of Higher Education: Diversity without Dollars

John Owens' ONE SUMMER UP NORTH

I don't know if you've noticed, but there seems to be a flurry of books about reconnecting with nature during this pandemic. I find them equally relaxing, calming, and charming. Like this one, ONE SUMMER UP NORTH by John Owens. He stopped by to share the process behind making this wonderful hand-held adventure. e: What inspired ONE SUMMER UP NORTH?
John: In the short time I’ve been canoeing, trips to the BWCAW (Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness), a unique wilderness area in northern Minnesota have inspired me for a variety of reasons. My inspiration comes first from being physically challenged as in paddling across lakes and portaging between them, navigating, camping, and being attuned to the ever-changing weather. Most lakes in the BWCAW are not open to motor activity, and so the experience takes me into a wilder environment, inspiring me to contemplate our planet and improve my own stewardship of it. Finally, exploring new vistas is a major in-spiration. Many of the scenes in the book are based on or inspired by actual areas I’ve been. These all compelled me to share and illustrate a visual story hopefully in an evocative way.

e: What was your creative process/medium, can you walk us through it?
John: The process starts with sketching scenes I want to show, images I have in my head or referenced from photos I’ve taken.These sketches may start very small as thumbnails in my sketchbook but eventually end up at full scale. As the story progresses these scenes might change dramatically, they might stay the same, or they might be edited out when the story form is seen together as a whole. Some of the images I liked most were edited out for the sake of the storyline.
Working on process also includes lists and studies of what I want included in the story, such as wildlife, flora, mood, color scheme, etc. I take photos for reference, and have a good memory for certain kinds of scenes and even moods I’d like to replicate. One example of mood that comes across well in the book is a scene on a cliff top picking blueberries in the bright afternoon sunlight. A friend and I stopped at a similar spectacular spot, picked berries and relaxed before paddling on to our destination. The medium I used for this book was colored pencil (Faber-Castell Schwartz Black) to draw in all the scenes and values on Bristol board. For this particular book I wanted the richness of the marks to show and using this particular col-ored pencil provides the very rich dark I was looking for with loads of texture. The limited color palette was added later digitally. e: What was your path to publication?
John: I’ve been pursuing illustration since college when I earned a B.A. in graphic design. After working for a few years, I returned to school for my M.F.A. in fine art. I was always one of the designers who liked to draw more than design, but had no specific avenue to get me where I wanted to go. After working with two amazing advisors, Frank Stack, and William Berry, I pursued teaching and free-lance illustration always with the thought of working on a picture book. One early inspiration for me is a book called Writing with Pictures by Uri Schulevitz. I was also for a time a member of the SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators), and did extensive research on getting published, along with attending a couple of conferences. In the summer of 2011, I took a week long course with noted Caldecott winning illustrator, Eric Rohmann. This course was where I gained confidence and learned more about character de-velopment, and emphasising mood.
      I took on this picture book, ONE SUMMER UP NORTH, after visiting the BWCAW for the third time and getting hooked on canoe-camping. When I submitted my material to the publisher, I had very clear and specific thumbnail layout sketch-es of the whole book, most of the pages were sketched out to scale, along with two finished color examples showing final technique and style.
e: Is there a unique or funny story behind the creation of ONE SUMMER UP NORTH?
John: The look and style of the book could have turned out much different. In the process of creating the imagery I toyed with using other techniques and ap-proaches that ranged from cartoony to a more painterly approach. In the end I wanted to use a drawing medium that reminded me somewhat of lithographic mark-making. e: What do you think makes an illustration magical, what I call "Heart Art” - the sort that makes a reader want to come back to look again and again?
John: The BWCAW is a special place for me, and to many people not just in Minnesota but around the world. I didn’t grow up in Minnesota and so came to this area late in life. The first year I moved to Minneapolis I took a class at the local REI on how to navigate and visit the BWCA. It took me another 15 years to ac-tually do it! Once I visited I went back, on my third trip I decided to create the book. Most picture books that draw me in personally are evocative of some shared experience, place, or time. Though many people looking at the book may not have been camping or canoeing, (especially in the BWCAW) in some way If I as an illustrator can accomplish providing that evocative experience in my pictures I’ve succeeded in achieving my goals. Hopefully the book will in-spire new generations to actually visit the BWCAW. e: How do you advertise yourself (or do you)?
John: Mostly through word of mouth, my web site, and social media. www.johnowensdraws.com. (Here's a self-portrait.) e: What is your favorite or most challenging part of being a creator?
John: My favorite and most challenging part of creating a picture book is working on the process. My illustration has always been very heavily drawing based. From sketching little ideas and forms to creating full size illustrations I find the whole process satisfying and challenging. I guess you could say, it’s the journey not the end. e: Is there something in particular about ONE SUMMER UP NORTH you hope readers will take away with them, perhaps something that isn’t immediately obvious?
John: That the BWCAW is a unique area to visit, and a wilderness area worth preserving for future generations. Most people looking at the book will fall into two camps, those who have experienced exactly what I’m portraying, and those who haven’t. I hope this sparks an interest in learning more about this spectacular area if they haven’t and bring back good memories to those who have.

e: What are you working on next or what would be your dream project?
John: What I’m working on next is my dream project, ONE WINTER UP NORTH. This opportunity to show the BWCAW in all four seasons is my ultimate goal and Winter is the next challenge. Stay tuned!

e: Can't wait to see it!

Check out the new Educational Companion to the book! CLICK HERE


I am participating in the BookShop Affiliate Program. This program pays bloggers a small percentage of each purchased book from a post. But the best part is, purchases are fulfilled by bookstores near you, thereby, helping to keep your local bookstores afloat too! It's good for everyone! Click the book cover to purchase this title through Bookshop.

Coloring Page Tuesdays - Message from Bear

     Does this happy bear have a message for you or one of your frineds? Fill in the bubble!
CLICK HERE for more coloring pages.
     Remember, I create my coloring pages to draw your attention to my books! For instance, I'm celebrating the new illustrated (by me) edition of A BIRD ON WATER STREET! My debut novel won me "Georgia Author of the Year!"
Booklist said it's "A book deserving of a wide readership, recommended for all libraries."
If my news and images add value to your life, won't you please

Just love this one image? Consider a one-time donation...

     I create my coloring pages for teachers, librarians, booksellers, and parents to enjoy for free with their children, but you can also purchase rights to an image for commercial use, please contact me. If you have questions about usage, please visit my Angel Policy page.

Good News for WU - Our Ranking has gone UP!

Winthrop Moves to Its Highest Ever U.S. News Rankings, Continues Decades-Long Recognition Streak

ROCK HILL, SOUTH CAROLINA — Winthrop University’s 6-year graduation rate, its commitment to undergraduate teaching, assistance to veterans and the social mobility of its graduates contributed to its climb from eighth to sixth place among public universities in the South, according to U.S. News & World Report's 2021 edition of "Best Colleges.”

This is the highest ranking ever for the Rock Hill institution. Winthrop also moved from 17th to 13th place among regional universities in the South, according to the rankings released on Sept. 14.

Winthrop Interim President George W. Hynd was proud to see the jump in overall rankings and for the school to continue to be recognized in different categories. “These rankings demonstrate that the Winthrop approach is working,” Hynd said. “The increase in the percentage of students who graduated within six years is evidence of the student success efforts occurring in areas across campus. With small classes, our faculty members know their students and can help them reach their potential.”

Hynd said the rankings are a source of pride for the university and are a testament to faculty and staff efforts to provide the exemplary educational experience for which Winthrop is known.

Winthrop stood out among the newsmagazine’s Best Regional Universities in the South in the following categories:

-Rose from 8th to 7th place among best colleges for veterans;

-Placed 12th for most innovative schools;

-Held on to 11th place for best undergraduate teaching as judged by peers; and

-Ranked 23nd for social mobility, a fairly new category that measures how well schools graduated students who received federal Pell Grants (those typically coming from households whose family incomes are less than $50,000 annually).

U.S. News & World Report has published its “Best Colleges” rankings since 1983. The rankings can be used as a starting point for families searching for the best educational experience for their student, and the guidebook enables them to compare institutions on such areas as freshman retention, graduation rates and the student-faculty ratios.

Among other third-party endorsements, the Princeton Review in August named Winthrop among the “Best in the Southeast.” The university was one of 142 schools that the company recommends in its online feature "2021 Best Colleges: Region by Region.” In addition, Winthrop was recently recognized by Washington Monthly as one of 157 institutions to make its “honor roll” for registering students to vote.

WOOHOOOO!

e's art tips: On Scanning, Resolution, and File Formatting

I've created my most complicated video yet - it took a few hours to film and two days to edit, if you can believe it. This one is "On Scanning, Resolution, and File Formatting." These are tricky concepts for my students and takes some in-depth explaining. The lecture I give on this topic is usually in person so that I can repeat ideas with different approaches and answer questions; but, of course, that's not possible in some cases right now. So, I've put my lecture together in a video format, which also allowed me to share examples of what I mean. If you work with scanning and art in any way, this is for you - even for Art Directors who, I've found, sometimes don't understand the nuances of resolution. I'm eager to hear what you think, so please leave comments and subscribe! Click the image to watch on my Youtube channel. To see the entire collection of e's art tips, go to https://www.youtube.com/user/zabdul/videos.

DUNE movie trailer

It seems like every ten years or so, another attempt is made to capture Frank Herbert's DUNE series on the big screen. This latest attempt looks pretty darned good! And there's more! Muddy Colors did a great blog post on BOOK COVER TRENDS THRU TIME (VIA DUNE)

VIDEO: Proko - The Art Knight Rises

Proko provides a resource online that we lean on heavily in our Figure Drawing courses these days. But he also has an informative vlog. In this one, "Marshall invites a former student onto the podcast who became a pro artist at 21! Knight talks about her experience learning anatomy and fundamentals as a kid, her journey to becoming a freelance and pro artist, how her parents encouraged her art, and what she wants for the future." (Click the image to watch on Youtube.)

Friday Links List and Illustrators' Treehouse News - 11 September 2020

From Brightly: Books Like Percy Jackson: 14 Super Series to Read Next

From HuffPost: There Are Lots Of COVID-19 Children's Books Now. Here's A Selection.

From The Bookseller: Barbara Marcus to headline Bookseller Children’s Conference

From SLJ:
     17 Middle Grade and YA Books That Spotlight #BlackJoy

An important study came out this week: The Economic Impacts of Learning Losses

From Time: I Let My Child Create Their Own Gender Identity. The Experience Has Been a Gift for Us Both Can we reflect this in our books going forward?

From Bookshelf: Bird library bookshelf (with a live webcam!)

From We Need Diverse Books: The Fully Booked Conference 2021 Mentors Opens October 1 - 31st

From Kickstarter: Interview with Jane Yolen and Peter Tacy (her new/old beau)

From the Jewish Book Council: ‘Fairy-Tale Log­ic’: A Con­ver­sa­tion with Alice Hoffman

On Instagram: Follow the History teacher who hit the road to teach her students online from the actual historical locations!

From The New Statesman: Why Goodreads is Bad for Books



ILLUSTRATORS' TREEHOUSE NEWS
EVENT: The State of Black Design Friday, September 18, 2020, 8:00 PM – 10:00 PM EDT, FREE

EVENT: Lightbox is free this year! - Click here to read more about it and see an interview with Bobby Chiu

EVENT: Adobe Max The Creativity Conference, October 20–22 FREE!

PARTICIPATE: AIGA VOTE Campaign

From Myth and Moor:
     The Mythic Art of Alan Lee
     The cauldron of dreams

From the US National Parks Service: Open Artist Residencies (especially in Hawaii)

From Muddy Colors:
     GUSTAV KLIMT: COMPLETE PAINTINGS BOOK REVIEW with Howard Lyon
     10 THINGS…MIXING COLOR with Greg Manchess
     MAGICAL MOBILE STUDIO TOUR with Justin Gerard
     ART… IFICIAL SELECTION with Chris Beatrice

From Children's Illustrators.com: September Newsletter with features and interviews

Are you familiar with the work of Charly Palmer? He was interviewed at CommArts

From Make Art That Sells: September Newsletter

From The Art Room Plant: Kristina Ovsyankina




OFF TOPIC BUT INTERESTING
From ASU GSV Summit: The Dawn of the Age of Digital Learning Sep 29 - Oct 1, 7 & 8, 2020 - a FREE conference with some amazing speakers: General Colin Powell, Malcolm Gladwell, Gloria Steinem, Bill Nye, etc...

How cool is this? It's basically Google Maps, Street View but from the 1940s: Street View of 1940s New York

From The EAB: How the Elections Could Impact Higher Ed

AnneMarie Allan's BREAKER

I miss my friends in Scotland. So, I'm thrilled by the chance to connect with one of them, the author Annemarie Allan, to help her celebrate the republication of her novel, BREAKER. She stopped by to tell us more about it...      2020 is Scotland’s Year of Coasts and Waters. To celebrate this event, Cranachan Publishing issued a new, revised edition of my novel, Breaker, which was due to be launched in North Berwick where the book is set. Breaker tells the story of two children and a mad professor who become involved with the fight to protect the coastline when an oil tanker collides with the Bass Rock.       So there I was, poised with my sea-themed squidgy candies and my chocolate seashells, all ready for the April launch, when the world shut down and I was caught up in a breathless rush to create an online launch which, as it turned out, went very well indeed, with the added bonus that people can attend no matter where in the world they happen to be. Sadly, I had to eat all the chocolates myself, with the help of my family.       I live and work in a country where water is everywhere: in its rivers and lochs, woodland streams, waterfalls and mountain pools, in the great firths that carve their way inland from the sea. Although Scotland is a very small country, it has a coastline of nearly 10,000 kilometres – and that’s not including the islands – there are nearly 800 of those!
      The days are long gone when fishermen followed the shoals of herring, the ‘silver darlings’ around the coast, but the sea is still an infinitely precious resource. And so, when I read a newspaper article many years ago, I felt a shiver of dread run down my spine:

‘WHEN the SeaRiver Mediterranean sailed up the Firth of Forth last week, she looked much like any other supertanker coming in to take on a huge load of North Sea crude. But, it emerged last night, the 1,000ft- long ship once sailed under a different name, the most notorious in environmental history - the Exxon Valdez.’

      That article was what triggered the writing of the novel. I am happy to report that the Exxon Valdez is currently in the process of being dismantled for scrap, although that process itself has significant implications for the handling of toxic waste. You can read an account of the damage done by the Exxon Valdez to Prince William Sound in Alaska HERE.
     The threat of oil spills is still with us, but over the passing years, it has become clear that there is an even more pervasive danger to the health of our oceans and seas: the tidal wave of plastic that has reached even the deepest parts of the ocean and that covers our shoreline in waste that can take up to 1,000 years to biodegrade, waste that affects the food we eat and the air we breathe.
      But there is one huge positive in the years since that first edition of Breaker came out, and that is the fact that our young people have woken up to the dangers of pollution and are now at the forefront of the drive to clean up the planet.
      It seemed to me that the time was right to create an updated version of Breaker, one that would speak to all those young people and give them a sense of empowerment – because Breaker is not about what we can’t do. It is about what we can. I wanted young people to know that when communities work together, it is possible to make a difference.
      The story focusses on two children, a mad professor and the secret weapon that might save the Firth of Forth from environmental disaster, a weapon he has named ‘Gaia’. And it is most definitely not doom and gloom! Tom and Beth’s adventure with Professor MacBlain is exhilarating, at times terrifying and yet it is also (I hope!) at times very funny!
      I am very grateful to Cranachan Publishing for the opportunity to publish this new, updated edition which they describe as a ‘timely underwater adventure with community activism at its heart’. I am also delighted that they have prepared a series of free activity sheets to go with it, available HERE.
      The book is available from most online suppliers and also from the publisher.
      And if you would like to watch me read chapter one, CLICK HERE or the image below to watch on Youtube.

Teaching Online

We're online again and it's mostly going just fine. But Zoom fatigue is a very real thing and I'm not used to trouble-shooting while I'm teaching. So, with two three-hour classes back to back, I get pretty wiped out. Truth be told, I also get a tad bit grumpy. So, my sweet husband bought me flowers to cheer me up. Are these not gorgeous!? The colors of fall are coming in. Although, I have no idea what those stunning little orange, thistle-like things are. Does anyone know? I love my husband. (Fun Fact: Hubby never buys me roses. I've always believed they were a jinx; because every time a guy ever bought me roses in my life, by the time the roses were dead, so was the relationship!)

A Haircut!!! (And glasses!)

Oh, I was looking so scraggly as a result of no haircut since... well, I can't remember when. So, Stan agreed to cut my hair for me. We wet it and combed it just like the hair-dresser does, and he cut off the split ends, just like he trims the woody end from asparagus. I am thrilled with the results! Turns out hubby has a knack for cutting hair - who knew?
Here's what it looked like after I let it air-dry (turns out, I have naturally wavy grey hair).

I think I'll have him cut it again in another six months.

I think I'll have him cut it again in another six months. Oh - and I finally got some new glasses too! These are my computer glasses. My every-day glasses aren't in yet - can't wait! Do you like? :)

New Exhibit: Picture the Dream

The High Museum of Art in Atlanta has a new and important show opening called PICTURE THE DREAM: THE STORY OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT THROUGH CHILDREN'S BOOKS. It's curated by Andrea Davis Pinkney, editor for Scholastic in New York City, whose husband is the amazing illustrator, Brian Pinkney. I'm proud that several friends have work in the show, like Laura Freeman and R. Gregory Christie. It will be on view until November 8th - gosh I hope I can go somehow. Click the image to learn more about it and watch a short video about its history: Read more about it at Fine Books Magazine.

Friday Links List and Illustrators' Treehouse News - 4 September 2020

From Claudia Mills' An Hour a Day: My Best Writing Ritual of All

From Nathan Bransford: Third person omniscient vs. limited vs. head jumping

From BookBub: 13 New Fantasy Books to Read Based on Your Favorite Fantasy Classics

From Little Brown Books for Young Readers: Fall Picture Book Preview - Online!

From The NYTimes:
     Printer Jam: Serious Supply Issues Disrupt the Book Industry’s Fall Season
     The Many Sides to Dan Brown
     How Libraries Can Save the 2020 Election

From Oprah Magazine: 120 Black-Owned Bookstores in America That Amplify the Best in Literature

From TES: Boris Johnson and the revenge of the school librarian Has a savvy school librarian or English teacher snatched a golden opportunity to have a pop at the PM in front of the nation?

From Brightly:
     Picture Books That Celebrate Grandparents
     Black Boy Joy: 30 Picture Books Featuring Black Male Protagonists
     9 Books for Fans of The Lord of the Rings Series

From The Borders Book Festival: Rayner, Stuart and Wark feature in last leg of Borders Book festival

From SLJ's 100 Scope Notes: Kickstarting an Independent Publisher Help save Enchanted Lion Books!

From PW: Green Takes ‘Anthropocene’ to Dutton

From The Guardian: Children's books roundup – the best new picture books and novels



ILLUSTRATORS' TREEHOUSE NEWS
EVENT: The State of Black Design Friday, September 18, 2020, 8:00 PM – 10:00 PM EDT, FREE

EVENT: Lightbox is free this year! - Click here to read more about it and see an interview with Bobby Chiu

EVENT: Adobe Max The Creativity Conference, October 20–22 FREE!

PARTICIPATE: AIGA VOTE Campaign

From Jake Parker: How to Do Inktober

From Valiant: Valiant has created some great graphics (novels) for you and your patrons.

From NPR: Welcome To Story Hour: 100 Favorite Books For Young Readers

From Urban Sketchers: September Newsletter

See the amazing cut-paper art by Diana Beltran Herrera

From Muddy Colors:
     Photographing Your Artwork
     FISCHER PAINTS KAALIA OF THE VAST FOR MAGIC THE GATHERING
     FINDING YOUR HAPPY PLACE AND BRANCHING OUT with Howard Lyon

From Make Art That Sells: Latest news

From GoodNewsNetwork: The Mind-Blowing Mathematics of Sunflowers …From Scientific American Magazine on Their 175th Birthday

From The Picture Book Den: Under the Covers - The unique story of the endpaper in picture books - Garry Parsons

From KidLit Artists: Interview with Leanne Hatch - 2020 SCBWI Summer Spectacular Showcase Honor Winner

From Shelf Awareness: Launch of new graphic novel imprint Hill House Comics

From The Art Room Plant: Will and Nicolas III


From RH Graphic: Random House's Graphic Novel newsletter

From The Art Room Plant:
     Hanna and Olga Dovhan Manooni

     Fay Troote I I love art that works with light tables and transparency!


From Harper Alley: HarperCollins' Graphic Novel Newsletter



OFF TOPIC BUT INTERESTING
From the NYTimes:
     The Suffragists Fought to Redefine Femininity. The Debate Isn’t Over. The campaign for the right to vote crystallized notions of femininity and motherhood that women are still expected to navigate.
     80 Tips for Remote Learning From Seasoned Educators

From Inside Higher Ed: Why We’re Exhausted by Zoom

From the Chronicle of Higher Education: Will Covid-19 Revive Faculty Power?

From SLJ: Texas High School Teacher Zooms Into Remote Classes from U.S. Historical Sites and Landmarks

Chantel Acevedo's MUSE SQUAD: THE CASSANDRA CURSE

I've long been a fan of Chantel Acevedo's writing. And she's been on my blog before, for her book A Falling Star. So, I was thrilled to hear about her latest, and on a topic I find especially fascinating, muses! It's called MUSE SQUAD: THE CASSANDRA CURSE and Chantel stopped by to tell us more about it.

My Muse is a Museum
Chantel Acevedo
      When I think of the role museums have played in my life, I find myself thinking about Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. My husband and I, newly married, moved there while he earned his PhD. We were in our mid-twenties, had never lived anywhere but Miami, and considered the move the adventure of a lifetime. Pittsburgh was where we both saw snow for the first time, where we both discovered the dangers of black ice while driving, and the utter strangeness of living in a city where the signs weren’t in English and Spanish.
      We may not have had the comforts of Cuban home cooking, or Miami’s sunny days, but what we did have were museums. Miami was not a museum-town. The sparkling beaches were the draw for tourists. But Pittsburgh had lots of them, including the incredible Carnegie Museum of Natural History, with its echoing staircases, enormous dinosaur room, and Egyptian hall, which required visitors to crawl through a hieroglyph-lined tunnel to enter a replica of a mummy’s tomb! Those early days in Pittsburgh found us in the museum often. Each exhibit opened up a world of knowledge, and the synapses in my brain absolutely crackled with each visit. A history lover, museums suggested history in the flesh to me. After each visit, a story always dug itself into my brain.
      My husband and I moved several times after that, following that itinerant way of academic life. New Haven offered us the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History, with its own more modest, yet equally impressive dinosaur hall. And a quick train ride into New York brought me the MET, and the American Museum of Natural History, and more museums than a person has time for.
      Museums became for me the must-dos of every trip, and essential stops when doing research for my books. My fourth adult novel, The Living Infinite (Europa Editions, 2017) was set in 1893, and partially at the Columbian Exposition in Chicago. While writing that book, I dragged my husband (and by then, my two daughters) to the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago to see the remnants of the caryatids on the back steps, leftovers from that great World’s Fair at the end of the 19th century. Here is a tip: If you go down the steps and peer out over the lake, you might see a tiny, Japanese bridge leading into a wooded island. That bridge is all that is left of the Japanese pavilion, a gift to the people of Chicago during the World’s Fair. It was burned to the ground in retaliation after Pearl Harbor. If you’ve read The Living Infinite, you’ll know that my main character, the Infanta Eulalia, experiences something life-altering on that island. I may have cried a little on those stairs when I spotted the bridge.
      But of all the museums that have carved their way into my writer’s heart and into my books, none has been so beloved as the V&A, the Victoria & Albert Museum, in London. I met this museum (and I say “met” here purposefully, as the V&A feels like it most certainly has a soul) when I first visited London in my role as a Creative Writing Professor. I was leading a group of study abroad students from Auburn, Alabama to London. Here, I fell in love with the eerie Cast Courts, featuring replicas of great statues scattered about a great hall, as if the figures had been frozen by the White Witch in the Narnia tales, or Medusa herself. I swore fidelity to the oval pool in the museum’s garden, and paid tribute at the small, canine tomb of Tycho, the tiny dog belonging to Sir Henry Cole, the museum’s first director. The Great Bed of Ware, a massive 16th century bed that accommodated eight people took hold of my imagination, as did the endless rows of ceramic art, a testament to both fragility and strength.
      It was on my third trip to London on a visit to the V&A that I paused to admire a bust of a muse, tucked away against a staircase near the toilets. She had a placid face, and her twin, a second muse, flanked the other side of the stairs. I snapped a photograph of her, and then the thought came, perhaps muse-given: “What if the muses had been children?”
      I wrote the question down in the notes app on my phone, but unlike other hastily written notes, this one was a persistent idea, and so, the Muse Squad (Balzer +Bray, 2020) was born. If you happen to read Muse Squad, you might recognize some of the museum sites I’ve described here. The Egyptian Hall at the Carnegie, and the Oval Pool, the Great Bed of Ware, and Tycho’s tomb of the V&A, among others, all play a role.
      I absolutely owe the existence of Muse Squad to a museum. And maybe, one of the nine muses, too. The COVID -19 pandemic has meant that 2020 for me will be the year without museums. But I know they await, full of their surprising stories. May the muses guard their brick and mortar namesakes until we can all return to them again.
Chantel's fave writing spot these days is outside, the only spot where she can find some quiet!


I am participating in the BookShop Affiliate Program. This program pays bloggers a small percentage of each purchased book from a post. But the best part is, purchases are fulfilled by bookstores near you, thereby, helping to keep your local bookstores afloat too! It's good for everyone! Click the book cover to purchase this title through Bookshop.

Coloring Page Tuesday - Mushroom House

     It seems to be mushroom season in South Carolina. I love imagining that mushrooms are actually little fairy houses, and a group of mushrooms is actually a little fairy village. Don't you?
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     Remember, I create my coloring pages to draw your attention to my books! For instance, I'm celebrating the new illustrated (by me) edition of A BIRD ON WATER STREET! My debut novel won me "Georgia Author of the Year!"
Booklist said it's "A book deserving of a wide readership, recommended for all libraries."
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     I create my coloring pages for teachers, librarians, booksellers, and parents to enjoy for free with their children, but you can also purchase rights to an image for commercial use, please contact me. If you have questions about usage, please visit my Angel Policy page.