I wanted to share with you my latest personal work, which I finished in December as a gift to my grandmother, Marvel Swanson. I credit Grandma Swanson for instilling in me an early love of children’s books. She has adored children’s stories since she was little, and when she read to me as a child…

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The F&G’s for Miss Maple’s Seeds are in! This is exciting for two reasons: 1) I get to walk around saying “F&G!” and nobody can scold me. 2) I get to see a beautiful printed proof of my book, all laid out and paginated. As you’ve likely deduced by now, F&G is not a literary…

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I have so many pieces of news to share! MISS MAPLE’S SEEDS story and illustrations, Nancy Paulsen Books/Penguin My first very own picture book! Coming out April 4, 2013.   DOLL BONES, by Holly Black illustrations, Simon and Schuster I created cover art and interior black and white chapter drawings for Holly Black’s new middle grade novel…

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A new illustration in honor of good friends getting married. What could be more appropriate than a Winnie the Pooh quote? “If there ever comes a day when we can’t be together, keep me in your heart. I’ll stay there forever.” ~A.A. Milne Congratulations Sean and Sarah!    

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       For illustrators new to publishing, I briefly cover the  roles of editors, art directors, literary agents and art reps. See that post on my group blog; KidLitArtists http://kidlitartists.blogspot.com/2012/09/publishing-people-101-by-eliza-wheeler.html  

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    I was invited by the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) to do cover artwork for their magazine’s 2012 Sept/Oct issue. This is a huge honor, as it only comes out 4 times a year and the illustrators they usually ask to contribute are total rock-stars! The theme always involves a…

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  I feel lucky to be living in the same city as my agent, Jen Rofé, and we were recently able to take advantage of our proximity with a face-to-face meeting. Jen came over for a little “studio” visit, to discuss some work in progress, reflect on this summer’s SCBWI conference (which Jen was highly…

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Have I told you yet that I have an agent? No?? You guys, I have an agent! She’s Jen Rofé. And, she’s awesome. Here’s the story: Getting into the business of illustrating and writing for children, I knew early on that I would benefit from a literary agent. Some people are comfortable negotiating their own…

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    I met Pat Cantor at my very first Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Summer Conference in 2009, where she was among many of the wonderful illustration comrades I’ve made. Ever since meeting her I have looked up to her as an illustrator and person, feeling like she’s been something of a…

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    “I have nothing now but praise for my life. I’m not unhappy. I cry a lot because I miss people. They die and I can’t stop them. They leave me and I love them more. … What I dread is the isolation. … There are so many beautiful things in the world which…

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