"Behind the book"
A behind-the-scenes video detailing the process of writing and illustrating Home in the Woods.
Eliza Wheeler is an illustrator and author of books for kids, teens, and the young at heart. Her book Miss Maple’s Seeds was a NYT bestseller, and her book Home in the Woods was dubbed “Gorgeous” by the New York Times book review. Eliza is based in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
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A new book that I illustrated, written by Denise Doyen, came out last week; THE POMEGRANATE WITCH. It’s here in time for the fall season coming up, and is such a fun romp between a group of neighborhood kids from the suburbs, and the old Pomegranate Witch who guards a legendary pomegranate tree. This release kicked off with an awesome starred review from Publisher’s Weekly! “Luscious rhymes and an atmospheric eeriness immerse readers in a neighborhood battle: five children versus the witch who guards the tempting pomegranates that hang from a tree on her property: “Its unpruned limbs were jungle-like, dirt ripplesnaked…
For those illustrators making last-minute shifts to their portfolio for the SCBWI National Conference, I have 3 pieces of advice: I was recently asked to judge portfolio applications for a Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators award. It was an eye-opening experience being on the other side of the table, in the judge’s seat. Here’s what my big take-away was from that experience: I preferred to see 5 GREAT pieces alone, vs. 5 great pieces mixed up with 5 okay pieces. It was ALWAYS obvious when people were adding filler, or thought they needed more variety, so they put in mediocre…
Guys…have you seen this book trailer yet?? My husband, Adam, made it. My friend, Nick, did the music. They are so awesome! Anyone recognize the song he covered? Please help me share this video with the Tolkien fans that you know! Get JOHN RONALD’S DRAGONS at your local indie bookstore -or- Order from Barnes and Noble here Order from Amazon here
Over on the Picture Book Builders blog, I shared some highlights about illustration research I did for three weeks in England in 2015 for the new picture book biography JOHN RONALD’S DRAGONS: STORY OF J.R.R. TOLKIEN, by Caroline McAlister. I had a great question come over Twitter recently about traveling for research, but couldn’t seem to limit my answer to few characters, so I’m sharing those here! The most helpful thing I learned overall is to prepare as much ahead of time as possible, but leave some time and flexibility in the schedule for the unexpected. Here are some other key tips:…