Free Children's Book - One day only

I'm excited to share -for one day only-

a link to get your copy of my book... for free!!!

Click here for your copy!

Thank you MeeGenius for the giveaway!

Interview & Giveaway

 

        I'm excited to share an interview with the talented Lara Apponyi illustrator of my book Poison Apple Pie!   

I would absolutely love to giveaway copies of my book but unfortunately MeeGenius is still working on that. Therefore I will be giving away TWO prizes!!!

*A gift card and two Doll Birdies handmade gifts on Estsy.com*

    What you need to do to enter into the giveaway:

1) You must leave a comment for Lara (on this post) before Friday May 18th by Midnight Eastern Pacific Time.

2) Follow my blog

With Random.org I will choose the two winners and contact them on Saturday May 19th.

* * *



Lara Apponyi

1. Did you always like drawing?

 yes. i have always loved doing anything that takes me into a different world.

2. What mediums do you work in?

 well depending on what it is i am making... oil, acyclic, gouach, pencil, pen, ink, i guess everything and anything even blobs of tea or coffee i spill by mistake.

3. Did you have to study or take classes to become an illustrator?

not at all, i studied fine art and just started doing the odd thing here and there for friends, then friends of friends etc...

4. How do you market/promote your work?

online. my blog and website and i use facebook when there is something important to show. i also send a lot of round robin emails telling people to take a look at something and pass it on.

5. What is your favorite type of assignments and why?

probably something that has a strict structure (like a book) and of course a dead-line. i tend to drift off towards other ideas when i am working... structure pulls me back to what i am doing and leaves little room for wandering off into some completely different kind of creation. although it is amazing to be told you are free to do whatever you want, it is also very satisfying when you can only move in a certain amount of directions and you have to make that work and so somehow you do.

6. In Poison Apple Pie, I loved how you depicted Winka. What is your creative process? Can you run us through a typical job?

Illustrated by Lara Apponyi





thanks, she was based on the 6/7 year old me - pale skin, long dark hair and skinny with sticky out ears!

i don't have one specific process, it definitely shifts around but i tend to start with trying to find some kind of visual world in which whatever it is takes place. to find this world i look for images, google things, take pictures, make small drawings and i read a lot. this research and image hunting eventually reveals what kind of universe this 'thing', be it a story a character or whatever, belongs to. so from there, it is a little bit easier as the stage is set as it were. 

Illustrated by lara Apponyi





7. Do you ever have creative slumps? What do you do then?

yes i often do. i get very anxious, maybe have a good cry and maybe eat and drink too much. eventually i drag myself to something that i hope will be inspiring- a film or exhibition or try to get a change of scene somehow...

8. How did you find your style? Has it changed since you started?

i don't feel like i have one but i wish i did. i find a way of doing something to suit the project. a lot of my work is very very different although there is a strong shared atmosphere and tone that seems to bring it together.

~Wack-a-doodle Questions~

If you could speak to one type of animal, what would it be?

whale or albatross

What is your favorite snack to eat while you work?

marmite toast and tea. coffee and chocolate. or anything that looks good in the fridge

How would you describe yourself in three words?

over-emotional (if you can count that as one word) dreamy and funny

  Lara studied Fine Art at Parsons in Paris then at City and Guilds of London Art School in London before moving to NYC 6 years ago. She has had all sorts of jobs on both sides of the pond -influence by the mediums of film and art have drawn her into several work fields but recently, she returned to her painterly roots and love for telling stories through pictures.Through picture books, paintings and drawing in series, Lara draws on the inspiration she finds in the fleeting moments that make up our days, she strives to see and to celebrate the peculiar in the seemingly insignificant. Whether it's the odd things that people say (or don't) or the ways we interact (or don't) with our darkest, strangest thoughts. Every day, there are instances when whimsy can take us places.

     Lara is fascinated – and amused – by the disconnection between the realities of what is said or done, and the perceptions that we conjure up... concluding that much of the beauty of life lies somewhere between. There’s wonder, too, at the point of transition: the gloaming light; a shadow cast; an open road; the mood just before something unexpected happens. When the unfamiliar plays with the mundane – and, at the end of the day, how funny it all is.

     Lara is currently juggling several projects- a line of t-shirt designs, the odd painting, a picture book (she always has one on the go) and she hopes some drawings for wallpaper are in her future!

Lara's website - http://laraapponyi.com/

Lara's Blog - http://dailybollucks.wordpress.com/

Thank you for the interview Lara!

My Poison Apple Pie is now Published!

     Good Morning everyone!

   
     I just wanted to share some writing challenges I’ve been up to lately, PLUS some very exciting news that I already gave away in my blog title. So excited to finally share! Below is my very first children's eBook published by MeeGenius.
I'll share more details about Poison Apple Pie at the end of this post.


Now here is a little summary of the writing challenges I've been involved in.

1)  Back at the start of this year I joined the 12 x 12 in 2012: Picture Book Writing Challenge over at Julie Hedlund's blog, Write Up My Life.
It’s been so much fun and very productive I must add! I’m excited to share that TODAY, yes today is my very first blog appearance and it's at Julie Hedlund’s blog, so make sure to go check it out. Here’s the direct link- http://writeupmylife.com/2012/03/27/tuesday-12-x-12-jennifer-young/

2)  Another writing challenge I just signed up for is at Rena Traxel’s blog.

I’m going to have to write 26 poems in the month of April. I do not usually write poetry so this is definitely going to be a challenge that I may have a hard time sticking with. I know I’ll definitely be doing a lot of research next month. The deadline to sign up for this ends April 1st. For further details go to Rena’s link here- www.renajtraxelblog.com/

3) Last but not least, I found out on March 23rd 2012 that MeeGenius published my very first eBook. I am now a published author ((YIPPEE)) and I’m still very much on cloud nine. I just wanted to thank everyone once again who supported me and my book. Check it out below. It’s called Poison Apple Pie. It’s illustrated by the talented Lara Apponyi. You can actually get a free preview of the book just by clicking on the book cover below.

 Poison Apple Pie is about a witch named Winka who quits her day job
 and tries out other jobs in fairy tale land that she might be more suitable for.

      Also I wanted to say how proud I am of my very good friend Bethany Telles’s for becoming a brand new author with her debut book, Waiting for James in a Sea of Pink, published by MeeGenius as well. Click on the cover for a sneak preview of the book.

Waiting for James in a Sea of Pink is about a boy named Gavin who is waiting
 for his best friend James at his little sister's girly and overly pink birthday party.

Thanks for your visit today

and remember to go check out my blog appearance at Julie's blog-

 Write Up My Life



Poison Apple Pie is in the MeeGenius Final's Round!

    Today is an exciting day for me. My story Posion Apple Pie was selected to move onto the finalist round of the MeeGenius Author Challenge 2011. They edited my story and illustated it this past month! 

    Here is the link to vote: http://meegenius.com/challenge/book/6067/poison-apple-pie-by-jennifer-young/

    Voting began at 9am on January 31st for the finalist round. The MeeGenius staff only picked 10 entries (not including 4 popular voted books) to move on to the finalist round. And my fairy tale entry Posion Apple Pie was one of the 10 staff picks.  I was not able to share this news for a whole month on my blog, Facebook, Twitter, etc. I'm so excited to post this and finally share the news with you guys. I also wanted to thank everyone who voted for me last round. I truely appreciate your support.

Some information on why I entered the contest: 

   The grand winner will win an entire library full of free eBooks from MeeGenius. Also, the winning stories will be professionally edited, illustrated and enhanced with MeeGenius! It will be featured, and then published to the iPhone, iPad, Android, Google TV and the Web. In addition, the grand prize winner will receive a $1,500 cash prize for their manuscript. MeeGenius is a New York City based digital publisher and they are having a competition taking place nationwide.

What my story is about:
    Not all witches are good at their day jobs, especially Winka. She continues to look until she finds the right job in Fairy Tale Land.  (a picture book in rhyme)

 You can vote for Poison Apple Pie before February 21st, 2012:

http://meegenius.com/challenge/book/6067/poison-apple-pie-by-jennifer-young/

Thank you for your time and support everyone!