“The One Sock Princess”, is dear to my heart.  Not just the story, but the fact that I pulled the pictures from my mind and put them on paper.  It could be that a connection between my mind and my hand finally unblocked itself for more than just words.  I discovered in 1998 that I could draw.  Rather well too, but (with me, there is always a ‘but’) I could only draw what I saw.  I don’t know if I could impose upon you just how frustrating that can be to a person who ‘feels’ everything.  If I could connect my imagination to a projector and the pictures come out as I feel they should–the world would be in for a ride!

While visiting my sister-in-law and her family in New York one chilly spring, an idea came to me just from watching her constantly looking for her daughter’s sock.  I wrote in my notepad and just let it be.  Ideas come, but sometimes they must stew a bit before I realize what to do with them.  I thought to find an artist to help interpret them, but something nagged at me.  I’m an artist.  I’m an artist who needs to push herself into realizing potential.  No more excuses!  How can I tell people to go for what they want, that they can do anything when I don’t follow that advice.  The fact is, I can do anything.  My mother never told me I couldn’t.  She never told me I could, but then she expected me to do anything—she always knew I could.  Sometimes, you don’t need words to tell you someone’s thoughts.  I sat down and told myself that I would draw the illustrations.  It might take me a while and I had no clue as to where to begin, but I had a story.  So, I checked out some ‘how to draw’ sites and I began.  First came the Princess, then the cat (I am quite partial to cats) and then….

Then I decided to have a bit of fun.  I needed to show how much Keely’s tears was ‘drenching’ the castle.  So what better way than a floating book…a floating book with a self promotion!!  The book the cat is on, is an actual book of mine.  “Tyme’s Hope” was my second picture book.  With a bit of Photo Shopping, it fit in just nicely.

Next came the ‘text pages’.  I like simple and don’t mind plain at times, but picture books are rather costly to have printed.  I normally ‘eat’ some of the cost when I sell these because I can’t bring myself to charge a huge amount.  I am mother and I know how hard money is to come by so I try to make my books affordable or at least give you your money’s worth.  Why must text pages be plain or must they be mixed in with the picture page?  No, they don’t on both accounts.

My first picture book had the text mixed in with the picture.  I did not sketch the illustrations, but I did do the inking/coloring.  Since this was to be my first ‘full’ illustration endeavor then I wanted to keep it as simple, yet full, as possible.  So then came the idea of the cat silhouette, though it wasn’t really as simple as ‘then came the idea’.  No, several ideas came and thankfully passed before I came up with it.

  One of the ‘passed up ideas’.  Originally I had thought to alternate between the cat silhouette and the sock, but in the end, thought to keep it simple and just use the cat.

  I came up with this, but then black and white just would not do.

 So…I choose the green to tie in with Keely’s pants.  It worked out quite well.

  I choose a ‘curly’ type font and made it as big as I could (well, as big as it could be and still fit in the ‘cat’s head’).  I wanted to give it depth, so I choose different sizes and placed them randomly.  I chose to use one of the heads to frame the page number as well.  I am not good with symmetrics so I actually, ‘copied’ the ‘good’ side of the cat’s head and then aligned it up on the other side and ‘pasted’ it.  It might be considered cheating, but I thought myself rather clever anyway.

Of course, I gave it an added touch–I placed one of my poems at the beginning.  I enjoy creating poems as much as I do story.   So there we have it.

Accomplishments this year….

This is where I go, “Look Ma, I did it!!”  I actually illustrated a book!  Oh yes, the ‘copy artist’ actually yanked scenes for a book from her own head!  Proof that you can do it if you just don’t give up and you sit down and make yourself do it.  I had an idea and I wanted to make it a book.  Simply said.  It wasn’t simply done though, but when I look back it wasn’t as difficult as I was making it to be.  Now, there is probably a few out there that will critique my artwork to death, but then there are those that will adore it.  I did it and I am happy about it – like it or not.  “The One Sock Princess” was an idea that stemmed from the most adorable little girl, my niece, and her constant loss of her sock.

My second book, “Pell Shade and the Mysterious Paper”, was a blast to do.  Don’t misunderstand, I have fun in all my books, but this one is where I really became creative.  Despite what I say and try to tell myself, I am a collector.  I like odd things, so when I started to write this book I wanted to not only make it a warm friend, but I wanted to add some of the items from my ‘collections’ to it.  This is where the Rare Finds Shoppe comes in.  Rare Finds is an extraordinary shoppe taken care of by an even more extraordinary keeper or guardian.  You will discover everything from three-inch tall beings, who fly Red Barron-type planes, to ancient melodies from a mysterious pan flute, and even ‘scholarly looking ceramic monkeys’, who ‘should not be able to wag their fingers at you’.  In future installations (I’m working on book 2 now) you’ll see more of these fascinating wonders.  I’m extremely proud of Pell and her friends.  Most of the character’s names are either pen, ink, or paper related.  Aunt Syne is named after the Greek Goddess, Mnemosyne, who was the mother of the nine muses.  That was a bit of fun.  There is even a fox who is lovingly mis-named ‘Quills’–or is he?  The protagonist, Awl Blott, was/is fun to work with–he’s a quirky villain.  I think I’m enjoying him as much as I am the others.

Take a look and perhaps purchase a copy (please)!!

http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/eppy

So I say thank you to 2011 and hello 2012.  I have at least 2 more books (one chapter and one picture) that I shall add to my growing library in this new year.  I will also work on getting some events planned, interviews, marketing strategies, and will enter contests.  If anyone wishes to help me in any of these endeavor, please feel free–I need all the help I can get!!

Here’s my ‘story’ version of my bio:

Once there was a girl who spent so much time alone that she would escape through her daydreams. As she grew older, she decided to write down her dreams so they would not disappear, they were her life after all. What does one do when turned out into a world not made for dreamers? They trudge here and there, searching for their belonging place. So, after several fast food jobs, serving six years in the US Air Force, working in retail, and (still) raising a family, she returned to her lovely worlds with fervor. With seven books self published and many more to follow, she aspires with endless optimism to gather endless readers and that one day a publishing house will save her from wearing way too many hats on her overly exhausted head.

Well, there it is in all its truth.  My husband says it’s eccentric, but then well, truth be told I am that. I am utterly OCD, a social misfit, I have odd habits, I must always be doing something, and I drink tea.  I do my best and sometimes the impossible when no one is looking. I was taught that giving up is not getting it done so stop wasting time and do whatever it takes.  I may not have a clue as to what I am doing and when it is all done, do not ask how I did it–because I probably will not have an answer.

Author of ‘If Wishes Were Fishes’

N.A. Sharpe was born in Wilmington, Delaware and attended the University of Delaware studying Psychology and Elementary Education.  She is a single mom and currently lives in central Florida with her son and two dogs, Scooter (a Yorkie) and NaNu (a Morkie).

Throughout high school and college, she volunteered in the elementary school system, and, after receiving her degree, taught autistic and schizophrenic children in a private school in Pennsylvania for five years before moving on to an administrative career. 

She has always had a deep rooted love of storytelling and children’s literature. This is her first picture book. She has one fantasy book published and is currently writing a Young Adult fantasy adventure series in collaboration with her son.

If Wishes Were Fishes

Title: If Wishes Were Fishes
Author: NA Sharpe

Author web site:  http://nasharpe.com

Illustrator: Ginger Nielson
Illustrator web site: http://gingernielson.com)
Publisher: 4RV Publishing LLC
url: http://4RVPublishingllc.com

Reading Level:  Ages 4-8
ISBN-10: 0982588674

ISBN-13: 978-0982588673
Genre: Picture book
Format: Paperback
Release date: May 10, 2010
Price: $13.99
Pages: 24
– – - -

JT Trumanowski is a six-year old with a BIG problem…his grandparents! How do you survive a whole weekend alone with them when you do exactly what they say and still end up in so much trouble?!

JT adores his grandparents and is thrilled to be invited to spend the weekend with them. He tries hard to follow their requests to a “T” with one disastrously humorous result after another. “Why can’t they just say what they mean?” he wonders. Talk about a failure to communicate! Join JT as he discovers people may mean what they say, they just don’t always say what they mean…clearly.

Purchasing links:

NA Sharpe  for autographed copies from the author

http://nasharpe.com

Ginger Nielson for autographed copies from the illustrator

http://www.gingernielson.com

Publisher, 4RV Publishing LLC

http://4RVPublishingLLC.com

 Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/If-Wishes-Were-Fishes-Sharpe/dp/0982588674/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1276408460&sr=8-9

 Barnes and Noble

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/If-Wishes-Were-Fishes/N-A-Sharpe/e/9780982588673/?itm=1&USRI=if+wishes+were+fishes

 Books a Million

http://www.booksamillion.com/product/9780982588673?id=4739415082424

Now let’s take a look at the talented illustrator that brought N.A.’s endearing story to life:

Ginger Nielson is a full time children’s book illustrator who lives at the top of a hill, near the edge of a forest in a semi-rural part of New Hampshire. There is a magic wand on her desk and a dragon in her basement. Everything else is perfectly normal. You can see examples of her work at www.gingernielson.com

My Review:

Being six is hard when you have a teacher who expects you to spell your entire name.  With a name like Jedediah Tobias Trumanowski that can be a problem!  Another problem finds him when he visits his grandparents.  They speak in a secret language all their own and poor J.T. is absolutely confused by it.  He tries his best to please them by doing exactly what they ‘say’ even if he doesn’t understand what they ‘mean’.  ‘Shake a leg’ and ‘getting your ducks in a row’ are just a few of the odd phrases that he finds troubling.  You’ll laugh as  J.T. does his best to comply.  

This story is full of humor that will not only make you smile but give you and your children something to talk about afterwards.  The wonderful illustrations lend a warmth and friendly feel as they capture the expressions perfectly.  Together, the story and illustrations create an endearing tale that is sure to please everyone in the family!      

I wanted to something to ‘add’ to my latest picture book so I decided instead of the usual drop case lettering, I would make one.  Since the book is ‘fallish’, I chose to draw a moon and a vine that would surround the letter.  Eh, that description is a bit awkward–

Then used the drawing tool (felt pen selection) to draw a thin vine.  After I was satisfied w/the leaves, I used the ‘fill’ to color them in with fall colors. 

On my Corel program it allows you to ‘blink’ (in other words, you can temporarily shut the layer you were working on so you can add a new one without it getting in the way).  I drew a circle, I didn’t want it to completely surround the letter.  I then used the fill to color in the moon–a deep golden yellow is my favorite for a ‘harvest-type’ moon.

I also decided on the text pages that I wanted a border.  I’m a fan of all things celtic so here’s a bit of my interpretation…

Text page border

Okay, it looks less blah with the words incorporated and it gives a weird 3d-ish type effect.  Now, how I did the effect is a mystery to even me but each time I look closely at the finished page (maybe it’s the text being on the page too and it does a mind/eye trick) it looks like there’s more to it than my mere little lines had originally thought to give off.  This was a tricky design but I found a way to ’fix’ my inability to have ‘equal’ or ‘even’ lines–do one portion (which was the top) and then ‘copy’ and ’paste’.  I did need to use the ‘rotate’ and ‘scale’ on my Corel Painter to flip the one strand for the sides and even the bottom (notice how it curves in the middle to the inside?).  I also corrected any flaws from the original design–I can’t walk a straight line let alone draw one so trying to make things even or equal is very much a task for me-luckily I’ve a bit of knowledge and a decent drawing program that helps.

Ok, next is my little page number ‘details’.  I didn’t think a plain look would make me happy.  I wanted to dress up the plain text pages–they can’t compete with the picture pages but they can look ‘dressy’.  I used three leaves from my yard.  One leaf I was really quite impressed with (the first one).  If you look closely at it’s shape, you might see an ‘owl’.  The story is about an owl by the way.

Start w/a simple leaf Different leaf, I know, but same concept (I had to do the same steps for each leaf)-I did not want a 'background' so I erased the shadowy background.Leaf before numbering

I did decide to leave ‘a little’ shadow and ‘trimmed’ a bit off here and there.  On the ‘owl leaf’ I emphasized the holes a little more.

Ready for numbering

Voila!  I’m still thinking to add a bit more.  I did put a few bare sketches on the copyright page–those tend to be too plain for me but I don’t feel they need color to be catchy.  I’m still compiling, copy/pasting, etc.  so there may be more to add later on.  Actually, I’ll upload a ‘finalized’ text page next.

Alrighty then, my son’s school is having a Fall Festival and they are in need of donations for a raffle.  I offerred up two of my picture books.  Since it is not in my nature to just do ‘simple’ , I thought to design a small canvas tote and load it up w/two books and some promo’s.  I have fun when I get to give out stuff so I usually go all out or at least as ‘all out’ as my budget will allow (if not a few dollars over).

I picked up a small black canvas tote at Michaels–my favorite store!  My husband and children are lost to the world once I step inside that store–hours, upon hours I can spend without knowing it.  Ok, enough rambling…  I plan to use one of the pictures, Chris Goguen, drew for Something Greater Than Fear .  It is a picture of Figs’ home—but it is only half of her tree so I will need to finish the tree.  I plan to use Corel draw and ‘add’ to the top of the canvas.  Once the tree is complete, I plan to print it out onto Fabric-Stick inkjet sheets that I bought at Wal-Mart.  I’ve used the sheets in similiar projects and they do quite nice (even work well on foam).  I then plan to sew little books (made from fabric pieces for the book covers, stitching thread, and cardstock for the pages) onto a few of the branches.  I’ve come up with a nice little catchphrase of sorts to place either underneath or above the tree:

Growing imagination inside!  Please water daily with a good book! 

I have a design logo for my authorsite that I use for various things, so I plan to print it out on the fabric sheets and place it on the center back.  It’s a nice sketch of Tyme sitting on top of a book that Chris Goguen drew. 

I started out w/a small table top version and somewhere in my thoughts, something demanded that I do something greater/more eye catching.  Well, what could be more eye catching than a  seven foot long, 3 foot high water dragon?  Ok…the materials were mostly household items that were destined for some kind of recycle or reuse–brown kraft paper (that I had received from a book order), magazines (my sister no longer wanted so gave to me), and card board inards (cut the lids off boxes, strip off the outer paper and you find the corrugated ridges).  Then of course the paint (I had from other projects but did have to purchase more), packaging tape, glue, paper mache (water, salt, flour), and white foam pages (for the horns, teeth, and spikes along the spine).  That’s about it…I did learn later that a wire skeleton would’ve been nice.  Eh, my first paper mache endeavor of this magnitude so next time.

Here is a detailed account of this wonderfully messy (it was in my hair for days!) adventure and yes, I would do it again!