Now one of the most influential teams in the world, Chelsea have always pushed the boundaries both on the field..

The post Pivotal Transfers Throughout Chelsea’s History appeared first on Chelsea FC Blog.

Nintendo - Switch OLED Model with White Joy-Con - White $289.99

https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=44939

Coupon 25BTS (-$25.00)

Free standard US Shipping

Melon Game via Eneba has 13-Months Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Subscription via Xbox Live Gold Conversion (Digital Delivery) on sale starting from ~$56 when you follow the instructions below.

• Note: Offer valid for New or Expired Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers only. For current/active Game Pass Ultimate Members, check this thread.

Deal Instructions:

• Click here to visit the 3-Month Xbox Live Gold Membership product page.
• Click 'Buy Now' on the product page
• In cart, add 5x additional units to your cart (for a total of 6x 3-Month Subscription Cards)
• Click on "Got discount code?" and apply code GoldUS
• Proceed to checkout with 6x 3-Month Xbox Live Gold Membership subscriptions
• Select PayPal or Credit Card as your payment method
  • Note, a service fee will apply here
• Your total should be ~$44.64 (price might vary slightly due to currency exchange volatility)
• Next, click here to redeem your 6x 3-Months Xbox Live Gold codes to your Microsoft account
  • Note: Opt out of 'Recurring billing'
• Next, Join Xbox Game Pass Ultimate by purchasing a 1-Month subscription from GCMGAMES via Eneba for ~$11.14 (price after service fee).
• Next, click here to redeem your 1-Month Xbox Game Pass Ultimate code to your Microsoft account
• You will be prompted to upgrade your Xbox Live Gold to Game Pass Ultimate with a 3:2 conversion. You will have 12+1 month of Game Pass Ultimate after conversion.
• Final total price for 13-Month Game Pass Ultimate membership after conversion should be ~$56

Sleeping Dogs™ Definitive Edition (Xbox Series/One) 

Use coupon code FALLEN5
Free shipping
 
https://www.play-asia.com/lords-of-the-fallen/13/70g6lb

The Coast Guard Exchange has the Spider-Man DualSense controller for $49.99. Also the Spiderman Ps5 bundle is $479. No sales tax. Only available for those active duty, retirees, veterans, and their dependents. 

https://shopcgx.com/electronics-en-2/featured-brands-en/sony/ps5-dualsense-wireless-controller-spiderman2-lmtd-ed-new-age-8-1-23.html

https://shopcgx.com/electronics-en-2/featured-brands-en/sony/ps5-disk-spiderman-2-slim-bundle-d-and-h-10-13-23.html

Have you ever felt totally uninspired by those vague corporate mission statements? The ones that say things like “To be the world’s most trusted provider of integrated solutions”? Or by those vague New Year’s resolutions? The ones that say things like “Get in shape” or “Be a better person”? Blah blah blah. What does that ... Read more

The post Discovering Your North Star: Crafting an Inspiring and Authentic Mission appeared first on LifeHack.

read more

read more

read more

read more

I’m running to Marshalls right now. READ MORE...

There’s a new episode of “Staying Home” on today (Saturday morning!) It’s the fifth kid-shot episode, and three of my kids (plus my nephew) are behind the cameras!   When I say “cameras” I mean “iPhones!” It’s amazing what they can do these days.   I remember getting a Kodak Disk camera when I was […]

I hope you’ve all been doing well, staying safe, and (hopefully) getting back to some glimpse of normal. I know normal is a relative term, and I swear, I still have moments where I am hit with this strong “What just happened?!?” feeling regarding the past couple of months. What a time. I hope things […]

This evaluation report is based on feedback from people living with dementia and carers who received an Individual Award from the Life Changes Trust. The Individual Awards Pilot Scheme was run in Argyll & Bute and Edinburgh in 2014-15 and aimed to provide a small amount of additional financial empowerment to a number of individuals whose lives have been affected by dementia, to help improve their well-being and quality of life. A secondary aim of the pilot scheme was to find out what people would spend the Award on when given relatively broad choice, and what benefit that might bring in the short and medium terms.

The Better Breaks funding programme is focused on improving the range and availability of short break opportunities for disabled children and young people, particularly those with multiple support needs, including short break opportunities that families can enjoy together, or which allow parents and siblings to have time away from their caring responsibilities. This is the summary report.

This publication presents information on support to carers and in particular respite care services provided or purchased by local authorities in Scotland over the financial years 2007 / 2008 to 2014 / 2015.

As part of the implementation of the Equal Partners in Care (EPiC) Highland Carer’s Strategy 2014-2017 it was agreed to undertake a review of respite for Adult Carers of Adults (aged 16+). Independent consultants were commissioned by NHS Highland through Connecting Carers to undertake this work. There are four groups of people – totalling an estimated 200 people - with whom conversations have taken place during the review: Carers and staff from carer support organisations – more than 75 carers have given their views Health and social care workforce – we have met with just over 50 people who have given their views and shared our initial findings with more than 60 others Respite providers – we have met with staff from 15 organisations that are providers of respite Those staff responsible for overseeing the commissioning, planning and administration of respite.

ARCH, the National Respite Network and Resource Center in the United States of America identified that evidence-based research on respite care has, to large extent, been lacking. Across ages, needs and settings, respite is based upon the premise that providing caregivers periodic relief from daily, ongoing caregiving responsibilities will directly benefit them in terms of their physical health, immediate and long-term psychological health, and social-emotional relationships with family members. These benefits are assumed to result in secondary benefits for care receivers and even larger societal benefits in the form of cost benefits or improved employee productivity. Some research studies point to the merits of these assumptions. However, evidence-based research supporting this premise - or going beyond it to demonstrate how to best provide respite care that results in maximum benefits - has not been available. This report presents the findings of an expert panel composed of academics, researchers, service providers, advocates, policymakers and administrators representing a range of age groups, disabilities and professional disciplines. Over a period of 18 months the panel explored the current status of respite research, proposed strategies to overcome barriers to research, and developed a plan to encourage rigorous research in key areas.

The ‘Dementia: More Than Just Memory Loss’ report, was published in 2016, and set out some of the key issues affecting people with dementia in Wales, in particular: • A widespread lack of knowledge and understanding of dementia amongst professionals and the wider public. • A lack of flexibility to effectively meet the needs of people living with dementia and their carers. • A lack of co-operation between services creates unnecessary difficulties and barriers for people living with dementia and their carers. The authors of the report called for a range of actions to address this, and there has been some progress, however, despite a range of changes across society at a policy, practice and community level, there is still a long way to go to transform services and drive the cultural change needed to effectively meet the needs of people affected by dementia.  The author of this report has consistently focused on the importance of meaningful outcomes for people with dementia and their carers, to ensure that their lives have value, meaning and purpose. This is fundamental to ‘Rethinking Respite’ and to delivering the Welsh Government’s vision of ‘a dementia friendly nation that recognises the rights of people with dementia to feel valued and to live as independently as possible in their communities as outlined in the new Dementia Action Plan for Wales. 

Bluesky, the social media platform whose interface most resembles Twitter, has picked up more than 700,000 new users since the election, as users seek to escape misinformation and offensive posts on X. Via The Guardian:

The influx, largely from North America and the UK, has helped Bluesky reach 14.5 million users worldwide, up from 9 million in September, the company said.

Social media researcher Axel Bruns said the platform offered an alternative to X, formerly Twitter, including a more effective system for blocking or suspending problematic accounts and policing harmful behaviour.

“It’s become a refuge for people who want to have the kind of social media experience that Twitter used to provide, but without all the far-right activism, the misinformation, the hate speech, the bots and everything else,” he said.

It's not a natural fit for bloggers, because you can far too easily get kicked off for saying mean or controversial things and hurting people's feelings. So I'll straddle both.

Prissydent-elect Donald Trump has picked South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, who penned the book 'No Going Back' that detailed her murdering a puppy, horses, and at least one goat, as his next secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.

Hey, at least he didn't pick Ted Nugent, Kid Rock, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Boebert, Catturd, or Steve Bannon for the role, all of whom allegedly have not shot a dog in the face -- yet.

CNN reports:

Noem will be tapped to take over the agency as two key immigration hardliners — Stephen Miller and Tom Homan — are slated to serve in senior roles, signaling Trump is serious about his promise to crack down on his immigration pledges. With his selection of Noem, Trump is ensuring a loyalist will head an agency he prioritizes and that is key to his domestic agenda.

The department saw an immense amount of turmoil the last time Trump was in office. Then, DHS had five different leaders, only two of whom were Senate-confirmed. The agency has a $60 billion budget and hundreds of thousands of employees.

Noem, who previously was a South Dakota representative, will now be tasked with overseeing a sprawling agency that oversees everything from US Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement to the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the US Secret Service.

read more

Full Article

Pity all night long… Photo courtesy of Candita R. Shopping bag found in Japan. 

When Trump descended the escalator at Trump Tower in 2015 to announce his presidential campaign, he tapped into something that had been brewing in online spaces for years. What made Trump unique wasn’t just his message, but his ability to speak the language of internet culture – his unfiltered tweets, his willingness to be politically […]

The post The Alt-Right Pipeline and the Rise of Trump: How Digital Radicalization Found Its Political Voice appeared first on Feminist Majority Foundation.

By JM McNab Published: November 11th, 2024

By Keegan Kelly Published: November 11th, 2024

By JM McNab Published: November 11th, 2024

By Carly Tennes Published: November 12th, 2024

Timothy Zahn's Star Wars novel Heir to the Empire was first released in hardcover on May 1, 1991.

Author-illustrator Ken Lamug has created award-winning picture books and graphic novels. Born in the Philippines, Ken moved to the US with his entire family during his teenage years. His debut middle grade graphic series, MISCHIEF AND MAYHEM #1: BORN TO BE BAD, launched this week from Katherine Tegen Books / HarperCollins!

Mischief and Mayhem is about Missy and her cat Gizmo. They were kicked out of superhero bootcamp. Now it's time for some super-villainy! I love the plot twist that the main character, Missy, decides she doesn't really fit into the labels the world she lives in has created; she's not really a villain, nor is she a superhero.  

Links where you can find out more: MischiefBook.com, Ken on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. His website: Rabbleboy.com.

Q. I read that MISCHIEF AND MAYHEM started as a 32-page picture book story. How did it end up as a graphic novel?

Yep! The idea for Mischief and Mayhem started as a 32-page picture book - originally titled "Mischief the Supervillain". At the time, I was focused on my picture book ideas and wasn't even considering graphic novels. I had experience illustrating books, so I knew it was just a matter of time until something clicked for me. I went through the steps book creators are familiar with: writing the manuscript, creating dummies, and many rounds of revisions.

The dummy went through the submission process and even hopped to another agent (when I switched to a new one). We received a few rejections and a few interesting comments. One of the more resounding comments was that the idea was cool and needed to be expanded. But the picture book format limited what we could do.

We finally received an acceptance offer along with a caveat... turn it into a graphic novel! Yikes!

A few things scared me about this: it would have to be in full color, and at least 240+ pages. How does one turn a 32-page picture book into something that big?

And before anything was signed, I had to give the editorial team a few things: a fully illustrated first chapter, and a full outline for the book. This would give them a better idea of the story and my comic style. So I added new characters, expanded the moments from the story, and added a lot of jokes!

Once the editorial team gave the thumbs up, I was off to the races to get my debut graphic novel complete.

EXTRA: You can find out more about Ken's process as well as sample sketches in his Q&A with We Need Diverse Books.

Q. I've been thinking about a graphic novel middle grade project, but am intimidated by the amount of time the ART could take. Do you have any tips? How much time did MISCHIEF AND MAYHEM TAKE YOU in total? Were you working on anything else at the same time?

No kidding. Graphic novels ARE a lot of work. I've easily spent 1000 hours on Mischief and Mayhem (including creating marketing materials, videos, etc.). I also have a day job, so most of my after-hours are spent working on the book (typically around 5 hours on the weekdays). I basically stare at the computer screen all day!

During this time, I was also creating art for a picture book. And since the schedule for picture books are a bit more relaxed, I was able to squeeze it in without much problem.

Here are some tips I hope you'll find useful:

1. Working digitally has helped increase my productivity. It's easier to create dummies, inking, make revisions, and get feedback.

2. Scheduling and planning are very important. Find out the deadline, how many pages you can complete per day, and do the math.

In my case, I've determined that I am inking(outlining) about 1 page per hour. This means it will take me roughly 250 hours to outline a 250-page book. Based on that number, I can then determine if my deadline is a realistic goal. I know, it's a lot of math but it does help and you will be able to strategize how you approach the project.

3. Streamlining your art style. This varies depending on your abilities and time. Some artists are blessed enough to work full-time on their books and with longer deadlines. But if you're not one of them, then I would suggest streamlining the look of your characters, your drawing techniques so you can work faster and efficiently. Some artists are able to also hire a team to help support the rest of the task such as coloring, inking, letter, etc., but a majority of graphic creators are one-person operations.

4. Don't forget to take a break and enjoy life.

Q. What advice do you have for young graphic novel writers and illustrators?

Start small. You don't have to create a big "novel" length book right away. I started my comic book journey when I submitted a 4-page comic to an anthology. After I gained some confidence, I started creating 24-page comic one-shots (single issues). And it just kept growing from there.

Comics should be fun for both the creator and the reader, so make sure to enjoy the process and don't stress out about getting it right the first time.

Q. What's next for you?

I just finished illustrating a picture book called FAMILY BUSINESS (by Lenore Appelhans). It's about a raccoon family who seems to always get into trouble. I'm excited for that to come out (no dates yet).

I'm also in the middle of Mischief and Mayhem book 2. As I write this my hand is hurting from illustrating a "Where's Waldo-Esque" spread. Ha! But I'm proud to say the art has improved and the story is even bigger than the first one.

I've never really had a big plan for my drawing/art career. It's all a blessing and a humbling experience. I just hope that the readers love the stories and connect with the characters. So we'll see what happens next!

~~

For more interviews with children's book creators, see the Inkygirl interview archives.

Looking for a hugely entertaining alphabet book that also has an uplifting message of empowerment for young readers? I highly recommend T. REXES CAN'T TIE THEIR SHOES by Anna Lazowski and Steph Laberis, launching June 29th, 2021 from Doubleday Books For Young Readers. The back matter also has an alphabetized factoid list of "all the amazing things animals CAN do!"

This is an alphabet book that can be appreciated by grown-ups as well as young readers, with lots of potential discussion points. The illustrations of animals in ridiculous situations are so SOOOOO FUN --- omigosh, even as I'm writing this post, I went back to look through the digital ARC and can't decide which is my favourite, though I'm leaning toward the "Cheetahs can't chew bubble gum" page.

I asked debut picture book author Anna Lazowski if she had any advice for young writers, and here's what she said:

"Write what you want to write, because as you move through the publishing process, it will become incredibly important for you to truly believe in your work. The rejections in this industry are endless, and they come at every stage. Critique partners might reject elements of your manuscript, agents will reject your work, and once you're on submission to editors, they will reject your work. Then once you're finally published, some reviewers will reject your work. If you don't fully believe in your stories, this will be extremely hard to take. It's hard as it is, so make sure you're all in on the work you're doing. It will make the rest a little bit easier to navigate."

Wise advice. Thank you, Anna! And congrats to you and Steph on your upcoming launch!

----

Also see other Advice For Young Writers and Illustrators From Children's Book Creators and my other Interviews With Children's Book Creators.

Image at the top of this post was created for my new #BookADay book journal. For more info about Donalyn Miller's #BookADay challenge, see Donalyn's post in the Nerdy Book Club blog.

Hazel Mitchell has helped create more than twenty children's books, including her award-winning picture book Toby (Candlewick Press). Her illustrations appear in books by Cynthia Lord, JaNay Brown-Wood (Imani's Moon was mentioned on the Stephen Colbert show!), Lynn Parrish Sutton, Liza Gardner Walsh and others. You can find out more about Hazel and her work at HazelMitchell.com, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Synopsis of SWEET PEA SUMMER (Candlewick):

During her mother’s absence, a young girl discovers the joys of gardening—and the rewards of persistence and a sharp eye—in a sweet intergenerational story. With warm, child-friendly illustrations and a simple narration, Hazel Mitchell tells a timeless story about holding on to hope in hard times and finding the strength and determination to see it through. A brief author’s note at the end offers a bit of history and a few details about sweet peas for aspiring gardeners.

Q. What inspired you to write Sweet Pea Summer?

My inspiration for the book were memories I have from staying with my grandparents when I was little (4-6 years old). They lived in a row of mill cottages in a Yorkshire town called Huddersfield. The town was born out of the wool trade and had many factories and tall towers, but was surrounded by beautiful countryside. I started to sketch my memories of staying with them - the cottage, the garden, the countryside with the moors and mill chimneys, the cats that were always scampering around, the long road that stretched away up a sloping hill to the town itself.

My granddad was an excellent gardener. I suspect this came from the war years in Britain when everyone grew their own food as much as possible. In my memory the garden was so, so long with a little greenhouse and was stuffed with veggies and flowers. Of course, my memory exaggerated everything. I was seeing through a small child's eyes. I even googled the road on Google Streetview and the cottage and the garden are still there, just much smaller than I recalled.

I decided there was a story in these sketches and my rememberings. I find that I'm often inspired by childhood memories, places and real life things, like my own dog who is the main character in the book 'Toby', also from Candlewick Press. I've even been known to use my house in books, or feature the landscape of Maine, where I live, and sometimes I draw objects from my home. it gives authenticity I think.

Q. What was the writing and illustration process like?

After some note making, more doodles and musing I decided on the main character of a girl. She's not exactly me. My sister also went to stay with my grandparents when my mother was ill and that was really the nugget that set me rolling. The girl is sad and missing her mother, so Grandpa invites her to help in the garden and, in particular, to look after the sweet peas. (My own grandfather grew chrysanthemums, but I decided children would relate more to sweet peas. Plus it is easier to say!).

The grandparents do not look like my grandparents and even though the child is not really me, I guess she shares some of my personality characteristics and DO I love gardening! (Although I always fail with sweet peas, which is ironic). I found I had all the inspiration I needed to get started on roughing out a story.

Writing and illustrating Sweet Pea Summer was a long process, as most books tend to me. There are a lot of images in the book, which is kind of graphic novelish in a way, with multiple images on some pages that follow a grid layout. Although I did preliminary character and setting sketches, I then spent time writing scene progressions and story boarding before I was ready to do the first full dummy.

I've found this saves me time in the long run, when I finally start to sketch I can be pretty certain I have the rudimentary story arc and length of book down. We had 2-3 edits and rehashes before my editors, art director and myself were all happy to go to finals. Finals are always the very long and arduous stage of the book for me. The first spark of story and hashing it out is the inspirational bit.

I did all the art for Sweet Pea in pencil and watercolor (usually I colour an under painting digitally), but I felt this book needed a traditional watercolour feel. It was a longer process for sure! Along the way I did a good amount of picture research especially on the landscapes and the flowers - plus the process of growing them, which features in the story. The parallel between the illness of the m/c's mom and the flowers failing to open was important to me. didn't want it to be too obvious to the reader.

My editor, Liz Bicknell at Candlewick Press, was very helpful, as always, keeping the story on track. Pam Consolazio was my art director, and her nickname was Sweet Pea as a child! it is lovely when you find unexpected connections. I scan my own artwork, which gives me the luxury of making any tweaks to the final art. I think the whole book took about 2 years, including edits etc.

It's wonderful when your book finally arrives in your mailbox! (Just like any birth, the pain recedes!) It was especially concerning in this time of the pandemic, but everything went well and the books arrived in time for publication.

Q. What advice do you have for young writers and illustrators?

My advice to young writers and illustrators is always work on stories that you love and feel an emotional response to whether, happy, sad, funny or just that you just love and know the subject. It will always show in your work!

----

For more insights from book creators, see my Inkygirl interview archives.

By Sara Truuvert

When your novel is deemed "the greatest idea for a book ever", you're probably on to something. That certainly seems to be the case for debut author Victor Piñeiro, whose novel Time Villains has garnered a starred review from Kirkus and a spot as an Amazon Best Book of the Month. The book promises time-hopping high jinx, historic and literary Easter eggs, and even some one-sentence Puerto Rican recipes.

Time Villains follows sandwich-obsessed Javi Santiago, who has to nail his homework assignment if he wants to pass sixth grade. The assignment seems simple enough: if you could invite any three people to dinner, who would they be? Plus, Javi has his best friend Wiki and little sister Brady to help him. What could go wrong? Turns out, a lot! The trio accidentally uses an antique dining table to summon the dinner guests for real. Now, Blackbeard the Pirate is on the loose, and Javi, Wiki, and Brady must figure out how to send him back (perhaps with the help of other historical figures...). Time Villains is the first novel in a three-part series. It launched on July 6th, 2021 with Sourcebooks and is widely available to order. 

Victor Piñeiro is an author and a Creative Director at HBO Max. He has also done a multitude of other cool things, like teach, make documentaries, lead content/social strategies for Big Spaceship, YouTube, Hasbro, and Google, and answer these interview questions while caring for his two-week-old child. You can find out more about Victor on his website, Twitter, and Instagram. 

Q. A huge congratulations on your literary debut! Would you tell me a bit about your journey to publication?

A. Thank you! Being a published author has been the dream since I was a kid, so it’s been quite the journey! In my teens and twenties I couldn’t silence my inner critic long enough to write novels, so I turned to poetry and screenplays, writing and producing documentaries for a spell. I finally coaxed a book out in 2017 after writing daily on my (long) commute for three years. It was a very unconventional first book—the only kind I could coax out on my first try—so I shelved it and started working on Time Villains. 

Three drafts in I sent Time Villains to a bunch of agents, and after chatting with a few, a friend put me in touch with Elana Roth Parker. I feel so incredibly lucky to work with Elana—she saw the seed of something in my draft and we developed it into something far more compelling. When Annie Berger at Sourcebooks showed interest in the book, it felt like winning the lottery twice. Annie and the whole team have been the most incredible partners—thoroughly brilliant and a complete joy to work with. And here we are—the book just hit shelves this week and I’m not sure what to do with myself!

Q. Would you please introduce us to the novel’s hero, Javi Santiago? (I must know what level of dedication to sandwiches it takes to be classified as ‘sandwich-obsessed’!)

A. Javi’s an aspiring chef and sandwichéaste (think cinéaste but for sandwiches) who’ll do anything to pass sixth grade. He’s a zany kid with an overactive imagination and a penchant for asking deep questions about food (because what makes a sandwich a sandwich, really?). He peppers in one-sentence recipes throughout the book—some of Puerto Rico’s most delectable dishes, mixed in with his own recipes (like the Spanglish Sandwich aka The Spanglo Sando™). And while he’s fun and eccentric, underneath the silliness he’s a first generation Puerto Rican kid struggling with imposter syndrome as he tries to excel at something in his life. 

Q. You offer us such a hilarious dynamic between your protagonists – we have the almost-failing student, Javi, paired with his best friend, Wiki, the human Wikipedia/young professor (plus, Javi’s little sister, who wants to be the president’s bodyguard!). How did you land on this dynamic? Is it something you envisioned from the get-go?

A. The characters were floating around my head disparately but when I put them together I realized how fun their dynamic would be. 

I know a few folks who are so brilliant they seem weighed down by their intelligence—it’s made them world-weary. I thought that’d be really fun to capture in an extremely-precocious sixth grader. As I was coming up with the character I remembered a line in a hip hop song I love, “Catch me solving mysteries like Wikipedia Brown.” And that’s where Wiki’s name emerged and the character solidified in my head.

In terms of Brady, I knew I wanted a hot-headed sibling/partner to steal the spotlight and do much of the butt kicking because I love that dynamic in stories, going all the way back to Frodo and Sam. I also have a few friends with wild kid sister energy and they’re the life of any party, so I knew I wanted to bring that to the trio. 

Q. You had to develop a wide array of voices for this story, including kid Mozart, the Earl of Sandwich, and Blackbeard the Pirate. Was that a challenge? A joy? A spiralling research nightmare?

A. A spiralling research dream! This series gives me the best excuse to research my favorite folks in history and fiction, and it’s been a blast. I loved reading old texts on pirates, delving into the specifics of Mozart at age twelve and dusting off copies of old novels with iconic characters as I researched this book. And I knew nothing about the Earl of Sandwich before writing this, but how could Javi not invite him?

There was one aspect of research that was a bit frustrating. A big focus of this series is exploring characters more representative of the world’s history and fiction, because I’m hoping this book is ultimately a gateway to other books, characters and historical figures for kids to explore. Finding a wealth of information about some historical and mythological figures from other cultures was incredibly difficult. I knew it wouldn’t be easy, but I wasn’t prepared for it to be quite so challenging—which invigorated me to include more of them in the book!

Q. You have such lovely, concise, concrete writing advice available on your website. Is there any advice my-novel-is-getting-published Victor would give I’m-starting-to-write-a-novel Victor?

A. So much advice! I think there are a few super important things that would’ve had me writing novels decades ago, so I take any chance I can get to relay them to other aspiring/young writers.

1. An hour a day can be enough. I always thought I needed to quit my job and write eight hours a day to finish a novel, which held me back for years. Then I read a Murakami interview where he said he completed his first novel by writing an hour a day after work. In that moment I felt like the universe gave me permission to write mine. 

2. Lower the bar far lower than you’re comfortable with for that first draft. (No, lower!) There are passages in the first draft of my books that are barely intelligible, but I now know that’s okay. The first draft is about discovery and getting the story out of your head and onto the page. It’s far too early to be precious about anything. Just get it all out and see what you’ve got when you’re done.

3. Don’t dread rewriting—it’s far more fun than expected. Before writing my first book I was terrified of it, but it’s become one of my favorite aspects of writing. (Which is a good thing considering it’s 75-90% of what you do as a writer!) 

Q. Do you have any advice for young writers in general?

A. Absolutely. Besides everything I said above, read about writing and join online writing communities. Screenwriting books are great for story structure basics, Stephen King’s On Writing is great for process, Brandon Sanderson’s free writing course on YouTube is absolutely brilliant, Neil Gaiman and David Mamet’s Master Class courses are gold, and Reddit’s /r/writing is a fantastic place to learn alongside others in the trenches. I also love John Truby and Lisa Cron’s books. But maybe it’s best to start with this short Ira Glass video. Or this brilliant reflection on writing advice Chuck Wendig just wrote.

Q. Finally, I read that you used to be a documentary filmmaker and a blogger. What are some questions you would ask Blackbeard, if you met him?

A. It’d be one of those long interviews—the kind that take up the entire documentary and usually take the film crew multiple days to shoot—because I’d want to lead up to asking him how many people he actually killed. (Some historians say almost zero!) And I’d also want to ask him a lot of questions about Stede Bonnet, “The Gentleman Pirate” who was an equally fascinating and thoroughly hilarious character. He was rich, had a midlife crisis, became a pirate, and got thoroughly swindled by Blackbeard. (Side note: I was so happy when I heard the news that Taika Waititi would be creating a show about him!) Finally, I’d ask him to get battle ready. Before a skirmish Blackbeard would light fuses or small candles in his beard, since the smoke gave him a demonic appearance. It was his favorite scare tactic. I’d love to see it live!

------------------------------------------------------------------

Sara Truuvert completed her MLitt in Creative Writing at the University of St Andrews. She also holds a Certificate in Creative Writing from the Humber School for Writers and a BA in English, Drama, and the History and Philosophy of Science from the University of Toronto. Her work has appeared in the Literary Review of Canada among other publications.

For more interviews, see the Inkygirl Interview Archive. Also see Advice For Young Writers and Illustrators, a compilation of tips generously offered by children's book creators Inkygirl.com has interviewed over the years.

(Shortlink to this post: https://debbieohi.link/goodnight-ganesha)

I met Nadia Salomon through the SCBWI and am also familiar with her online. I love her enthusiasm, positive outlook, and the support she has shown fellow members of the kidlit community over the years! I was excited to get a sneak peek of GOODNIGHT GANESHA, her debut as a picture book author. The bedtime story celebrates nigthtime rituals as two young children visit their grandparents in India. SUCH gorgeous illustrations by Poonam Mistry. Thanks to both Nadia and Poonam for answering some questions about the book as well as their advice for young writers and illustrators!

Nadia Salomon lives in northern California with her family. Nadia writes picture book, middle-grade, and graphic novel manuscripts with themes of South Asian and Caribbean culture, STEM, non-fiction, and humor. Nadia is the winner of the 2020 SCBWI Service Award and the 2019 SCBWI WOOP Honor Award for work of outstanding progress on her non-fiction, picture book manuscript, MYRLIE: A VOICE OF HOPE. You can find out more about Nadia on her website, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. You can sign up for her newsletter here.

Poonam Mistry is a freelance illustrator living in the UK and graduated in 2010 with a degree in Graphic Design and Illustration at the University of Hertfordshire. Poonam creates her beautifully intricate images by hand using fine liners and then digitally alters them. You can find out more about Poonam on her website, Twitter, and Instagram.

Synopsis of GOODNIGHT GANESHA (Philomel, Aug. 31, 2021):

"As nighttime falls over the city, two children visiting their grandparents in India find there’s so much fun to be had! Whether it’s listening to epic stories or observing rituals in the puja room, there are many moments that make this time together special. In this beautiful, rhyming ode to bedtime, the only thing more universal than getting ready for bed and saying goodnight is the love between children and their grandparents."

Inspiration photo from Poonam Mistry.

Q. What was your path to publication?

Nadia: I'm a #PitMad success story. I landed my amazing agent, Ammi-Joan Paquette, through twitter pitching! That's about three years after joining SCBWI. But my debut, GOODNIGHT GANESHA, is not the story she faved, but instead what I call a 'hot potato' idea inspired by my child. I wrote the draft in October of 2017. I sent it to several editors and agents I had connected with through conferences, but received lots of champagne rejections before shelving it. It was one of 21 manuscripts I shared with my agent in March of 2018. She loved the concept, but asked me to write the story in lyrical prose. After rounds of revisions, in January of 2019, she finally accepted the manuscript. She sent it out on sub. Six months later, in July of 2019, we sold the manuscript to Liza Kaplan, a senior editor at Philomel Books. I am now traditionally published. From concept to release will be 3 years, 10 months, 14 days to be exact.

Q. What interaction did you have with the illustrator, if any, during the process?

Nadia: Poonam and I interacted behind the scenes, but we NEVER discussed GOODNIGHT GANESHA or the art for the book. I trusted her whole-heartedly. All work related communications went through our editor. We became friends behind the scenes - coping through the pandemic, bonding over shared culture, family, and everything else in between, but we NEVER had convos as she worked on the book. The one time was at the end, when Poonam completed the art and asked me, "DID YOU SEE THE FINAL ART YET?" And I was like, "Uhm...NO." She was so excited. She said she put a lot of extra details and hoped I liked it. I was so antsy, but stayed calm. A few days later I received the final art. It was just incredible! We had a good cry messaging back and forth over the final art and what this project meant to each of us. We're about to contribute a piece of Telugu Culture and Kalamkari art into kidlit; we're ecstatic and proud of what we created together.

Q. What was your illustration process for GOODNIGHT GANESHA?

Poonam: For Goodnight Ganesha, I began by actually taking photographs around my parent's house. They have a lot of decorative ornaments and wall hangings all around their home so this was the perfect starting point for the book. Nadia's text is so poetic and beautiful so I sketched the imagery I felt best represented each spread and would really showcase her words- usually I have several versions for each part of the text and pick the ones I like the most. Once this was approved, I sketched out larger versions on thick cartridge paper and used black ink to draw in the designs in neat. This is where I added all the patterns and details. Mostly I took inspiration from traditional Indian art such Kalamkari textiles and Madhubani art. I layered the patterned very much like you would see on sarees and fabrics. After completing the drawing, I used Photoshop to add colour and additional patterns to finish it off. Some of the spreads have a patterned border- this was because I wanted them to look like wall hangings and Kalamkari textile pieces- big pieces of art!

Q. What advice do you have for young writers?

Nadia: Read, read, read. Write your stories. Make writing a habit. Write, write, write. Use the power of storytelling to change the world through joy. Explore your emotions, your memories, and create new classics. There's someone out there, an adult, another child, a pair of hands waiting to read your story that may impact or influence their life. No matter your age, your size, your voice - your words have value.

Q. What advice do you have for young illustrators?

Poonam: My biggest piece of advice is to do art that is true to yourself. My style is a real reflection of the things I love and what makes me who I am. It is my visual voice. Also always keep drawing and be experimental in the media you use. Although my work is mostly digital, I love painting in my style!

------------

For more insights from book creators, see my Inkygirl Interview Archives.

We’ve all been there – the frustration of searching high and low for that elusive piece of furniture to turn our home decorating vision into reality. For Sabrina, her search was for the ideal console table. “Unfortunately, I could not find the perfect console, so my husband had to believe in it again and build one himself!” she shared on her Instagram post. After realizing that the perfect entryway console was nowhere to be found, the couple decided to take […]

The post Failed Furniture Hunt Inspires Couple’s Fabulous Entryway Console Hack appeared first on IKEA Hackers.

Commercial software can be expensive. Can you just pirate software if you can't afford it? You can guess my answer, but even better: theft isn't necessary.

Why Can’t the Poor Just Pirate Software? from Ask Leo!.
Get the Confident Computing weekly newsletter: https://newsletter.askleo.com

Client: “We’re a startup game company, and we need one character with thirty different eyes, thirty different mouths, thirty different hairstyles, and thirty different bodies for our game where the character can be customized.”

Me: “Okay, that’s technically thirty characters with each element drawn separately and/or in separate layers.”

I then give my rate for thirty characters.

Client: “Your profile says you charge [amount] for only one character. Please give us that rate since it’s only one character but he has thirty different mouths, eyes, hair, and bodies. So the price should be just for one character.”

My girlfriend works for a state-funded company and was the lead on the re-design of their website. They already had a developer lined up, but his design skills were not on-par with what they had in mind. As a web designer, I was naturally my girlfriend’s first selection for the job. After five minutes of discussing what they need to be done, I know I will have to turn down the job to save our relationship. 

Client: “So we need you to design three different options for the website and it needs to be designed in HTML and CSS.”

Me: “Okay, but if I’m just designing it, what do you need me to do with the HTML and CSS? Am I designing and developing the site?”

Client: “Just designing it, what’s the problem?”

Me: “Well, if I am designing it, why do you need me to use HTML or CSS? I can develop the site too if that’s what you’re asking?”

Client: “No! You’re not listening! You’re just designing the page, but we need it to be designed in CSS and HTML so it can be developed by[Developer’s Name] for our website.”

Me: “I don’t think you understand what HTML and CSS are.”

Client: “Yes I do! I took a marketing class!”

Me: “…”

Camping is one of the greatest joys of summer. With warmer weather, you do not have to be the most experienced camper or have the best gear to survive cold nights. Even amateur camping trips have bug repellent, shelter and s’mores. Stepping up your camping game includes being more sustainable, and many of the ways to do that are easier than you think.[...]

Plastic and floating debris are part of a problem that is rapidly growing. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP) is just one example of how water pollution and trash dumping are spiraling out of our control. Big, floating heaps of debris like the GPGP require interventions that are on a larger scale. This includes those carried out by The Ocean Cleanup, a nonprofit organization that removes floating ocean debris. However, what about smaller-scale solutions? Coastlines and local waterways also suffer from water pollution as a result of littering. This threatens biodiversity by causing illness and reproductive issues, particularly when aquatic[...]

Do you know how much energy each appliance takes in your home? If you're like me, you get confused by the math on voltage because it doesn't account for use over time, but you do understand that EnergyStar rated appliances and LEED-certified efficient systems in your home are a good thing. If you haven't done a recent energy audit, here are some ideas for finding the energy vampires lurking in your home. [...]

Our group sat in a circle at a 15th century Inca site. We each held three coca leaves glued together with llama fat and concentrated on protection, prosperity and a balanced life. A young shaman named Lucas alternately prayed in Quechua and explained things to us in Spanish, both translated by our guide Wilfredo Huillca. The shaman added quinoa, corn, confetti and other symbolic items to Pachamama, the Andean earth mother. Fortunately, modern rituals substitute animal cookies for alpaca sacrifices.[...]

The new Rivian R1T pickup is the fabulous EV glamping truck you didn’t know you needed. This unique EV truck has all kinds of features you need, plus a few you never even thought of. Come along on our test drive of the Rivian R1T and decide for yourself if this is your next daily driver. [...]