AfTeR TrIcK oR TrEaT!

This is a 100 word, picture book story about Halloween. It was inspired by a draft illustration I did several years ago called "Eyes and a flashlight"

Happy Halloween!

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After Trick or Treat:

I cannot sleep.

The lights went out when the thunder came.

It's not the same bedroom in the dark...

...but I'm not afraid.

I forgot to close my closet door.

Eyes beside my backpack blink.

Something groaned or was it me?

Do trolls like stinky feet?

A ghostly bump sits on my bed...

...but I'm not afraid.

My under-bed-monster has a new address; I don't know where.

I wonder if he still eats toes?

Spiders, extra large, scratch at the moonlit windowpane...

...but I'm not afraid.

I keep my friendly flashlight handy!

It's not the same bedroom in the light.

 kah2016©

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Just a picture of my cat this time...

For my friends on the 'Reef' at http://jetreidliterary.blogspot.com, this is a picture of Cedar's sister. Since I too have problems imbedding links without leaning on Colin, I chose to post it here.
Cedar and Fern express their happiness at being 'featured" on this page.
(Beth: I did get a picture of the elusive Fern!)

My entry for Susanna Hill's "The 1st Annual Valentiny Writing Contest"

Grumpy, Groany, Grouchy, Growl 
by Kathleen Higgins 2016

"Go to your room Mikey."

     "You don't love me!" Mikey grouched

"I love you but sometimes that's what mommies do
when they love you."

     Mickey stomped and stormed into his room and slipped
     under the edge of his blue blankety world.

"Hello? Anyone home?"

"Mommy won't let me do what I want to do. Mommy doesn't love me!" groaned Mikey

Daddy swooped under the blue blankety world.

     "Love is a funny thing." Daddy said, "My mommy wouldn't let me do
      what I wanted to do.
      Sometimes I sat in a corner for almost forever. "

"Grandma didn't love you either!" griped Mikey

     "She loved me but sometimes that's what people do
       when they love you"

"I hear voices but I can't see anyone?" 

"Popa slithered under the blue, blankety world."

     "Once my brother sat on my head," Popa said,
     "he wouldn't let me do what I wanted to do "

"That's really mean. He didn't love you." grumbled Mikey.

          

     "He loved me but sometimes that's what people do 

      when they love you"

"Is your blanket talking, Mikey?"

"Go away, Mommy!" growled Mikey

     "We are discussing love"

          "We are talking about doing things we shouldn't do."

Three cookies silently slid under Mikey's blue blankety world.

Because sometimes that's what Mommies do
when they love you.

A Valentiny writing contest from Susanna Hill February 2016

Susanna Hill, a wonderful children's book author, has a bright idea about a “writing contest in February to break up the winter doldrums” it is called the; "First Annual Pretty Much World Famous Valentiny Contest!"
 ... with prizes!

It looks like fun (and good writing practice) so I'm entering. Just 214 words about “big emotions for little people”  in which someone is grumpy. If you are interested: http://susannahill.com/blog/

PiBoIdMo

PiBoIdMo: that means Picture Book Idea Month. Easy, just come up with 30+ new, original, fantastic, picture book ideas. It's not like I have the time. I mean, I'm really busy but I am also very tempted. I imagine at least 7 impossible (to mis-quote Alice in Wonderland) and this will provide a way to log them and maybe just maybe one will eventually become a book. Want to know more? Visit: http://taralazar.com/piboidmo. I already have 3 ideas:

1) A story with frogs in it
2) The theme has to do with brothers
3) The story involves not sleeping

It has been suggested that we don't reveal all in a blog; Idea-ntity theft you know or possibly undead, idea zombies who'll eat your brain and suck those ideas right out of your head...humm...maybe idea number four...

Something Creative This Way Comes...

Amazing how creativity can lead you to where you've never been. Three months ago, in order to bring in extra cash in this stressful economy, I (re-)opened my Etsy shop (see the mini store to the right). I really didn't know if my summer brainstorm would be successful but jobs for graphic designers (and illustrators) were few and far between (there are 100 applicants for each one). So I gave it a go with something I knew I could do; create art I like.

Pelican Beakcan Bellycan

Andalusian Horse

Now in the new year I have a retailer interested in possible licensing of an exclusive character, I've produce two custom Flamingo Incognitos! and I'm still surprised that people want my artfully disguised birdies. There really IS a pink Plastic Flamingo in there somewhere (you can just see the tip of it beak in the pelican's mouth...like a tongue!)

This little shop has caused me to work in my studio more, stimulated my imagination and produced a multitude of great ideas for stories and illustrations. And I am not procrastinating. Or making excuses. Or feeling like my art is 'not good enough'. It wasn't the money (though it didn't hurt), it was supplying something completely different that others truly appreciated and wanted. Wow.

I not trying to please anyone but myself. I don't copy some other character style. It is just me and my imagination and I love it. Now I'm realizing what Mark Twain said years ago, "Do what you love and the money will come"... is true.

Flamingos with an identity crisis...

Before the transformations

Creativity can strike at anytime. This summer it came in pink. Pink Plastic Flamingos, those kitschy 1950s yard birds. Inspired by the thought that maybe some pink flamingos would like to be different than the big pink flock. Individuals. Unique.

Camo Flamingo

It all started as one of those weird dreams that grab at you at 3 am and start churning away until you have to DO something about them. So I did and now they are for sale to those who always secretly wanted a pink plastic flamingo in their yard. One of my flamingos is totally camouflaged so you really could have one and no one would know it. But somehow I think that goes against having a kitschy, pink flamingo in the first place.

Steampunky Flamingo

To showcase my dream birds, I have just opened a new section of my Etsy shop called: Flamingo Incognito©. Flamingo Incognitos are at heart, plain ol’ 1950’s, kitschy, pink plastic yard birds but I re-invented them with household plastic leftovers, handmade assorted body parts, objects d’art from the studio junk drawer, paint and large doses of imagination. These flamingos make you look twice or maybe three times. Come take a peek and tell me what you think. You never know what will pop up in a creative dream.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/CedarMoon

A Different Perspective...

Ah, sooo long since I blogged. Sorry about that but this blog is as good as any to start up again. One blog I follow shows the value of a different perspective. A great way to spur bouts of creativity is seeing life through another's eyes, in this case a cat's or rather a kitten's.
The blog is called Housecat Confidential (http://housecatconfidential.blogspot.com) and it is written (mostly) from the viewpoint of a kitten named Quill. With a sense of humor and a distinct opinion of what humans are for – servitude – the blog is written for anyone owned by a feline.

This month Meg Hart is concentrating on the Cat-O-Lympics narrated convincingly by a pair of fictitious announcers named Jim and Bob. First round is the Hiding event. My Cedar, a 17lb, Maine Coon, Tuxedo cat is a late entry.

It is said humans once worshiped cats as gods and Cats have never let us forget that fact.
If you have cats or if they have you, you will enjoy Housecat Confidential. Let the games begin!

An Unhappy Hummingbird

With a snow storm blasting away here in the Northwest corner of the U.S. A couple of my little friends were not happy with all this snow. Luckily I keep the hummingbird feeder full and de-iced. It seems to keep them warm until the stuff melts.

I think this picture needs a caption...

When I go out to feed the birds (and squirrels) in bad weather I can feel hundreds of little eyes watching me. An interesting feeling. My daughter calls me Snow White. My husband says I have animal magnetism.

My Work-In-Progress progresses...

Someone once said to put your work-in-progess on the back burners and let it simmer. Mine has been simmering now for more than 5 months so I dug deep in my nested computer files and found it. I found several versions of course but I read the last one I worked on. I had prefaced this version with a synopsis and remembered that I had spent the whole night working on it. And hated it.

However after I reread it, I liked my synopsis! I remember tossing the whole thing aside and saying it was drivel and it was a stupid story and no one would read it. Then I reread my first 15 pages of the manuscript and I realized I actually liked this story and I wanted to read more. Surprise, this WIP was OK! It wasn’t drivel after all. I liked my characters. I liked my plot. And the writing wasn't too bad for a 2nd draft.
So now I am re-energized by my own work. Now my work-in-progress is progressing.  (what exactly is 'drivel' anyway?)

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Excerpt from "The Emerald Boots" 
a middle-grade work in progress by K.A.Higgins ©2010

“Applause soared up like a mountain from the celebrating crowd on the other side of the woven wicker wall, closely followed by what sounded like a huge dragon belching from somewhere high above her. Jade curled up much tighter into the small storage corner she was hiding in.

Covering her ears and pressing her face firmly against her knees she tried to drown out the noise by chanting in her brain,
“This is a good idea
        … this was a good idea… 
             … … this is not a good idea!”

A longer and much louder roaring vibrated the whole basket. The brain chanting abruptly adjusted to; “Eleven-year-olds don’t scream...
         Eleven-year-olds don’t scream…”. 

KaPoossh-SHHHHHHHHhhh – her whole wicker world tipped and swirled and completely knocked Jade loose.

“YES, THEY DO!!!” She screamed and scrambled out of her hiding place smack dab into a pair of solid, green tweed legs.

 “Yes, they do what?” asked a Great And Powerful but familiar voice from above.”

     ©2010

One and only one resolution...

...and don't procrastinate...

My one resolution for 2012 is; 

"Five minutes of writing a day for a year equals a book." 

Easy to do, easy to keep and with great results. Thank you Alexandra Sokoloff for that thought.
(PS her books are wonderful...read one)
http://thedarksalon.blogspot.com

PiBoIdMo Day 5...

Rain, rain, go away . . .

And I have four more ideas and titles:

Idea #2 "Weather or Not" What can you do when it's raining and pouring or snowing and blowing?

Idea #3 "Little Brother; Pest and Pal"  The pros and cons of little brothers as seen from the little brother's POV And the big sister's POV.

Idea #4 "If I Had a Tiger"  What Eli would do with a tiger for a pet. Revenge? Intimidation? Run for president? NOT clean his room?

Idea #5"Come and Get It!" Lucy's family works and plays and dances and creates. When they home for dinner to share their day with interesting results.

Picture Book Idea Month 2011

I figured this was a good way to get back to my blog and back to my art after a fairly long hiatus doing all the things life throws at you.

You know...stuff. Stuff that has to be done so you can eat.

So to start off my PiBoIdMo this year.

IDEA #1:
"Where Are They Going?"
An expose' on where geese, ants, bees, turtles and squirrels are going when they head out on migration. Or just in search of nuts.

The Creative Mind and Magic…

I firmly believe magic exists. Take for example the case of the magic wand. The wand amplifies and directs desires and intentions you focus your mind on. It is creativity manifest.

Hand a plain stick with a star on it to a child or even an adult and tell them it is magic. They will take it in their hand and possibly point it at a friend (or an enemy) and wave it around a bit, fully intending on turning them in a toad, or a duck or a tree.

In that instant they believe it might, just maybe, possibly… actually happen. Most people will agree that it won’t happen…but for the briefest moment in their minds they believed. And magic lived.

If you handed a billion people a wand and they also believed for only a second that their will could manifest itself into a toad (or a duck or a tree) then for a billion seconds magic would exist.

One billion divided by 31,536000 = 31 years, 259 days, 1 hour, 46 minutes and 40 seconds = 31,709.79 years. And there are about 6 billion people on this planet. That’s about 193 years of magic. 

So I firmly believe magic exists...even if for just a moment.

What I did on my summer vacation...

After a summer filled with new grand baby and vacation I’m eager to start blogging again and thanks to Janet Reid, literary agent I have a great reentry in the blog-o-sphere.

Janet ran a word challenge contest, she actually does this often but this time she forgot to name the winners. She does not forget often. The challenge was to write a story in 100 or fewer words.  Post the story in the comments section of her blog (http://jetreidliterary.blogspot.com) and use the following words in the story: lyrical, angst, conspiracy, reluctant, swoop.

I wrote this: 
"The old sideboard was painted with stories. Minutely detailed life marched up drawers and across shelves. A tiny war folded around the doors, a carefully wrought conspiracy hid in the corners and a love affair gone wrong erupted over the intricately carved headpiece. Rendered mostly in browns and greens, a fragile swoop of red would brightly proclaim a birth…or a death.

This furniture was too precious to sell, too detailed to interpret, too disturbing to keep as is. I dipped my brush in generic beige and reluctantly began to extinguish 87 years of lyrical angst."

I checked her blog today (I had promised myself no internet while on vacation) and I won her latest word contest posted on Sunday, July 31. What a surprise to come home after 12 days in the mountains of Idaho to find my name after the word “winner”!

Winning is a great motivator to keep writing…humm…let’s see…I have this idea….

I've been kind of busy...

... interviewing my new model for future illustrations. Introducing my first grandchild; Elynn (E-lynn), 9lbs 5ozs. My daughter is tired but happy and doing fine.

I am already teaching Elynn to stick out her tongue and she actually does it. Brilliant and talented child...just like her grandma!
It's amazing what someone who has only been breathing air for a few days can do.
I'll be back to blogging soon as I put her down...oh, what's that mommy?...you want her back?
Being Nana Kate is going to be great!

SCBWI-WWA: I want to do it again!

The 2011 SCBWI-WWA was held this last weekend in Redmond (near Seattle). Two exhausting days that went by too fast. Too many things to learn but I tried. Too many new ideas generated in my little brain.

And too many notes to transcribe before I forget what I wrote. My fast-mode long hand is a bit scribbly but I wanted every writing/illustrated gem of wisdom down on paper. Can anyone tell me what a word that looks like ‘rebraration’ means…or maybe that was ‘nedarfacted’? Thankfully there were many live blogs and synopses of almost ever breakout session so I can get a good brain jolt from them and relive those wonderful sessions.

One of the creators of the original Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, Lin Oliver, called it the ‘Mercedes’ of local SCBWI conferences. In the end we wanted to be called the ‘DeLorean’ of conferences because it was fun, fast and not like at all like your mother’s ride. And sometimes it even comes with a Flux Capacitor!

Now back to the future to revise my stories and refine my illustrations…

What’s in an SCBWI Author/Illustrator’s portfolio?

Sorry I haven't blogged for a month but as they say "Life gets in the way when you are making other plans".

I've been busy getting my portfolio ready for the portfolio showcase at the 2011 SCBWI-WWA (Western Washington) Spring Conference in Seattle next week.
 
However author/illustrators are a strange creature consisting of a talented (hopefully) mix of words and pictures. What do they put in their portfolios? Pictures or words? Or both?

Good author/illustrator are highly sought after because it means the agent, editor or publishing house only have to work with one person, one ego and one royalty. Finding advice and mentorship for an author/illustrator is hard work but after searching and researching I came up with a plan for my author/Illustrators portfolio.

This is my author/illustrator portfolio plan:

1. My portfolio pages will have a text from one of my own stories and the illustration that goes with it, hopefully highlighting my aptitude for both. I will use only those illustrations that show character, diversity and a unique interpretation of my words.
2. I will divide the portfolio into two parts: black and white and color. Divide the color and black & white sections into picture book and chapter book illustrations.
3. Aim for 10 to fifteen pages with content only on the right hand page. The left hand page will be left black.
4. Choose the illustrations and words the propel the reader to turn the page or wonder what will happen next.
5. I will use only two or possibly three of styles of illustration. Style is equivalent to the illustrative ‘voice’ agents and editors are looking for.
6. Composition, emotion and lighting will be as important in my illustrations as spelling, voice and continuity are in my writing.
7.  I’ll show off my skill depicting people, especially children and my skill with portraying common animals like bunnies and aardvarks.
8. I will include a couple of completed spreads from my own dummy books complete with illustrations and text to show layout and use space.
9. I will then lay all my choices out on the floor and put them in order from best to worst. I will ruthlessly toss out the worst regardless of how much I personally love them. Only my best will do even it’s only 8 or 10 pieces.
10. I’ll print out my final portfolio cover and composed pages (including my name and contact info on each page) and have it all bound at a local print shop. I will make it look as professional as possible.
11. I will also print out post cards for the interested agents and editors to take with them so they won’t forget me or my talent.

And I will update my website and my blog frequently!

Right Side of the Brain Exercise #12...

OK, back to creativity, nonsense and purple lemons…

I used to teach creative problem solving to grade school kids, prisoners, continuing education paralegals, moms, family and some private gathering. I did it through drawing and imagery and challenging what is real, normal or the correct, conventional way of seeing, doing and thinking. It never failed to get some interesting results. I think I learned more than they did! So I thought I’d share:

Creativity exercise # 12:

Have you seen a purple lemon? A lemon can be purple if you use your imagination you can see a purple lemon. Now imagine biting into a purple lemon, what do you taste? Now grab a #2 pencil and a piece of paper and draw a purple lemon.

What’s that you say? You can’t draw a purple lemon with a black pencil? You can’t??? Why not? There are a number of ways to draw a purple lemon. Here are two:
Draw on purple paper (note I didn't say the paper was white did I?). Or draw with your eyes closed in a very dark room so you can’t see the color. No one else can see it either so it can be purple if you say it is. You can also paint a lemon purple and just draw what you see.

Which brings us to Kate’s Creative Rule #1:
“Just because it hasn’t happened doesn’t mean it’s not going to.”

 I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells.  Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living, it's a way of looking at life through the wrong
end of a telescope.  Which is what I do, and that enables you
to laugh at life's realities.  ~Theodore Geisel

Picture Book Marathon 2011 complete...

Now to revise and revise:
Picture Book # 27: “Bird Fish, Fish Bird” If a bird was a fish and a fish was a bird.

Picture Book # 28: “Pasgetti; Once upon a thyme” A budding chef creates a her version of spaghetti sauce with interesting results.

Picture Book # 29: “Squirrel Co-op” A child’s speculation on how squirrels really get at the bird seed when no one is looking.

Picture Book # 30: “Whose Shoes” A toddlers view of the world of grown-ups.

Well, I may not have done an illustration for all of them but I got a rough draft for each. So these plus my middle-grade WIP should keep me busy for the next year.

My personal assistant (my daughter) will nag me until I submit at least 2 stories and 10 agents and/or publishers by March 15th (2011!).
I guess I just need deadlines to get anything done. My on-going excuse is; "But life gets in the way!"
Alas, life will always get in the way...but only if I let it.