Picture Book Bonanza #2 PLUS Two Giveaways!

This week I'm sharing three spanking new picture books with your chance to win two of them. (See rules below).

OOTHAR THE BLUE by Brandon Reese (Lion Forge, 2018)

Written and Illustrated
by Brandon Reese

You first heard about OOTHAR on my blog two months ago. (If you didn't read that blog please stop now and go back and read it. Lots of great process drawings and background information!)

We all have moments when we don't feel ourselves. But what does a barbarian do when he's feeling blue? He no longer wants to slay dragons or banish uberwaiths to the ninth dimension. Even the forest wizard's spell of enchantment doesn't make him feel better. 

The answer to Oothar's blues comes in an unlikely manner. Since I don't want to give away the perfect-problem-solving-ending, here are some of Brandon's amazing illustrations for clues.

Here, Oothar expresses some of his frustrations:

Next, he receives an unexpected response from the resident minotaur:

And finally, he ends up with...oops, sorry! That's the spoiler! You'll have to buy the book for your favorite little reader to see the clever way Oothar resolves his dilemma.

SCOOP THE ICE CREAM TRUCK by Patricia Keeler (Sky Pony Press, 2018)

Written and Illustrated
by Patricia Keeler

When you're an old ice cream truck "who has seen a lot of summers" and only sell vanilla ice cream cones, then you get a little down in the dumps when fancier ice cream trucks roll into town.

But, if your name is Scoop, you try lots of things to beat the competition. You get more flavors and neon lights that zoom around your roof. Sadly, Scoop's plan fails.

Scoop's ice cream started to melt. He gave away seventy-two flavors of ice cream.

The ice cream got soft, so he gave seventy-two flavors of softserve.

Then the soft serve ice cream melted, so he gave away seventy-two flavors of milk shakes.

He had nothing more to give. 

  
But Scoop is not defeated! He and his faithful friend who has followed him all through town, come up with a perfect plan that will leave adults and children as satisfied as the most perfect ice cream cone ever. Patricia's lively illustrations are as yummy as the text!

MAY I COME IN? by Marsha Diane Arnold, illustrated by Jennie Poh (Sleeping Bear Press, 2018)

By Marsha Diane Arnold
Illustrated by Jennie Poh

Raccoon's search for shelter from a scary storm reminded me of a little of The Three Bears. Each friend finds a different reason why Raccoon won't fit into his house. Raccoon is to big to fit into Possum's den; he's too wide for Quail's brambles; and Woodchuck only has room for one.

Eventually Raccoon goes, "Swish, plish, Swish, plish, Swish, swish, PLISH" until he comes to Rabbit's house. (Little readers will love the onomatopoeia!) Where he is greeted by,

He is not only welcomed into their tight little home, where "There's always room for a good friend," but becomes a part of the greeting committee when the other three animals come knocking at Rabbit's door.

This sweet book tells a friendship story in a way that little ones will understand and their parents will enjoy. Jennie Poh's warm illustrations welcome the reader inside the book...just like coming inside on a stormy day!

GIVEAWAY

I am giving away OOTHAR THE BLUE and MAY I COME IN?

To enter, please leave a comment by May 25 with your email address if you are new to my blog. Feel free to mention which book you are interested in winning. For extra chances, share on social media or follow my blog (please tell me what you do!) and I'll enter your name twice. 

You Heard it Here First: OOTHAR THE BLUE by Brandon Reese and a Giveaway!

Congratulations to Linda Phillips who won the ebook copy of Rebecca Petruck's new book, BOY BITES BUG.

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You know how I love sharing fellow writers good news--particularly for those who are debut authors. When I read on the SCBWI-Carolinas Pals group that Brandon Reese's first picture book was coming out in May (Lion Forge) I knew this was a story I wanted to share here. Since Brandon is the author/illustrator--you get to hear about his publishing journey AND see some of his great illustrations!

CAROL: What was the inspiration for OOTHAR THE BLUE? I love his name! How did you come up with it?

BRANDON: As with most of my stories, Oothar started out with a sketch. I keep a sketchbook and try to draw in it everyday. If I’m lucky, those drawings become the seeds of a story. 

To be honest, I’m not really sure how the name Oothar came about! I wanted something fantastical and Scandinavian sounding and Oothar just popped into my head.

CAROL: This is your debut picture book, but you have illustrated others. Can you share about how you went from illustrator to illustrator/writer? 

BRANDON: Being an illustrator/writer has always been the goal. I knew I needed to strengthen my writing. So I worked on it by regularly attending SCBWI conferences and just making myself work through a story. 

CAROL: Tell us more about your path to publication. 

BRANDON: I drew constantly as a kid. My mom read somewhere that if you wanted to foster creativity in your child you shouldn’t give them coloring books. Instead you should give them blank pieces of paper to draw and color on. So, blank sheets of paper were never in short supply!

I went to the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale where I took some art classes but not a lot. The focus was on graphic design. After graduating I eventually got a job art directing and designing a small children’s magazine. I would assign myself illustration jobs for the magazine. It’s there where I honed my illustration skills... or at least started to. 

OOTHAR with Fettle the Wizard

CAROL: What role did SCBWI have in your life?

BRANDON: SCBWI is a great organization. I wish I had joined years ago! It wasn’t until after attending my first conference that I started to get some traction in the publishing world. 

CAROL: What role has your critique group played in your development as an author/illustrator?

BRANDON: The most beneficial thing I’ve done to help my writing is join a critique group. You know right away if something is working by the reactions. Nothing is better than hearing a critique partner giggle their way through your manuscript. Well, a humorous book, that is! I suppose it would be a bit of a nightmare if a reader is laughing their way through a serious project. Illustrating and writing are mostly solitary endeavors. It gets lonely. It’s great to have a group of artists who understand your struggles and cheer your successes. 

Brandon created his artwork using digital painting in Adobe Photoshop

CAROL: What was the process of getting your publisher?

BRANDON: Connecting with Lion Forge and ultimately selling Oothar to them was a bit of a surprise. I had some down time and I was looking for comic book illustration work. I worked up a mock Oothar cover and sent it to a list of publishers I found online. Andrea Colvin, the executive editor at Lion Forge, wrote back right away and said that unfortunately she didn’t have any illustration work at the moment but wanted to know if I had any manuscripts she could read. 

I’m still thinking she wants comic book or graphic novel stuff, so I sent her three stories I thought would translate well to that format (Oothar being one). It wasn’t until she wrote back to say she loved Oothar and wanted to take it to an acquisitions meeting that I found out she was looking for picture books. So I quickly sketched up some extra sample art for her to take to the meeting.
 

The poster Brandon sent to publishers.

CAROL: When did you get your agent? Did you query several before signing?

BRANDON: I signed with Jennifer Mattson from Andrea Brown Literary in February. I still have that new client smell! I queried maybe 15 other agents. I had other offers but I ultimately felt Jennifer was the best fit for me.

CAROL: What are you hoping your young readers will take away from OOTHAR?

BRANDON: Feeling blue or depressed is a normal emotion. It is an indicator of something askew in our lives. If something isn’t bringing you happiness anymore, you can make a change!

Remember what I said last week? One way we support authors is by preordering their books. Click on over to Amazon and preorder OOTHAR now!

To enter the giveaway for your copy of OOTHAR, please leave a comment along with your email address if you are new to my blog. Share this on social media (please tell me what you do) or become a new follower of my blog and I'll enter your name twice. Winner will be chosen on March 16.