Podcast from Tacoma WLMA Speeches

So, I've figured out how to convert and host our speeches from the above (and previously) referenced Tacoma WLMA dinner last Thursday evening!! While the sound quality is mostly pretty solid, there are some warbles here and there (and some loud paper shuffling sounds a few times).

Laini talks for the about 35 minutes reading from a fantastic speech she wrote for the event followed by me winging it for about 7 minutes thereafter. Just click here. Enjoy!

Tacoma WLMA

Laini and I drove up to Tacoma yesterday to speak at the annual dinner meet and greet with authors and/or illustrators held by the Tacoma WLMA (Washington Library Media Association). This year they were kind enough to invite us to join them and speak about our lives, careers, and the creation of Laini's upcoming book. While the book is definitely Laini's baby and her creation, it was an honor to be involved in the book itself as well as to be invited to participate in the event. We met so many wonderful librarians and teachers from the Tacoma area that when we drove home late last night, we mostly kept restating to one another how much fun we'd had. So if anyone reading this was at the event last night, thank you (!) for making the evening so enjoyable :)

Here are some more pics. First from outside of the coastline restaurant where the event was held:


Then, one with our driving companion before he went back to guard/rest in the car:


And a few more (Laini speaking, me speaking, and both of us signing):




We recorded our speeches at the event and if I can figure out the technology, I'll post a link or some such so everyone can hear our talks. Wish me luck! :)

Jim

Catching up

This was the promo banner for a gathering Laini and I were honored enough to be a part of last week. After finishing the Rex Mundi issue I was doing for Dark Horse, I prepared a short presentation about the "Inside Story" of creating the artwork for Laini's book "Faeries of Dreamdark." The gathering was organized by the Western Washington SCBWI and hosted by the very sweet and talented Jaime Temairik.

Below are some pics of recent happenings that I've been too darn busy to post about. The arrival of advance hardcover copies of Laini's book complete with my wraparound jacket (!!), some birthday pics (one with Laini's mom), and a belly-dancer at a local Moroccan restaurant (it's okay, it's Laini's dollar and she was the one taking the picture :)


Some pix from our brief trip to an alpaca farm in Hood River when my mom came to visit these past few days (plus another b-day straggler photo). Aren't alpaca's freakily weird looking?




Oh (!) and a picture too fun not to share (me an my lovely and amazing Mom and some fantastic cupcakes from St. Cupcake here in Portland! :)



In a bizarre reminder of how small our world can be sometimes, when that last pic of me at the waterfall was taken, a guy walked by that I KNEW I knew from somewhere. He said "CCAC?" (the art school I went to in San Francisco) -- turns out we had a painting class together about 7 years ago and he and his wife just moved to Portland 3 months ago after having lived in NY for a few years. So, they moved to Portland and just happened to be at the waterfall about 40 minutes outside of town when we were. SCREWY!!!

Lastly, I'm starting to lay out a complete website re-design. I'm not positive when it'll be done, but I'll post a note here once it is.

Rex Mundi #6 finished samplings!

It's been a while since my last post but it's not been for a lack of working! :) I've been doing pretty much nothing but working on the fill-in issue for the Dark Horse comic "Rex Mundi" (pencils, inks, coloring all by yours truly) since I last posted and while it was a TON of work, it was also a lot of fun, and I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. If all goes smoothly it should be out close to the end of next month and available at all fine comic book stores nationwide (although requesting a pre-order from your local store never hurts to ensure that they order it! :)

Anyhow, here are some panel samplings at random:




Now I've got some reading, movies, and friendships to catch up on before getting to work on my next project (news of which will be coming soon!).

Oh, and anyone who's got a Netflix account (because I don't know if you can rent it at your local video store) check out "MI: 5" -- it's a BBC spy show and it's FANTASTIC! We're up to the middle of season 4 and it's so unique in it's feeling of reality (no James Bond gadgets, no Alias flying sidekicks while wearing a pink wig -- although I'm not snobby about any of that stuff either!). Check it out!

Jim