the SLUG book tour 2006

Ladies and gentlemen.....boys and girls......attention one and all......

The schedule for my 2006 fall book tour for My Buddy, Slug is now posted online at...




studiojjk.com/events.html


As you can see, it is going ot be a very busy fall!


If you're able to get to a public event, I will have a stack of free Punk Farm stickers with me (while supplies last)!
there is the old school sticker



and the new one-

Time Out New York Kids!

Well, it is 18 days until My Buddy, Slug is released and it has already received a very big honor! I'm very excited to announce that Time Out New York Kids has chosen Slug as it's inaugural pick for it's new book club! The Time Out New York Kids' Book Club will be highlighting a new book every issue.

To celebrate their new book club and Slug, they will be hosting a party/reading/signing at Books of Wonder in NYC! So come on over on Friday, September 22 at 5:30 PM! Please RSVP to events@timeoutny.com - you will get a goody bag and a free 1 year subscription to TONY Kids! Awesome!

Thank you, Time Out New York Kids!

CHECK IT OUT!

scbwi LA conference pics

Thanks to everyone who sent in pics from the SCBWI LA conference! Take a look!

the Punk Farm Book Tour video

page by page

ATTN: SCBWI'ers - I've uploaded the Page by Page video to YouTube.com

Due to popular demand - here ya go! Feel free to pass the word on!

The Get This Book Series

So I am starting a new series on my blog. I want to give shout outs to friends who have new books out and I want to suggest books that I just think are neat. The innagural book for the JJK "Get this Book" Series
is....(drum roll please)....

Chowder by Peter Brown . Peter let me take a look at the proofs for this book a few months back and I have to say - it's great. Great story and amazing illustrations. If you didn't see Peter's first book - Flight of the Dodo - check it out. Pete will be around in this biz for a long time!

the JJK imposter

So apparently, there is a JJK imposter out there. People kept mentioning seeing or talking with me at the SCBWI Jade Ball - when in fact - I wasn't in attendance! But there was a guy who kind of looked like me and people kept coming up to him and complimenting him on my speech and movie...and he kindly accepted - as me. He also posed for photographs!

Well, well, well Mr. Fake JJK....I would be upset if that wasn't something that I would probably do myself! Are there any JJK imposter stories out there?

in 1 month.....

My Buddy, Slug will officially be in stores!!!

photos anyone?

Hey does anyone out there have photos from the keynote that I gave at SCBWI? If so - could you please mail them to "props at studiojjk dot com"? It would be much appreciated! Thanks!!! - JJK

home from the LA SCBWI conference

So after a fun filled 4 or so days of the SCBWI, I am home! And trying to catch up on stuff here. It's a fairly busy week - I have an interview tomorrow at "Here and Now" on Boston's NPR station and the day after at 7 NBC's "Urban Update". I'll post airdates for both soon! And I'll also post some photos from the SCBWI soon as well!

There were so many highlights of the conference for me, but one of the biggest for me was to hear Jane Yolen speak. I've never actually heard her give a formal speech - and if you ever get the chance - by all means get there to hear it! She is wise, humorous and graceful behind the podium - which is no surprise!

SCBWI, yo....

So I had my big fancy keynote speech this morning. It went really well. It was a pretty big audience in a really big room and believe it or not - I do get nervous just before I speak. I got to show Page by Page - and if there was ever an audience for that movie - this was it. It was great to hear people laughing and identifying with it. And the biggest props came from Caroline B. Cooney, (who has written over 80 books!) who told me that it reminded her of the joy that is found when seeing your work published.

Overall, a great time so far! Getting to hang out with my agent extraordinaire Rebecca Sherman, my great friends from Random House - Beverly and Nancy, and other good pals Alvina Ling, Pat Mora, Jane Yolen, Mo Willems, Lisa Wheeler, Erin Eitter Kono, and Hope Vestragaard. I've also got to meet some really cool new people like Jacqueline Woodson, Jesse Joshua Watson, Nina Laden, Justina Chen Headley and the incomparable Tommy dePaola, among others.

A few more days - then it's back to Boston and back to painting for my new book! I have about 4 paintings done so far...

LA Autograph Party on Monday

On Monday there is an Autograph Party -- 3:00pm--5:00pm -- at the Hyatt on Ave of the Stars to conclude the SCBWI conference. Lots of authors should be there signing. I'll be there with pens in hand!

Caleeeforneea

Hey everyone-

I'm in LA gearing up for the big SCBWI conference. If you're going, check out the schedule - www.scbwi.org and come check out one of my talks. I'm giving a keynote speech on Saturday morning called "From Sketch Book to Published Book: An Author-Illustrator's Creative Process" (8:30am-9:30am) and then a workshop later that day called "How To Make it Once You've Made It: Promoting Your Published Book" (3:15pm-4:15pm). On Monday I'll be giving one more workshop called "STAND OUT: What Makes A Great Website and a Well-Designed Promotional Postcard" (10:45am-11:45am). I guess I like fancy titles....

And if you are at a kareoke place watch out - because my friends Carter, Jaime and I ripped it up last night... choreography and old skool rapping were involved....