Latest updates from National Book Award finalist Jarrett J. Krosoczka: getting the perfect author photo

Punk Farm on Tour is in stores 4 weeks from today! I'll finally be able to talk about the production of the book here on the ol' blog. And since I still don't want to spill too many beans, I'd like to talk about the author photo. With Punk Farm, I asked my buddy John McNeil to take the picture (my friends like having their names in the back of the books) and we spent a few hours in a petting zoo with some very uncooperative sheep and goats. But in the end, we got this really funny picture of me trying to look tough, holding a guitar with some farm animals. Perfect - it's Punk Farm!

So now - Punk Farm on Tour - I'm thinking BIGGER! So I start to ask around..."Does anyone have any cows I could use?" Sure enough, my sister Maura works for a farm stand and our father knows the owner. So they both check in and sure enough, they say, "Yeah, we have cows you can use!" Awesome! So now it's my friend Milmoe's turn to get his name in the back of the book. (You may know him as "the boyfriend" from Page by Page.) For whatever reason, Milmoe has decided to grow a full-out mustache. No offense to those out there who are mustached, but there's something odd about a mustache on a 25 year old guy. He is also wearing these ridiculous jeans that have a big rip on the back, upper leg. Milmoe has no shame. I should also mention that Milmoe took it upon himself to bring a fake sword and other odd props in case they were needed.

We turn up to the farm, Milmoe with his sword and mustache, me with my brother's guitar...and we knock on the door. No one answers, but from what I understand, they were told we'd be by...to take pictures with their cows. We're looking around and can't figure out how to get to where the cows were. That's when an old farmer approaches us.

"Can I help you boys?" he asks. (I remember this as him having a shot gun, even though that wasn't the case.)
"Uh...hi! Yeah, we're uhm....here to take pictures with your cows...."
Blank stare.
"My father said he had called..."
More blank staring...
"You see...I write children's books...and I have this book with farm animals who play music..."
"Oh, I see. Maybe yer father talked to my son. That's OK then. 'Cuz I was looking out the window and I said to myself, 'There are two guys walkin' around the back yard, one has a sword, one's carryin' a fiddle...something just ain't right about this...' But it's OK, go around that fence down there and walk down the path, you'll find some cows. Just don't approach them too quickly, they're shy."

Phew! Milmoe and I make our way down this path. And then a pasture - full of cows. The promise land!

Something we learned that day - cows are not cooperative. Another thing, no matter how hard I try to look tough, it just comes across as Zoolanderish. Here's how the rest of the day went...

First the cows were weirded out by us and wouldn't go anywhere near us. They hadn't accepted us yet as one of their own. We would need to be all Gorillas-in-the-midst...