Wednesday, March 01, 2006
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
colorado
Words can't even begin to describe how awesome this past weekend was. Breckenridge, CO with my brother Rich, my friends Ali, James and Steve. I'll just let the pictures do the talking.
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
.......slug..............
So the release date of My Buddy, Slug has been officialy been set for September 12, 2006! (It was moved up a bit.) And - the amazon.com page has popped up and the catalogue page on Random House's web site is up as well.
....getting......excited.........
....getting......excited.........
Thursday, February 16, 2006
hanging with Babar
Last week I went into New York City for the Child Magazine Best Books of 2005 Awards celebration. I had the honor of meeting Laurent de Brunhoff, who has been creating Babar books for 60 years. It was incredible to meet someone who is a living history of the book world. Laurent was being honored with a lifetime achievement award.
There were a ton of other great authors and illustrators there as well! Mo Willems told me a while back that this event was always a stellar one – and he was so right! While I had “met” a number of the artists over the phone a few years ago when I was asking them to create snowflakes for Robert’s Snow, it was really cool to meet Mark Teague, Chris Rashka and John J. Muth in person.
I also got to meet some great fans. Including a dad who told me how much Punk Farm meant to his son and a kid who told me that his favorite bands were among those listed on Punk Farm’s website as their favorite bands.
“What are some of your favorite bands?” I asked.
“Blondie,” he responded without missing a beat. He went on to list Green Day, the Ramones and the Clash as well. So awesome.
Knopf REPRESENT! Michelle and Nancy
Beckerman is now an AD at Abrams and is in charge of stuff
Megghan McCarthy & agent extraordinaire Rebecca Sherman
3 of John McNeil's favorite people
There were a ton of other great authors and illustrators there as well! Mo Willems told me a while back that this event was always a stellar one – and he was so right! While I had “met” a number of the artists over the phone a few years ago when I was asking them to create snowflakes for Robert’s Snow, it was really cool to meet Mark Teague, Chris Rashka and John J. Muth in person.
I also got to meet some great fans. Including a dad who told me how much Punk Farm meant to his son and a kid who told me that his favorite bands were among those listed on Punk Farm’s website as their favorite bands.
“What are some of your favorite bands?” I asked.
“Blondie,” he responded without missing a beat. He went on to list Green Day, the Ramones and the Clash as well. So awesome.
Knopf REPRESENT! Michelle and Nancy
Beckerman is now an AD at Abrams and is in charge of stuff
Megghan McCarthy & agent extraordinaire Rebecca Sherman
3 of John McNeil's favorite peopleMonday, February 06, 2006
the NEW studiojjk.com
It's finished! (Well, 99% of it is at least.) There's a ton of new stuff on there, which I'll outline below, but somewhere on the site is the most embarrassing photo ever taken of me. Yes – my student ID from my freshman year of high school. But it's hidden – and hidden well! Odds are, you won't find it, but good luck!
BOOKS – In the new book section you can now download Spanish translations of my books. For those of you who teach Spanish speaking students, simply print the translations and then cut and paste them into your books. (If you notice any glaring grammar problems, feel free to correct me.) Big thanks to my mom, Jose Torres, Issha Ortiz and Jimmy Guity for their help!
ABOUT – The about section is restructured. If you loved the fake bio, you'll love the faker bio.
STORE – Aside from ordering books, you can order buttons and posters now, too.
FREE STUFF – Tons of stuff here. Aside from everything that was already there, you can now download characters to your mobile phone. You can download images to iron on T-shirts and also download images to your Playstation Portable.
To fully experience the site, your screen should be set to a minimum of 1024 X 768. Many thanks go to my nephew Griffin Boyle (Happy Birthday!) and good friend Jen Bailey for their voice talents.
I hope you enjoy it!
Thursday, February 02, 2006
YEE-HAW!
Whoa- how did this happen?! I have a book out today!!!
My 7th book - Giddy Up, Cowgirl - is officially on sale! It's about a free spirited toddler who is trying her best to help her mom run errands. But not everything works out as planned......
Take a look at a preview.
Order yerself a copy!
connect the dots
Stephen Hawking. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Neil Gamman. Captain Underpants. Eragon. Jarrett J. Krosoczka. How could you connect those dots? Give up?
They are all represented by the same agency. It is with great pride that I announce that I now have an agent. Her name is Rebecca Sherman and she is with the prestigious Writers House. It is a decision that has been long in the making, but as my career continues to grow, I am no longer going it alone. Thank you to everyone who has listened to me and given me advice while I was searching for the right agent and while I was even considering taking one on in the first place.
I couldn't be happier about the decision. All good things to come! Stay tuned.
They are all represented by the same agency. It is with great pride that I announce that I now have an agent. Her name is Rebecca Sherman and she is with the prestigious Writers House. It is a decision that has been long in the making, but as my career continues to grow, I am no longer going it alone. Thank you to everyone who has listened to me and given me advice while I was searching for the right agent and while I was even considering taking one on in the first place.
I couldn't be happier about the decision. All good things to come! Stay tuned.
ATTENTION: NYC!
I am getting so excited for the Child Magazine book signing next week. If you're in New York City, you should come by. Barnes and Noble at Union Sq @ 7 PM. Check out this line up - it's out of control. I'll be honored to even be in the same room as these people!
the rhythm is gonna get you.....
In the beginning of January, I received a phone call from Target. They asked if I was available on January 27th and if I was willing to fly to San Diego. I don’t think I missed a beat when I said, “Yes”. They just became a sponsor for United Through Reading, which is this amazing program where people in the armed services, who are overseas, are videotaped reading a book. That DVD is then given too their children back in the US. So the event in San Diego was a kick-off for this sponsorship.
I flew out on Thursday and I went to the venue soon after I arrived (The Aerospace Museum) where they were preparing for the event. Target actually gave away 720 copies of Punk Farm to
the families in attendance and I signed every single copy. (And drew a picture in every single copy, too!) It was definitely the biggest quantity I had ever signed. (It took about 3 hours or so.)
The event on Friday was amazing. Target sure knows how to throw a good party. I facilitated a mural wall with the kids. It was so cool because I don’t always get to connect one on one when I’m at book events, so it was great to go between signing books and then drawing with kids. Some kids drew about the war or their parents; some just drew Sponge Bob Square Pants. But the bottom line for me is that I was so moved by the plight that the families must endure while their loved ones are overseas. Whether spoken or not, every kid and parent there was dealing with something incredibly heavy.
On another note, I had the opportunity to meet Gloria Estafan. (She was the main attraction of the night. She spoke of her experiences having a father who was gone to war, she read her book, sang and then signed copies.) I shook her hand, looked her square in the eye and said, "Gloria, I just wanted you to know - that at my 8th grade graduation - we sang 'Coming Out of the Dark' "
I think she appreciated it.
And to see just how tight we are now, check out this drawing a kid made of us all hanging out.
I flew out on Thursday and I went to the venue soon after I arrived (The Aerospace Museum) where they were preparing for the event. Target actually gave away 720 copies of Punk Farm to
the families in attendance and I signed every single copy. (And drew a picture in every single copy, too!) It was definitely the biggest quantity I had ever signed. (It took about 3 hours or so.)The event on Friday was amazing. Target sure knows how to throw a good party. I facilitated a mural wall with the kids. It was so cool because I don’t always get to connect one on one when I’m at book events, so it was great to go between signing books and then drawing with kids. Some kids drew about the war or their parents; some just drew Sponge Bob Square Pants. But the bottom line for me is that I was so moved by the plight that the families must endure while their loved ones are overseas. Whether spoken or not, every kid and parent there was dealing with something incredibly heavy.
On another note, I had the opportunity to meet Gloria Estafan. (She was the main attraction of the night. She spoke of her experiences having a father who was gone to war, she read her book, sang and then signed copies.) I shook her hand, looked her square in the eye and said, "Gloria, I just wanted you to know - that at my 8th grade graduation - we sang 'Coming Out of the Dark' "
I think she appreciated it.
And to see just how tight we are now, check out this drawing a kid made of us all hanging out.
Monday, January 23, 2006
SLUG update
So to give you a sense of a book's progress in real time - at the end of December I received my first round of mechanicals from my designer at Random House, Melissa Nelson. Mechanicals are the first drafts of the pages with the art scanned in and the text put into place. The color is far from close, but this is where we make sure everything is where it needs to be before it goes to proof (where the color is corrected to be exact).
Melissa is an incredibly talented designer and we have a great working relationship. We usually go through a few drafts and she helps shape the book up to be true to my vision and she always brings something great to the table. The title itself has a great font design (which Melissa created). The second drafts came in and while it's headed to the F&G stage, we're still creating a few minor changes here and there. (F&G stands for 'folded & gathered', which is proofs cut and put together as a book, but it is unbound. They go out to reviewers and book buyers.)
Melissa is an incredibly talented designer and we have a great working relationship. We usually go through a few drafts and she helps shape the book up to be true to my vision and she always brings something great to the table. The title itself has a great font design (which Melissa created). The second drafts came in and while it's headed to the F&G stage, we're still creating a few minor changes here and there. (F&G stands for 'folded & gathered', which is proofs cut and put together as a book, but it is unbound. They go out to reviewers and book buyers.)
almost there.com
I’ve been working lots of long hours lately, polishing up the new studiojjk.com. It’ll be worth it once I’m done, but it’s hard to see that sometimes when I look at the clock and suddenly it’s in the AM again and I realize that I need to get sleep! It has a lot of new features and I’m hiding little bits of stuff here and there – you’ll be able to uncover hidden pictures, complete rough drafts, old books that I made as a kid (in their entirety) and somewhere – the most embarrassing photo of me ever taken – my 9th grade student ID.
So stay tuned! I’m hoping to launch it sometime in early February!
So stay tuned! I’m hoping to launch it sometime in early February!
Tuesday, January 10, 2006
following through
So I haven't touched water colors in years and man - they aren't easy! My step-brother Deven had posed for some reference photos for me for a character I have down the line and I used them as source material. It was a good excercise, but frustrating! I have so much respect for artists who use this medium. I also made it to my local coffee shop to sketch. And all of this creative excerice feels good!
Wednesday, January 04, 2006
career cookbook
An interview I gave for the Career Cookbook has been posted - www.thecareercookbook.com
Tuesday, January 03, 2006
Tatnuck closing Worcester store
Wow- my grandfather just called. He had just heard on WTAG that Tatnuck is closing its Worcester location. I can't even begin to explain how sad this is for me. My book signings at that store have always been the pinacle of any book tour. I had my first ever book signing there on June 25, 2001 for Good Night, Monkey Boy. To read the full story, click here and to see pics from my first ever book signing there, click here.
looking forward
2006!!! Of course I have the regular New Year’s resolutions – work out more, floss more, take vitamins, etc, etc…. However, I do have a lot of creative based resolutions. But resolutions tend to break by February, so I’m calling them goals. So here are my goals for 2006 – and I’m telling you all because I want you to help me stick with them. If you see me throughout the year ask me how they are going and if I am floundering with them, make fun of me endlessly!
My goals-
A new website. Yes, I will be tearing down studiojjk.com, so enjoy it while you can, and it is going to be rebuilt from the ground up! Expect it to run more quickly, the pages to be better integrated and there will be plenty of new features. I’m hoping to launch it by February.
Write more. I have had all of these stories floating around my head for a few years now and I just need to get them out of me. And they aren’t for kids, but teenagers. And you may be asking – “What would a JJK book be like for an older audience?” They will be about coming-of-age, unrequited love, family pain & triumph, risks, awkwardness, summers, friends, loss, trouble, dreams and teenage angst, among other things.
Sketch more. I used to sketch a lot more than I have in the past year. So this year I will be using my blog as my way of keeping at it. If you don’t see random sketches posted here every now and then, give me flack. I’d love to share my non-picture book sketches with my readers.
And all of this of course will be hindered by my love for snowboarding and I’m itching to get up on the mountain. I plan on going quite a bit this year!
Giddy Up, Cowgirl comes out in February, and while I don’t have any sort of formal book tour for it, I have events pretty much every month through April!
January = San Diego, CA
February = Denver, CO
March = Virginia
April = Houston, TX
I’m pumped for it all. I have good friends in all of those cities and remember when I was talking about snowboarding……?
In the fall for My Buddy, Slug, I may be undertaking a BIG book tour.
And for new projects…..I’ll be starting work soon on a graphic novel, which will most likely be a series of books. But I’ll tell you more about it later in the year when more things are settled.
2006 is going to ROCK!
Happy New Year everyone!!!
My goals-
A new website. Yes, I will be tearing down studiojjk.com, so enjoy it while you can, and it is going to be rebuilt from the ground up! Expect it to run more quickly, the pages to be better integrated and there will be plenty of new features. I’m hoping to launch it by February.
Write more. I have had all of these stories floating around my head for a few years now and I just need to get them out of me. And they aren’t for kids, but teenagers. And you may be asking – “What would a JJK book be like for an older audience?” They will be about coming-of-age, unrequited love, family pain & triumph, risks, awkwardness, summers, friends, loss, trouble, dreams and teenage angst, among other things.
Sketch more. I used to sketch a lot more than I have in the past year. So this year I will be using my blog as my way of keeping at it. If you don’t see random sketches posted here every now and then, give me flack. I’d love to share my non-picture book sketches with my readers.
And all of this of course will be hindered by my love for snowboarding and I’m itching to get up on the mountain. I plan on going quite a bit this year!
Giddy Up, Cowgirl comes out in February, and while I don’t have any sort of formal book tour for it, I have events pretty much every month through April!
January = San Diego, CA
February = Denver, CO
March = Virginia
April = Houston, TX
I’m pumped for it all. I have good friends in all of those cities and remember when I was talking about snowboarding……?
In the fall for My Buddy, Slug, I may be undertaking a BIG book tour.
And for new projects…..I’ll be starting work soon on a graphic novel, which will most likely be a series of books. But I’ll tell you more about it later in the year when more things are settled.
2006 is going to ROCK!
Happy New Year everyone!!!
Wednesday, December 28, 2005
looking back
2005 is just about done! Looking back at the year, I realize that I toured more extensively that I have ever so far. I had about 45 book events, which means that I read Punk Farm approximately 125 times (that's roughly 500 “EEE-I-EEE-I-OH's”) to 7,000 or so kids (plus that one kid from the San Francisco Borders). And after all of that, I am still left wanting to do more with those animals from Punk Farm. I finished art for two books - Giddy Up, Cowgirl (which will be in stores before I will even realize) and My Buddy, Slug (which still seems surreal, as it is the book I had always wanted to make).
So before I get all ambitious and tell you what I want to do in 2006, I’m going to wax nostalgic and make a list of all things ’05 in studio jjk land...
Funniest thing a kid said to me this year –
Kid: Do you know when the author is coming?
Me: Hmmm…I’m not sure….
Kid: Oh, because I’m pretty sure I just saw her….
(Houston, TX)
Most Humbling Book Tour Moment-
Having one kid turn up at the San Francisco Borders
Most Rock Star Book Tour Moment-
When I overheard any kid exclaiming, “I love Punk Farm,” when I pulled the book out to read it.
Scariest Book Tour Moment-
Evacuating from Hurricane Rita. (I wrote about this here - http://www.livejournal.com/users/jkrozo/696.html )
Coolest Picture Sent in by a Reader (potentially ever)-
Top 5 Favorite Books (with pictures)-
The Complete Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson
Arthur Spiderwick’s Field Guide by Tony DiTerlizzi & Holly Black
Flight of the Dodo by Peter Brown
Zen Shorts by Jon J. Muth
Little Pea by Amy Krouse Rosenthal, Jen Corace
Top 5 Favorite Books (without so many pictures)
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince by JK Rowling
The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell
Superstud by Paul Feig
Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan (OK, it doesn’t come out until 2006, but I had an advanced copy and it ROCKS!)
Dear Genius: The Letters of Ursula Nordstrom by Leonard S. Marcus (OK, this came out a while ago, but I just now read it and loved it.)
Favorite Compilation Book –
Guys Write for Guys Read
Favorite New Inovation of’05-
Podcasting
Favorite New Podcasts –
NPR’s Most E-mailed Stories of the Day
The Sound of Young America
Book Voyages
Most Surreal Moment –
Leaving the Random House building and realizing that I just handed in art for Slug.
Top 5 Albums of 2005
Death Cab for Cutie – Plans
Gorillaz – Feel Good, Inc
Aqualung – Strange & Beautiful
Sujfan Stevens - Illinois
Bloc Party – Silent Alarm
Top 5 Concerts –
Green Day
Bloc Party
Mates of State
Hot Hot Heat
Journey
So before I get all ambitious and tell you what I want to do in 2006, I’m going to wax nostalgic and make a list of all things ’05 in studio jjk land...
Funniest thing a kid said to me this year –
Kid: Do you know when the author is coming?
Me: Hmmm…I’m not sure….
Kid: Oh, because I’m pretty sure I just saw her….
(Houston, TX)
Most Humbling Book Tour Moment-
Having one kid turn up at the San Francisco Borders
Most Rock Star Book Tour Moment-
When I overheard any kid exclaiming, “I love Punk Farm,” when I pulled the book out to read it.
Scariest Book Tour Moment-
Evacuating from Hurricane Rita. (I wrote about this here - http://www.livejournal.com/users/jkrozo/696.html )
Coolest Picture Sent in by a Reader (potentially ever)-
Top 5 Favorite Books (with pictures)-
The Complete Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson
Arthur Spiderwick’s Field Guide by Tony DiTerlizzi & Holly Black
Flight of the Dodo by Peter Brown
Zen Shorts by Jon J. Muth
Little Pea by Amy Krouse Rosenthal, Jen Corace
Top 5 Favorite Books (without so many pictures)
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince by JK Rowling
The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell
Superstud by Paul Feig
Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan (OK, it doesn’t come out until 2006, but I had an advanced copy and it ROCKS!)
Dear Genius: The Letters of Ursula Nordstrom by Leonard S. Marcus (OK, this came out a while ago, but I just now read it and loved it.)
Favorite Compilation Book –
Guys Write for Guys Read
Favorite New Inovation of’05-
Podcasting
Favorite New Podcasts –
NPR’s Most E-mailed Stories of the Day
The Sound of Young America
Book Voyages
Most Surreal Moment –
Leaving the Random House building and realizing that I just handed in art for Slug.
Top 5 Albums of 2005
Death Cab for Cutie – Plans
Gorillaz – Feel Good, Inc
Aqualung – Strange & Beautiful
Sujfan Stevens - Illinois
Bloc Party – Silent Alarm
Top 5 Concerts –
Green Day
Bloc Party
Mates of State
Hot Hot Heat
Journey
Friday, December 09, 2005
on Drawn.ca
Drawn. ca is this great source for current illustration and I check into the site on an almost daily basis. Jared Chapman just interviewd me for the site. (Thanks Jared!) You can read it at - http://drawn.ca/2005/12/08/an-interview-with-jarrett-j-krosoczka
back at the RISD
A few weeks ago at the Robert's Snow opening I ran into an old college professor, Oren Sherman. Oren was by far one of the greatest teachers I had while a student at RISD. There was no way you could get away with doing marginal work in his class and in crits - no matter how good something was, he'd let you know what needed to be fixed and no matter how bad something was, he'd point out something that was working. So when he asked me to come in and talk to his illustration I sophomores, it was pretty easy to 'yes'.
I went in to talk to his students yesterday. I've returned to the school on a number of occasions to talk, but mostly it's in a bigger lecture setting. But this was cool because I stuck around for the day, participated in crits and got to know some of the students. And I didn't show slides, just talked about how I got to where I am while they thumbed through my books. It totally reminded me of that time in my life where I was a sophomore, eager to get into the game of illustration.
And man, these kids have skills. Their projects were great and I can't wait to see where some of them are in just a few years as seniors.
I went in to talk to his students yesterday. I've returned to the school on a number of occasions to talk, but mostly it's in a bigger lecture setting. But this was cool because I stuck around for the day, participated in crits and got to know some of the students. And I didn't show slides, just talked about how I got to where I am while they thumbed through my books. It totally reminded me of that time in my life where I was a sophomore, eager to get into the game of illustration.
And man, these kids have skills. Their projects were great and I can't wait to see where some of them are in just a few years as seniors.
Friday, December 02, 2005
kid quote - what happens when you graduate from college?
So I was visiting a school here in the Boston area yesterday and I was doing my presentation for 5th graders. I talk about my life as an artist and part of my shtick is that (when I get to the part of graduating college) I ask them, "What happens when you graduate from college?"
Of course I always get at least one kid who says, "You get married." I get the occasional "You can do whatever you want!" But yesterday I received quite an array of responses. The last one by far being the most surprising of any of my presentations.....
ME: So what happens when you graduate from college?
KID#1: You're a grown-up.
KID#2: You need to get a job.
KID #3: You need to pay your own taxes.
KID#4: You need to pay off your college loans.
KID#5: You get a car.
KID#6: You need to pay your child support.
Yikes!
Of course I always get at least one kid who says, "You get married." I get the occasional "You can do whatever you want!" But yesterday I received quite an array of responses. The last one by far being the most surprising of any of my presentations.....
ME: So what happens when you graduate from college?
KID#1: You're a grown-up.
KID#2: You need to get a job.
KID #3: You need to pay your own taxes.
KID#4: You need to pay off your college loans.
KID#5: You get a car.
KID#6: You need to pay your child support.
Yikes!
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