Dear Boston,

Come out to the Boston Globe Book Festival tomorrow and check me out on the Target stage! 1PM in Copley Sq - represent!

And there is a chance, though slim, that Fox25 News may be coming to cover my reading. So get your beauty rest and come on out!

cats out of the bag

What else have I been working on, you wonder?

Publishers Weekly's Children's Bookshelf has broken the news!
CHECK IT OUT!

NPR's Here and Now

Listen to Robin Young's interview with me on Here and Now.

A great start!

Talk about a great start to the SLUG tour. I had a great few days in Worcester schools and got to see some old friends as teachers! The day My Buddy, Slug was released, I walked to my old elementary school. It was so surreal. It was the walk that I did for 9 years from grades K-8. On that walk, I walk by a public pool and there is this concrete wall that used to seem so enormous to me. It's amazing how small it really is. It also struck me that I would be speaking at my old elementary school when the night before I spoke to my old college. (And this weekend I''ll be stopping by my old high school to be inducted into their 'hall of fame'.) Craziness. I loved visiting my old elementary school. It isn't the same building, though. That was torn down in 1991. But the new building does have a plaque right in the front with an image of what the old Gates Lane looked like.

Spent the day with my grandparents and then the big night was upon me. The B&N event was a HUGE success! My family was there, so many old and dear friends and a lot of new readers as well. It's crazy to think back to when I first wrote the book and carted is around to read to family, back then I would have never thought that someday there would be this book signing - where my godson Ryan would stand at 6'3", my little brother would roll up on a motorcycle and my mother would come running in without a second to lose as I began to read the book. My grandparents sat proudly in the first row, surrounded by family members. Old high school teachers and friends were there, along with childhood friends' mothers. I even had an old camper who I hadn't seen in years turn up! I was truly honored by everyone's presence. It's always great to see so many familiar faces come out to support me and my latest work. And people came from far away this time around! The award for the furthest trip comes from the Engel family who traveled all the way from upstate NY, just to be there for the day that Slug was released! I began reading at 6:10 or so, started signing shortly after that and the line went until 8:30!

I couldn't have asked for a better way to start the book tour or to celebrate Slug's release.

It has truly been a dream come true.

Then today, on the 2nd day of Slug, I tune into NPR and here a familiar voice. It's me! They aired the segment and the timing couldn't be any better! And I - couldn't be any more thankful! Listen to it here - http://www.here-now.org/shows/2006/09/20060913_17.asp

SLUG!

It's officially here!!!!!


MY BUDDY, SLUG

is in book stores!!!

Today was a busy day! The two schools were a good test drive for the giant SLUG book. I'll be really strong by the end of this book tour! If you get out to an event, I think you will get a kick out of watching me try to manage a 2 foot by 3 foot book. My RISD talk went really well. Too many funny highlights for a tired illustrator to post right now. But I wanted to introduce "The SLUG count". Every time I read My Buddy, Slug, I will put another stamp on this board. Kind of like old fashioned bomber planes that you would see in cartoons.

so. so. close....

So not even 2 full days until Slug's release date..... I am getting ready for a busy two days. I am speaking at a few Worcester elementary schools in the morning and then heading down to Providence at night to be the RISD Orientation Keynote Speaker. Then Tuesday is the BIG DAY! I'll be speaking at Gates Lane, my old elementary school and then signing at B&N Lincoln Sq that night!

Here we go!

Worcester Magazine

As press comes in, I'll post it here first!

http://www.worcestermag.com/archives/2006/09-07-06/7_days.html

the GIANT sized SLUG book

The very awesome people at Random House publicity have created a very cool version of My Buddy, Slug! It's a GIANT oversized version of the book that I am bringing on tour with me. It is about 2 feet tall and when opened, 3 feet wide!!!

So come out to an event and you will see me reading one giant book! OR - keep an eye out for me at the airport trying to lug this thing past security!!! That will be a sight!

Media Madness

If you live in central Mass and watched channel 3 last night, you may have caught my interview there. If you missed it, it may be posted here eventually, but not for a while. However, you could try to catch some of the following local media -

Sunday 9/10 @ 11:30 AM - NBC Boston
Sunday 9/10 @ 9:30 PM WICN 90.5 FM (and webcast at wicn.org) - This is Inquiry, hosted by good friend Mark Lynch. This is my 6th appearance on this show!

And I'm not sure when - but I will also be on NPR's Here and Now, check in at www.here-now.org

in ONE week

In ONE week, My Buddy, Slug will officially be released! And if you live in or around the Worcester, MA area - come help me celebrate at Barnes & Noble Lincoln Sq. It's a new venue for my Worcester signings and I've never had a signing on the day of publication - so come on by if you can!

9/12 - B&N Lincoln Sq Worcester @ 6PM

Also, if you are in Boston - come by Copley SQ on 9/16 @ 1PM and I'll be reading on the Target stage and signing shortly after.

The Get This Book Series

Jeff Newman is a new author/illustrator on the scene and his first book with Little Brown has just been published. It's called Hippo! No, Rhino and I highly suggest that you get it. It's hysterical. Jeff is sparse on words and let's the majority of his story be artfully told by his pictures. The illustrations are rich and are very much an homage to funky illustrations from the late 60's and early 70's. Jeff is a fellow central-Massachusetts-ian, but he is now a Midwesterner. If all works out, I should be meeting the talented Mr. Newman while on my fall book tour. Take my advice - get this book!

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