My 2012 Birthday at Grim's

I had a birthday party at Grim's in Seattle. I wanted a steampunky atmosphere for my gathering, so Joey got me this wicked necklace to wear on my birthday:

Here is the butterfly lounge at Grim's. There are butterflies suspended in glass jars:

And check out the warm atmosphere downstairs:

Upstairs is "the woods" where dancing is in a log-cabin atmosphere with antler chandliers. I didn't get many pics there because it was so dark.

All in all, it was a great birthday! This year, I actually feel like a real adult as I approach my late twenties, yikes--apocalyptic.

--Realm

Happy Valentine's Day!

Here is a beautiful photo my partner Joey Pedersen took:

Btw, did you guys see these awesome Game of Throne Vday cards by Chris Bishop? I love the Dothraki one!

Hope you all have a great day!

--Realm

Art - Trailer for DON'T BREATHE A WORD

Holly Cupala's DON'T BREATHE A WORD trailer is out! It is produced by her awesome husband, Shiraz. My illustrations for the graphic novel version of the first few chapters were used in the trailer. Shiraz did an amazing job bringing the illustrations to life!

Hop over to Holly's blog and join the trailer launch party to win some prizes!

Also, check out the trailer below and tell her what you think:

--Realm

Shelli Johannes-Wells - ON THE BRIGHT SIDE

Shelli Johannes-Well just came out today with the eBook version of her new tween angel novel called ON THE BRIGHT SIDE. Shelli has an awesome blog with marketing tips for authors--go visit if you haven't seen it! Today, I am interviewing Shelli on the life cycle of her book and how it changed from the last time I interviewed her in 2009 about it. If you haven't seen the interview, please do check it out. I did a drawing of Gabby in the interview, which I've posted here again (below) in case you haven't seen it.

Here's more information on ON THE BRIGHT SIDE:

Gabby is a disgruntled tween angel who has just been assigned to protect her school nemesis and ex-beffie. Problem is her ex-beffie is dating Gabby’s longtime crush. Instead of protecting Angela, Gabby pranks her (since when is sticking toilet paper to her shoe or spinach in her teeth a sin?) Soon, Gabby gets out of control and is put on probation by her SKYAgent, who has anger management issues of his own. Determined to right her wrongs, Gabby steals an ancient artifact that allows her to return to Earth for just one day. Without knowing, she kicks off a series of events and learns what can happen when you hate someone to death.

1. When did you first start writing OTBS and what inspired you to start it?

It was Dec 08 at Christmas time. I was subbing Untraceable to agents and needed to pass the time. The book started out as a darker YA from a dead person’s perspective.

In the spring, when other dark angel books started to sell, I started to think about how I could make this book different. I wondered if I could do a book about death in a humorous way and make it a little younger. Tweens is a tough market and I thought I could find a niche.

The question became “what if an angel is forced to protect someone she doesn’t like?" This brought back all the times I wished I could have been a fly on the wall, listening to my crush and eavesdropping on my frenemies.

Now THAT was much more interesting. I knew if I was going to do a middle grade or tween, I needed it to be more fun and light and adventurous. Something more like Meg Cabot or Ally Carter meets Harry Potter.

On the Bright Side is funny and light even though death, loss, forgiveness, and the fear of moving on are at its core.

2. Can you tell me about the whole life cycle of OTBS?

This is like the book that wouldn’t die – (pun intended ) My agent used to say that. Because it just kept going and almost making it.

When my agent signed me in May 09 with Untraceable, she had read a partial of OTBS and wante dto go out with that book first. After some revisions, OTBS went out on submission in Sept/Oct 09 and - within hours - went to a few editorial and acquisition meetings at some big houses. I actually ended up working for a couple months with an editor at Penguin on noncontractual revisions, adding in an additional 50 pages.

Unfortunately in Feb 2010 – it got rejected there, so I did more revisions and went out on more rounds over the next year, where I did a couple more noncontractual revisions that ended up falling through.

After a year and half and 3 rounds, OTBS was eventually shelved in Winter 2011. It was hard because it had gotten close so many times. I had rewritten it a few times and none of the noncontracual revisions panned out. That book was hard to put away. I felt like a failure.

After putting out Untraceable myself in the fall, I decided I owed it to this book to get it out before I started something new. I love Gabby and think the story is unique and fun at a time when so many books are dark. I wanted to test out the tween market. If there was one reason why this book didn’t sell – it was because they either wanted it purely middle grade or aged up to Young adult.

3. We talked about OTBS back in 2009. How does OTBS differ today from what you wrote in 2009?

The beginning didn’t change much. I mean it opened the same way – with Gabby watching her funeral and being upset that someone would dare to pair Devil’s Food cake with Celestial teas.

But I added in more pages with her living and her first days in Cirrus (AKA Heaven) so you get to see her transition. So now you see Gabby and Michael and Angela before Gabby dies a tragic death (death by texting) and then you see Gabby up in Cirrus and how she gets oriented. I would say overall, this book expanded more and developed more. But the core was always there.

4. What was the most difficult part to revise in OTBS?

When I was doing a noncontractual revision for one house, they wanted the book to be even lighter than it was. There was a whole subplot with Gabby dealing with the grief of her mother. I felt those scenes were very poignant and as a mother - I loved them. But in the end, I agreed they were too heavy for the book – esp as a tween book - so I had to write her mom out of the scenes. I do miss those scenes. That editor had also wanted the adventure part gone – the parts where the dark side starts to chase Gabby because she is going against the Code of a Bright. But, I wasn’t willing to take those out. I think they had a level of light suspense.

5. What's something about self-publishing you learned that you want everyone to know (or wish someone told you)?

I wish I knew how many roles I would play. How hard it was. I thought I would put up a book and market it. I mean I knew I would do cover and copy and such. But the accounting, legal matters, and business aspect is hard. I am now calling myself an “Entrepreneurial Author” (nice ring to it right?) because it feels like I’m running a business. I have my own business in marketing and this seems harder to run because I constantly have to keep on something. Here is a post I did on the 30 roles I think I play almost daily.

Thank you for all the insightful answers, Shelli! I think tweens everywhere are going to love ON THE BRIGHT SIDE!

______

S.R. Johannes is the author of Untraceable (a teen wilderness thriller) and On The Bright Side ( a tween paranormal). She lives in Atlanta Georgia with her dog, British-accented husband, and the huge imaginations of their little prince and princess, which she hopes- someday- will change the world. After earning an MBA and working in corporate america, S.R. Johannes traded in her expensive suits, high heels, and corporate lingo for a family, flip-flops, and her love of writing.

_______

Cheers,

--Realm

Art - Graphic Novel for DON'T BREATHE A WORD

Eeee, so excited that Holly Cupala's DON'T BREATHE A WORD just came out!! Happy Book Birthday to Holly! Head over to her blog and congratulate her and check out her new book! She also made a video showing around Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood where I live.

Also, I drew the graphic novel rendition of the first two chapters of DON'T BREATHE A WORD!

Please check out the graphic novel here!

Holly is giving away DBAW artwork signed by both me and her over at her blog. I hope you all enjoy DON'T BREATHE A WORD!

--Realm

Happy 2012!

HAPPY APOCALYPSE!!!

Look at the space needle explode:

I hope you all had a happy new year! I just got back from Belize (where I saw the Mayan ruins) and I stayed home with Joey + friends this year and put on some apocalypsy music and drank champagne. We walked across the street before the fireworks went off on the space needle. Got there one minute in time!

Did you write your resolutions? I did. It's full of writerly goals, perhaps overly ambitious, but still... doesn't the 2012 make you want to do something big?

Happy New Year!

--Realm

Art - Autumn Sale

First of all... hurray for VGA awards! My Portal 2 team won best PC game and best multi-player, among other things! Congrats to the team and all the other teams that won different categories.

In other news, here's some art I did for the Steam Autumn Sale that ran during Thanksgiving weekend:

Leaves, rain, wind... brr, I can't wait for spring...

--Realm

News Week - 11/30/11

Autumn has brought us a ton of great, new book releases! Many of my writer friends got their new novel out in the past few months and I'm excited to tell you about them. I'm especially excited because these writers are super kind, hardworking, inspiring, talented, and full of will power and determination.

Shelli Johannes-Well's Untraceable:

Shelli Johannes-Wells has been offering marketing advice on her awesome blog for a long time. I really love this recent blog post she wrote on indie publishing--you must check it out. Back in 2009, she also interviewed me. Shelli has always been so helpful to the writing community and I'm happy to see Untraceable's launch success! Her YA thriller sounds like a great concept.

Untraceable blurb:

Grace has lived in the Smokies all her life, patrolling with her forest ranger father who taught her about wildlife, tracking, and wilderness survival. When her dad goes missing on a routine patrol, Grace refuses to believe he’s dead and fights the town authorities, tribal officials, and nature to find him. One day, while out tracking clues, Grace is rescued from danger by Mo, a hot guy with an intoxicating accent and a secret. As her feelings between him and her ex-boyfriend get muddled, Grace travels deep into the wilderness to escape and find her father. Along the way, Grace learns terrible secrets that sever relationships and lives. Soon she’s enmeshed in a web of conspiracy, deception, and murder. And it’s going to take a lot more than a compass and a motorcycle (named Lucifer) for this kick-butting heroine to save everything she loves.

Gretchen McNeil's Possess:

Gretchen McNeil has also been a giant supporter of writers. She is often busily working on YaRebels. And she's a singer, a hard worker, and always there to cheer writers on. Big glass of champagne to her success! Her debut Possess is out! If you like horror and YA, this is for you.

Possess blurb:

Fifteen-year-old Bridget Liu just wants to be left alone: by her over-protective mom, by Matt Quinn, the cute son of a local police sergeant, and by the eerie voices she can suddenly and inexplicably hear. Unfortunately for Bridget, the voices are demons—and Bridget possesses the rare ability to banish them back to whatever hell they came from. Literally.

Terrified to tell her friends or family about this new power, Bridget confides in San Francisco’s senior exorcist, Monsignor Renault. The monsignor enlists her help in increasingly dangerous cases of demonic possession, but just as she is starting to come to terms with her freakish new role, Bridget receives a startling message from one of the demons. And when one of her oldest friends is killed, Bridget realizes she’s in deeper than she ever thought possible. Now she must unlock the secret to the demons’ plan before someone else close to her winds up dead—or worse, the human vessel for a demon king.

Linda Benson's The Girl Who Remembered Horses:

Linda Benson is a kindred spirit who loves nature. She reached out to me when I was down and has always been so encouraging. It warms my heart to see her book out. Giant congrats to Linda! Read the blurb for The Girl Who Remembered Horses--sounds beautiful.

The Girl Who Remembered Horses blurb:

Several generations into the future, Sahara travels with her clan in a barren environment where recyclables are bartered for sustenance, and few remember horses or their connection to humans. But Sahara has recurring visions of riding astride on magnificent animals that run like the wind.

With the help of Evan, a young herder from the Gardener's Camp, Sahara discovers a crumbling book containing pictures of humans riding horses and learns her visions are real. Confronting a group of hunters led by hot-headed Dojo, Sahara rescues a wounded horse, but the animal escapes before it can be tamed.

Sahara is labeled a foolish dreamer and almost gives up her quest. Following horse tracks into a remote ravine, she finds wild dogs attacking a dying mare, and must drive them off in order to save the foal. Now she must attempt to raise the young animal, finally convince her clan of the ancient bond between horses and humans, and learn the secret of her true identity.

Karen Duvall's Knight's Curse:

Karen Duvall came out with Knight's Curse, an urban fantasy. (Did you know she's also a graphic designer?) She is another author who worked very hard and has always been there for others. This is so well-deserved. Thank you for all the support, Karen.

Knight's Curse blurb:

A skilled knife fighter since the age of nine, Chalice knows what it's like to live life on the edge—precariously balanced between the dark and the light. But the time has come to choose. The evil sorcerer who kidnapped her over a decade ago requires her superhuman senses to steal a precious magical artifact…or she must suffer the consequences.

Desperate to break the curse that enslaves her, Chalice agrees. But it is only with the help of Aydin—her noble warrior-protector—that she will risk venturing beyond the veil to discover the origins of her power. Only for him will she dare to fully embrace her awesome talents. For a deadly duel is at hand, and Chalice alone will have to decide between freedom…and the love of her life.

Lisa Albert's Mercy Lily:

Lisa Albert's contemporary YA--Mercy Lily! Lisa is warm-hearted and always cheering us writers on. Love the clear concept of Mercy Lily and how it shows through in the cover art. Thank you for all your support, Lisa! Many cheers to Mercy Lily.

Mercy Lily blurb:

I take the bees outside, unscrew the lid of the bee jar, and listen to their angry buzzing.
"I hate you," I whisper.

Lily's mother has slowly been losing herself to multiple sclerosis. After traditional treatment fails, she uses bee sting therapy, administered by Lily, to alleviate her pain. Lily is trained as a veterinary assistant, so she can easily handle the treatments. What she can't handle is what happens when the bee sting therapy fails and it becomes clear that her mom wants to die.

One beautiful spring day, Lily's mother asks her for the most impossible thing of all—mercy. While navigating first love, friendship, and other normal worries faced by high school sophomores, Lily also has to choose: help her mom go, or cling to her fading life for all it's worth.

I hope you guys picked some of these new books up for your winter vacation reads!

________________

In other news, did you guys see The Simpson's YA episode? (It's on Hulu now!)

--Realm

News Week - 10/31/11

Happy Halloween! Check out this pumpkin I carved (it's supposed to be a beastly cat face):

I made borsht (vampire soup), pumpkin pie from the carved pumpkin, and roasted pumpkin seeds.

We just got back from Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Joe and I stayed at my Grandpa's ancient Victorian house near Brown University. We drove over to Massachusetts around the Berkshires for our friend's lovely, autumn wedding. The red and gold leaves were beautiful.

In other news, while I'm on submission, I completed a first draft of a new novel! I am totally excited about this one and am revising it now. A month and a half is the fastest I've ever written.

I've got a couple art posts coming up, so stay tuned!

--Realm

Fairbanks, Alaska Trip

Fall is here! Joe and I just got back from Fairbanks, Alaska. We went on a quest to see the northern lights. Since there's been a lot of solar storms, we thought our odds were good. The first night, we only saw a foggy, white cloud which was the aurora. Then, the second night, after some snow, we saw a bright patch in the corner of the sky. We bundled up in our winter gear and went outside. The aurora spread across the sky and eventually began to dance and whip about, streaming like rays. We saw an aurora that appeared to be "galloping" toward us before it faded. Another one swirled above us. In summary, the aurora borealis rocks!!! My nerd-astronomy-loving heart is satisfied. The aurora is not as green in real life as photos, but it's still bright. I didn't expect the aurora to move so wild like it's got a mind of its own! Once we got really cold, we went back inside, but I could still watch the lights through my window as I drifted to sleep.

A walk in the boreal forest, which consists of beautiful, white elm trees and utter silence:

Our cute lodge with mountain view (Why make the pic so small, blogger?):

Walk with reindeer:

Ice bar! We got an appletini in an ice glass:

Husky ride! The dogs run fast and seem to have unending energy:

Food! The left is the aurora borealis cocktail. The middle is a giant steak--best steak ever. And on the right is a milky way martini, which was like chocolate:

We hiked Angel Rock, where there are many tors studding the mountain top:

Nice views:
I got an aurora borealis labordite necklace to remind me of my trip:

This pic isn't from the trip... it's from new year's eve! On NYE this year, we went to an aurora borealis party where the ceiling was strung up with fake auroras made out of ribbons. Little did I know I would see them this year. I guess it's a reminder to seek the unknown:

In short, Alaska was peaceful, quiet, and wonderful. The people were kind, the air and water fresh, and the food delicious. I've been on many trips, but this was one of the few times I had a really hard time leaving. I miss the stillness and making breakfast while looking out at the mountains. When the air, view, and everything is pristine and pure, it's hard not to feel healthy and good. I wish I could transport that feeling into Seattle, but our little city is quite crowded and muggy. And I have a view of the street. Oh well!

--Realm