Teresa Flavin

Bowled over!

Your support has amazed me.

I have had so many emails from all over the world about The Blackhope Enigma! I am thrilled at people’s enthusiasm and interest.

Here’s a further article from today’s Bookseller…and thanks to Maggi and Rachel for alerting me to it!

Several people have asked me for more definitive info about the publication date. It’s July for the UK edition- which feels like it’s just around the corner. I’ll keep you updated as we trundle along!

Templar Publishing’s New Fiction for 2010

The Launch Event in London!

That’s me on the right of the photo, with the wonderful duo of Anne Finnis, Consulting Editor, and Emily Hawkins, Senior Editor. If I look at all starry-eyed, it’s because I was certainly feeling that way! I had just seen the advance review copies of my book, with its very classy cover, and it began to sink in that after years of hard work, The Blackhope Enigma is on its way.

I feel honored to have my book on the Templar 2010 Fiction List with a host of excellent authors and illustrators: Not Bad for a Bad Lad by Michael Morpurgo, former UK Children’s Laureate, and illustrated by the multi-talented Michael Foreman; A Right Royal Disaster by fabulous author-illustrator Simon Bartram; and the much anticipated The Dragonology Chronicles: The Dragon Diary by Dugald Steer.

There is already online buzz about Australian Richard Harland’s steampunk novel Worldshaker and Stephanie Burgis’s A Most Improper Magick. (If you visit Stephanie’s website, you can watch a neat book trailer and enter a competition to win an advance review copy.)

I am intrigued by Kate de Goldi’s The Ten O’Clock Question, which was an award-winning bestseller in her native New Zealand. The same goes for Johnny O’Brien’s Jack Christie books. I met Johnny at the launch - you could not meet a nicer man, and he’s a history buff to boot. Read more about Day of the Assassins and Day of Deliverance at his very cool site.

Last, but not least, is the beguiling story of Eric from one of my heroes of contemporary illustration, Shaun Tan. You can reread my blog about Tales from Outer Suburbia here.

What illustrious company I find myself in! As I type, I am eyeing the pile of advance copies I was given at the launch and wondering which I should read first. It’s going to be a difficult but pleasurable choice.

Granny O’Grimm

“Ireland’s Bitterest Granny” is up for an Academy Award.

I was browsing through this year’s nominations for Best Animated Short Film and came across Brown Bag Films‘ Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty. Two Irish animation studios have work nominated in the Animation categories this year, which is pretty good - the other is for hand-drawn feature film The Secret of Kells.

I liked all the Short Film nominations, but Grannie O’Grimm’s retelling of Sleeping Beauty is a cracker! For more of Granny, visit her website. The Academy Award ceremony is on March 7.

SCBWI Scotland presents Catherine Rayner

On March 25, the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators in Scotland is hosting award-winning author-illustrator, Catherine Rayner, in a day-long master class on illustrating children’s picture books.

If you are interested, click here for more information.

Django Films: The Illusionist

Much anticipated new animation from Sylvain Chomet.

I absolutely loved Belleville Rendez-vous (as it is called in the UK), otherwise known as The Triplets of Belleville by amazing animator Sylvain Chomet and his flagship studio in Edinburgh, Django Films.

An article in today’s Glasgow Herald reports that Chomet’s new film, The Illusionist, is enchanting audiences at the Berlin Film Festival. I really hope it goes into general release soon!

Here’s a short video of Sylvain Chomet sketching and talking about his drawing methods.

Book Illustration Fan Sites #3

The Art of the Bookplate

I have been thinking about illustrated bookplates this week. I have several for kids that you can download on my Fun page, and I have been thinking about designing more. So I thought I’d do a little research on bookplates and found this excellent blog, Bookplate Junkie. Like the other book illustration fan sites I have recommended here and here, this one has loads of wonderful images of bookplate art and design.

I wish people used more bookplates! I think they show how much a book is cherished by its owner. They are also a bit mysterious - when I find an old book with beautiful, old-fashioned writing on its bookplate, I imagine what that person was like, how he or she got the book, and what happened to him/her.

I am glad there are people like Bookplate Junkie, who care about these artistic little slips of paper that say so much with so few words.

Heroes of the Valley Book Trailer

I happened to come across this gem of a book trailer for Heroes of the Valley by Jonathan Stroud. The trailer was made by Leevi Lemmetty, who was one of three winners of the 2009 Bookseller Video Award.

Going West Animation

The New Zealand Book Council’s stop-frame animation of elements from Going West
by Maurice Gee sends shivers down my spine. It was made by the hugely talented designers, Martin and Line Andersen, who are based in London. To see more of their work, including a gorgeous animation for the Southbank Centre’s Classical season, visit their site.

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon

Congratulations to author-illustrator Grace Lin!

It gives me such great pleasure to congratulate Grace on her illustrated novel Where the Mountain Meets the Moon being chosen today as a Newbery Honor Book. I have a lot of admiration for Grace’s achievement - the Newbery awards are highly prestigious. And I found her blog entry very moving. Well done, Grace, you inspire us!

One Dream at a Time

Happy New Year!

This is a good time of year to think about dreams, both the sleepy type and the visionary, self-actualizing type. I have been sleeping a lot this winter, under snowy skies, grateful for the warmth of home. I have been dreaming a lot, too, about what 2010 will bring.

I like the groundedness of “One Dream at a Time”…just choose one, make it happen and get onto the next. Choose too many at once and chase your tail in frustration.

I wish I knew who made this poster. If you know, please tell me.

Or is it better not to know? Maybe the whole point is to keep a potent little mystery alive in the creative corridors.

Happy January New Moon - make a wish and follow your dream.