Pat Cummings Illustration Workshop in Arizona

DON'T MISS THIS GREAT WORKSHOP!

Pat Cummings Is Coming to Arizona!

Award-winning author/illustrator Pat Cummings will be sharing her expertise with SCBWI Arizona this fall. Join Pat and a small group of illustrators for a full day hands-on intensive workshop on Satuday, October 4, 2008. The workshop is designed for artists who want to take their work to the next level. The event will be held at the Brio Fine Arts Center in Scottsdale. For registration details, go to Events. (www.scbwi-az.org/Events.html)

The workshop will also involve creating a promotional piece that is so compelling that an editor would sign up a book based on that one image. This might be a rare occurrence, but it CAN happen. Every promotional piece ought to aspire to that end. This workshop will focus on developing a provocative, narrative image that showcases the widest range of individual skills possible.

Anyone who is interested in illustration should definitely come to this workshop. Register quickly so that you don't miss out.

You can order "There's a Coqui in My Shoe!" online now!

Isla Catalog, is a company that focuses on selling products specific to Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. They are now carrying "There's a Coqui in My Soe!" through their website. Click on:

http://www.islaonline.com/prodinfo.asp?number=6512CRB

To get to the book page. Also, seeing that the response has been so wonderful they will also palce the book in their Christmas catalog.

Where does Tanja work?

Wow! Has it really almost been a month since I posted last? Man-o-Man time sure does fly. I have been very busy working on the finals of my next book scheduled for release by the Grand Canyon Association in the Spring on 2009. I thought it might be interesting to show everyone where I work. I actually have a great little office/studio that I spend a lot of time in.


That's my computer area. As you can see I'm getting ready to do some blog posting. :)

That's my easle and drawing table, etc. The TV is not hooked up right now so it's just using up valuable space. My window looks over a little park which is nice, but it's hard watching people have fun outside while working (even if the work I do is fun) inside.

My solution?

Take over the rest of the house! Yup, I now paint in our dinning/family room area. It's actually kinda fun because I'm with the rest of the family and not so isolated. Thank you family for letting me spread my paints out everywhere.

Interviewed by El Playero at El Legado Golf Resort

At the book signing in El Yunque, we met Jaymee Weinreich. She is an incredible artist and also writes about Puerto Rican artists, writers, etc. for a monthly free publication in Florida called "El Playero." She requested to interview Mr. Rodriguez, Marisa and myself for an article in one of the upcoming issues of El Playero. We all met, at Mr. Rodriguez Golf Resort, El Legado, outside of Guayama, Puerto Rico. We explained how "There's a Coqui in My Shoe!" came to life and what the journey entailed.

Thank you Jaymee for your interest in our story and we are looking forward to reading your article soon.

The three of us again, at Mr. Rodriguez Golf Resort, El Legado. What a beautiful area, even if you are not a golfer. But if you do golf, make sure that you visit El Legado Golf Resort, home of Chi Chi Rodriguez, http://www.ellegadogolfresort.com/ . Thank you Mr. and Mrs. Rodriguez for your hospitality. Thank you also Maria (Morales, Marketing Director) for everything.

El Yunque Book Signing was a great success!

Now that I'm back from Puerto Rico, it's time to let you know how the book signing at El Portal Rain Forest Center in the El Yunque Rainforest went. First, I would like to give a heartfelt thank you to everyone at El Portal Rain Forest Center, especially Zoriada Rosa, Regional Manager for the Easter National Parks Service. We were so warmly welcomed and so well looked after which made the whole day even more enjoyable. I would also like to thank Mr. Rodriguez, the publisher of "There's a Coqui in My Shoe!", for making me laugh more than I have in a long time. He is the most quick witted person I have ever met and kept us laughing all day with his one-liners. My stomach muscles hurt after spending four hours with him.

Here I am with Mr. Rodriguez and Marisa de Jesus Paolicelli, the author, and Pablo Cruz, Forest Supervisor, from the El Portal Rainforest Center. The day was a huge success and there was lots of traffic for the entire time we were there. Mrs. Rosa informed us that we had sold well over 100 books that day which was a record for the store. Thank you to everyone who made the day such a huge success.

If you are ever in the El Yunque area of Puerto Rico, make sure that you visit the El Portal Rain Forest Center. The facility is absolutetly beautiful and is the entrance to the actual rain forest itself. For more information about the center, visit http://www.fs.fed.us/r8/caribbean/ .

Here are a couple more photos of the day:

Here is Marisa and I meeting some of the visitors to the Center and the book signing.

Here Mr. Rodriguez is making us laugh again. What a fun day we had.

Here is Mr. Rodriguez and Marisa with my family, my husband Kevin with the girls who are not cooperating as you can see. I couldn't resist, though. Afterall, how often does one get a chance to take a photo with a legend?