Breakfast is one of my favorite meals of the day. I could eat breakfast food for three meals a day! So in celebration of the release of The Blackberry & Other Tales That Creep, we are going to let the syrup flow and the good times roll
Details: Some copies will be available for signing. Breakfast is no host (i.e. pay for your own food)
Space is limited (because pancakes are popular on weekends!) so RSVP here in comments, or on the Facebook Event Page. No regrets necessary.
THE FIRST REVIEW IS IN ~ FIVE STARS!!!
"Just an outstanding collection of four short stories that
the author says is written for ages 12 - 18 and grades 6 - 12. I am way beyond
those stated years but I thoroughly enjoyed each and every one of them. My
favorite one of the four is 'In Her Own Words' followed closely by 'Walter's
Sunday'. All of them to me are five star stories but the two I mentioned
contain so much knowledge of life, living and death that they stood above the
other two." ~ Amazon Reader Review
LAUNCH BREAKFAST ANNOUNCED!
Live in the Puget Sound area? Join me for a very informal Launch Breakfast Saturday morning, May 16th between 9 & 11am at the Original Pancake House, 601 S Pine Street in Tacoma. I am going to pour something berry-like over some yummy pancakes and celebrate the amazing journey that has been this book. Breakfast is Pay-Your-Own, I am afraid. But I will have a limited supply of books with me and a ready pen for signing.
(I am sure there are rules about how you should conduct an event like this, but I don't know them yet, so I am just going to have a good breakfast and a good time with (hopefully) some good company)
What really creeps
you out? These stories feature the unknown, unseen, unexplainable, and
unexpected. They won’t horrify you, but you may begin to feel uneasy, get
that prickly feeling on your skin that causes you to rub your arms and look
around for what might be lurking. They may inspire you to check under your
bed at night, make certain your closet door is securely latched and your
windows locked.
“The Blackberry & Other Tales That Creep” features four unique short
story adventures by Judith Cullen, with illustrations for “The Blackberry”
& “Gorak the Gobbler” by well-known cartoonist and illustrator, Rick Geary.
Appropriate for
Young Adult and Older.
Thanks to everyone for their support on the amazing journey that has been this book. DON'T FORGET TO POST YOUR REVIEWS ON AMAZON, and stay tuned for more news.
We are pleased to share the finished cover for The Blackberry & Other Tales That Creep, which will be available for Kindle and in Paperback through Amazon in just a few weeks.
Shortly there after, the four stories will also be available on Audible as an audio-book.
The final cover is a cooperative effort. Illustrator Rick Geary, whose line art was the first step. The book will contain Rick's illustrations for two of the stories in the collection" "The Blackberry" & "Gorak the Gobbler"
Rick's original rough sketch
(The "Gorak" sketches are terrific, and if you want a sneak peek at one of them in rough, be sure and check out this week's installment of the story here on my site.")
Here's an early bit of fun. Early because it has elements of a "Throw Back Thursday" to it, and this is being posted on a Wednesday. Also early because even as I type,Rick Gearyis working on sketches and final art for The Blackberry & Other Tales That Creep. (I am so excited!!!) Not to let the cat out of the bag either literally or metaphorically: it is no secret that I am among the "cat-owned" and have been for most of the last 30 years. Elements of each of the unique feline personalities I have had the pleasure of sharing my life with are in my 2013 collection A Trio of Cat Tales.
In The Blackberry & Other Tales That Creep three of the four stories have cats in them: "Sprinkles" from The Blackberry; "Miss Kitty" from Her Own Words; and "Spot" in Gorak the Gobbler. That last one is a tribute to Commander Data's "Spot" from Star Trek Next Generation. My cat friend at the time used to love Spot. She would always come up to the TV when Spot was in an episode and pat the screen.
The character of "Sprinkles" from The Blackberry is definitely taken from Miss Sadie, my current cat-panion. This is not the first time Rick has drawn Sadie (though he has no idea of this cat-nection). Back in 2002, when Miss Sadie was the resident cat at Tacoma Little Theatre, we commissioned an image of her as she had become the mascot of one of our Education programs. So here is the Sadie art from 2002, the sketch of Sprinkles, and Miss Sadie in her current capacity as resident art and literature critic.
Sadie as depicted by Rick Geary for Tacoma Little Theatre in 2002 (I own the original!)
Rick's sketch of "Sprinkles" from "The Blackberry"
Miss Sadie, in all her "felinious" glory: cat-panion extraordinaire
Also, check out this great video of Rick talking about his art and process. I think it is way cool that he loves his pencils as much as I do, and still uses Rapidograph Pens. Mine are still around here somewhere, and probably need a good soaking.
Have you ever in your life done something you ever imagined that you would do, and realized that most every learning experience you have had in your life has contributed to it? Well, that's the way it is with this. I jumped into it 100%.
I am working to raise $1350 to finish the illustrations for The Blackberry and Other Tales That Creep, and to distribute the book to a wider audience than just making it available for sale on Amazon and telling everyone and anyone about it.
Check out the project page forThe Blackberry and Other Tales That Creepand find out why I am so excited about it (excited enough that I actually put my face ON camera) and learn some of the stories behind the creation of it. There will be periodic updates with new information and new stories over the 30 days that the campaign is live.
Kickstarter is an all or nothing venture. If we raise more than $1350, then Kickstarter honors the pay-out of more and we do more with the project - more illustrations, more distribution. If we fall short, we get nothing at all, and The Blackberry and Other Tales That Creepgets published in its simplest form, just like all my other releases. That's not tragic, BUT the book has so much more potential than that. You can help it realize that potential. You can be a part of a group effort to bring some great original stories to life in a unique way, and share them for the pleasure of readers of all ages.
Take a look! I invite you to consider joining me in making this vision a reality.
