Revision Relief!

So I got word for my editor that she loved the revisions. Yay! Looks like we just need a bit more tweaking but overall we're in good shape. And on top of that, I found out who my designer for BLOGTASTIC! will be--Marci Senders. She's the one who designed the covers for the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. How awesome is that? I can't wait to get a cover for my book...it makes everything seem that much more real. So for now, I can release the breath i've been holding for the last few weeks and enjoy watching my book take shape.

Writing and Boutique and Gallery News...Oh my!

I'm so excited with everything going on right now. This Sunday marks the beginning of my art shows and festivals and such, since i'm pretty much booked out from Nov 1 through mid December.

I emailed my book revisions a little over a week ago and anxiously awaiting to hear back from my editor. I thought once I sent the revisions off I would be more relaxed. Nope! Just the opposite. I'm sititng here worrying now about whether she'll like the reivisons or if they're good enough and I'm totally second guessing myself. But I suppose these are all normal feelings since this is my debut book.

In other news...

My 20 pieces of artwork, for the 20-20 Show, at the 20th Street Gallery (get it?) will be opening Nov. 11 and running till December 24th. There are some amazing artists that will be showing. You can see some of the art that will be there on the website:  20th Street Gallery.  And you might just happen to see my name there on the right side of the page. And if you just happen to click on my name it just might  happen to bring you to my art samples too.

My art will also be at The Sun Gallery in Hayward and the show opens Dec. 1 and runs till Dec. 19th. I can't wait! They also have a VERY COOL annual children's illustrators exhibit that runs four months out of the year! I'll be talking with them more when I go down to drop off my art at the end of this month.

AND...my art and products (such as cards, magnets, bookmarks, etc. all made from my art work) will be sold at the Itty Bitty Boutique in Downtown Campbell! I'll be going down there soon and will post pictures when it's all set up :)

As always, you can check out my latest art happenings at RoCo Ink!

*Today's post was brought to you by the word Happen*

20th Street Art Gallery

Art samples for the upcoming 20-20 Exhibition at the 20th Street Art Gallery is now online. You can click on my name on the right side of the screen to see mine! Check out the 20th Street Gallery blog!

My deadline to have all 25 pieces of my art finished is THIS Friday! Eek! Last week was the deadline for my book revisions, so i'm leaping right into another deadline. I have to admit though, I LOVE these types of deadlines though :)

Winner of Art Giveaway from Pt. Richmond Festival

I'm burned out from book revisions, so I chose the winner in the most non-creative least energetic way possible. I shuffled all the entries and randomly plucked one from the black furry cauldron (yes, my eyes were shut!).


So, the winner is...Betty Jean Valdez!

Yay, Betty! You get to chose a print of any art pic on my site RoCoInk.com to be mailed to you.

 Please email me by Oct. 24th to claim your art!

Book Deal!

I'm finally able to announce my wonderful book news! I had to wait on a title change, but now it's official!

From Publishers Market Place:

Rose Cooper's graphic novel debut, BLOGTASTIC!: Gossip from the Girl's Room, in which a sixth grade girl "accidentally" overhears gossip while staking out the girls room, but then not-so-accidentally embellishes the facts on her blog, to Wendy Loggia at Delacorte, by Rosemary Stimola at Stimola Literary Studio. rosemary@stimolaliterarystudio.com

Not sure on the release date yet. Could be as early as Fall 2010 or might not be until around January 2011. Either way, I'm thrilled!

Folsom Festival & Creepy Pets

This weekend I participated in the two day event-Folsom Gourd & Arts Festival. It was a lot of fun and I met so many amazing people. The heat was near unbearable though, but i survived! (btw, anything over 75 degrees is unbearable to me, and the temp was 103 degrees this weekend!). I posted pics of my art and booth on my art website: RoCo Ink

My brother went with me to help me out--thanks, Brandon! and some of my friends even came out and sat with me for a bit--and even tolerated the heat! Thanks Cristin & Kari! Kari's son brought his new pet with him and, well, lets say I was a bit less than fond of the pet, lol. I'll give you some clues about what type of "pet" it was:

1. It hisses
2. It is large (for this type of "pet")
3. It eats fruit
4. It is way ugly!
5. You can put a leash on it. Then again, you can put a leash on just about anything.
6. This "pet" was featured in a photoshoot in a past season of ANTM
7. It gives me the creeps!

Okay, so it should be obvious what it is, right? Leave a comment on what you think it is, and I will post later (and maybe a pic too!)

Winner of Art Giveaway!

The 2nd Saturday Artwalk at Zelda's last night was great! Thank you to everyone who came out! I loved meeting new people and seeing all my wonderful, supportive friends too. You guys are the greatest!


My monkey (4yr old son, Alex) picked the winner for the Art Giveaway from the bucket, after I shuffled all the pieces it up. It went something like this...

Me: Pick just one.

Alex: Okay....

5 minutest later

Me: Um, you can pick one now.

Alex: I am! (still moving all the paper around with his hand)

5 more minutes later......

Me: Just pick one!

Alex: ok. Here! (with a big smile, proudly gives me one of the slips of paper, then claps). Tell me the name!

Me: The name is Kari

Alex. Oh, I'm not sure about that name. Lemme pick another one...

Me: Um, no!

So with that being said, the winner is Kari Ripplinger!

Yay! Congrats Kari!

Folsom Festival

I got the news Monday night that I made it into the 15th Annual Folsom Gourd Festival! The Festival Director put out a post stating they would select a couple artists to participate in this event for FREE! Yes, free is a big deal because the booth spaces start out at $150. So based on art samples sent, they selected the artists. I was just as surprised as you are when I got the acceptance email! It's a two day event, September 26-27th. Can't wait!

Things You Should Know About Me

1. I'm a writer. For years I wrote "supposedly" funny articles for really old people (like adults 30+). BUT, I've always loved writing stories for kids the most. So now, that's what I do! (sorry old people).

2. April 2009, I signed with my agent, Rosemary Stimola (aka Agent Awesome!) of Stimola Literary Studio. You know what that means, right? Yep, I could have my books in stores soon and everybody, including YOU, could read it!

3. I kind of have two cats. Meaning, I had two cats but then we gave them to family to cat-sit while we moved and, well, I think they're still around somewhere. That somewhere just isn't my house. I know, so sad!

4. I LOVE reading. Not so much that I would like want to marry the books or anything, but so much that I would probably give up a bowl of chocolate ice cream to read a good book. Yes, THAT much.

5. I'm a total chocoholic. Yes, I'm addicted to chocolate. If my furniture was made completely out of chocolate...lets just say I would be sitting on a bare floor right now. And I wouldn't be typing on this laptop.

6. I draw. And when I draw for my books, I guess that makes me an illustrator too (at least, that's what they tell me). I sometimes got caught doodling on my school books and not paying attention in class. Sorry, teachers!

7. I'm married and have 3 boys. NO, that DOES NOT make me an old person (but my husband totally is! He's an entire year older than me. Ha!) Although my three sons (hey didn't that used to be a TV show way back in the really old days? ) think I'm beyond old. In fact, one of my sons asked me which dinosaurs lived in my backyard when I was a kid. Um, do I really look like I'm a gazillion years old?

So that's the really important stuff about me. Of course I could keep going on and on. And on. Because I can be a real chatterbox most of the time. But instead, I'll let you decide.

P.S. If you have chocolate or kittens you would like to give away, please email me!

iPhone Apps and Shriners

I'm currently working on a new project--illustrations for the children's classic fairytale, Little Red Riding Hood. Yes, I'm stepping out of my warm and comforting cocoon and emerging with my art.

This isn't just a book, it is a new iPhone App that is presented by iMotherGoose. It will have text from this adapted story with my illustrations and voice over. The best part? A percentage of proceeds will be donated to the charity of my choice. I have chosen Shriners Hospitals for Children, because they are simply awesome. They have a wonderful program for families and care for the children. For more information regarding Shriners, you can visit their website at www.shrinershq.org.

The iPhone App is expected to be out by end of this year. I'll keep everything updated on here, along with the release date when the time draws near. And then...you'll HAVE to download the app. And if you don't have an iPhone, you will HAVE to buy one.

Author Interview with Mandy Hubbard

Mandy Hubbard: YA Author of Prada and Prejudice

How did the idea for Prada & Prejudice come to you?

I went to the Idea store and put three dollars in the machine, and Prada and Prejudice is what came out.

Kidding.

I’d been reading Regency Romances for months, but ineviteably I always had to read a contemporary in between—I loved the setting, but the formal voice/actions were harder to get into. Since there wasn’t a book that combined a modern voice and a historic setting, I decided to create it.

What would you like readers to take away from your books?

That I am the next great big thing, and they should go back and buy three more copies.

Also kidding.

Mostly, I just hope they have fun—that it’s a great diversion for a few hours on a plane or a way to relax while sitting on the beach. Or heck, a way to enjoy Summer if they’re stuck at home with nothing to do.

Any of your characters in Prada & Prejudice based off of real people (like yourself)?

No. Of course, Callie is bound to have things in common with me. My best friend and my husband both said they could “see” me in the book in places. I’m sure it is her incredible sense of humor and fabulous style, not her klutziness or penchant for trouble.

What is your writing process like?

My usual method is to get an idea and simply sit down, type “Chapter 1”, and run with it. I tend to figure out plot twists and characters as I write. In some ways its just like reading, because I have no idea how it will end until I’m there. Of course it does mean I revise heavily, but it works for me.

How did you react the first time you saw Prada & Prejudice on bookstore shelves?

On release day I went to my local indie, but they hadn’t received the book yet. So I went and had lunch and went back to work. An hour or so later, a coworker walked into my cubicle with my book in his hand. He had went to the same indie and made them go upstairs and rummage through the boxes of new stock to find a copy for him. For some reason when I saw him holding it I felt weird—breathless and shaky. It was the first time someone had bought my book and asked me to sign it. . . it was like seeing it for the first time!

By the time I saw it on shelves, I was a little more cool about it, but I still couldn’t stop grinning and staring at it and touching the cover.

What are some of your cool or annoying writerly habits?

I guess it is cool that I can write anywhere—even on a train full of people. I type at around 100 words per minute, which I love, because it’s almost as fast as I think.

Annoying: I surf the internet way too much while writing. I wish I could concentrate!

If you could be ANY character in ANY book, who would you be?

I would say Elizabeth Bennet, but that choice is pretty obvious…. So I’m going to go with Alex from THE SEASON by Sarah Maclean. Her yummy love interest is just as hot as Darcy—and he’s an Earl!

What advice do you have for teen writers?

That publishing is a business. Enjoy your writing, and when you think you’re ready for publication, go in knowing that everyone gets rejected—even published authors who go to sell their second, third, fourth book will get rejections, so it doesn’t mean that you—or your work—isn’t good enough.

What book do you wish you'd written? Money and fame can factor into your answer.

You know, the only books I’ve ever re-read aren’t flashy ones: Z for Zachariah, True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, Shiloh, Hatchet. Those are books that I read as a kid and then re-read as an adult because they stuck with me. I’d be proud to put my name on any of those!
Although, I wouldn’t mind taking credit for HUNGER GAMES.

What is your favorite word (real or made up)?

I really like “tool,” when used as an insult. Like, “Don’t be such a tool.”

What new projects are you’re working on now?

My 2010 NASCAR romance for Harlequin, DRIVEN, along with my 2010 YA for Razorbill. The YA is top secret for now, but I think it will really appeal to my Prada and Prejudice readers!

Tell me an “Oh. My. God. Really?” fact about yourself.

Um, how about this: When I was 17 I ran for King-Pierce County Dairy Princess. I have the sash and crown to prove it, I swear. We had to dress up in GOT MILK shirts and go to sporting events and hand out trophies and stuff like that. For realz.

Visit Mandy's Website: http://www.mandyhubbard.com/
Order your copy of Pride and Prejudice today on AMAZON!