June 30, 2010

A Progression of cover treatments... The Gabriel Book of World Records!

I personally have always enjoyed a good back story. Almost as much as the story itself. I have read many author biographies to glean their inspirations and to see their processes. Thus, I thought some of you might be interested in seeing this.

For my upcoming book, the new series illustrator/designer (the magnificent David Schiedt) was kind enough to ask my opinion of what the cover should "say". Having worked with Mr. Schiedt before on our collaborated picture book, Drinking Fountain Joe, I knew David painstakingly sketches and sketches and sketches until he finds the character he wants. I trust him and when he sends me really, really rough sketches I try hard to envision the end "product". No matter how hard I try, I never see it as good as he does it! This challenge for Mr. Schiedt was particularly difficult because he had never illustrated a chapter book before and he was taking the series over mid-stream. He wanted it to have his own individual stamp and look nothing like the previously illustrated works of Gabe. That is what I wanted too. It was time to introduce Gabe to the world in a newly minted way. Gabe himself was taking over the reigns. The books would be from his perspective not only in the writing style, but illustrations "taken from his sketchbooks".

I thought of a cover where Gabe is central and six to eight items from the action within were surrounding him in bubbles. Mr. Schiedt gave it a try and although it was 100% better than anything I could have done, it wasn't quite right. Fortunately for me Mr. Schiedt is a very nice and patient man.


He drew some sketches and some cover treatments that neither of us were totally wild about, then we asked the opinion of some kids and teachers and librarians who are familiar with the character Gabriel Peter and his stories in the previous two books and they weren't wild about them either. DEADLINES and COMMITMENTS looming, what were we to do?













Back to the drawing board (while I was crazily editing my work too and wanting to make this the very best book possible.The cover below was sent to me after a discussion about the element of action and trying to get into the famous Guinness World Book of Records.






















I liked it a lot, but after a conversation Mr. Scheidt was still not totally satisfied that it conveyed Gabe correctly in the scene.

Then he sent this one. I was in love with the cover and the idea.


After deliberation about incorporating action and something that indicates what is within the covers of the book we came upon this idea. The main idea was to capture attention, particularly by the reluctant chapter book reader. What would do it? What is popular and stays true to the series?

SO many questions. My answers were, comics, sketchy drawing style and TONS OF ACTION! What do you think of how the cover looks now?











PLEASE CLICK ON COVER TO SEE THE ENTIRE THING! THANKS!

June 19, 2010

Contest at my fanpage on Facebook


http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1016679907#!/pages/The-Works-of-Justin-Matott/213624096290?ref=mf

There is a contest just announced on my Facebook fan page. Please forward this to EVERYONE you know. It is a bit of a scavenger hunt! Have fun! Thanks, J. M.

RAP IT UP!



Sometimes poetry comes "rapped" in a package with a good disguise. Often when I visit schools I hear the kiddoes saying things like, "I don't like poems!" "Poetry is boring!" and other such things.

I have them do an exercise: Take your favorite song and write out the lyrics. Or tell us several lines from a song you like. Suddenly as they begin to recite the lyrics from a song it becomes apparent that they are rhyming and basically speaking a poem... Ah, the light goes on.

Most music is nothing more than rhyming lines or quadrants set to a beat. Then the assignment is to write a song rather than a poem and the stigma disappears...

June 12, 2010

A SAD POEM FROM THE UPCOMING BOOK NITWITTLES

PLEASE CLICK ON POEM TO ENLARGE











I THINK IT IS IMPORTANT WHEN DISCUSSING STORIES AND POETRY THAT A YOUNGSTER UNDERSTANDS THAT A WRITER IS SIMPLY HUMAN AND DEALS WITH THE EMOTIONAL ASPECTS OF BEING ONE IN THE WAY WE KNOW BEST... WRITING IT OUT.

MOSTLY MY POEMS ARE SILLY, FUNNY OR WRITTEN TO CAUSE THOUGHT AND/OR DISCUSSION. THIS POEM IS DIFFERENT THAN ANY I HAVE WRITTEN BEFORE. THIS POEM WAS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT FOR ME TO WRITE BECAUSE IT WAS A PURGING OF DEEP, DEEP SORROW AND LOVE LOST. THIS POEM WAS WRITTEN ABOUT OUR BELOVED FAMILY DOG WHO RECENTLY LEFT OUR HOME TO GO TO DOG HEAVEN, BUT WRITING IT BROUGHT BACK MY BEST FRIEND FROM CHILDHOOD AND SOMEHOW SO MANY YEARS LATER ALLOWED ME TO SAY GOODBYE TO A PORTION OF THE SORROW THAT I HELD ON TO BECAUSE IT WAS JUST TOO HARD TO DEAL WITH IT ALL WHEN I LOST HIM AND HAS BEEN LODGED IN MY HEART FOR ALL THESE YEARS.

THE NIGHT I WROTE THE FIRST DRAFT OF THIS POEM I HAD A VERY VIVID DREAM ABOUT FRISKY, MY BEAGLE/HUSKY MIX WHO FILLED MUCH OF THE FIRST TWO DECADES OF MY LIFE WITH FRIENDSHIP AND HAPPINESS AND THEN THE ULTIMATE SORROW. IN THE DREAM HE FINALLY DID WHAT I TRIED TO GET HIM TO DO WHEN I WAS A BOY. HE SPOKE. HE SAID GOODBYE TO ME TOO. I WAS ALL AT ONCE UPON AWAKENING VERY HAPPY AND VERY, VERY SAD, KIND OF LIKE A HARD RAINSTORM WHERE THE SUN IS STILL BEAMING DOWN THROUGH THE DARK CLOUDS.

PERHAPS IT IS BECAUSE WHERE THE RED FERN GROWS IS MY ALL TIME FAVORITE BOOK THAT I FEEL THE DEEP LOSS OF MY CANINE FRIENDS.

IF YOU ARE A DOG LOVER YOU WILL APPRECIATE THIS POEM AND HOPEFULLY EVEN IF YOU ARE NOT.


June 10, 2010

THIS BULLY - A POEM




Another poem from the upcoming book NitWittles...




Click on the pic to enlarge



June 9, 2010

The Day I got my Super Powers!


I remember the day I got my super powers. I was riding the school bus
home when I found a record album. More of the Monkeys. The bus driver told me I could keep it, I think he said, "finders keepers...".
I went home and put it on my turntable. The song Stepping Stone came on and somehow imported power into my little soul and body.

Suddenly the refrain was meant for the bully at school who wouldn't
let me swing on the big swings at recess. I made a cape with a big star (I could make great stars, snowflakes and hearts at the time. The star seemed most "super powered", just to absorb power from. I was smart enough not to wear it to school (or the matching pair of tighty-whities I had cut a star for too).

On the radio came on Bad Bad Leroy Brown. Suddenly I had a powerful anger for the bully, a cape and a resolve to change my destiny at school. I even had curled fists and it was involuntary. I could feel the super powers surging through me. I imagined the words POW, ZAP, BOOM coming to life in the air in cartoon lettering like they did on one of my favorite television shows (Batman & Robin).

I set off for school and all the way on the school bus, I just knew I wasn't going to be a chicken that day on the playground. I wasn't going to be pushed around. I was going to swing for all I was worth until I was flying through the air in my super power way for all to see.

The bully was home sick. I think it was the best day of elementary school! But, I had mustered up all of my courage for that day and somehow my super powers seemed trickle down and dissipate, replaced with that ache in the gut fear feeling.

The next day I went to school fully armed with salted nut roll, which was a bribe that worked to keep her from punching me. So, I didn't swing that day or many days. I hovered over closer to the teeter totters where the teachers gathered to talk.

But years later I showed her. I got a little less geeky (at least she thought so) and turned her down for the Sadie Hawkins dance, I thought to leave a salted nut roll in front of her locker to remind her of a super hero from a time past...


Do you have a bullying story you would like to share? I am on an anti-bullying crusade in my school visits and will be using my own and other funny, interesting, scary bullying stories to demonstrate through storytelling how to combat the problem... and maybe even soften a few bully's hearts toward their intended victims!

June 8, 2010

Poem from upcoming Nitwittles - SHADOWS

I WILL BE POSTING MY POETRY RANDOMLY OVER THE SUMMER TO INTRODUCE THE NEXT INSTALLMENT, TITLED 'NITWITTLES' WHICH IS BEING RECORDED, EBOOKED AND PUBLISHED.

CLICK ON IMAGE TO ACTUALLY READ THE POEM. TECHNICALLY DEFICIENT AUTHOR AT WORK!


June 7, 2010

I answer ALL emails from kiddoes, teachers, classes, readers...

One of the greatest joys of putting my books out there in the world is the response I get from my readers. In about three out of four emails or letters, the reader asks in some way or another, "How much of this is ABOUT you?"

Dear Mr. Matott,

We have been reading all of your books. Our favorite books are about your dreams. We wonder, did you really do any of those things? If you did, which ones, and please tell us more about the time you had. We enjoyed reading about the clubhouses. Especially when it said, "No boys allowed" and "No Girls Allowed".

Your Fans,
Mrs. C______'s First Grade Class


Hello first graders and Mrs. C______! I am so happy you are reading my books.


I have done some of the things in the dream books:

From the boy book:
I practically lived in a tree house when I was a boy. I love to Scuba dive. I LOVE ice cream and wish there was a parlor that had any flavor you could think up. I tried to build a time machine many times when I was a boy and I always wanted a pet dragon. I honor and respect firefighters very much! I always imagined what it would be like to be an astronaut when I was a boy. My friends and I tried over and over to find the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow after rain storms. I LOVE all things pirate and love to think about bullies walking the plank in their striped tighty whities...

From the girl book:

I love to visit Paris. I LOVE sports cars and the car that takes them to the club house is Da Bomb, except I might not want it in pink. I LOVE to take pictures underwater when I scuba dive! I wanted to be a vet when I was a boy. I want to win a big award for one of my books someday. I love pyramids and mummies. The Olympics are one of my favorite things and basketball is one of my favorite sports...

Last but not least, I had a sign on my tree house that said NO GIRLS ALLOWED until I was in about sixth grade and then I crossed out NO.

Thank you for writing to me and I hope you will enjoy MANY MANY books in your future. One of the books I would suggest is by a friend of mine, Laurie Keller. She has about five good books, but my FAVORITE is Arnie The Doughnut!

Cheers, Justin Matott

www.justinmatott.com

http://justinmatott-snickers.blogspot.com

June 4, 2010

Ocean, Ocean, Ocean...


There are things that touch the soul so deeply, that the heart longs for, that is a constant source of inspiration, a muse, passion and drive.



For me it has always been the ocean.


I am writing about the ocean, to share that passion with others who share it or haven't yet discovered it.


I am one day closer to waking up every morning within yards of the roaring surf.



Since I was eight years old, when I first met the sea, I have dreamed and thought about returning, not for a vacation or short time, but for good. Now my characters are experiencing the wonder of the ocean and in many ways I am rediscovering the wonders myself through that reflection.


What drives you? What makes you long for it when you are not near it? What are you doing to move toward it right now?