Summer Reading in North Central Washington!

Hello to everyone in the North Central Regional Library system. With visits in Republic, Tonasket and Oroville last week, my summer tour of this terrific library system is offically underway :) This is the complete summer schedule:

Friday, June 22
Republic 10:00am
Tonasket 1:00pm
Oroville 3:30pm

Monday, June 25
Mattawa 11:00am
Royal City 2:00pm

Tuesday, June 26
Quincy 11:30am
Ephrata 2:00pm
Moses Lake 6:00pm

Wednesday, June 27
Warden 1:00pm
Soap Lake 4:00pm

Thursday, June 28
Coulee City 11:30pm
Grand Coulee 2:30pm

Tuesday, July 10
Winthrop 10:30am
Twisp 1:00pm

Thursday, July 12
Pateros 1:00pm
Bridgeport 3:00pm
Brewster 5:30pm

Tuesday, July 17
Okanogan 1:00pm

Wednesday, July 18
Manson 11:00am
Entiat 2:00pm

Tuesday, August 7
Chelan 1:00pm
Cashmere 3:30pm
Leavenworth 6:30pm

Wednesday, August 8
Waterville 10:00
Peshastin 2:00

Thursday, August 9
East Wenatchee 10:ooam
Wenatchee 2:00pm

For those that are interested in ordering books, please see the appropriate section on my website. If you would like a signed bookplate, I will be posting a custom image for the 2007 summer reading program very soon. Thanks very much. I'm looking forward to the visits!

Polaboratory 2

For those playing along, here are just a few additional cover sketches in the mix. Compare at your leisure and I'll reveal the final art when it has achieved such status...

The Polaboratory

Work ensues at a soon to be feverish pace for POLAR POLKA (Sasquatch, Spring 2008). There are other books to draw as well, but the PP deadline is fast approaching. Here is a cover mock-up that will not likely make the cut. I like it very much, but it's hard to know how these things will go...

Sasquatch has gone completely freelance with it's design staff of late, so no one aside from little old me will really "design" anything until they have all of the final art? I like having mucho influence in such a process, but then again it's also VERY nice to have some help. I'd love to hear what some opinions on this particular option. Cheers!

PS It's kind of a count down book for the pre-k set, thus option No. 2 with the screened-in numbers.

Meet the Authors of Dog Diaries

A brief interview with Besty Byars, Betsy Duffey, and Laurie Myers, was posted recently at www.childrenslit.com. They about their inspirations as writers and readers, and give us just a few hints about the origins of DOG DIARIES. Enjoy!

PS: What's this about a CAT DIARIES? Meeeow!