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Happy Birthday Heave Ho!!!!!

Hey hey y'all, just dropping a line to let you know about some great upcoming events. I'll be at the GA Literary Festival in Augusta on Nov. 7th, and then I'll be right here in Savannah on Nov. 14th for the Children's Book Festival- which just happens to mark the year anniversary of Heave Ho!!!!!! It's been a great first year as a DIY publisher, and the Heave Ho! crew and I are so incredibly grateful for all of the support, encouragement, and all around good vibes that everyone has been providing. We've moved a whole lot of books, traveled all over the eastern U.S., and shouted "Heave Ho!" with many a group of youngsters. Now as we approach a year in action, we've just signed with Small Press United (a subsidiary of Independent Publishers Group) for distribution- which will greatly broaden our reach and accessibility, and I'm already digging into the next book- so be on the lookout for some teaser posts in the coming months. 

 

Click on either of the posters below to find out more about the festivals. 

...and here are a few shots from the Early Learning Conference in Spring Hill, FL a couple weeks ago. 

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Lots and lots of school visits!!!

Fall is in full swing, it's even been a little bit chilly here in Savannah, GA the past week or so. Although I'm not a fan of the cold, I do love the fall season. Carving pumpkins, hayrack rides, corn mazes, and of course Halloween! 

The Heave Ho! crew and I have been doing a lot of school visits this October, and will be doing even more as we work our way toward the Savannah Children's Book Festival on November 14th, so keep an eye out for us coming your way. If we're not scheduled for your school, feel free to drop us a line here on the site, and we'll get something scheduled. 

Here are some moments from the school visits:

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In depth interview with Picture Books Review

I've been corresponding with Jonathan at Picture Books Review, and here's the interview that came out of the process. PBR is a site dedicated to the Picture Book, and not just Children's Books, so it allowed the chance for me to talk more about Industry, Design, and the Pros/Cons of Self-Publishing. 

Click on the Heave Ho! sketch below to go to the interview, and enjoy! This is actually the first time I've posted any of this preliminary work- maybe I'll devote a post to all of it later on. 

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Heave Ho! teaser trailer animation

 

 

This is the GIF animation I created for an ad spot on Picture Books Review. Working with animations is always frustrating for a while, but then very fulfilling when you see them come to life. If you couldn't tell by that statement, animation is not my specialty- luckily I have found a few ways to make it look like I kind of know what I'm doing though. Enjoy!

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Picture Books Review

Here's a really cool review from Picture Books Review that focuses in more on the medium of Picture Books, rather than just Children's Books. Click on the page below to check it out.

 

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June Jams

Phew, June has been jam-packed with all kinds of great stuff! Here's a little bit of what's been keeping me busy. 

 

We made the trek up to Harrisburg, IL for two great events at the beginning of the month. There was the Harrisburg Book Fair the first day, and then the Summer Reading Kickoff program at the Westside School- I got to wear one of those boy-band headsets and read Heave Ho! to all the folks there. 

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After we left Harrisburg, we took our time on the drive back and checked out a lot of sites along the way. We stayed at a lodge in Cumberland Falls, KY and the dogs got to go boulder jumping like little mountain goats as we traveled up to see the waterfall. 

The next day we got to visit some friends in Raleigh, NC and see Amelia who has been a Heave Ho! fan since Day 1! 

The following weekend after we got back from those travels, we headed up to Charlotte, NC to check out the Heroes Convention. It was a great experience, and we got to meet a lot of really amazing artists and legends of the field, speaking of, that's Ed Piskor below signing my copy of Hip Hop Family Tree!

Then I came home to this big surprise; a letter from Congressman Buddy Carter congratulating me on Heave Ho! and our achievements so far! 

Now we're full swing into summer camps at Scribble as the month comes to a close. 

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"Best New Local Book"

Wowzers, what an incredible honor to have Heave Ho! voted "Best New Local Book" by the readers of the Connect! The fine folks over at the Connect threw a big party for all the BOS winners at the Charles Morris Center, and it was a blast. So glad to have been a part of it, and yes, that's "yours truly" on the cover seated with my lady, Maggie, who got "Best Actress" again!

Click on the image to go to the article about Heave Ho!

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Gould Elementary School Visit

On May 11th, I stopped in to Gould Elementary and read Heave Ho! with the Kindergarteners and 2nd Graders. It was an absolute blast, and I can't wait to work with those kids more in the future. Mr. McGrath set up the visit, and put together the amazing video below. He's a real rockstar with the kids there; every time we would walk through the halls he would get mobbed by kids who were super excited to see him. The morning started out with us getting things together while the GNN, Gould News Network, played across all the classrooms- which he produces every day, and features kids from the school. 

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13 Cities, 20 Days on the road: Heave Ho! Tour

Well, we're back home, and all settled in- now we can recap on all that happened out there on the road. The pictures can say it a lot better than I can, so I won't hold you up here. Although, it should be noted that we met some incredible folks out there along the way, even got to catch up with some old friends! Big thanks to everyone who helped us out, and made this tour such a success!

This video is a time-lapse of the Alabama Book Festival. It was a gorgeous day in a beautiful part of the city. Here's a little glimpse of the day. 

I walked all over Philadelphia the second day I was there. My hostel was up in the northern part of West Fairmount Park, so I trekked out through the woods and began my day. There was actually a lot more meandering around at night, but my phone died. Enjoy. 

Thanks for stopping by!

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On The Road with Heave Ho!

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