I love being a picture book author. I write a story, then an illustrator performs magic, bringing the imaginative visually to life. I've been lucky with illustrators. They've all been able to read between the lines and add so much more to my story than I could ever dream. One particular illustrator, Joe Kulka, is the master of this. Joe illustrated my picture book, Granny Gert and the Bunion Brothers, and is assigned to an upcoming picture book of mine called Gingerbread Man: Superhero! I can't wait.

But Joe has talent beyond his art. Few illustrators have the gift of writing and illustrating their own book, then have it published. Joe did just that with his newest picture book, Wolf's Coming (Carolrhoda Picture Books). I asked Joe a few questions about his book and illustrating in general.

What gave you the idea for Wolf's Coming? Is there anything in particular you'd like us to know about it?

"Wolf's Coming!" came about from a game I would play with my then 2 year old son. I'd take him fishing and he'd be dragging his wagon when it was time to leave. So I told him there was a wolf in the woods and we had better head back to the car before we got eaten. Nice, huh? Nothing like giving your kid nightmares. Actually he enjoyed it. At home we would hide in his room and dive under the covers of his bed when we would see his mom's shadow going past the crack under the door. "Wulp's coming!" he would gleefully yell.

So I took that inspiration and ran with it.

I think it's a story that kids will get a kick out for multiple readings. After they know the surprise ending then they can feel "insiders", knowing what really is unraveling in the story. There are visual clues that you may miss first time around that foreshadow the ending. Hopefully kids will enjoy spying them the next time they read the story.

When illustrating, do you ever refer to other works of art?

Yes, I steal every chance I get. I really enjoy looking at how other illustrators tackle a composition, how they use gesture to convey emotion, how their use of lighting will set a mood, etc.  I'm also a big animation fan and will look to my favorite cartoons and movies for similar inspiration.

Who are your inspirations? Your heroes?

My main inspirations are my wife and my children. After all, they put up with me on a daily basis. My art heroes are many. I'll list a few in no particular order - Gustaf Tenggrenn, N.C. Wyeth, Maxfield Parrish, Tony Diterlizzi, Walt Kelly, J.C. Leyendecker, Mead Schaeffer, Charles Santore, Todd Schorr, Charles Addams, Bill Watterson, LeUyen Pham, Andrew Loomis and James Montgomery Flagg.

Which has been your most difficult book to illustrate?

I don't know if I would say difficult but the Woodsy the owl ABC book that I did for the USDA forest service had a different dynamic. There were a lot of different animals that I had incorporated into each spread and there was also a lot of delay with having to go through the approval steps. Everyone was extremely nice to work with and cooperative, it just was that the process was much slower working with the government.

Which do you find to be the most fun and rewarding illustration techniques?

I enjoy working in watercolor, gouache and oils. Mostly though for the past decade or so, the majority of my work has been done digitally. The biggest advantage of working on a computer is being able to experiment almost endlessly. Moving a character a quarter of an inch - even at the final stage - is a flexibility that I've really come to enjoy and rely upon. Being able to add a extra glaze of blue just to see what it looks like isn't an option when working traditionally - especially under tight deadlines. For my latest book though I am trying to work both ways. I'm painting elements traditionally in gouache -  characters and props - and scanning them in and assembling them digitally. Then I'm going in an playing around with "glazes" and final composition and such. It's nice to have a brush going again.

…the launch for my new picture book, Grandpa for Sale, was definitely a blast! Complete with poodle-shaped cookies (you'll have to read the book to get the reference), we had a continuous crowd far beyond our two-hour signing time. Vicki Sansum, my co-author did a fantastic job of putting it together, and the illustrator, Kyle Gentry, flew in from Orlando to join the fun.

Of course not everything runs smoothly. Vicki adamantly told Borders Books, our gracious host and conveniently located launch pad , to have 100 books on hand. 165 invitations went out in the mail, and Vicki knew that the onslaught of friends and relatives would purchase more than one copy each. That's what your cool friends do, after all. They buy for their kids, grandkids, nieces, nephews, and of course that one collector's copy for themselves. But Borders, being ever skeptical, only ordered 50 copies. They went fast! Vicki had brought seventeen of her copies, which also sold out. Actually, that last statement was a bit of an untruth. Vicki had two of her own copies, and fifteen that were to be taken to the Texas Library Association Convention on April 12, and distributed for free as part of a special promotion from our publisher, Flashlight Press. I have the other fifteen TLA copies safely at home. So now Vicki must replace those 15 copies by a week from Thursday. Hey, what's life without a little drama?

That aside, we sold 67 copies, and I indubitably reminded the Borders manager that we could have sold more had they been available. Being a customer relations wizard, he shamefully tucked his tail between his legs, and offered to have us back at Christmas to take advantage of the bustling holiday crowds. Bravo, Mr. CRM.

But is it really about the sales? Uh…hmm…yeah, but with Kyle residing in Florida, when will the three of us ever come together again for such an event? Probably never. And that's why I'm glad this launch got off the ground with a flurry of fanfare.

Oh, and a special shout out to all my local SCBWI friends who turned up (you know who you are). Without you guys I wouldn't be writing this blog today. J   

Lately I'm spending a lot of time saying I'm sorry. Why? Probably because I'm an idiot. The first big apology came this weekend. I was booked for an author gig in DeSoto, Texas. I was scheduled to do two presentations and a panel discussion at the Best Southwest Bookfest on Friday and Saturday. And they even put me up in a cozy room at the local Holiday Inn off I-35. Sweet. I did my presentation on Friday, and all went off without a hitch. But Friday night I started feeling queasy. Ugh. I'll spare the details (otherwise I'll be apologizing to you too), but when I started feeling decent enough to drive, around 4 AM on Saturday morning, I packed up and headed back to Houston. Four hours later, about 15 minutes from home, I called the festival coordinator to beg her forgiveness. Luckily it was an event with several other authors, so I didn't leave them high and dry. And I can't always predict when I'm going to have a stomach bug. But I wonder if I'll be invited back next year. ???

Okay, that was apology number one. Less than two days later I'm once again on the phone, using my best "oops" voice to say I'm sorry. Back in December I bought tickets for the matinee performance of Spamalot. You'd think as much as I'm looking forward to it, I'd have had enough sense to write it on my calendar. But we're talking about me here, right? Ha. So today I'm dialing up the CRM at Katy Budget Books, filled with remorse, and apologizing profusely over my mistake of booking a signing for my new picture book, Grandpa for Sale at the same time as Spamalot! I should've counted the number of times I said I'm sorry. It might be a record. She was nice enough, and said she had to consult the calendar and get back to me. Yeah, unlike me, this lady is actually smart enough to write everything down on her calendar.

Right now I'm reading The Story of a Girl by Sara Zarr. It's about a 16-year-old girl, the victim of a dysfunctional family, suffering from low self-esteem. I can so relate. Nothing makes you feel more inferior than having to apologize…a lot.

Okay, so it the middle of February, and my New Year's resolution still hasn't come about. I only have one, and it's the same every year. I WANT TO BE FILTHY RICH! By way of affirmation, I've concocted a list of exactly how rich I want to be. And I just know this is my year! So -

I wanna be so rich...

...that I can hire someone whose only job is to rub the cellulite cream into my butt.

...that I have a stack of hundreds handy in case I run out of toilet paper.

...that Starbucks names a coffee after me. (The Latte Dotti Moola Grande)

...when I go shopping it's considered an extreme sport.

...that my bedroom is in a different zip code than my kitchen.

...that my oozing thick Texas gravy accent is made an official language.

...I can hire Johnny Depp and Colin Farrell as bookends.

...the highway dept. builds a lane just for me that only exits at malls, restaurants, and bookstores.

...all my fortune cookies read: "We give up!"

Chinese food is great, but I wish I could say the same for those stupid little fortunes they tuck into those chewy Styrofoam cookies. What a treat, huh? And while mostly you end up with some Confucius-like saying (A journey of a 1,000 miles begins with a bank loan for a tank of gas), there are people who have cracked open a "You'll come into some extra money soon," or "You're destined for a wonderful journey." I'm not one of those people. So here are the latest prognostications found after quietly burping the last of my Mu Shu Pork. 

Fortune #1:  We saw the tip and cordially invite you to donate it to Uranus.

Fortune #2:  50 cents off Imodium A.D.

Fortune #3:  Support outsourcing. MADE IN CHINA

Fortune #4:  LOST - Wire-haired Fox Terrier named Spunky. Last seen near the Lucky Panda Chinese Buffet. Reward offered. 555-3478

Fortune #5:  We've been watching you from the kitchen. And we know where you live.

Fortune #6:

Okay, so I just popped open the last one and there's no fortune inside. Empty! Oh hell...now I'm afraid to drive home.

Dotti Enderle 2006

What makes a great writer? Members of my writers group continually ask this age old question. So after much debate, we did what any groups of writers would do, we called in the experts. 

In a room lit only by a single candle, we formed a perfect circle. Then holding hands, called upon the spirits of the classic authors.

After much swaying, chanting, and moaning, William Shakespeare appeared. Wow! At first, total silence. Then one brave soul spoke up. "Tell us Mr. Shakespeare, what makes a great writer?"

Shakespeare delved into a lengthy explanation. Unfortunately, he spoke in iambic pentameter, and we all needed Cliffs Notes just to understand what he was saying. We had no choice but to send him away.

Next came Edgar Allan Poe. Boy, was he a drag! We got rid of him pronto, all agreeing...NEVERMORE!

Then Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John arrived. All they did was bitch about King James. "Editors, jeez!"

Dr. Seuss popped in. Can you believe he questioned us? Yes, Theo... 

We can write in a box.

We can write with a fox. 

We can write in a car. 

We can write in a bar.

Dr. Seuss, we don't care how. 

Dr. Seuss will you please go now!

I was particularly thrilled when Jane Austen made an appearance. But instead of the profound words of an elegant lady, she mumbled and complained about movie rights.

Do you think Charles Dickens would fess up when we posed the question to him?  Not a chance. What a scrooge!

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was easy to reach. Elementary! When we asked him what makes a great writer he simply replied, "That's a mystery, my friends, you'll have to solve on your own." He left us all feeling clueless.

We blew out the candle and quietly broke our circle. Then among dead silence, we solemnly gathered our things and left.

So, what makes a great writer? Ah! It's a question that haunts us still.   

Dotti Enderle (c) 2006

I'm new to My Space, which is a first for me since it's probably the only thing left in the world that would consider me "new." Okay, I'm not a technical retard, but then again, I'm not exactly high tech (though some people truly think I'm high), but when setting up my My Space profile, I clearly stated I'm here for networking and friends. Oh dear...did I really expect everyone in cyberspace to play by the rules?

Only one day after finishing my page, I get a message from a 51-year-old single father of an 18-year-old boy in IDAHO (!?), asking if I wanted to "get together." Naturally I replied back - "I don't know. What does your son look like?"

I think I'm going to like My Space.