Thursday, March 28th, 2013

Cover Reveal: T. J. Wooldridge’s The Kelpie & A Scavenger Hunt for Prizes

Fellow BroadUniverse Member T. J. Wooldridge’s The Kelpie is being published by Spencer Hill Press in December. Cover art is complete, and revealed here.

In celebration of publication, T.J.is hosting a scavenger hunt where you can win Kelpie related jewelry and artwork.

Information is below. Good luck!

Cover Art for The Kelpie by T.J. WooldridgeThe Story:

I can’t honestly say I was joking when I suggested to my best friend, Joe – Prince Joseph, eldest son of England’s Crown Prince – that we could probably find something the police had missed in regards to the missing children. After all, eleven and twelve year olds like us did that all the time on the telly and in the books we read…

When Heather and Joe decide to be Sleuthy MacSleuths on the property abutting the castle Heather’s family lives in, neither expect to discover the real reason children were going missing:

A Kelpie. A child-eating faerie horse had moved into the loch “next door.”

The two barely escape with their lives, but they aren’t safe. Caught in a storm of faerie power, Heather, Joe, and Heather’s whole family are pulled into a maze of talking cats, ghostly secrets, and powerful magick.

With another child taken, time is running out to make things right.

 

Scavenger Hunt for Prizes!

To go along with sharing the simply gorgeous cover, author T.J. Wooldridge has enlisted several of her friends who have helped her in the journey of writing this novel to put together a special treat for you!

Each day of the week, search for individual components of the cover–with a bonus piece of art on Wednesday–at these blogs. Collect the right words per the instructions, and unscramble the line of poetry to be entered to win one of three prizes!

Prize 1
A handmade fused glass kelpie necklace from Stained Glass Creations and Beyond.

Prize 2
A handmade necklace from Art by Stefanie of Vic Caswell’s rendering of the kelpie from the cover!

Prize 3
An 11×16 poster of the cover of the Kelpie signed by T. J. Wooldridge and artist Vic Caswell
5×7 cards of all the cover aspects featured in the Scavenger Hunt

So, how do you take part in the Scavenger Hunt? Here are the details:
Collect the words from the novel excerpts and put together a poetic phrase.

Monday 3/25

Visit the Faery Castle at Kate Kaynak’s blog: http://thedisgruntledbear.blogspot.com/
Scavenger Hunt Goal: first sentence, 10th word

Tuesday 3/26

Hop over to Scotland at Stained Glass Creations and Beyond: http://stainedglasscreationsandbeyond.wordpress.com/
Scavenger Hunt Goal: first sentence, 12th word

Check out an artist rendition of Heather MacArthur’s family tartan with Aimee Weinstein at http://tokyowriter.com
Scavenger Hunt Goal: first sentence, first word

Wednesday 3/27

Bonus Art!
Meet Heather’s dad, Michael MacArthur, at Valerie Hadden’s blog: http://valeriehadden.wordpress.com/
Scavenger Hunt Goal: first sentence, 12th word

Thursday 3/28

Cast your eyes upon the kelpie, itself, with Suzanne Reynolds-Alpert at http://suzannereynoldsalpert.blogspot.com/
Scavenger Hunt Goal: 2nd sentence, 2nd word

And feel the snark of Monkey, the fey cat with Justine Graykin at http://justinegraykin.wordpress.com/
Scavenger Hunt Goal: first sentence, 3rd word

Friday 3/29:

Meet Heather’s best friend, Prince Joseph at, who’s hanging out with author Darby Karchut at http://darbykarchut.blogspot.com/
Scavenger Hunt Goal: first sentence, 17th word

And finally meet Heather, herself, who’s hanging out with one of Trisha’s editors, Laura Ownbey at http://redpenreviews.blogspot.com/
Scavenger Hunt Goal: first sentence, first word

Collect all the words and put them together in a poetic sentence, and enter them into the rafflecopter giveaway for a chance to win one of the three prizes: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/MTBiNjRkMDYwN2U2MWZjNzBmNmM4YWEwNTEyODI0Ojc=/

Wednesday, May 4th, 2011

Typewriters – Not Just for Storytelling Anymore

Mona Lisa Typed by Paul SmithEver since I posted the story about the typewriter factory possibly closing, I’ve come across more typewriter stories on the ‘net than I thought possible…without even looking for them.

I think this one, about the artist Paul Smith, is pretty interesting. He was born in 1921, with such a bad case of cerebral palsey that he didn’t attend school.

It didn’t stop him from creating some wonderful art – with a typewriter.

Smith taught himself to be an artist, using shading techniques similar to charcoal drawings. He most often used the keys @ # $ % ^ & * ( ) _ to create his art, backing up the carriage and typing over and over again in the same areas of the page. He sometimes smeared the ink with his thumb, adding depth to the picture.

It’s a far cry from ascii art, eh? Here’s some by Jorn Barger for comparison. Mona Lisa by Jorn Barger

During his life, Smith created hundreds of pieces, including portraits of presidents, animals, religious icons, and especially seascapes and pictures of boats. Often, he gave the pieces away.

I love how he wrote “Typed by Paul Smith” on each piece he created.

See more of his art at the paulsmithfoundation.org.

Close Up: Mona Lisa's Eyes by Paul Smith