Welcome to my blog (scroll down to see individual posts), which was originally on a separate site at Inkygirl.com. I also have a separate Inkygirl newsletter on Substack at debbieohi.substack.com.
Also see: Inkygirl interviews – Resources
#BookADay: HOW TO OUTRUN A CROCODILE WHEN YOUR SHOES ARE UNTIED by Jess Keating ( Sourcebooks Jabberwocky). If you or your tween is looking for a fun summer read, I strongly recommend this book. Love the funny, fresh voice and quirky humour. Love the poignant moments. Love the fact that Ana’s parents . . .
Writers and illustrators: Resist constantly comparing yourself to others. Instead, focus on appreciating and enjoying your OWN journey. (I’ve been gradually working my way through the panels in my own career, so figured it was about time I repost this comic :-))
(Updated version of a post I made earlier this year before the SCBWI-NYC conference) I’m leaving this week for the SCBWI Summer Conference! If you haven’t yet registered, you’re out of luck….the conference is sold out. However, you can follow along virtually via the #LA15SCBWI hashtag on Twitter as well as the SCBWI conference blog. Here’s . . .
Today’s #BookADay is TWO GIRLS WANT A PUPPY, a new picture book written by Evie & Ryan Cordell, and illustrated by my friend, Maple Lam, published by HarperCollins last month. Maple Lam loves creating characters and constructing worlds around them. When she is not illustrating or writing children’s book, she is either reading . . .
Just finished THE DEATH AND LIFE OF ZEBULON FINCH (Volume One: At The Edge Of Empire) by Daniel Kraus, which launches October 27, 2015 from Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers. Whenever I start a big book (and at 642 pages, Zebulon Finch definitely qualifies), I cross my fingers and hopehopehope that the first few . . .
Theresa MacPhail has some great tips for A Realistic Summer Writing Schedule with which you can be productive AND relax.
#BookADay: CONNECTING DOTS by Sharon Jennings (Second Story Press, 2015). Just finished this last night. Fell in love with Cassie, the main character, and how she and her relationships developed through the story. If you enjoyed Katherine Paterson’s THE GREAT GILLY HOPKINS (one of my faves), you should definitely check out CONNECTING DOTS. But . . .
EL DEAFO by Cece Bell (Abrams, 2014). This has been on my To Read pile for a while, and I finished it on the weekend. TOTALLY lives up to all the hype. I’ve been a fan of autobiographical comics for a while (thanks to Rand Bellavia) and have become especially intrigued by graphic . . .
I love this Liana Brooks quote so much I decided to illustrate it. 🙂 And on the topic of helping the authors whose work you enjoy, here are some ways to help authors even if you can’t afford to buy their books. Also see Debbie’s Reading Journal as well as Debbie’s Bookstagram.
Many thanks to my friend David Diaz for his friendship and mentorship. I got to know David through the SCBWI, when I was chosen for the SCBWI-LA Illustration Mentorship program in 2010. David has been recently touching base with many of the Mentees, past and present, to find out how they’re doing…he . . .