I am proud to be included in the display at Elting Library in New Paltz.

Last Friday, Elting Library hosted a reading of Tangled in Magic, and a preview reading of the second book of the Karakesh Chronicles, Guided by Magic.  I gave a short talk about how I did the illustrations using carving blocks and tools.

Then I invited the audience to make art using stamps.  My collection includes store-bought stamps and others that I carved myself.

Stamps lend themselves to multiple uses besides illustrations.  I’ve used them to print stationery, cards, and logos.  The trickiest part is remembering to reverse the image.  The part that is carved out will be the color of the paper, and all lettering must run backward.

Friday, February 16 at 11:00 am

*Hear the story!

*Talk to the Author/Illustrator!

*Make a print!

I remember reading about an artist—it might have been Degas—who wouldn’t let his dealer take away his paintings because he felt they weren’t finished. Not that my efforts can be compared to great artists, but—I get it.

Now that I’m editing and proofreading Guided By Magic, Book II of the Karakesh Chronicles, I keep finding bits that need changing. Either there are two of the same words too close together, or the object mentioned wouldn’t be used in that way, at that (mythical) time. Paper, for example. Old Erta, the metal crafter, would not have wrapped beeswax in paper, as paper was valuable and too scarce to use as wrapping.

And then there’s the voice of the main character, Miela.   There are certain words, like “innumerable,” that she wouldn’t have used. So those must be replaced.

Some mistakes are so obvious that they are laughable, such as when the illustration shows a baby carriage, but the text refers to a baby basket.

As I go along, reading the story again—and again—I worry. What are we missing? It would be dreadful if the reader slams the book shut in disgust, because of a foolish, embarrassing error. I’ll admit that I’ve done that myself, especially if the grammar and mechanics are faulty. “What was the author thinking?” I ask myself. “Did the editor even read this?”

If you readers have similar reactions to these typos and errors, please weigh in with a comment. I’d like to know that I’m not alone!

Tangled in Magic is in good company at Oblong Books in Rhinebeck.  It will be prominently featured for a month, so stop in, buy a copy, and have a look around this wonderful bookstore.

In the last week or two, I finished the linocuts for Guided by Magic, Book II of the Karakesh Chronicles.

If you’ve read Tangled in Magic, please leave a review on Amazon.  And comments on this blog are welcome, too.