The Cuteness!

Introducing...Faery Dragons!



These tiny little guys are the smallest dragons I've made yet, with their huge ear frills and extra long tails.  I made the first one and couldn't stop.  Good thing they're kinda cute, right?

 

Another unicorn.  I'm getting better, I think.  Trying to perfect my design.  Still not there yet, but it's getting closer.

And finally, I did this phoenix mostly as an experiment in mixing colors, trying to acheive that fiery look.  He turned out okay, but now that I know how to combine colors, the next one will be much better.

 

 

 

 

Which is your favorite?

Eternity Cure back cover (with Allie)

Okay, everyone.  Want to see Allie on the cover of The Eternity Cure?  I give you: the back cover and flaps.

 

 

I dunno about you, but I think Allie looks pretty fierce.  What are your thoughts?

 



Countdown till THE NEWS

As of today, Thursday, January 24th, we are four days away from THE NEWS.

What is THE NEWS, you ask?

I can't tell you that.  Not right now, anyway.  Suffice to say THE NEWS is this giant announcement I've been sitting on for over a month, waiting to share.  On Monday, January 28th, THE NEWS will finally be announced.

I'm uber excited, and I hope you will be too. 

See you on the 28th.


Julie

And yet even more clay creations

Lol, are we getting sick of chibi critters yet?


The newest renditions: PONIES.  Er...unicorns.




Little purple unicorn

Black and silver unicorn

Smooch!

Tried to do a Keirran chibi. Silver hair is hard! I like how he turned out, but I might also experiment with the design a bit. Thoughts?

And finally, while I was out on the deck, this tiny Asian dragon drifted down and perched on the post.                                                                        
 

 

 

 

My collection continues to grow.  Unicorns and dragons and chibis, oh my.

 

 

Keep creating!

 

Julie

More chibi critters

And yet more chibi creations



Gryphons!

So many people loved the little mint-chocolate chip dragon, I thought I would give him a friend. Meet my minty chocolate unicorn.

And finally. THIS guy. This guy took me all day. The pics aren't great, but his whole body is covered in individual strands of fur. It was a pain in the butt, but it was so worth it.




 So, presenting.... The Big Bad Wolf from Winter's Passage and Iron Knight!

Whew, yeah.  That was an ordeal.  I figured there are a few hundred little strands of clay fur covering this guy.  Oof.  But I think he has moved up to my official favorite. 



Still creating! More coming sooooon. :)

Chibi Dragons in clay

Sooo, more chibi clay creations.  Been on a dragon kick lately, so here are the clay creations I've done recently.



The 1st dragon attempt

Little red dragon

When I started this guy, I honestly did not intend to make him a chocolate mint dragon, complete with chocolate chip spikes down his back. But halfway through, I decided to go with it, hence my mint chocolate chip dragon. :P

This little guy is my favorite so far. His name is Cloud, and he took a looooong time to make. That mane, oy! But it was worth it, I think.

Okay, one more chibi pic. I finally did Meghan and Grim, so here is a shot of the whole gang together.

What should I make next?


Maybe...a chibi NARWHAL! (Inspired by my author friend Veshwab ;) )

Narwhal says "Hi Victoria."

Japan contest winners

A little while ago, Japan ran a super cool contest for the THE IRON KING, encouraging raders to put their artist skills to the test and draw something from the book.  I got to judge the winning entries, and it was really hard deciding between all the awesome artwork.  But check out the winners below:


Grand Prize winner.  The mind boggles.

  

 

 

 

First and second place winners.  The first one is hilarious; check out Puck and Grim's expressions at the bottom.  XD

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

If you want to see the other entries, check out Harlequin Japan's Facebook page.

 

 

 

 

Chibis in clay

So I've recently discovered the joys of polymer clay.  I remember I used to play with Sculpy a lot when I was younger, and I've re-discovered how fun it is to make your own creations.

What I've done so far:

 

 

Chibi Ash and Puck, 1st attempt

 





 

 

 

 

 

 



Tiny unicorn

Chibi Ash and Puck, 2nd attempt




I also have plans to make Meghan, Allie, and of course GRIM, so stay tuned for more chibi clay creations.  No idea what to do with them once I fill up a shelf with chibi critters.  Hmm, maybe a giveaway is in order someday?

Keep creating,
Julie

A sappy but true love story, or why my husband is the best husband EVAR.

Once upon a time, a looooooong time ago, a baby was given a stuffed dog for her 1st birthday.  This dog was named Crocker Spaniel, because it came from the Crocker National Bank.  It even had a metal coller around its neck with its name. 

The little girl loved the stuffed dog and took it everywhere with her.  Even when the stuffed dog became old and dirty, and ripped a hole in its neck where the coller was, he was still very loved by the little girl.  She stitched up the hole and washed him and took him to bed with her every night, until she became a teenager and sleeping with stuffed animals was no longer cool.  But the stuffed dog still sat on her bed every day, even if she no longer played with him.

Time passed, and the little girl moved out of her parent's house, leaving the old stuffed dog behind.  He was well into his twenties, now, and looking very shabby and threadbare.  She always meant to come back for him, so her parents moved the stuffed dog into storage with her books and other old toys until she could return for him.

Sadly, rats got into the storage room, and chewed the stuffed dog to peices. 

When the girl found out, she was so upset.  Crocker Spaniel was a part of her childhood that she could never get back.  She was became quite sad whenever she thought about him after that.  She told her husband once, about the stuffed dog that she'd had nearly her whole life, and how she wished she hadn't left him behind.

Then one day out of the blue, a package arrived.  The girl's husband explained that he thought she had been feeling down lately, and decided to get her something to cheer her up.  He told her to close her eyes and reach into the package, and when she did, she found another Crocker Spaniel just like the one she had lost!

The girl might've cried a little, and they lived happily ever after.



True story.  Happened just today, actually.  So this is why my husband is the best husband in the history of husbands.  And now Crocker Spaniel is sitting saftely on the corner of my desk, where he will never leave.  He is happy, I am happy, and he is home.

Crocker Spaniel

Harlequin and the Bachelor

Hey, who here watches The Bachelor?

If you do, or even if you don't, you don't want to miss episode 2, where Harlequin invites all the contestants (plus Sean) for the opportunity of a lifetime.  Read on. 

Los Angeles, TORONTO, January 8, 2013 – Harlequin, one of the world’s leading publishers of books for women, will play a central role in an upcoming episode of The Bachelor, ABC’s tremendously popular romance reality series. The episode will feature a special “group date” where the women pose for a Harlequin cover with the newest Bachelor, Sean Lowe. The contestant who shows the most spontaneity, flair and chemistry with Sean will be awarded a three-book cover-model opportunity with Harlequin. The episode is scheduled to air Monday, January 14, 2013, on ABC.

 

Sean and the competitors will experience what is required to be a successful Harlequin cover model. Harlequin Creative Director Margie Miller will shepherd the group through hair, makeup and wardrobe stages and then have them pose for multiple cover scenarios in a Los Angeles mansion. Each contestant will have an opportunity to impress Ms. Miller and Harlequin Brand Representative, Michelle Renaud, with their ability to pose in a polished and unaffected manner and convey a genuine connection with Sean.

 

 

View photos from the episode

 

Harlequin's press release

 

 

Also, a copy of THE IRON KING was given to the cast during the shoot and might make an on-screen appearance, so be on the lookout for that.  =D

 

 

 

New Cover changes

The new covers for The Eternity Cure and The Immortal Rules were revealed last week.

 

 

 

And while many liked the new look, there have been questions over why the covers were changed in the middle of the series, and why the designers went with a completely new look than the original cover. 

 

There are several reasons why the decision was made to change the look of the series

 

 

1.  The absence of dystopian:  During teen panel polls about a new cover, it came to light that no one who saw the original Immortal Rules cover thought it was dystopian.  That the only message they received from looking at the cover was "vampire."  And since the Blood of Eden series is very much a dystopian as well as a vampire story, the designers wanted to shift the focus of the cover to portray a dystopian series instead of purely vampire.

 

2. Majority rules: After several new cover concepts were designed, a number of polls were held with teen readers to find out which cover they liked best.  The overwhelming majority chose the new covers, both for their looks, and because they accurately represented the dystopian feel of the book, according to the core audience.   

 

3. Whitewashing controversy: After The Immortal Rules was published, readers began to express concern that the main heroine Allison Sekemoto, who was of Asian descent in the story, was not represented correctly on the cover.  That the girl on the cover of The Immortal Rules and in the Blood of Eden website was Anglo-European, and clearly not Japanese.  Harlequin Teen heard reader's concerns, took them to heart and decided to re-vamp (no pun intended) the entire series to accurately portray both Allison and the content within.  Also, a new cover model was chosen, one who correctly represents Allie, and will either appear on the back of the cover, or on the inside flap.

 

So you see, the decision to re-create the series' look was not made lightly, and was done with as much audience participation as possible.  We hope that you like the new covers and, even though the change happened in the middle of the series, understand the reasons behind it. 

 

The Eternity Cure will be out April 23, 2013.  And here is a little tease of what is to come.

“In The Eternity Cure, new vampire Allison Sekemoto has come to terms with what she is and what she must do to survive: prey on humans. She knows she is a vampire, but she is determined not to become a monster. But then she meets someone who challenges that belief, telling her all vampires are killers, encouraging her to embrace her savage instincts. And as she gets closer to rescuing Kanin, the lines between human and monster blur even further, and Allison must decide to either cling to her rapidly fading humanity, or succumb to the darkness within."