Fremantle Press – James Foley

The Last Viking turns 10

On a dark and stormy night exactly 10 years ago today, The Last Viking was launched.

It was my very first published book, illustrated by me and written by Norman Jorgensen, and it was launched in dramatic Viking style. Thor brought a ‘once-in-1o-years’ thunderstorm down upon us with 30mm of rain falling in 30 minutes. Hundreds of guests, all completely drenched, helped us celebrate. It was a night to remember, and I can’t believe it’s been 10 years already. Then I look at my kids and my hairline and I can definitely believe it.

To celebrate the milestone, I’ve been posting some behind-the-scenes pics on my Instagram, Facebook and Twitter accounts over the past 10 days; head over to those for more in-depth detail. But I’ll share a little bit of it here too. Here are the rough and final versions of some of my favourite spreads in the book.

You can find more behind-the-scenes posts about The Last Viking here;

and teacher resources are here.

Buy ‘The Last Viking’

BUY A SIGNED COPY
– Paper Bird Children’s Books

Buy Local
Find your local bookshop

Buy online
Fremantle Press (Australia) – hardback/paperback/ebook
Booktopia (Australia/NZ) – paperback
Book Depository (worldwide) – paperback

My new picture book out in November

I just got an advance copy of my upcoming picture book, Stellarphant! ⭐️🐘🚀

How To Be An Author

Calling all pre-published writers!

Getting your first book published can seem like an impossible task.
Where do you start?

By grabbing this book!

Free resources for homeschooling + 10% my books!

Hi everyone! I hope you’re all staying safe and well in these strange times.

Looking for free stuff to help with your homeschooling? I’ve got you covered.

FREE RESOURCES

check out my Teacher resource page. It’s a comprehensive list of resources related to all my books. There’s a bunch of bonus activities and content at the bottom of the page.

FREE VIDEO LESSONS

Check out the free videos below (if the videos don’t come up, please try the online version of this blog post).

Also – while schools might not be going back to normal for a little while, I’m still available to do presentations for school groups – either live or pre-recorded. Get in contact to find out more.

There are heaps more videos on my youtube channel and also on my Teacher resource page.

Littlescribe also has a bunch more free creative writing lessons on their Youtube channel. They also offer full terms’ worth of creative writing programs for a fee via their website; each writing program is developed in conjunction with professional Aussie children’s authors (including me).

10% OFF MY BOOKS + FREE ACTIVITY PACKS

My publisher Fremantle Press is offering 10% off my junior graphic novels, and is throwing in a ‘Kids At Home’ pack too – a bunch of freebies and activity sheets! Use the discount code ATHOME at the checkout to get your discount and freebies. Head to the Fremantle Press website for more info.

*** This offer lasts until Easter 2020. ***

Look after yourselves – wash your hands, keep up your social distancing – and we’ll meet up again on the other side of this.

– James

Win a school visit from me!

Attention teachers! Fremantle Press is giving one lucky Perth metro school a free author visit from me.

To win the visit, all you need to do is check out the latest edition of Fremantle Press’ education newsletter, Classroom Express, here – then click on the ‘Forward to a Friend’ button at the top right and send it to your colleagues. The school with the most teachers subscribed to Classroom Express by 30 June 2019 will win the author visit!

But wait – there’s a second prize up for grabs! If you also happen to be a subscriber to the Classroom Express newsletter (you can subscribe here), AND you get the most friends signed up using the ‘Forward to a Friend’ button, then you’ll win 10 Fremantle Press books for your school library valued at $200.

So pass it on! And tell your colleagues, friends, parents and more about the competitions, teaching resources, activities and merchandise that they can get from The Classroom Express.

Both competitions close on Sunday 30 June 2019. The winner for each competition will be notified by email after this date. The winners will be announced in the Term 3 issue of The Classroom Express.

Behind the scenes of Gastronauts, part 4: final cover illustration

My new book Gastronauts is out now in bookstores and online.

Today I’m taking you behind the scenes to show you how I illustrated the front cover.

Step 1: cover design

Here’s my final rough:

Continue reading “Behind the scenes of Gastronauts, part 4: final cover illustration”

Behind the scenes of Gastronauts, part 3: cover design

My new book Gastronauts is out now in bookstores and online.

Today I’m taking you behind the scenes to show you how I designed the robots and vehicles in the story.

Quick recap: Sally Tinker is the world’s foremost inventor under the age of twelve. In Gastronauts, Sally’s baby brother Joe swallows her latest invention. So Sally and her friend Charli shrink themselves down in a tiny submarine and journey into Joe’s body.

Here’s how I designed the cover.

Step 1: really bad first sketches

Sometimes you get the cover idea pretty quickly and clearly from the start.

This was not one of those times.

I struggled with this a lot at first; I couldn’t figure out how to show the reader that Sally and Charli were inside a sub, inside Joe, and make Sally and Charli big enough so that they were recognisable, without being too big that the scale stopped being anatomically correct.

None of these ideas really work, but I’ve included them here to show you how a cover design process can go. There are usually lots of rejected, fairly ordinary ideas.

Continue reading “Behind the scenes of Gastronauts, part 3: cover design”

Behind the scenes of Gastronauts, part 2: submarine & robot design

My new book Gastronauts is out now in bookstores and online.

Today I’m taking you behind the scenes to show you how I designed the robots and submarine in the story.

Quick recap: Sally Tinker is the world’s foremost inventor under the age of twelve. In Gastronauts, Sally’s baby brother Joe swallows an invention called the smartCHIP, along with a bunch of tiny robots called smartbots, and also a tiny shrunken submarine containing Sally and her friend Charli.

Here’s how I designed Sally’s SUB and the smartbots. But:

**SPOILER ALERT***

I’ll discuss plot points for the book, so if you haven’t read the book yet, go do that first, then come back.

All good?

Have you gone and read the book?

Ok, here’s how I designed the SUB and the smartbots.

Continue reading “Behind the scenes of Gastronauts, part 2: submarine & robot design”

Behind the scenes of Gastronauts, part 1: illustration process

My new book Gastronauts is out now in bookstores and online.

Today I’m taking you behind the scenes to show you how I made the illustrations.

Here’s one of my favourite spreads from the book. It’s where Sally leads her friend Charli into the SUB (Sally’s Underwater Boat) for the first time.

I thought it would be easiest to show the insides of the SUB by just drawing a massive cut-away diagram. Here’s how I drew it.

Continue reading “Behind the scenes of Gastronauts, part 1: illustration process”

The Gastronauts book tour was a gas

I’ve just been on a book tour, celebrating the release of my new junior graphic novel called Gastronauts. From Sept 26 to Oct 14, I had 23 events across three states.

I started in my hometown of Perth, then visited Sydney and Melbourne. We had four book launches, heaps of cartooning and comics workshops, and I got to deface decorate the windows at a few bookstores too. It was a brilliant trip, but I’m very happy to be back home with my family, and gearing up to work on some new projects.

Fun fact: Gastronauts is probably the first book in the world to be launched via a giant nappy. It will probably also be the last, as I don’t recommend it. Too messy. Watch what happens in the video below.

Here’s my favourite photos from the trip.

Gastronauts are go!

A giant nappy, hanging from a tree

Release the nappy!

Signing books at Paper Bird bookshop, Fremantle WA

Comics workshop at Thornlie Library, WA

Ready to draw at Dymocks Subi

Drawing on the window at Dymocks Subi

The window at Dymocks Subi

Signed books at Better Read Than Dead, Newtown, NSW

Berkelouw Books, Leichhardt, NSW

Drawing on the window at Berkelouw Books, Leichhardt

Meeting Sarah (the manager) and Steinbeck (pupp-lick relations) at Berkelouw Books Leichhardt

Launching Gastronauts at The Children’s Bookshop, Beecroft, NSW

Incredibly mature authors and illustrators being incredibly mature

Drawing demo at the Gastro launch, Beecroft

Eat cake, get Gastro!

Signing books at Beecroft

Matt Cosgrove wins the James Foley cosplay competition

Filming at Channel 9

With Adrian the Book Guy Beck on the set of Kids’ WB

Drawing demo at Collins Bookselers, Croydon, VIC

Cartooning workshop at Collins, Croydon

Signing books at Collins Croydon

Signing books at Dymocks in Melbourne CBD

Launching Total Quack Up with Adrian Beck and Sally Rippin at Kids’ Book Fest

Live illustrating ‘Who Blocked Up the Dunny’, my favourite story from Total Quack Up. It’s written by 12yo Ella Wallace

Who Blocked Up the Dunny?

At the inaugural Kids’ Book Fest, organised by Australia’s oldest children’s specialist bookshop, The Little Bookroom

Launching Gastronauts

Stretching out the dummy book for my junior graphic novel, Brobot

Drawing on the windows at Readings St Kilda, VIC

Thanks to everyone – bookstore owners, librarians, teachers, kids and parents – who came to events. And big thanks to my publishers Fremantle Press who helped organise the tour.

Gastronauts

Buy local – find your closest bookshop

Or order online:
– Booktopia (Australia and NZ only)
– Angus and Robertson (Australia only)
– QBD (Australia only)
– Boffins
– Dymocks
– Book Depository