Children's book writer and illustrator
Great news about ‘The Last Viking Returns’! Thanks to all the WA kids who voted for it.
Norm and I have some good news: The Last Viking Returns has won the Hoffman Award!
It’s one of the WA Young Readers’ Book Awards and it’s given to the highest-ranked book by a WA creator. The Last Viking won the same award back in 2012.
Huge thanks to all the WA kids who voted for our book; it means a lot.
You can read more about the win on the Fremantle Press website.
The Perth Writers Festival is over for another year. The weekend goes by so quick! I was very happy to be back this year as a presenter on the schools’ day and family day, and this year I also got to work on something a bit different – a massive mural.
Continue reading “Making a mural at the Perth Writers Festival”
Bali … it’s an idyllic paradise filled with rice fields, temples and frangipanis … unless you’re in Kuta, and then it’s a place of digestive upsets and Bintang-singleted bogans.
Don’t go to Kuta. Go to Ubud. It’s a very special place an hour’s drive north of Denpasar, and I got the chance to go there for the Ubud Writers and Readers Festival in October. I ran a workshop for kids, I did a school session too, and I got to be on a panel with Mem Fox!
Details after the jump.
Continue reading “Meeting Mem: Ubud Writers and Readers Festival 2014”
My new children’s book The Last Viking Returns is finally out!
Written by Norman Jorgensen, it’s the sequel to The Last Viking. Here’s the official synopsis:
Josh is still as brave as a Viking warrior, and not much can scare a Viking … but the two littlest Vikings have grown up a bit since the first book, and they’re going berserk. They think they’re invincible, and that spells trouble!
When Pop takes the family to Viking World, Josh finds out just how far he’ll go to keep them safe.
You can find The Last Viking Returns at your local bookstore and online.
Hit the link for more photos from the official launches!
My new book The Last Viking Returns will be in bookshops from September 1, and we’re throwing a huge launch party to celebrate.
You’ll be able to see original artwork from The Last Viking Returns, meet the author Norman Jorgensen and I, and you might even meet some real Viking warriors.
Everyone is welcome to attend. Here’s the details:
The Last Viking Returns
To be launched by Mrs Tonya McCusker
Wednesday 10th September
6pm for a 6:30pm start
The Place, State Library of WA
25 Francis St, Perth
DRESS CODE: Leather, sheepskin and horned helmets.
(You may be asked to leave your weaponry at the door).
RSVP by 5th September to (08) 9430 6331 or admin@fremantlepress.com.au
Hi everyone, sorry I’ve not posted anything in a while. I’ve been working on a few things:
This year has been busy! But on to the purpose of this post.
Today is a landmark for a few reasons.
Firstly, it marks the end of my first year as a full-time author/illustrator.
It’s been an amazing year and I want to thank all the schools, libraries, freelance clients, teachers, students, parents and colleagues who have supported my work and helped make all this possible. I’m very lucky to be doing what I do.
Secondly, it’s only 2 months until the launch of my new book, The Last Viking Returns!
To celebrate both of these occasions, here’s the book trailer for The Last Viking Returns. Turn the music up loud.
For more Last Viking Returns action:
Check out the Last Viking Returns page on my website;
sign up to the Last Viking Returns blog; or
like The Last Viking Returns on facebook.
Thanks again for your support!
James
The Last Viking Returns is the sequel to The Last Viking (2011) and is once again illustrated by me and written by Norman Jorgensen. It’s being released in September 2014 by Fremantle Press!
Here’s a timelapse of me painting a page from The Last Viking Returns.
This page features Odin and his ravens, as well as Freya (the goddess of love and beauty), Sigurd (blacksmith to the gods), and Thor (no introduction needed).
All the illustrations in the book (including this one) were drawn with pencil, then scanned and coloured digitally using a Wacom Intuos3 graphics tablet and Photoshop CS3/Corel Painter X3.
The footage was captured using Screenium. The colouring process took 4 hours in real time.
