Giovanni finally on Amazon!

COOL! I love how with Amazon, I can link this little box here in the blog for people to order it right from this interface. I'd love it even more if people actually did buy it!
Some interesting developments going on in my publishing world, don't really have time to get into it today, but I continue to work hard behind the scenes getting my books out there. If you have this book, you can now leave a review on Amazon, B&N apparently has made it hard for some of you. Thanks for all of you who are helping to support me and my illustrating and publishing.
I really appreciate all the kind words and especially the feedback I've received about how well the illustrations turned out. I am proud (in a good way) of how they did turn out and how well the portray the story behind them.
Mahalo to all!

So, not really a whole lot to discuss here this morning. The sales of Scampi have been surprisingly low. I had much higher hopes for it's reception especially by the owner of the food truck. It's hardest for me, not being there, not being able to discuss the collaborative effort with the "collaborator"! It's all in Aaron's hands. I know he is working hard, and I am grateful. Together we are doing all that we can to get it out there.
I guess I could share a few of the publicity banners I have created for him. This first one I created as a banner to go in the new pavilion, hanging from the rafters:

It was printed on a banner 6ft wide and 18" tall. It's okay. Then 2 days ago Aaron mentioned that he wanted to see what a vertical banner with the book's artwork on it would look like. Essentially, he wanted a "photo spot" type banner, that children and other purchasers of the book might want to pose with or in front of. So, this is what I put together:

A 4 foot tall child would reach about where Scampi's claw is, an adult 6 feet tall would reach the top of the sign. You may have noticed the hidden turtle and the Hawaiian island chain in the spray, I'm sure you do now! This one turned out great, and I hope it draws the attention we need to get people to make their own connection with the shrimp truck.
Apparently the shrimp truck continues to do amazing business, more than they can handle each and every day. That's great for the truck, but all the other vendors are really struggling. I KNOW that if people will give our books even a sideways glance, they will fall in love with what their pages contain. They truly contain our love and passion. Aaron's writing and my illustrating, showcased beautifully with a high-quality printing/binding. I continue to stand directly behind this work that we do, it really is a wonderful thing.

Awesome!

Woohoo! I finally have my hands on the printed book. Where do we go from here? Well, I imagine that many of the same friends and family will want a copy for themselves. I even plan to send one to a good friend in Argentina! Needless to say, if you already own W&K, you will not be disappointed with this new book. Same great quality in printing/binding, but this time the illustrations hold many hidden and special elements. There is in fact a hidden turtle on EVERY illustration in the book! Some of them are a bit difficult to find too! The last page of the illustrations even has the Hawaiian islands hidden within the illustration. I had so much fun creating this new book. I really hope everyone who buys a copy will enjoy owning it.
Our real hope with this book is to collaborate with the owner(s) of the Original Giovanni Shrimp Truck in Laie and other locations. It will help to promote the business for them while selling the book for us. In could in fact create quite a legacy, by sitting on bookshelves literally all over the world, it will serve as a reminder for those who have visited and as something to look towards for those who have not yet traveled to Hawaii. For now, you can purchase the book through either http://www.athertoncustoms.com or http://www.papanuithestoryteller.com. Either way, once you have a chance to review it, please leave a review on www.bn.com

TODAY!!!!

Today is the day we finally get the books. Aaron will be receiving the entire 2050 at 2pm his time! UPS has my 2 boxes (50 books) and will be delivering them tomorrow, Friday! I will be sure to document the whole thing and put the video up! I am very excited about it and can't wait to see them and then send them off to the various agencies that are also waiting to see them.