Monday, February 11, 2013

Triple Threat Blog Tour: Kate Ellison, Notes From Ghost Town and a Giveaway

 

Welcome to Stop #15 on the Triple Threat Blog Tour featuring Myra McEntire, Kate Ellison and Jennifer Lynn Barnes! Today I'm pleased to welcome Kate Ellison, author of Notes from Ghost Town and The Butterfly Clues. Don’t forget to scroll to the bottom of this post for a fantastic giveaway as well as the details on the Triple Threat Blog Tour grand prize giveaway!

ART AS A FORM OF EXPRESSION

I like to think the impulse to create most art comes from needing to better interpret or understand the world around you. This is what we do when we write, and when we read; this is what we do when we make art, or see it, or watch plays, or act in them. If the things we are creating are unrecognizable, aren’t in some way connected to what we see and experience as living, breathing, eating, loving, dying human beings—even if this connection or representation is one of absurdity or surrealism or whatever else best expresses your view of the world—I don’t see the point in making it in the first place.

That’s sort of a broad sweep of the whole thing, but, in terms of my own processes and my own impulses when writing and when drawing or painting: they, in many ways, come from the same place. I observe myself, and the people around me, interacting with the world. I take in the various clots of relationship and nature, their interstices and their dissections, and can’t help but be confused and amazed and stunned by the whole plot of living. And when I sit down to write, or to draw, I’m not necessarily sure how my desire to work through it all will manifest, or what exactly I am trying to manifest, I usually just know I need to make something. Both art forms give you amazing opportunity to interpret everything you see and experience and touch and visit and dream, however you like, however it comes out.

Sometimes I’ll go through periods when all I’m doing is writing, and my hands will just start to feel itchy for some fine-motor, and when I let them—when I sit down and make a drawing or a painting or a piece of jewelry—it’s somewhat like a drug. Not all the time— sometimes it’s just sort of a drudge that I’m forcing myself to do to keep up the skill—but sometimes it’s like not having had anything sweet for a very long time and then eating a really incredible slice of cake. That’s almost what it feels like in your hands, speaking synesthetically.

Writing can do this too, to me. Sometimes, similar to drawing, I’ve got to force myself to sit down and hammer out a bunch of words in case something decent comes, but other times its like a full-body high; it’s like being spoken through, like your body is buzzing at a higher vibration. That’s much more rare, but it’s a reason to keep doing it, through all the times when it feels like your head is just made of dough.

And, most of the time, for both mediums, you’ve got to bring yourself to wherever it is you’re doing the work and just do the work, trusting that you can go into it without necessarily knowing what will come out of your fingertips. Sometimes, I think you’ve got to be okay with the fact that it is that something is coming out at all that counts, the feeling of that. Creating for the sake of creating, because it feels good, because it’s important, and because you’d be more than half-dead without it.

KATE AND HER WORK






Thanks so much for stopping by Kate! More information on Kate and her books can be found here:

Website
Facebook
Goodreads
Kate's Art
Notes from Ghost Town on Amazon
The Butterfly Clues on Amazon

Don't miss out on your chance to chat LIVE with Myra McEntire, Jennifer Lynn Barnes, and Kate Ellison tomorrow at 8pm on Mundie Moms!


THE TRIPLE THREAT BLOG TOUR CONTINUES

Though this is the second-to-last day of this amazing tour, you can still check out all the fabulous stops that came before it, each with a different giveaway as well as one of the puzzle pieces for the Infinityglass cover reveal which is something you'll need to enter to win the grand prize giveaway. Full giveaway details are below!

• Tuesday, January 22nd – Read for Your Future

• Wednesday, January 23rd – I Am a Reader, Not a Writer

• Thursday, January 24th – Pageturners

• Friday, January 25th – Read, Breathe Relax

• Monday, January 28th – Evie Bookish

• Tuesday, January 29th – Reading Teen

• Wednesday, January 30th – Cari’s Book Blog

• Thursday, January 31st – YA Books Central

• Friday, February 1st – Once Upon a Twilight

• Monday, February 4th – Bookhounds

• Tuesday, February 5th – Luxury Reading

• Wednesday, February 6th – Good Choice Reading

• Thursday, February 7th – I Read Banned Books

• Friday, February 8th – All Things Urban Fantasy

• Monday, February 11th  - Supernatural Snark

• Tuesday, February 12th – 8-10 pm ET LIVE book chat on Mundie Moms 

GIVEAWAYS

 
Notes From Ghost Town/The Butterfly Clues
 
One lucky winner will receive a finished hardcover copy of Notes From Ghost Town (I absolutely adored this book, my review will be up tomorrow) as well as a paperback copy of The Butterfly Clues. To enter, please just fill out the Rafflecopter form below. Giveaway is open to US/Canada only. Good luck everyone!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Infinityglass Cover Reveal Grand Prize Giveaway

•     There are a total of 15 pieces to the puzzle - one for each stop on the tour.  

•     Collect all 15 pieces to reveal the cover of Infinityglass by Myra McEntire (pubbing in July)

•     Submit the assembled cover via the following this link by no later than 2/12 at 10pm ET.  You will be entered to win the 6 book Grand Prize Giveaway of:  Jennifer Lynn Barnes' Nobody and Every Other Day, Kate Ellison's Butterfly Clues and Notes from Ghost Town and Myra McEntire's Hourglass and Timepiece

•     The puzzle can either be assembled electronically or a picture of the assembled printed pieces is also acceptable.

•     The winner and completed cover will be posted on Myra McEntire's blog www.myramcentire.com on 2/13. 

Puzzle Piece #15


31 comments:

  1. I absolutely LOVE the feeling Kate describes as a "full body high". I'm obviously not a writer nor artist (I WISH!!) but I loved it when sometimes I sit down and the words, whether for a review or something else just rushes out. On the other hand, I hate it when I have to force myself to write..and just HOPE that something decent comes out... Great post ladies<3 Thanks for sharing!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. OH AND I LOVE YOUR NEW HEADER<3333 IT'S SOOOO PRETTYYYY!!

      Delete
  2. I wish I could draw...sadly my drawings still look like they did in elementary school

    ReplyDelete
  3. Art truly does take you out of your body, give you a high like no other. Drawing, designing, blogging (its own form of art), photography, writing...whatever works. It definitely makes the world a brighter and better place to be. Very cool artwork!

    Jenny, LOVE the new design! It's gorgeous and spring-y! I want your bluish-gray color for my living room walls.

    ReplyDelete
  4. HOLY SHIT! Sorry, I just.. Holy! I thought I was on a stranger's blog. THIS NEW DESIGN IS SO PRETTAAAA-HH!! I love it. Absolutely gorgeous:) I don't like to force myself to write. For instance, I scheduled lots of posts for February and I think they're done by the end of next week or the week after that, but I just don't feel like writing any reviews at the moment. I need to soon, though. However, when that writing wave hits, I just want to write down every thought. I like Kate's drawings, they're quirky and different!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Wonderful drawings and what a great creative outlet between writing.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I agree with Kate that art (in whatever forms) need equal doses of spontaneity and inspiration. I've been told repeatedly when I was younger to keep a journal but the feeling of being *obligated* to write was a huge turnoff and a burden. It totally took out the fun. Thanks for this really insightful guest post!

    p.s. LOVE the new layout!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Jenny, this new layout is stunning! I love the simple elegance to it. It really suits you and the content you provide. I am so in love with it.

    I can barely draw a stick figure so I am in awe of artists. Kate has some major talent!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Wow I had no idea you were such a talented artist on top of being a writer. Very interesting guest post, thank you for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I love this post Jenny, it's not everyday that you get to read an author's experiences of what writing and drawing means to them. I feel the same way sometimes when I'm writing my reviews when I sit down straight away after finishing a book I find it easier to jot my feelings down and my pen can be flying at it's own accord and then sometimes I can be sitting there hugely frustrated with just 5 words! Thanks for sharing this great post with us! And btw I adore your new blog design! It's so pretty! :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Wonderful post + artwork! The bottom-left one is so fascinating.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I think I got Notes From Ghost Town at ALA.
    Incredible artwork! I get so jealous of people that get all the good skills like writing and drawing. I'm only so-so at anything I do, though I am a horrible artist. I do love art though and discovered in art class my junior year that I do have more skill than I thought. It was when we cut out a picture (headshot) of someone (Leonardo DiCaprio in my case) and then cut it in half and drew the second half. This piece of art actually turned out decent for me! Maybe cause I had watched Titanic enough times I really had Leo's face very memorized. ;)

    ReplyDelete
  12. I love your new design!! Thanks for sharing information about Kate and her artwork, which is awesome. I wish I was artistic- I can barely cut in a straight line. Thanks for this great giveaway, too!

    ReplyDelete
  13. I just started reading Notes From A Ghost Town and I'm enjoying it so far. The author has a nice style - I also love her artwork. Very talented!

    And I love your new layout, Jenny. So pretty! :)

    ReplyDelete
  14. Wow...I am always so jealous of those with artistic talent as I have absolutely none!

    PS Love the new page design!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Okay, I must read this book... or both books really. You have beautifully described the creative process and I love your artwork. Yep, you caught my attention. Must. Read. This. Author!

    ReplyDelete
  16. I love this post! I feel the same way a out writing reviews since sometimes, it just has such a natural flow and other times they can be impossible to write! Thanks for sharing these beautiful pictures, though - I love them and really need to check out this authors novels!(:

    ReplyDelete
  17. Thanks for sharing all those amazing drawings and sharing how art influences you, Kate. I am hearing such great things about he newest book. I must get my hands on it. Thanks for the giveaway!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love your pretty new blog look, it is just right for spring.

      Delete
  18. Great post!! Thanks for being apart of the tour. Cannot wait to chat!

    ReplyDelete
  19. The art is so nice! I have no drawing talent whatsoever. Even stick figures don't come out nice. ><

    ReplyDelete
  20. Great post! A lot of folks look at art and think it's all "muse" and inspiration. But there is a lot of the drudge aspect as well, the working at it rain or shine, because you know you're making something. Thanks for this post--it was just what I needed.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Nice art! I wish I can draw. I can barely do a stick figure!

    ReplyDelete
  22. THanks for the giveaway! This looks really awesome! I appreciate all the art as my brother is a graphic designer.

    mestith (at) gmail (dot) com

    ReplyDelete
  23. Her art is amazing!! Love how she views art in all its forms, and how she needs both forms to feel whole:)

    Thank you:)

    ReplyDelete
  24. Congrats to Kate on the new release! Sounds fantastic :) Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  25. "Creating for the sake of creating, because it feels good, because it’s important, and because you’d be more than half-dead without it." <--THIS. What a great philosphy!

    ReplyDelete
  26. I must say I really enjoyed this post. I am so NOT a creative person - no, it's not false modesty, really, I'm the anti-creator! - and as someone who does not (cannot) draw or write poetry, fiction, song lyrics, etc, it's inspiring to hear an artist speak this way. [I could write you a mean legal brief, but...no one wants to read that ;)] Actually, reading Kate's post gave me the same kind of "wow, how cool" feeling I got when I recently read The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater. There was a point where one of the psychic women talked about one of the boys being the creative one, and Blue thinks about how her aunt means "creative" in the original sense - that is, actually creating something where there had been nothing. I don't know, for me that bit was an "aha" moment, because I don't usually think of creativity in that sense. Okay, it feels like this comment is making absolutely zero sense! I'm not expressing it well (hey, I told you I'm not creative!!!)....suffice it to say I enjoyed this post! And I probably should've just stuck with that from the beginning :)

    Seriously, I am in such awe of people like Kate (and Jenny, and so many other book bloggers I follow), who not only can write so beautifully, but who are also great artists or designers or photographers, etc. I promise you, those of us who are not blessed in that way very much appreciate those of you who are. Thank you for sharing your creations and allowing us to be inspired and educated by them!

    ReplyDelete
  27. I love Kate's approach to creativity - that it doesn't ALWAYS have to be flowing and you don't always have to be feeling it to create good stuff. I prefer photography as my form of expression, and sometimes I don't get my camera out for weeks and weeks. But, when I make myself do it, I'm always glad I did. Great post!

    ReplyDelete
  28. That is incredible that she can draw and write. I sadly can do neither. :( Seriously though, I am highly impressed!

    ReplyDelete
  29. I have not read The Butterfly Clues yet! Obviously this will be remedied very soon! I will be following this author wherever she goes - I cannot wait to hear what her next book will be about!
    user voted Bear tours in Alaska

    ReplyDelete