Why I'm shutting down my iPadGirl blog

After some hard thought, I've decided to officially shut down this blog. I know I haven't updated it in a while, but I thought I should let you all know so you can remove it from your RSS feeds, etc.

Reason: I've decided that I need to find ways to make more time to read and create books.

I had great fun working on illustrating I'M BORED (written by Michael Ian Black, published by Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers in Sept/2012) and am now working on writing and/or illustrating new book projects. In addition to my picture book projects, I also want to get back to my novel writing.

My challenge: I want to do too many things and am currently involved in too many projects. My solution: To prioritize and cull.

You can find out what I'm working on at DebbieOhi.com or follow me on Twitter at @inkyelbows.

Thanks so much for your support and interest in my projects.

-- Debbie

Digital Storytime

Thanks to Mike Cope for pointing me to Digital Storytime, which reviews kids' book apps as well as being a kids' book app store.

Talking about SketchBook Pro app, art & creativity

Photo by cartoonist Jonathan Mahood.

Thanks to Chris Cheung, Product Manager of Autodesk SketchBook, for inviting me to speak at Autodesk's first dedicated SketchBook event in Toronto! Omigosh, soooooo fun. You can see photos and read my report here:

Inspiration, Art and a 12-Course Susur Lee Dinner at the Autodesk SketchBook Toronto Event

Posting in iPadGirl

Apologies for the long hiatus. So much has been going on in my life (all good).

For those interested in iPad stuff, I post far more often in my @iPadGirl Twitter account than I do in this blog.

Blown away by The Fantastic Flying Books Of Mr. Morris Lessmore app for iPad

Thanks to Justin Chanda for the heads-up on an article in The Atlantic which prompt me to buy an iPad book called The Fantastic Flying Books Of Mr. Morris Lessmore.

Oh. My. Gosh.

Kudos to Moonbot Studios and author William Joyce. I LOVE this app.

This app is part storybook, part game, and part animation. Wonderful writing and animation, plus the interactive bits are well-integrated and enhance the story rather than distract from it. A question I posted in Twitter a while back prompted much discussion on Twitter and Google+ about what exactly makes a children's ebook (vs a game), and I'm nearly finished compiling people's comments into an article...I definitely have to mention Moonbot's book app!

Anyway, the story's about a book-obsessed fellow who gets swept away by a storm and ends up in a country house filled with bookish fun. See the trailer above for more info.

Simon & Schuster is publishing a book based on the app/film, and Dreamworks is coming out with a movie in 2012.

Related links:

How to Build the Pixar of the iPad Age in Shreveport, Louisiana

An Ex-Pixar Designer Creates Astounding Kids' Book On iPad

William Joyce