Kyle Bolton Interview at NW Book Lovers Blog!

The blog NW Book Lovers interviewed Kyle about Smash, his drawing inspirations, and more! And writer Kristianne Huntsberger had some lovely things to say about Smash: Trial by Fire:

Chris' energetic storytelling and Kyle's bright illustrations capture readers in the thrill and confusion of Andrew's new powers and leave us all wondering what will happen to the hero as he tries to grow into them.

Big thanks to Kristianne for taking the time and interest to meet with Kyle!

Click here to read the interview.

SMASH Supports Small Business Saturday!

Black Friday sales are great, but Small Business Saturday brings crucial attention to companies that need your financial support. Small businesses are the economic heart of any community, and we're thrilled to have a day set aside to promote them. As part of Small Business Saturday, Kyle and I are proud to participate in Indies First, a movement that has more than 300 authors helping to promote independent bookstores.

Either Kyle or I will be at these stores in person, to suggest some of our favorite books to share with loved ones on your gift-giving list:

Drop by and say hello! Click here to read more about Indies First.

And thank you for supporting small businesses and independent booksellers!

How to Make Comics — the Smash Way!

Recently Kyle and I visited a couple of classrooms (one of 5th graders, the other middle schoolers) to talk about how we make comics. We put together a pamphlet to hand out so the kids could take them home and have a step-by-step guide to making their own comics. Now we want to share that pamphlet with others, in the hopes that a whole new generation of comic creators will be inspired to start working right away.

Click here to open a printable, downloadable PDF of "How to Make Comics — the Smash Way!"

Teachers, librarians, and instructors: Please feel free to use these in your classrooms, study groups, and what-have-you. If you do, we'd love to hear how it went or see pictures! Email us at smashcomic@gmail.com.

SMASH Nominated for Great Graphic Novels for Teens Award!

We just found out that SMASH: TRIAL BY FIRE has been nominated for a 2014 YALSA* Great Graphic Novels for Teens award! It's quite an honor, especially considering how many very distinguished titles were nominated along with us.

* FYI, YALSA stands for Young Adult Library Services Association. In case you were wondering.

Presenting...the SMASH Blog Tour!

Tuesday is the big day! Hard to believe it's almost here after so much time and anticipation. Not only are we celebrating Book Launch Week, but we're also kicking off...

The 2013 SMASH Blog Tour!!

"What's a blog tour?" you ask. Well, it's a lot like a book tour, but instead of physically traveling to stores for in-person readings, we've written and drawn pieces for some of the best book blogs I've had the pleasure to lay eyes on.

Here's the schedule:

Monday, 9/9: Random Chalk Talk — Guest Post on the evolution of SMASH from webcomic to book.

Monday, 9/9: Powells.com Book Blog — Guest Post on the birth of Smash, featuring the scandalous true story how we designed and created the character.

Tuesday, 9/10: Who R U Blog — Q&A with Kyle and me talking about what it's like to work together as brothers and other titillating tales.

Wednesday, 9/11: Book Bitch — Exclusive interview with none other than Smash himself! (Plus a surprise guest.)

Thursday, 9/12: Cynsations — Guest Post, "Graphic Novel 101" — how we make the comic.

Friday, 9/13: Green Bean Teen Queen — Guest Post about the magic of libraries and how they helped create a certain pint-sized superhero.

Saturday, 9/14: Charlotte's Library — Guest Post featuring a comic titled "The True Origin of the Brothers Bolton." Yes, it's all true!

Monday, 9/16: Hooked On Books — Guest Post featuring the SMASH playlist, for the perfect soundtrack to accompany the book!

Tuesday, 9/17: Bildungsroman — Q&A with Kyle and me.

Whew! In case you lost count, that's an entire week of SMASH bloggy goodness! We can't wait to share them with you — and we'd love to hear what you think. It's going to be an amazing week...

"An Action-Packed Crowd-Pleaser!"

Only one week until publication, and SMASH: TRIAL BY FIRE got a glowing review from School Library Journal:

[A]n action-packed crowd-pleaser....The full-color artwork is full of kinetic energy. Action sequences are rendered with a cinematic feel, heightening every punch, explosion, and impact. Smash pays homage to the genre while adding tweaks that make it all feel fresh. This is sure to be a draw for superhero fans and reluctant readers alike.

(Only available online from Barnes & Noble's site.)

SMASH Noted for Fall

We've received a very nice mention as one of ten "Books to Note" for fall 2013, courtesy of School Library Journal blogger Travis Jonker:

There’s no shortage of superhero graphic novels, but Smash: Trial by Fire is more well done than most. About a kid who inherits the powers of his favorite hero, it’s full of drama, humor, and seriously thrilling action sequences. To summarize: kids are going to love it.

SMASH: A Junior Library Guild Selection!

We're deeply thrilled and honored to announce that Smash: Trial by Fire has been selected by the Junior Library Guild for its Fall 2013 picks! What is the Junior Library Guild, you ask? From their own website:

We read thousands of books every year and select only the best.

The JLG editorial team reviews more than 3,000 new titles each year, in manuscript or prepublication stage. We've developed a keen sense for finding the best of the best. Nearly 95 percent of our selections go on to receive awards and/or favorable reviews.

So, as you can imagine, this is quite an honor! And we truly couldn't be more pleased. Read more about the JLG here.

"Three Cheers" for SMASH!

We got our first advanced review — Kirkus gives "Three Cheers" to Smash: Trial by Fire! You need a subscription to read the whole review online (the print edition comes out June 15th), but here's the good part:

Smash battles his way through robots and other minions to a climactic and rousingly destructive...climax that, natch, paves the way for sequels.

The book drops September 10th, 2013! Preorder your copy now from any of these fine retail outlets:

Amazon.com Barnes & Noble IndieBound Powells.com

InkOutbreak Q&A: Smash

Are you familiar with InkOutbreak? If not, you should be — we have a little banner for it over there to the right, above that Top Webcomics banner.

InkOutbreak is a great site where you can view a TON of webcomics, choose the ones you want to follow, block the ones you don't like, and get your regular fix with no muss, no fuss.

If you need an excuse to check the site out, here's one: Kyle and I answered a Q&A that InkOutbreak is featuring right now! Click here to start reading — and leave a quick comment to let us know if we sound cool or lame.