Mockingbird Books Gets Smashed!
Smash artist Kyle Bolton poses with a bunch of Little Smashes at the Mockbingbird Books reading in Seattle last Friday.
Photos: Wordstock and the PNBA Nightcapper Events
Wow, what a busy weekend! On Sunday, we were at Portland's terrific Wordstock Festival of Words, where we read from Smash: Trial by Fire, answered questions, and signed books. Then we were off to the Nightcapper event for the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association's annual conference, where we signed and handed out copies of Smash to booksellers and librarians from around the region. We were overwhelmed by all of the enthusiastic responses to the book, to say the least!
Kyle and I pose in the iconic Wordstock red chair.
At our table at the PNBA Nightcapper event, waiting for the doors to open so we can unleash our powers.
Huge thanks to Jennifer and all the folks at Portland's Green Bean Books for providing copies of Smash for sale and for signing at Wordstock!
Kyle checks his notes before the Wordstock reading.
Answering questions after the reading.
Kyle autographs a copy of Smash at the signing table.
The Bolton brothers, posing with a young fan.
Girls love Smash, too!
I had the unexpected honor of being a fill-in moderator for the Visual Narrator panel, featuring some wonderful comic artists: Gene Luan Yang, Colleen Coover, Shannon Wheeler, Nicole J. Georges, and Mark Russell. It was great meeting them all!
Sitting with one of our colorists, the amazing Christina Mackin!
This is how most of our story conferences look. Kyle and I always make sure to respect the other's opinion, hear each other out, and come to a reasonable compromise.
And, no matter how tough it gets, we always make up afterward.
Arriving at the PNBA Nightcapper event.
Before the event, books piled high.
From the minute the doors opened, booksellers showed up to tell us how excited they were for Smash!
The line started long...
And got longer...
And longer...
And stayed long...
Until we were completely cleaned out!
Enthusiastic Smash fans!
We had a fantastic time at both shows, and can't wait for next year! Thanks for checking out our photos.
Happy October-ween!
We love Halloween. But to us, Halloween isn't just a single day at the end of October — it's the entire month of October! We're celebrating the first Monday of October-ween with an oldie but a favorite: Smash vs. the Great Pumpkin. Enjoy!
This Weekend: SMASH Comes to Wordstock
We'll be reading at noon on Sunday, October 6th, at Wordstock, Portland's premiere literary festival. Click here for details!
The True History of the Brothers Bolton
Kyle and I are brothers, we've made no secret of that. And the most common question we get is, "How do you and your brother work together on SMASH? Have you always worked together on projects?" This three-page comic (first published on the Charlotte's Library blog) is the best answer we can offer. Enjoy!
(Click on the images for a larger view)
SMASH Meets Cosmic Monkey!
That's Cosmic Monkey Comics in Portland, OR. We'll be signing copies of Smash: Trial by Fire at noon on Saturday, September 28th. Hope to see you there!
Win a FREE Copy of SMASH: TRIAL BY FIRE!
We have a new Goodreads contest going — we're giving away five full-color hardcover copies of our book!
Just go to Goodreads and click here to enter the giveaway. It's as simple as that!
(If you haven't already, you'll need to sign up with Goodreads first — and then you can catalog, rate, and even review all the books you read. It's a win-win!)
But hurry — the contest ends October 20th, 2013!
Day #8 of the SMASH Blog Tour — The Last Stop!
Today is a little bittersweet for us — the final stop on our 2013 Blog Tour! We're breaking down the equipment, unloading the tour bus, and unpacking our suitcases. It's been a great trip and we can't wait to hit the (virtual) road again! Our farewell post — for now — comes courtesy of the Bildungsroman blog (hey, if you can pronounce it correctly, give yourself a pat on the back). It's a Q&A with Kyle and I, where we discuss, among other things, the genesis of Smash: Trial by Fire, what it's like working together as brothers, and what super-powers we'd love to have.
Here's a taste, for those of you with siblings of your own:
Any advice for kids who are dealing with sibling rivalry?
Kyle: Well, only to the youngest. Always remember to love each other. As corny as that sounds, that is what will ultimately win the argument. One of you will remember that you love the other, then this fight is pointless. That's the idea anyway. If that's not happening, go talk to Mom.
Chris: Are you kidding? I still deal with it. What I wouldn't give to draw like Kyle! One thing I can say from experience is that siblings who are close in age (and might even have to share a bedroom) can get pretty fierce with each other. Sometimes it can feel like a household apocalypse! But later in life, those same siblings might be very surprised to discover they have a lot in common. As adults, they might even enjoy spending time together in ways that used to drive them crazy. So, there can be a light at the end of a long, sometimes very dark tunnel.
Check out the Bildungsroman blog — and if you've missed any stops in the tour, you can find them all right here. Thanks for reading along with us, and we hope you'll join us again on our next tour...which we hope isn't very far off!
Day #7 of the Blog Tour - The SMASH Playlist!
We're feeling a little musical today. Tapping our toes, clapping our hands, shaking our booties a li'l bit. That's because today we're on the Hooked On Books blog, which features books for t(w)eens reviewed by t(w)eens — what a fantastic concept! It's a wonderful blog, and we're honored to share a Guest Post about the SMASH Playlist. That's right, our ideal soundtrack for fighting crime, whether you're young or old!
Here's a little taste:
Andrew flies: "Short Change Hero" by the Heavy
The tone of Smash: Trial by Fire is intended to be fun and fast-paced, but with real stakes involved. We wanted the danger to feel very immediate to our hero, and to off-set that danger with a lighter touch. When Andrew flees from the bully, he stumbles into freeway traffic and discovers quite by accident that he can fly! "Short Change Hero" has a bouncy tone that fits the mixture of Andrew's panic turning into euphoria that turns into... well, air-sickness. It's fast and fun without feeling frivolous — which is very much what I hope readers take away from the book.
Click here to read more — but make sure you've got your dancing shoes on!
Which leaves just one more stop on our Blog Tour! We'll save the tears for tomorrow, when we end this wild ride with a bang. To follow the whole tour — including any stops you may have missed — click here for our full Blog Tour agenda.
Day #6 of the SMASH Blog Tour — Time for a Comic!
We've had a fantastic time on the SMASH Blog Tour! In fact, we're already getting a little misty-eyed that we're so near the end. But, there's still more to come before it's over. Today is something really special. The terrific Charlotte's Library blog — the only place to go for Tuesday time travel books! — has been kind enough to feature a short biographical comic illustrated by Kyle, called "The True Origin of the Brothers Bolton!"
That's right, this one is all about Kyle and I as kids: how we came to writing and drawing, how we learned to collaborate through trial and error, and how Smash came into the world. It's full of salacious scandal and stories that no living soul (outside our family) has ever been exposed to. So, click here and enjoy!
There are still two more stops on our Blog Tour. And if you've missed any, click here to see them all!