29 days to go!

Hey all

Day 29 of #30boatsin30days! Today's boat is a small sailboat. Did you know that large watercraft are called ships and small watercraft are called boats? Yes they are!

Even though I am prone to seasickness, i still think boats are things of magic and to be admired! 

Stay tuned for tomorrows boat and another fun boat fact! 

Have a great day!

30 boats in 30 days

I can't believe it! It's almost here!!! 30 days until Boats for Papa is released!!! I would use more exclamation points but I think there is a limit on how many you can use before they cease to mean anything. 

I can't begin to describe how excited I am. There's been so much momentum as its gotten closer but to know that after 2 years (well technically 34.5 years since its my lifelong dream) my book will be on the shelves at the end of the month it too thrilling! 

So for the next month, I'lll be posting a painting of a boat a day leading up to the release! You can follow along at #30boatsin30days or you can see them here! 

What floats my boat!

Hey all!
I hope you've all been having a lovely spring! I've been busy plugging away at my next picture book, Laundry Day, and things have been going awesome! With having a new baby we are doing A LOT of laundry, so my inspiration is very close to home these days.

Recent news, my ARE's (Advanced Reader Editions) of Before I Leave arrived a couple of weeks ago! I was SOOOOO excited to have those show up in the mail! It's still a surreal thing to have a book I created in my hands know that it's going to be a part of the world! Before I Leave comes out February 2016! I have to admit also, it was wonderful to see my little hedgehog and anteater again. I just loved those little characters so much!

I really big news news, momentum for Boats for Papa has really been gaining these past couple of months. It has received 4 starred reviews which has blown my mind!

Kirkus Review
Booklist
Publisher's Weekly
School Library Journal


Boats for Papa was also selected by the incredible non-profit First Book that gives access to new books for children in need. It was such a HUGE honor to have my book chosen to be a part of their Stories for All program. The books they choose are geared to expose children diverse books that they can relate to and that promote inclusivity. A lot of the children they target are from economically disadvantaged backgrounds or from underrepresented backgrounds. Being selected means that 10,000 copies of my book will be made available in trade paperback so it is more accessible to the kids who need it. I couldn't be more thrilled to know that my book will be helping kids and hopefully making them excited about reading as well as feeling connected to the book and comforted by its message.

And with that, my book launch is getting closer and closer! I am getting so anxious!!! Tuesday June 30th at Secret Garden Books in Ballard at 7pm is where we are having the party- the day my book comes out! I'm planning on having some fun and yummy stuff at the launch so hopefully you can make it out and join the party! If not, I'll be signing at the Urban Craft Uprising the weekend before!

Also in preparation for the big launch, I will be posting a boat a day on social media! So keep your eye out for my flotilla!

Hopefully more news is to come, so keep your eye out!
All the best!
Jessixa

Ahoy!

Hey there!

Spring is upon us and for me that means one thing- by book Boats for Papa is nearly out! I've been waiting for this day, well my whole life, but for two years in publication terms. I wrote the story three years ago, signed my book deal two years ago, and finished the final art about a year and a half ago. It's been the patient waiting game ever since. And I get my advanced copy this week!!! Ack! The mail can't come soon enough!

I've already got so much good response for the book due to the early review process, so I'm anxious for its full emergence into the world! A couple of weeks ago it was reviewed on Kirkus to which it received a Starred review!!! I'm so honored! You can read the review here: 

https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/jessixa-bagley/boats-for-papa/

In the meantime, I'm working on my third book Laundry Day. Which is such a fun and different book than my first two. I'm just starting the paintings for the book, which is due summer 2016, I think.

Okay, better get back to it, but I just wanted to share my anxious mood with you all!

Happy spring!

Busy beaver!

Well it's been a long while since my last post. Things have been quite busy for me with having a new baby and such so I'm going to ride that excuse train on not posting sooner.

He past few months I was just enjoying lots of time with my husband and baby before I had to go back to work and get started on my new book. Now everything is back in full swing and I haven't got a square to spare! But it's all good! I'm just trying to manage the life/work balance.

As for books and such, I am just getting started with my picture book "Laundry Day." I've been getting the sketched finalized and will start painting in the next week or so. I'm excited to work on this book because it's so different than my last two books. It's funny with lots of silly details making it very fun to draw and paint. I'll be spending the bulk of the year working on it, since my time is limited at the moment.

In other news, my book "Boats for Papa" is nearly out! I've just got a few months to go, but I'm already planning for the launch! My official book launch will be at Secret Garden Books in Ballard in Seattle on Tuesday June 30th at 7pm! I'm pretty excited and am thinking of fun things to do for the event. If you can't make it on Tuesday, I'm also going to be at the Urban Craft Uprising the weekend before- June 27th & 28th at the Seattle Exhibition Hall at the Seattle center. I'll be selling and signing books. Hopefully you can make it to either event!

Also in preparation for my book coming out, I've been making these little driftwood boats! They will be shipping out to various bookstores and book buyers around the country to introduce my book! I collected the driftwood on the beaches of Seattle and handmade the little flags. The flags are the letter "B" in the nautical alphabet ('B' for Buckley)!

They are really fun to make and it's gotten me extra in touch with my character.

Other than that, my second book "Before I Leave" is off at the publisher having its magic happen. Stayed tuned for more info to come,  but it should be out early 2016!

Okay! It was great to catch up. Back to the grind I go!

Jx

Happy New Year!

 

Hey everyone!

It's a new year! It's really hard to believe. So much happened in 2014. I finished two books and had a baby! So much more little stuff happened in between that was fun and magical. And now we are starting out a new and glorious year that has so much in store. It's such a good time to look back and look forward.

 

In book news:

My first book Boats for Papa comes out June 30th! It feels like it would never get here but it's so close. Before I Leave is in the process of being finalized and will come out Spring 2016. This coming year I'm working on my next book Laundry Day, also for Roaring Brook Press, due date TBD. So many cute animals in store for me to draw! I can't wait.

In personal news:

I plan on spending as much time as possible with the cutest baby west of the Mississippi and learning him on the ways of the Jedi.

I hope you all have a lovely 2015. Be kind to yourself and others. Love what you do and do what you love. Be in the moment as much as you can.

Cheers!

jx

New baby! New book! New year!

Hey everyone!

So much has happened since my last blog post in October! The biggest thing- I had my beautiful baby boy, Baxter, on November 7th! He arrived two weeks early unexpectedly but he was perfectly healthy with all fingers and toes, so we were delighted to meet him when we did! He arrived on a full moon, so any werewolf potential is still yet to be discovered. My husband and I are over the moon for this wee man. Here he is pictured with a hilarious book of comics by the incomparable Glen Baxter:

Even though we've been keeping VERY busy with our new family member, I still have some news in picture book world:

I sold my third picture book to Roaring Brook Press! It's called "Laundry Day" and it stars my two twin badger brothers Tic and Tac and they set out to help their mother with the laundry... That's all I can say for now. Here was a post in Publisher's Weekly:

I'm SUPER excited for this next book adventure! I love my badgers and plan on having lots of fun seeing what mischief they'll get into!

Its hard to believe the holidays are upon us! I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and I hope you all get to share in the rest of the season with the ones you love! 2014 has been the most eventful and exciting year of my life to say the least and I can't wait to see what 2015 will bring!

Best to you and yours!

Jx