Finally

Hello everyone!

Sunday afternoon I picked up the final artwork from my illustrator Jerry Merrill. There were a few corrections that needed to be made and a cover to be finished. I am very pleased at how everything came out.

With Jerry's talent, "Adirondack Luau" has taken on a sophisticated look while staying welcoming for all readers young and young at heart.

This week I began the scanning operation to digitize the artwork. Things look great with my home scanner. The colors are outstanding!

Fellow author Marcus Mastin has agreed to help get me started on the formatting of the book. He is the author of several books including" The Carthage Chronicles" series as well as a children's book of his own" Oscar Potter and His Late Night Visitor".

I have given myself a deadline for release sometime in April. Of course I will be letting all of you know exactly when before anyone else hears.

Thanks checking in....
Pieter David Gaskin

Progress

   First off I feel I must apologize as I have not posted a blog for a very long time. I'm new to this "game" and have been focused on other things.

 The illustrations for Adirondack Luau continue to come along nicely. Jerry Merrill is doing a fantastic job. It's my hope that I will be able to post some teaser panels here in the future.

 I am very encouraged by all the positive comments I have received from the few trusted souls that have been able to read the entire manuscript. I am amazed at how the story touches people in so many different ways. Some ways I never consciously intended.

 I am embarrassed to admit though that I discovered I needed to write a synopsis for the back page as well as a short bio. I'm finding the synopsis in particular to be very difficult. How do you write it to get the attention of a possible buyer without giving too much away? After several hours I think I may have it but, it will have to be seen Adirondack Editing's Susan Uttendorfsky before I know for sure.

 What I do know for sure is that Adirondack Luau has gone through many changes since I wrote the outline in 2010. It began as a simple children's book and has evolved into a children's early chapter book with full color illustrations instead of the black and white sketches normally seen. I call it a "pre-early chapter book". Something for today's young readers transitioning from picture story books to something a little more. I hope it will be enjoyed by many.

Patience Is a Must

The creation of Adirondack Luau has been quite a journey.I am now on my seventh illustrator.I can honestly say though that this has been a blessing.

The "set backs" have allowed me to find an excellent editor at a price I could afford as well as a world renowned artist in Jerry Merrill.

Jerry was a classmate of my parents and lives only five miles from me. He is most noted for ice sculptures, but does EVERYTHING including oils,watercolors,inks...you name it.

When first approached, he wasn't sure he could do the "cartoony" thing, but I told him to just do what he was comfortable with. I gave him a few paragraphs of the story and a picture that went along with it.(Yes,the story locations are REAL!). What I got back was a very detailed ink drawing of the scene with his grandson in place of my character in action...at no cost! Jerry is what I have been looking for...someone willing to "audition" with no strings attached and someone willing to put in the time.

His price is also right. I can't divulge that here as this is between Jerry and myself, but needless to say, it is a dream come true.

I'd hoped that things moved along quicker than they have, but I now see that there's a reason. I have to get out of the way somewhat and let nature take it's course. Patience is a must.

Thanks for checking in and don't forget you can leave feedback here or on Facebook.
Pieter David Gaskin

Boldly Going Fourth

 When I started Adirondack Luau my intention was to self-publish the book. Recently Hope Marston, who is another local children's book author (OK she does way more than children's books), encouraged me to submit my manuscript to Marimba Books http://justusbooks.com . They do books for toddlers,preK,early readers and middle graders with titles that have "cultural authenticity". I figured,why not. Today I sent out the required submission.

 In that spirit, even though I haven't had the comments or readership here that I would've liked, I am going to show the first four pages of Adirondack Luau. Decide for yourselves if you would like to see more in the future.....so here it goes.
 Oh yeah, please feel free to comment.I love hearing from you.

.                                              Adirondack  Luau

                                       By

                                         Pieter David Gaskin

     Every year Peleki looked forward to his school’s summer vacation. He loved the beaches of his native O’ahu, Hawaii. As often as he could talk his parents into going, he would play on the white sand and splash in the turquoise waters of the Pacific Ocean. However, this summer was going to be different. He had just arrived home when his parents gave him the news.

   “You mean I’m not going to the beach tomorrow?  Dad, Mom, that’s not fair!” Peleki complained. “Besides, I’ve already told Aaron that I’d meet him at Waikiki tomorrow morning to go boogie boarding.”

   “We have a surprise for you instead,” Dad said.

   “A surprise? What kind of surprise?”

   “Well, you remember I was born and grew up in New York state?”

   Peleki nodded.

   “That’s where your grandparents live. You know, the ones you talk to on the phone?”

    “Are they coming here to visit?”

   “Your grandma is coming, but not to stay,” Mom replied. “She’s flying here to pick you up. Then you’re going right back with her to New York to stay with them for two weeks.”

   Peleki scowled. “Two whole weeks? But I wanna go to the beach!”

    “The beach will still be here when you get back,” Dad said. “Besides, you’ll get to see the Adirondacks. The mountains there aren’t as tall as we have here, but the Adirondack region is bigger than all the Hawaiian Islands put together. Besides, they have plenty of lakes to swim in.”

   “But what about our family band? You know I love playing music even more than the beach.”

      “I know you do. You asked to play my ‘tar tar’ when you were just three years old. The guitar was bigger than you were. Then you saw that koa wood ukulele in the music shop window. You didn’t stop talking about it until we bought it for your fifth birthday.”

    “And I take very good care of it, don’t I?”

   “Yes, you do, Peleki. There’s not a scratch on it. That surprises me since you play it morning, noon and night.”

   Peleki folded his arms.

   “If I go to New York, I’ll miss playing for the all the tourists,” he said. “And all the money they throw into my ukulele case. Why can’t Grandpa and Grandma come here? Why do I have to go there?”  

   “It’ll be nice for you to see where your father grew up,” Mom answered.

   “I’ll come out to get you in two weeks and we’ll fly back together,” Dad said. “You won’t miss out on too many tips.”

   “Can I take my ukulele?”

   “Oh, Peleki!” Mom ruffled his hair. “You won’t have time to play your ukulele. Grandma and Grandpa will have things to keep you busy. Besides, it might get broken, or even lost, if you take it on the airplane. You wouldn’t want that, would you?”

   “No.”

   “So, what do you think?” Dad asked. “Two weeks at your Grandpa and Grandma’s, and the rest of your summer here at the beach?”

     “I know I won’t like it,” Peleki grumbled.

                                                                ***

The next day was spent in a flurry of activity as Peleki got ready to make the big trip.

   “Here are a couple of pairs of warm socks,” Mom said. “It might get cool at night. Be sure to pack your sneakers. It’s not always sandal weather there.”

   “How long will it take to get to New York?”

   “Hard to say for sure,” Dad answered. “It depends on the weather between here and there. Somewhere around 17 hours.”

   “Seventeen hours!” Peleki groaned.

   “Don’t worry. Your plane leaves at 11 o’clock tonight,” Mom said. “I’ll bet you’ll sleep through most of the trip. Now let’s finish packing.”

    The Honolulu International Airport was a busy place. Travelers were purchasing tickets and checking their bags at the counters.

   “Mmm, just smell all the fresh flowers. The plumeria blossoms, they’re everywhere!” Mom pointed as they passed the open gardens. “Everything is so bright and colorful here. Even the airport staff’s uniforms have flowers.”

   “How will we ever find Grandma among all these people?” Peleki asked.

   No sooner had he spoken than he saw Grandma waving.

   “There she is!” Peleki ran to greet her.

   Grandma knelt down, opening her arms to him.

     “Grandma! Grandma!  Aloha!” Peleki shouted. “Here’s a Ti Lei just like mine. I made it for you. It’s for a safe trip home.”

   He placed the Ti Lei around her neck and hugged her tight.

   “Thank you, Peleki,” Grandma said. “Now, look at you! Eight years old. My, have you grown! It been six years since I last saw you in person. You’ve become a handsome young man!”

   “Mahalo,” Peleki said. “That means ‘thank you’ in Hawaiian.”

   “Ma, how were your flights?” Dad asked, giving her a quick hug.

   “It was a long one to California,” Grandma answered. “Now, we had better hurry up. We have to go through security for the return flight.”

   Mom and Dad knelt down and took Peleki by the hands. “Now, you have a safe trip, and have fun at Grandpa and Grandma’s,” Mom said.

    “I’m going to miss you,” Peleki said quietly. Then, whispering in Dad’s ear so he wouldn’t hurt Grandma’s feelings, he asked, “Are you sure I’m going to have a good time?”

   “Don’t worry,” he assured him. “You’re in good hands with Grandma and Grandpa. Besides, you may find things in the Adirondacks that are a lot like home.”         

   Peleki nodded. We’ll see about that.

   “OK, Peleki,” Grandma said, taking his hand. “Let’s get a move on. New York, here we come!”

                                                                ***

On The Mend

 First of all, I would like to thank all my friends that have checked out my blog and signed up on my Facebook fan page, Pieter David Gaskin Author. It is my wish to keep you posted on the release of my first book "Adirondack Luau".

 The title of this blog is "On the Mend" and I have been. A week ago Tuesday I had a minor surgery that went very well. I was home bound for about 4 days, but have since been able to venture out for a short period of time.

 Being home has allowed me to do what I hope to be a final edit on my book. The bummer has been that up until today, I haven't been able to sit at the computer for a long period of time. I did manage to go through and edit a "hard copy" of my manuscript so that all I will need to do is fix the document on my computer.

 After I'm through with that, a copy will be sent to Susan at Adirondack Editing for a fresh set of eyes. You can find her on Facebook. She is about to launch her business and I must say she does a fantastic job.

 I see from my first blog there weren't any comments made. PLEASE don't be bashful and feel free to leave any comments you wish.

 For instance, is anyone reading this interested in reading some of the first chapter of my book? If so,please leave a comment here or on my fan page. If I get enough,I will post here on my blog in the very near future.

 Thanks again for taking an interest in my creation.

Pieter David Gaskin

Welcome To My Author's Blog

 Let me introduce myself, I'm Pieter David Gaskin. Creative writing has been a hobby of mine on again and off again since my senior year in high school.

 About two years ago, I played around with an idea for a children's book that would go hand in hand with another hobby of mine, building acoustic stringed instruments. I soon shelved the idea, not seeing at first how I could mix two seemingly opposite hobbies.

 I was driving my wife, author Holly E. Gaskin (http://www.hollygaskin.com/), to an Author's Fair in the town of Inlet, N.Y. when the idea surfaced again. I told her about my idea and she encouraged me to give it a try.

 As she sold her books, I began to write the outline of the story. Within two hours I had a story from beginning to end fleshed out. I began writing the book the next day and had the first draft finished in about two weeks. I have been editing ever since.

 Every illustrated children's book needs an artist. I've struggled with that since the very beginning. I have some talent, but not enough time to develop it for project. I've been through six illustrators. It seems the artistic types lack motivation even when there is cash on hand. I even paid one for the first panel and paid upfront for the next. He disappeared with that panel  and the cash never to return an e-mail thereafter.

 Finally, this past week I met Tim. He is very talented, reasonable in price and very motivated to get the job done.

Adirondack Mountains leaving his Hawaiian home for the first time. The story deals with homesickness as well as the differences and similarities of Hawaii and the Adirondacks.

 I will be post excerpts here as well as keeping you updated on my progress. Please feel free to post any comments or questions.

 So it is here that I announce the publishing of my first book "Adirondack Luau". It will be released this fall.

 The story about and eight year old boy Peleki. He is the son of a native Hawaiian mother and New York state born father. He is sent to visit his grandparents in the  Adirondack Mountains leaving his Hawaiian home for the first time. The story deals with homesickness as well as the differences and similarities of Hawaii and the Adirondacks.

 I will be post excerpts here as well as keeping you updated on my progress. Please feel free to post any comments or questions.


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