Click the image above to download The Incognito Project press release. For pre-approved images and quotations, visit our Incognito Project resource page.

In July of 2010, Terry Strickland began The Incognito Project. A costume party/ photo-shoot was held and reference for the project was captured. Each model chose a costume that revealed a secret-self or hidden desire. We think of disguises as a way to hide our true identity, but for the models of The Incognito Project, it was a way to reveal the truth. Two years and twenty-five paintings later, the project is ready to be shared. The Incognito Project exhibition launches on November 3rd, 2012. The show will open at:

The Incognito Project book will be ready for the show. This 500 copy, limited-edition print run will come signed and hand-numbered with a limitation page at the front of the book. The book, 9×12″, hard-covered, glossy, and printed on 80lb paper, will tell the story of the event and the masks chosen. It will feature high-resolution images and details of the twenty-five paintings, as well as behind-the-scenes snapshots.

Would you dare reveal your secret self? Read more about the book through the original Kickstarter page. 

The Nook and Kindle versions are available for 99¢. The paperback, available through Createspace and Amazon, costs only $8.99.

1. The End Of Independent Publishing

Specifically, SOPA will harm any site or business that relies on user created content. Secondary liability becomes a felony with SOPA, meaning that people can be held legally liable for felony charges if someone else commits copyright infringement using their tools. Further, sites that even LINK to copyrighted content could be blocked under SOPA. This means that sites that rely on user-created content would have to hand-check every piece of content they post.

What does this mean for Independent Publishing? Sites like Smashwords, Createspace, Kindle Direct, PubIt!, and Lulu perform a great service for Indie Publishers. They allow for distribution of their material without the need to stock a warehouse full of books that might not sell.

Under SOPA regulations, these sites would have to hand-check the content of every book that they print or digitally distribute for instances of copyright infringement. Even if we lived in a fantasy world where it was possible to know about every copyright under the sun, it would be impossible to hand-check the millions of submissions to these sites.

Wait times for print on demand and digital distribution would be excessively long and the salary to pay employees to read millions of books (many which may never make so much as ten dollars) would not be worth the profits.

We recently got to review an adorable little book for Matter Deep Publishing, and author, Carly Strickland. The book, Sunshine’s Night Out, is a picture book about a hamster who goes on an adventure one night when her cage is left open.

Sunshine was a little hamster with delicate sensibilities. One night, when the door to her cage was accidentally left open, Sunshine went on an adventure. But the world is a scary place for a little hamster all on her own. Based on a real story about a real hamster, Sunshine’s Night Out tells the tale of one critter’s adventure and her eventual return to the love and safety of her home. It’s the story of a girl and her hamster. (Found online here)

This book is absolutely adorable! When we received it, I flipped through it, and the artwork is fantastic! I knew Olivia would love the pictures, and the story is so cute. My Kevin’s favorite part of the book though, is that you can narrate the story however you want. According to him, Sunshine talks as she plays.

So, finally we let Olivia play with the book as we flipped through it together! I definitely think it’s a win in her book! What do you think?

I would suggest getting this book for young kids who love animals and love making their own adventures! It’s great to get their imaginations going since there are only a few words in this picture book, and they can make up the dialogue as they go! Definitely a good beginner book!

You can see the video of the entire book at this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8-rbozbWZs, and purchase the book online. And for older kids, you can download free coloring pages from this site.

Sunshine’s Night Out is an adorable book about a girl and her hamster who escapes from her cage and goes on a little adventure in the night. Written by a brother/sister team, Kyle Strickland provided the storyline, and illustrations are by Carly Strickland.

This brand new children’s book is based on the real story of the illustrator’s own hamster that went missing one night but did eventually return. This picture book has very few words, so you get to really enjoy the beautiful illustrations and imagine your own scenario for Sunshine the hamster. This simple storyline is certainly great fun for young children, and will definitely keep their attention. Animals are always fascinating for children anyway, but the illustrations really bring the story to life in a way that is easy for them to understand what is going on.

Buddy and I stopped by a new pet store this morning before heading in to the grocery store, and happened to see a few hamsters. Buddy saw many new animals he’s never seen in person before. You could see the fascination in his eyes as every critter walked about it’s domain. When I told Buddy I had a new book for him that was about a hamster, he was thrilled! Because we had seen a real hamster already, he knew what I was talking about and was so excited to check out this new book. Now, I’m pretty picky when it comes to kids books, but my almost 3-year-old and I thoroughly LOVED this book. This is probably one of only a few picture books I’ve ever sat with him to “read” and make up my own words and comedic expressions. I never thought a picture book could be so fun!

It’s great to be able to freely interpret this story as you go, and create a different experience every time you go through the book. I actually got a couple huge belly laughs from Buddy, which is hard to do without tickling him like crazy. He thought it was hilarious when Sunshine fell from her cage and went “Plop!” on the ground. I know he likes it a lot because he was glued to the book the whole time and actually sat through the whole thing!

The Verdict: Beautifully done, and perfect for the little kids in your life! Instead of a bunch of toys that won’t last very long this Christmas, get Sunshine’s Night Out and have a blast with your kids over and over again!

Price: Sunshine’s Night Out in paperback – $12.99

Buy It: Buy Sunshine’s Night Out on Amazon.com!

I usually keep posts in this blog for my personal artwork but today I am making an exception, not only because I am a book lover but for admiration towards a fellow artist and friend.

Carly Strickland is a fellow SCAD alumna and one of the nicest people I ever met there. She is also a cherished member of The Electric Keychain Collective. Today, I am happy to share with you her new children’s book “Sunshine’s Night Out” published by Matter Deep Publishing.

[Image (Front Cover)]

Sunshine the hamster does not say a single word in this book, but the endearing theatricality of her expressions conveys her thoughts and feelings loud and clear, in a way that even the youngest children can comprehend. With whimsical compositions of display text, she travels through the pages in sequential images reminiscent of comic panels. This succession of images effectively makes the reader feel as if they were watching a sweet little animated movie. Carly describes choosing her images “based on the most theatrical way to express a concept” which is deftly delivered in the illustrations in Sunshine’s Night Out. Honestly, I couldn’t have described them better.

The story presents a clear beginning, middle and end. Or a conflict, the curve in Sunshine’s short but eventful nighttime journey, and a satisfying resolution. Also isn’t that fun? Sunshine’s having a nighttime journey. SUNSHINE. NIGHTTIME. It’s great. I love it.

It is not with the unconditional praise of a friend, but with admiration as a fellow artist that I give Carly and Kyle Strickland’s “Sunshine’s Night Out” a glowing review. Carly, I am very proud of you and I eagerly hope to read more of your books in the future.Visit Matter Deep Publishing to get your own “Sunshine’s Night Out!”

[Image (Back Cover)]

Gotta love a book that does this with its covers.

 

Matter Deep Kids! has plans to publish work by other authors and illustrators. Next in the works is Vampires Aren’t Much Fun, written by Amy Leigh Strickland and illustrated by William Rankeillor.

Check out Sunshine’s Night Out at its official sub-site.

Published: 09/16/2011 07:32:05 AM EDT

Read Original: http://www.nashobapublishing.com/townsend_news/ci_18909585#ixzz1Y8SDyVUW

TOWNSEND — In the world of Amy Leigh Strickland’s Olympia Heights, Greek gods are transformed into high- schoolers.

And she says they’ve always acted like teenagers.

Strickland is a former Townsend resident who was married at St. John The Evangelist Church in Townsend last April. Soon thereafter she and her husband Kyle moved to Alabama and become a published author. Olympia Heights is her first series of young-adult novels and The Pantheon, its first installment, is her first published work with an electrifying premise.

“It’s always been a joke of mine that the Greek gods behaved like teenagers in myths,” Strickland said, “My series uses their awakening as gods and the way they step up to fill that role as a parallel to a coming-of-age story.”

Zeus in this godlike adolescent world is a football captain Zach Jacobs, and he is depicted on the front cover of book one, entitled The Pantheon, in his green and yellow varsity jacket wielding bolts of lightning between his hands.

Other reincarnations include the head cheerleader Aphrodite, Apollo, who dreams of becoming a rock star; and track and field stars Hermes and Artemis.

She plans to have the series of four books. Book two, entitled The Weight of the World, is going to be released this winter.

Strickland says she is a huge Harry Potter fan and she ran a Harry Potter book club at the Townsend Public Library while she was at North Middlesex Regional and college.

“I’ve squeezed a couple of Harry Potter references in to my writing,” said Strickland. “Online role-playing in the Harry Potter fandom is largely responsible for honing my skills as a writer.”

When Harry Potter was first released, the Internet was still young. But by the release of the third book in the series, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, at the turn of the century, Strickland and many others were becoming involved with the online community of text-based role playing.

She says she wrote scenes with strangers worldwide and after 10 years she quit to become a full-time writer.

“The idea for my first book really drove me to take the leap and do it. I had something I wanted to share and I knew that it wasn’t going to get out of my head unless I wrote it,” Strickland said.

Her first experience with writing was at Squannacook Early Childhood Center in Mrs. Petricca’s fifth-grade class, she says.

“She encouraged me to read above my peers’ reading level and ran a book-writing project,” Strickland said. “I was really in to these Joan Lowry Nixon mystery novels.”

“That, combined with my love of those young-adult mysteries, made me first dream of being a mystery writer,” she says.

In high school she also was an avid participant in Townsend Summer Recreation as both a counselor and director of the theater program. During a World Mythology course at Savannah College of Art and Design, she married the idea of Greek myths and hormonal teens in a teen drama TV pitch.

Apart from the countless hours of fan fiction, the Internet also helped her publish a book.

“It has allowed for a lot of freedom, and my family has the collective skill set to do independent publishing,” she says.

Kyle is a writer and her sister-in-law is an illustrator. Together they have established the independent press, Matter Deep Publishing, LLC.

“It allows for control and higher profit to the creators,” Strickland said. “Of course the Stricklands are tough critics; my husband told me flat out that I needed to restructure my book.

“We edited, edited and edited. We don’t expect to make millions but (Amanda Hocking) proved that Indies have value.”

Hocking is an e-published writer who has written a four- book series and a standalone novel. She made $2 million in about year on her sales.

Future plans for Strickland include a children’s book that is currently being illustrated and will be out for Halloween next year. Also, she is writing a vampire romance novel for National Novel Writing Month.

In Alabama Strickland has also joined a roller-derby team, something she says has “wiggles into Olympia Heights.” Potter references are there too; one character in the book is a fan of J.K. Rowling’s series. Marvel Comics have also inspired her writing.

Two major scenes, says Strickland, take place at high- school football games and were inspired by her time at North Middlesex. Down south both the weather and traffic are much more agreeable, she says, and she does not miss the snow.

“I do miss the autumn colors of New England, but what I miss most about Townsend is my family and friends,” she says. “We have a lot of friends there through school and Scouting and our get-togethers were always fun.

“My mother-in-law throws some great parties, too, but one group of great people can never fully replace another.”

This article is being reposted for the purposes of archival.

Original: http://www.nashobapublishing.com/townsend_news/ci_18909585#ixzz1Y8SKQEkQ