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Wow, its been as while since my last post! Looking back, its odd that my last post was about a lull in the workflow. I certainly don’t feel like things have been moving slowly! To start things off, I’ll talk about some “business” aspects of the past month.

Taking advantage of the downtime, I implemented an income/collections/taxes tracking system. Basically, now I know roughly what I’ll need to pay in terms of federal taxes come April. I am keeping this estimated amount in its own savings account. In conjunction, I’ve also revamped my deduction-tracking technique so that its a lot simpler and easier to process come April.

Another administrative task I’ve been tackling as of late is collecting on invoices. I have learned that the end of the job is never the end of the job. Its can get pretty hairy and confusing. I’ve learned that folks process invoices immediately, at the end of the week, at the end of the month, or after publication. As such, I never know what going on with the invoice after the job so I have to email to follow-up. With the new system, its been easier though. Upon invoicing, I’ll now simply ask the client when they process their invoices so I can project a rough estimate of when I should be looking for a check. Then I can contact clients as needed after the date passes. I don’t know how other people feel about this or how they work, but I can get spacey on these matters when I’m concentrating on artwork. So instead of randomly hoping for checks when I open my mailbox, I am being more active and organized in collecting. Working in this manner, I now know where every invoice I have out stands in terms of processing and delivery. Sadly, some payments have been sent to my old address (long story) so I assume they will be forwarded by the always-punctual postal service.

What else has come up these past weeks? Ah, another thing taken into account since the last post was communication i.e, talking with other artists and illustrators. With Aliyah starting her graduate classes, it has been a very difficult solitude. Having just moved to the town of Beacon, I barely know anyone. After exhausting my trips to coffee shops and running errands, I have started posting on blogs to meet other artists. This also exposes me to a lot of new art. Recently, I was featured on thelittlechimpsociety.com as the “Editor’s Pick:”
Pretty cool. Also, that feature bumped up web traffic at chris-whetzel.com for a bit. I have been told that a lot of the members of that site are art directors so I see it as free promotion. Thanks to the guys at The Little Chimp Society! I look forward to posting more, and I tend to check out the blog every day or so. Similarly, I was invited to join sugarfrostedgoodness.com this week. I know that none of this is a big deal in terms of moneymaking, but I really feel that posting on these blogs as well as chris-whetzel.blogspot.com and theautumnsociety.blogspot.com really keep me motivated. As lame as it sounds, it fends off the lonelys :) And the bonus is that links from these sites increase chris-whetzel.com’s search engine ranking. Cool.

And the final thing I would like to say about blogs is to simply mention a helpful one: cedricohnstadt.wordpress.com. This blog is awesome for anyone freelancing. Its basically years and years of one guy’s experiences in the field. He also posts so many links that are illustration-business related. Great blog! One gem I found (of many) was the freelanceswitch.com podcast. Very cool. If you like the ICONIC podcasts, you may enjoy these. However, the Freelance Switch panel focuses on the BUSINESS of illustration by discussing a show-specific topic and answering questions about everything from contracts to etiquette to networking. And its all handled in a fun and light-hearted manner! This podcast also comes in handy when working long days alone and you just want to hear human voices! Its like being in a roundtable discussion!

Ah, discussion. I am jealous to hear Aliyah talk about class discussions. I miss it. I’m kind of disappointed that my friends and I never really got a collective together. I tried to establish “drink and draws” patterned after Dave Johnson’s group, but it never really took off. Its cool that Philly has The Autumn Society, but I’m in New York! Granted, I had a great artistic talk with Joe Game last week, but its not the same as sitting around looking at each other art, having crits, etc (and he totally guilted me for not blogging). However, I’m finding out that the artists in Beacon do meet; I just have to find out how to get involved. I was working at a coffee shop last night when a group formed next to me. Not really paying attention (I listen to my ipod when working outside the apartment), I noticed they were discussing art in between songs. Turns out they meet to just talk art, tell what they are doing, and pass on opportunities. This is awesome. I wanted to talk to someone in the group after the meeting, but I had to leave before they disbanded.

But hopefully, an opportunity to chat will present itself as I have been asked to take part in a show at that very coffee shop! After speaking with Nate (the manager) today, it seems the show will be November-ish. He really liked my drawings enough to ask a price on one! So it will be my “artsy” drawings as opposed to digital prints. He said he is still looking for illustrators who specifically have drawings to show. If you would like to be considered, drop me a line and I'll give him your website.

Striking off on a tangent, I was recently asked to attend the Baltimore Comic Con as part of The Autumn Society Collective. This was a great honor as I really respect the art of the other collective artists taking the trip: Joseph Game, Peter Wonsowski, and Craig Parillo. Good guys who make good art. What sucks is that I can’t go. Financially, I just don’t feel comfortable spending a lot of money to travel, for space, etc to promote to a field that probably can’t use my artwork. Plus I'll have a big expense thi smonth that I'll discuss later. I REALLY tried to rationalize going as I am a hardcore comic fan and I just wanted to be a fanboy for a weekend, but logical-me won the battle. Best of luck to the guys attending! Wish I could be there!

And so, being proud of my willpower, I have decided to commit to an ispot portfolio this month. I am worried about spending the money but its deductible, and I really think I’ll get some work from it. Dave Tabler at the ispot has been very accommodating with my hesitancy. It turns out they have a payment plan so that assuaged the fear a bit. And as a bonus, it turns out that ispot and Adbase have a deal where ispot members get a discount at Adbase. Cool. Next year, I hope to take advantage of it!

Another reason I decided to go for the ispot portfolio was that work picked up. August has been a super-busy month. It was sad to leave a personal piece unfinished to start new jobs, but I hope to have it done next week. Anyway, on to new work!

Ok, so the first commission came via email from Houston Press. This paper was a new addition to the mailing list so that was a good sign that the new card wasn’t such a bad image choice after all! The job was four spot illustrations for their “Best Of” issue due in a little over aweek. The budget was lower than I could afford, but we negotiated a budget that worked for both of us. Awesome. I can’t discuss the subject matter or post images until after publication on the 25th of September. But these were a lot of fun, and I think they add a little diversity to the portfolio. I’ll post them, sketches and all after the 25th.

Although fun, the period of working on them was a little crazy as while sketching them, I got a call from the art director of Retail Traffic who needed a quarter page spot by that Tuesday! Awesome, but the tight deadline was a little intimidating. Nevertheless, I knew I could do it so I accepted (just sleep less). He sent me a version of the article titled “Taking On Water.” It was about the California budget crisis and how its affecting the housing economy. It was an odd subject matter, but I enjoyed the challenge. Pushing back the Houston Press sketches, I ripped out these three sketches:
I like them all for different reasons. I assumed they would go with the first one of the house sinking on the chart, but he surprised me by choosing the house with the life preserver. I also like the "stormy weather" one, but we both agreed its more of a full-page image as everything is so small. The final:
This isn’t my greatest piece, but I like that it shows I can think outside of figurative work. Originally, I left off the “S.S. California,” but I was really happy that they asked me to put it back on the life preserver. I took this piece a little farther in terms of color as I want to push for more color in this graphic style.

One interesting aspect of this commission was that Retail Traffic is a magazine published by Penton Media, the same folks that commissioned the 10 portraits for Registered Rep a few posts back. My first return customer! Sort of. I worked with two different art directors but whatever. I count it.

So anyway, I finished the piece up on Tuesday. Prior to this, while doing the finish for Retail Traffic, I also finished and submitted sketches for the “Best Of” article. The art director really liked them, and we were set. However, the day I finished the Retail Traffic piece, the Houston Press art director called and asked if I could provide a cover in addition to the spot illustrations! Whoa! I told here there was no way I could have both done in four days. Then she explained that the spots were not needed until later in September and that the cover was for that week’s weekly paper. Now that I can do! On a sidenote, I have been becoming more relaxed with art directors, and it makes things more fun and light-hearted on both ends. Everything has been very laidback with everyone this month aside from getting work done. Its really kind of cool. So anyway, the spots got pushed back a week so that I could do this cover.

It is a portrait of Gary Kubiak, coach of the Houston Texans (football team). The idea was pretty simple: parody the popular Obama campaign poster using Kubiak instead. I was hesitant to do this as I like coming up with my own concepts, but I like paying rent so I agreed to do it. I was little worried about plagiarism, but my good buddy, Scott Brundage, said its not as he has seen this issue dealt with at his dayjob. I won’t show the sketches for this as there were like four versions with both the art director and myself photoshopping things, and they are really just messy sketches (not my usual rendered drawings). So anyway, here is the finish:
I like it. Initially, I wasn’t going to put it in my portfolio, but it really opened me up to using a palette without black and white. So I’ll keep it in there and add more pieces like it. What I really like about is that it’s a pretty good likeness in a totally non-existent pose i.e, I didn’t have direct reference to work from so I was making up lighting. I like jobs that challenge me and make me work harder. This one was a real test of my abilities! I never really thought my likenesses were good enough to market, but people seem to like them. As such, I’m trying to draw more popular figures in my non-commissioned works to get better at capturing a likeness. I have a list to work from!

However, there was one downside of this commission. Less than eight hours after taking the cover job, the art director at SFWeekly emailed me with a job for a half-page calendar illustration about a JETPACK EVENT! Arrrgh! I was so bummed to turn this down, but there was no way I could do both pieces as the turn around on the calendar was less than two days. We have a good, jovial relationship and he understood. Still, I hate turning anyone away. I think I’m still gonna do a jetpack piece just for fun and send it to him. I told him I might work it up for the portfolio, and he said its inspired him to break out his acrylics. Cool stuff.

And that’s all I got, folks. I just finished up the “Best Of” spots today, and they were approved. So the next post will probably feature those as well as the personal piece I am getting back to after almost a month. I don’t even remember where I was on it…Plus I stil lwant to do a particlular portrait and new drawings for the coffee shop show.

And maybe I’ll do something with this sketch I did while watching the DNC last week:

I like Obama. Good guy.

So who knows what next week holds? I'm sure I'll find something to occupy my time :)

Enjoy the Day,
Chris
chris-whetzel.com

While the house is still a bit cluttered with leftover school year stuff, I'm enjoying FINALLY having studio time! I can't quite bring myself to face the stacks of papers and books...I'll do it tomorrow (famous last words).

Anyway, I went through the last few months of sketchbook doodles to see if anything spoke up. A little bird did - and I'm back to ink (watercolor will follow). It's changed only slightly. I call it "A Dinner Invitation."

The inspiration for this was a small doodle (shown below) tucked away on a page full of "random musings" done in ink and posted several weeks back. It was hard to notice it among all of the other stuff on the page, but I liked it and it's been calling me.

1. Roar! is off my desk and with my agent. I'm eager to hear his feedback and hope, hope, hope he likes it. Cross your fingers for me.

2. Because Roar! is off my desk I brought my sewing machine to the first grade to help sew memory pillows. They draw on a square of white muslin, pick a calico backing and bring it to parent volunteers to sew it up.

3. Then came home to paint the still incomplete master bathroom. It is green. I love green. But not this green. I think I hate this green. It reminds me of the cinder block walls in my elementary schools or hospital scrubs. But it goes with the green glass mosaic tile that hubby chose and I said yes to. So now I have to live with it. But not for long because...

4. One month until I move.

5. Last night, the parents played against the kids on my son's baseball team. Picture me in deep left field. The crack of the bat. The ball comes soaring in my direction. A high fly ball. I run to it, glove outstretched, closer, closer, "I GOT IT" I shout. Then thunk. It slides right into my glove. I wish I had a clip hear for you to see. Alas there is none. But there are witnesses.

My apologies for disappearing! I’ve been going through a major life change: MOVING. In the space of a few weeks, we sold our home (in Grand Prairie, TX where we had lived for 18 years raising two kids) and moved into the big city (of Dallas, where we’re 10 minutes from my favorite theaters, movies, museums, and restaurants!). Each Friday has brought a new crisis: first no electricity for two days, then no Internet for four days! EEK! Things are headed toward normalcy now and it’s time to get back on track with poetry. I’ve actually been reading a lot of poetry during this time as part of the Cybils award (I’m on the poetry subcommittee; stay tuned for news); it’s the perfect antidote.

As I looked for a poem to fit my current circumstance, I remembered a lovely picture book collection that came out a few years ago: My House is Singing by Betsy Rosenthal, illustrated by Margaret Chodos-Irvine. Each poem captures an aspect of the “places and spaces that make a house a home” against a backdrop of Chodos-Irvine’s colorful, sculptural collages. Using a variety of poetic forms, including rhyming and free verse forms, Rosenthal touches on details that children notice in the laundry room, the smoke detector, the refrigerator, the vacuum cleaner, the kitchen, special cubby-holes, the doorbell, the back door, and more. The following poem example gives the book it’s title and captures some of my own thoughts my first night in my new home:

My House’s Night Song
By Betsy Rosenthal

Listen closely.
Can you hear?

Heater whooshing out
warm air.

Blinds flapping
Floors creaking.

Clocks ticking.
Faucet leaking.

Dishwasher clicking.
Pipes pinging.

Listen closely.
My house is singing.

From: Rosenthal, Betsy. R. 2004. My House is Singing. Illustrated by Margaret Chodos-Irvine. San Diego: Harcourt.

It’s time for me to re-join the Poetry Friday Round Up-- which is hosted this week by Tricia at The Miss Rumphius Effect.

Picture: My new house

Things are really coming along now, the large kitchen and hall tiles are almost completely installed. There's just this last patch in the hall and 2nd closet to do. The tiles look white but they're actually very very pale grey with tiny matchstick lines of grey and white. They'll also look nicer once the grout is added. It's going to be a light grey so there won't be such dark lines between the tiles.

To the left you can see the bathroom is almost finished too. It doesn't look perfect, but I know it will once the grout is there. We've been visiting the house throughout the project and we can see that this job has been done with careful attention to detail, things we didn't even think about ourselves. Once we add the new baseboards, paint the walls and return the clawfoot tub and new vanity it's going to be really nice I think. Right now the pattern is a little hard on the eyes, mostly due to the dark lines between the tiles.
They've also done more work on the walls where the tiles were removed and they're looking really good. I know once we prime we'll see places we have to touch up a bit here and there but that's easily done.So far so good... Read the rest of this post

Hola desde Nueva York! Greetings from New York City!

Book Expo America began today. It was with great pleasure that I attended the 9th Annual International Latino Book Awards this evening. The awards ceremony was simultaneously broadcast live on the Latino Book and Family Festival website. Que cool, no? Edward James Olmos welcomed attendees via video. I met new people and ran into old friends like Ruben Martinez who had the honor of presenting the Mariposa Awards for Best First Book.

I'm told that this year there was a 50% increase in entries from last year and that this year there were more categories. The list of winners is extensive and our own Lisa Alvarado's book Sister Chicas won the second place Mariposa Award for Best First book. Congratulations Lisa and all the winners!

The list of winners:

Best Educational Children's Book - Spanish or Bilingual
Puberman, Maria Villegas - Jennie Kent. Villegas Editores S.A.
2nd Place - El Alfabeta de Hojalata, Dalia Nieves Albert, Ediciones Puerto Rico
Honorable Mention - Tesoro Infinito, Maria Villegas - Jennie Kent, Villegas Editores S.A.
Best Educational Children's Book - Bilingual
New Mexico/Nuevo Mexico, Jose Maria Obregon. Rosen Publishing Group
2nd Place - Puerto Rico, Jose Maria Obregon. Rosen Publishing Group
Honorable Mention - Teo and The Brick/Teo y El Ladrillo, Adam Del Rio. Lectura Books
Best Children's Picture Book - English
The Boy of Steel, Ray Negron, HarperCollins Publishers
2nd Place - Noelle's Treasure Tale: A New Magically Mysterious Adventure, Gloria Estefan. Rayo HarperCollins.

Best Children's Picture Book - Bilingual
Super Oscar - Oscar de la Hoya, Paula Wise Books/Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
2nd Place - Pio Peep! Alma Flor Ada, Rayo HarperCollins
2nd Place - Talking With Mother Earth/Hablando con Madre Tierra, Jorge Argueta - Groundwood Books/House of Ansansi Press
Honorable Mention - Lupe Vargas and her Super Best Friend - Amy Costales. Luna Rising
Best Children's Picture Book - Spanish
La primera luna llena de Gatita - Kevin Henkes - Greenwillow Books/Rayo
2nd Place - Napi va a la montana - Antonio Ramirez - Groundwood Books/House of Ansansi Press
Honorable Mention - Benny - sieb Posthuma - Kane/Miller Book Publishers


Best Young Adult Fiction - English
Ribbons of the Sun - Harriet Hamilton - Brown Barn Books
2nd Place - Getting It - Alex Sanchez - Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Honorable Mention - Ay Mija! Why do You Want To Be An Engineer? Edna Campos Gravenhorst - AHETEMS (Advancing Hispanic Excellence in Technology, Engineering, Math & Science)

Best Young Adult Fiction - Spanish
La Chica de Mendiburo - Andalucia - Cholita Prints & Publishing Company
2nd Place - Septimus Heap, Libro Uno: Magyk - Angie Sage - Rayo HarperCollins
Honorable Mention - Cartas a mi mama - Teresa Cardenas - Groundwood Books/House of Ansansi Press
Best Young Adult Fiction - Bilingual
The Ruiz Street Kids/Los Muchachos de la calle Ruiz - Diane Gonzales Bertrand - Arte Publico Press
2nd Place - Graciela's Dream/El Sueno de Graciela - Max Benavidez & Katherine Del Monte - Lectura Books

Best Young Adult Nonfiction - English
When I Was a Boy Neruda Called Me Policarpo - Poli Delano - Groundwood Books/House of Ansansi Press
2nd Place - Mesoamerican Mythology - Graham Faiella - Rosen Publishing Group
Honorable Mention - letter to My Granddaughter - Eva S. Molina - AuthorHouse
Best Young Adult Nonfiction - Spanish
El primer año del bebe - Jeanne Warren Lindsay - Morning Glory Press
2nd Place - Puberman, Maria Villegas - Jennie Kent - Villegas Editores S.A.
Honorable Mention - Animales Atals con Pegatinas - Ruth Brockelhurst - EDC Publishing/Usborne
Best Arts Book - English
Bogata 360 Inside the City - Enrique Santos Molano - Villegas Editores S.A.
2nd Place - Guatemala (Ingles) Harris Whitbeck, Villegas Editores S.A.
Honorable Mention - Crafty Chica's Art de la Soul, Kathy Cano Murillo - Rayo/HarperCollins
Best Biography - English
Raul Salinas and the Jail Machine: My Weapon is My Pen, Raul Salinas - University of Texas Press
2nd Place - I Am My Father's Daughter - Maria Elena Salinas - Rayo/HarperCollins
2nd Place - Pimps, Hos, Playa Hatas and All the Rest of My Hollywood Friends - John Leguizamo - Ecco/HarperCollins
Honorable Mention - Butterfly Boy: Memories of a Chicano Mariposa - Rigoberto Gonzalez - University of Wisconsin Press
Best Business Book
The Salsa Solution - Rafael Colon & Alesa Lightbourne - VI Publishing
2nd Place - The Money in You! Julie Stav - Rayo/HarperCollins
Honorable Mention - Latino Advantage in the Workplace - Mariela Dabbah & Arturo Poire - Sourcebooks, Inc.

Best Health Book
Gordito Doesn't Mean Healthy - Claudia Gonzalez & Lourdes Alcaniz - Berkely (Penguin)
2nd Place - The Checklist - Manny Alvarez - Rayo/HarperCollins

Best History Book
Enriqueta Vasquez & the Chicano Movement - Enriqueta Vasquez - Arte Publico Press
2nd Place - A Home on the Field - Paul Cuadros - Rayo/HarperCollins
2nd Place - The Holy Vote - Ray Suarez Rayo/HarperCollins
Honorable Mention - Chicana Lives and Criminal Justice: Voices From El Barrio - Juanita Diaz-Cotto - University of Texas Press
Best New Age Book - English
Nostradamus - Gonzaol Echevarry Uruburu - Villegas Editores S.A.
Best Religious Book - English
The Holy Vote - Ray Suarez - Rayo/HarperCollins
Best Self-Help Book - English
Once Upon a Cow - Dr. Camilo Cruz - Brainstorm Press, Inc.
2nd Place - The Money in You! - Julie Stav - Rayo/HarperCollins
Honorable Mention - Real Life, Real Love - Father Alberto Cutie - Penguin Group, USA Inc.
Honorable Mention - The Love Diet - Mabel Iam - Rayo/HarperCollins

Best Travel Book - English
The World Cup - Fernando Fiore - Rayo/HarperCollins Publishers
2nd Place - Colombia 360, Cities and Towns - Enrique Santos Molano - Villegas Editores S.A.
Honorable Mention - Es Cuba: Life and Love on an Illegal Island - Lea Aschkenas
Best Reference - English
Columbia Natural Parks - Laura Sesana - Villegas Editores S.A.
2nd Place - Chicano and Chicana Literature - Charles M. Tatum - University of Arizona Press
Honorable Mention - Enigmas of the English Alphabet - Alvaro Alves-Milho - AuthorHouse
Honorable Mention - How to Buy a Home - Louis Cortes - Atria Books

Best Arts Books - Spanish or Bilingual
Eyes to Fly With: Portraits, self-Portraits and Other Photographers - Graciela Iturbide - University of Texas Press
2nd Place - Omar Rayo Homanaje - Omar Rayo - Villegas Editores S.A.

Best Biography - Spanish or Bilingual
Clemente - David Maraniss - Atria Books
2nd Place - La Hija del Ganges - Asha Miro - Atria Books
Honorable Mention - Yo Soy la Hija de mi Padre - Maria Elena Salinas - Rayo/HarperCollins

Best Business Book - Spanish or Bilingual
El Dinero que Hay en Ti! - Julie Stav - Rayo/HarperCollins
Honorable Mention - Como Comunicarnos en Publico con Poder, Entusiasmo y Efectividad - Dr. Camilo Cruz

Best Cookbook - Spanish or English
Larousse De La Cocina Mexicana - Alicia Grionella de Angeli, Giorgio De Angeli, Ediciones Larousse
2nd Place - Primicias de Cocina Peruana - Rodolfo Hinostioza - Editorial Everest
Honorable Mention - Sabrosuras boricuas - Erisbelia Garriaga
Best Health Book - Spanish or Bilingual
Tu: El Manual de Instrucciones - Mehmet Oz & Michael F. Roizen - Rayo/HarperCollins
2nd Place - El Cuidado de su Hijo Pequeno Desde Que Nace Hasta Los cincos Anos - Steven P. Shelow, MD and Robert E. Hannemann, MD - American Bantam Books

Best History/Political Book - Spanish or Bilingual
Breve Historia de Cuba - Jaime Suchlicki - Pureplay Press
2nd Place - El Asesor del Presidente - Bill Minutaglio - Rayo/HarperCollins
Honorable Mention - La politica, el amor y otros textos - Alberto Dangond Uribe - Villegas Editores S.A.

Best New Age Book - Spanish or Bilingual
Mas Alla de la Reencarnacion - Dr. Joe Slate - Llewellyn Espanol
2nd Place - La Magia de las Piedreas y los Cristales - Migene Gonzalez-Wippler - Llewellyn Espanol
Honorable Mention - Astrologia - Brenda Valentin - Llwellyn Espanol


Por que Dios permite el mal y como superarlo - Paramahansa Yogananda - Self Realization Fellowship
Honorable Mention - Cautivado por la Alegria - C.S. Lewis Rayo/HarperCollins
Honorable Mention - Autobiografia de un Yogi - Paramahansa Yogananda - Self Realization Fellowship

Best Self-Help Book - Spanish or Bilingual (tie for first)
Ama De Verdad, Vive De Verdad - Padre Alberto Cutie - Penguin Group, USA, Inc.
Como Llegue Aca? - Barbara De Angelis - Rayo/HarperCollins
2nd Place - claves para ser propietario - 2da Edicion - National Foundation for Credit Counseling
Honorable Mention - Marte y Venus en el Dormitoria - John Gray - Rayo/HarperCollins

Best Travel Book - Spanish or Bilingual
Colombia 360 Ciudades y Pueblos - Enrique Santos Molano - Villegas Editores S.A.
2nd Place - Vamos al Mundial! - Fernando Fiore - Rayo/HarperCollins

Best Reference Book - Spanish or Bilingual
Ayde a sys hijos a Tener Exito en la Escuela - Mariela Dabbah - Sourcebooks, Inc.
2nd Place - Parques Naturales - Laura Sesana - Villegas Editores S.A.
Honorable Mention - La Guia Completa de Vitaminas, Hierbas y Suplementos - Winifred Conkling - Rayo/HarperCollins

Best Novel - Adventure or Drama - English
Ines of My Soul - Isabel Allende - HarperCollins Publishers
2nd Place - Our Lives Are the Rivers - Jamie Manrique - Rayo/HarperCollins
Honorable Mention - The Last Cato - Matilde Asensi - Rayo/HarperCollins

Best Poetry Book - English
Adobe Odes - Pat Mora - University of Arizona Press
2nd Place - DRIVE: The First Quartet - Lorna Dee Cervantes - Wings Press
Honorable Mention - How Long She'll Last in This World - Maria Melendez - University of Arizona Press

Best Novel - Adventure or Drama - Spanish
El Corrido de Dante = Eduardo Gonzales Viana - Arte Publico Press
2nd Place - El Pergamino de la Seduccion - Giaconda Belli - Rayo/HarperCollins
2nd Place - Ines del Alma Mia - Isabel Allende - Rayo/HarperCollins
Honorable Mention - McQuinn, la impostura - Julio Castellanos - Villegas Editores S.A.

Best Novel - Historical Fiction - English
Our Lives Are the Rivers - Jamie Manrique - Rayo/HarperCollins
2nd Place - Tomorrow They Will Kiss - Eduardo Santiago - Little, Brown & Company
2nd Place - The Scroll of Seduction - Giaconda Belli - Rayo/HarperCollins
Honorable Mention - The Song of the Golden Cocks - Margaret Donnelly - Trafford Publishing

Best Novel - Romance - English
Do Not Pass Go - Beatriz Rivera - Arte Publico Press
2nd Place - The Mystics of Reyesville - Corinne Chacon - iUniverse, Inc.

Best Novel - Mystery - English
The Last Cato - Matilde Asensi - Rayo/HarperCollins Publishers
2nd Place - Statute of Limitations - Steven F. Havill - St. Martin's Press
Honorable Mention - The Mystics of Reyesville - Corinne Chacon - iUniverse, Inc.
Honorable Mention - The Nymphos of Rocky Flats - Mario Acevedo - Rayo/HarperCollins
Honorable Mention - Missing in Precinct Puerto Rico - Steven Torres - St. Martin's Press

Best Novel - Historical Fiction - Spanish
Malinche - Laura Esquivel - Atria Books
2nd Place - El Pergamino de la Seduccion - Giaconda Belli - Rayo/HarperCollins
Honorable Mention - Ines del Alma Mia - Isabel Allenda - Rayo/HarperCollins

Best Novel Romance - Spanish
Lo Que Le Falta Al Tiempo - Angela Becerra - Villegas Editores S.A.

Best Poetry Book - Spanish
Among the Angeles of Memory/Entre los angeles de la memoria - Marjorie Agosin - Wings Press
2nd Place - Connecting Lines: New Poetry from Mexico - Luis Cortes Bargallo - Sarabande Books
Honorable Mention - La Ventana/The Window - Marie Delgado Travis

Best Cover Design - Hard Cover
Guatemala Inedita - Cristobal Von Rothkirch, Illustrator - Villegas Editores S.A.

Best Cover Design - Soft Cover
The Mystics of Reyesville - Corinne Chacon - iUniverse, Inc.
2nd Place - La Chica de Mendiburo - Adalucia, Illustrator - Cholita Prints & Publishing Co
Honorable Mention - La furia de los elementos - Luis Fernando Charry - Villegas Editores S.A.

Best Interior
Omar Rayo - Oscar Monsalve, Illustrator - Villegas Editores S.A.
2nd Place - Las Ultimas Siete Palabras de Cristo - Oscar Romero, Illustrator - World Library Publications
Honorable Mention - La Chica de Mendiburo - Adalucia, Illustrator - Cholita Prints & Publishing

Best Cover Illustration
The Mystics of Reyesville - Corinne Chacon - iUniverse, Inc.
2nd Place - Puberman - Ivan Chacon, Ilustrator - Villegas Editoes S.A.
Honorable Mention - La Chica de Mendiburo - Adalucia, Illustrator - Cholita Prints & Publishing

Best Children's Audio Book - Spanish or Bilingual
Leah Ann adopta un perico - Connie Reza - yo puedo! Publishing

Best Fiction Audio Book - Spanish or Bilingual
Malinche - Laura Esquivel - Fonolibro, Inc.

Best Non Fiction Audio Book - Spanish or Bilingual
La Vaca - Dr. Camilo Cruz - Brainstorm Press, Inc.
2nd Place - Los 7 Pasos Para Ser Mas Feliz - Dra. Isabel - Fonolibro Inc.

THE MARIPOSA AWARDS

Best First Book - Spanish
Leah Ann adopta un perico - Connie Reza - yo puedo! Publishing
2nd Place - Lupe Vargas and Her Super Best Friend - Amy Costales - Luna Rising
2nd Place - Padres de Hoy - Iris Yankelevich - Llewellyn Espanol
2nd Place - Puberman - Maria Villegas, Jennie Kent - Villegas Editores S.A.
Honorable Mention - La dificultad e las cosas - Mauricio Bernal - Villegas Editores S.A.

Best First Book - English
The Heiress of Water - Sandra Rodriguez Barron - Rayo/HarperCollins Publishers
2nd Place - Sister Chicas - Lisa Alvarado, Ann Hagman Cardinal, Jane Alberdeston Coralin
Honorable Mention - Tomorrow They Will Kiss - Eduardo Santiago - Little, Brown & Company