Joe Eckstein
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In July and August, I traveled to North Carolina and the Midwest to spend time with family and friends, attend a conference, and enjoy some much-needed rest and relaxation. Among the highlights of the trip were a visit to Great Smoky Mountains National Park and a five-day hike along the Appalachian Trailwith a group of youths from New Zealand. It was a wonderful experience, and I relished the time spent in God’s beautiful creation—a tremendous source of inspiration for me and the work I do.While on my trip, I also gave a reading and book signing at Cover to Cover Books for Young Readers in Upper Arlington, Ohio, near Columbus. Having grown up in the Columbus, Ohio area, it was great to be back sharing my book Herby Gets a Life. This was my first visit to this fantastic children’s bookstore, and I loved reading to the children and demonstrating for them a drawing of Herby the Parrot. Presenting and getting to meet and share with children and parents in person at live events is one of my favorite things to do.
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In addition to illustrating children’s books, designing book covers, formatting books, and more, I also began another year of teaching art and theatre part-time to Kindergarten through 8th grade students at Sunshine Christian Academy in Bradenton, Florida. Working with children, encouraging their creativity, and helping them develop their God-given talents is something I am extremely blessed to be able to do.And (if that weren’t enough!), I’m also currently performing in a production of the musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at The Players Centre for Performing Arts Sarasota, Florida, through October 6th. It’s a super-fun production that is giving me a wonderful outlet to continue to pursue my love for theatre, music, dance, performing, and entertaining others.
Needless to say, I’ve been up to much, and I’m grateful for all the opportunities I have to use my expertise and make a difference with the arts! As we head into the beautiful autumn season, I pray you and your loved ones are safe and blessed.
I had a fantastic time visiting Palmetto Charter School in Palmetto, Florida, recently, where I spent an entire day presenting to the Kindergarten through 5th-grade students about the process of writing, illustrating, and creating books. I shared the books I’ve written and illustrated, and during an after school festival at the school, was able to meet many of the students’ parents and sign books for the students. I also had a lot of fun facilitating an activity for the students, helping them create their own books!
I love being able to help inspire children to create, work towards accomplishing dreams and goals, and perhaps even pursue future professions as writers, authors, illustrators, and artists themselves. And while it feels good to have the opportunity to inspire them, they always inspire me—their creativity, imagination, desire to learn, and sense of wonder. I was grateful for this opportunity and had an absolutely wonderful time visiting the school and being with the students!
If you’re interested in arranging a school visit, book signing, reading or other event, please contact me. I enjoy sharing with students, children (and adults!) what I do as a children’s book author and illustrator and helping inspire and encourage them to believe their life matters, to be creative, develop their talents, accomplish their God-given dreams, and make a positive difference in our world!
I had the pleasure of speaking at the Writer’s Workshop at Christian Retreat in Bradenton, Florida, held January 20th and 21st, 2017. The annual workshop was hosted by Joanne Derstine Curphey and attended by writers and authors from around the country. This was my second year attending and speaking at the workshop, and it was a wonderful time of connecting with other writers, sharing expertise, and receiving inspiration from one another.
I presented information and advice about book publishing and children’s book illustration, and shared and signed copies of the books I’ve written and illustrated. I enjoyed getting acquainted with the attendees and learning about the books and works they have written, are in the process of writing, or are aspiring to write.
I believe we all have stories in life God wants us to share, and I love to work with fellow writers and authors to help bring those stories to life through books and illustrations. I look forward to continuing to do this and to all the opportunities God opens up for me to contribute to others’ success with their books and other creative projects.
I’m excited to announce the release of another children’s book I recently illustrated! The Max Stories was published at the end of 2016 by Harmonic Press.
Written by Florida author Julie Miller, this is a series of amusing tales about a mischievous boxer puppy named Max, who’s adopted by a family in order to bring more excitement into their lives—and ends up giving them much more than they bargained for! Based on the true story of a real-life family the author’s parents knew when growing up and their unforgettable dog, and written in verse and rhyme, the book is enjoyable to read to young children and also a wonderful book for early readers.
As the book’s back cover heralds,
Max is a puppy who loves to run free, but trouble will follow like fish to the sea. Here is his story, and everything’s true. You’ll smile and laugh—all the way through!
This book was an absolute joy to illustrate. After determining the look of the characters and developing pencil sketches, I created the illustrations using pen and ink line work finished with washes of acrylic paint. It was both fun and challenging to depict Max’s crazy antics along with the book’s various settings, from the family’s “quiet abode” to Slingerlands Elementary School and beyond.
If you’re interested in purchasing this book, visit www.JoeEckstein.com/books/the-max-stories
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Recently, I had the opportunity to speak to a group of writers and share and sign my books at Joanne Derstine Curphey’s 6th Annual Writer’s Workshop in Bradenton, Florida. 
I was there to share my experience and expertise as an author and illustrator and speak on, “The Quest to Getting Your Children’s Book Published and Why You Need Help!”.
My talk was recorded and if you’re interested in hearing what I had to say, contact me and I will let you know how you can obtain it.
I was able to be there for the whole conference and met some seasoned and aspiring authors who showed their appreciation for my talk. I enjoyed greeting many of the attendees between sessions at my book table, where I signed copies of my children’s books and talked with them further about the process of getting a children’s book published.
I’m always impressed at the creativity and passion of people who want to put their vision in print. I met many of them at this conference and look forward to staying connected.
If you’d like more information about Joanne Derstine Curphey’s Writer’s Workshop, she has a Facebook Page where she shares information about the event and speakers.
If you’re writing a book or children’s book and need help with the illustrations or publishing process, please let me know how I can help you.
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