Wherein we most unceremoniously find ourselves reveling in what is otherwise an Untoward celebration of the Szumowski's killer illustrations for The New York Stories.

Here. Totally.

And now we really are final blog tour stop. Really. We are also ARTIFICE. Interview. First Blood. And the Szumowski.

Fifteen stops. Much love. And endless appreciations. Now for some ARTIFICE excerpt.

Artifice: Ben and Laura, can you describe the process of working with each other to develop the illustrations? How did you get in touch? How much contact did the two of you have before getting started?

Ben Tanzer: I would really like this answer to be so much cooler than it is. But, I sort of knew Laura personally from different readings and other events, had compulsively zipped around her website, though not in any stalkerish kind of way, really, and was a fan of her and her work and style. That said, it was CCLaPs idea to bring our work together and I think it was a terrific one. For me anyway. Laura may find herself increasingly dismayed by the whole thing and is merely keeping-up a happy face for our public appearances.

Laura Szumowski: I was originally approached by Jason Pettus, the publisher, about an illustration project he had in mind. He sent me one of Ben’s stories, The Babysitter, and I loved it.

Originally, Jason wanted me to do something along the lines of Jay Ryan, style wise, but when I talked with Ben, he mentioned Deer Hunter and First Blood as visual inspiration. My instincts from reading the stories agreed with Ben, so I did a few drawings to see what he thought. He said great, keep going– it was as simple as that. Not a whole lot of interaction, nothing too specific. He was comfortable with me taking artistic license, and I think was interested to see what I would draw from his writing.

We are one last tour stop. For now. And that stop is the most excellent WordPlaySound yo.

WordPlaySound is most definitely most excellent and most definitely running with not one, but two live joints from the So Different Now, the No Nothing and That's It, for their July issue and today's tour stop. Big thanks to the WordPlaySound and the Ryan Singleton.

"Tanzer is playing in Haruki Murakami's territory of crafting stories to describe the most complex, wordless emotions in the most graceful way possible." So Different Now gets Dead End Follies'd for "The New York Stories Tour 2012." And likes it. A lot.

We said there would be more and we couldn't be more geeked about this most kind review from the Dead End Follies and Benoit Lelievre. Big thanks sir and drinks on us for sure when next we meet. Excerpt? Totally.

"SO DIFFERENT NOW left its imprint on me. Because that's what powerful stories do. They scar you and chip away at you, make you a different person." 

 

So behind we are. We are also more "The New York Stories Tour 2012." Where Writers Write. And TNBBC's The Next Best Book Blog.

So true that. Late we are. Away from the office and internet access denied. But we are back. We are Where Writers Write. We are TNBBC's The Next Best Book Blog. There is Szumowski. And we are most appreciative. With more to come.

Holy talking illustration and The New York Stories with the Laura Szumowski for the Another Chicago Magazine tour stop and such.

We are ACM and we are Szumowski and it is lovely. And such.

We are so Murder Your Darlings. Quite Bledsoe. Tour. And Spider-Man.

And big thanks to the Bledsoe for that. And this. All of it. Now how about some excerpt?

"I don't know what it is about the Cort Bledsoe that makes me want to talk Spider-Man, Star Wars, video games and nostalgia. Nor am I entirely sure how I am supposed to tie doing so into "The New York Stories 2012 Tour" and today's tour stop.

But I will. Promise. And frankly, I may protest too much, because none of that is so far removed from this tour, much less my obligations to it. Promise.

Just hear me out."

We are Curbside Sounds. So Different Now. And Tour. Always Tour.

Totally. All of it. Here. And big thanks to the Curbside Splendor for that.

We are View. We are also Keyboard McNair Death Star Tour and most appreciative.

Very appreciative and talking writing space, so mass thanks to the endlessly lovely Patricia Ann McNair for that.

We are Day Seven baby. Goddess. And quite Bosworth.

Big truth that. Old friend Mel Bosworth, with special guest Christie Crutchfield, is in the house, and we are quite Day Seven indeed.

Day Six yo. Video. Myles interview. Baby Got Books. Goodness.

The Baby Got Books is always most supportive and we are way appreciative. We are also video, Myles interview (and guest) and "The New York Stories Tour 2012" Day Six. Word.

We are Day Five. Meta. And Burrow.

So Meta, so Burrow, so Day Five, so appreciative, and so not bad yo, so not bad at all. So please do hit it. And big thanks to the Ryan Rivas and Nathan Holic for making it happen.

Talking upstate New York, high school, storytelling, and going home with the Pete Lit on Day Four of the "The New York Stories Tour 2012."

True that. There is interview. And Pete Lit and we are most thankful.

We are The New York Stories Tour 2012 Day Three. We are also Ryan W. Bradley. His mad Chip Kiddian skills. And 1970's era Penguin paperbacks-inspired alternative cover New York Stories love.

Word. Day Three. And the Ryan W. Bradley talking covers, alternate and otherwise. Big thanks handsome.

We are so more The New York Stories Tour 2012 Day One. Defending our work. Szumowski. And Caleb J. Ross.

And the tour continues. Next stop hanging with the Caleb J. Ross and talking Devils Work all podcast-style and such.

We are so The New York Stories Tour 2012. Day One. We are also Mourning Goats. And Szumowski.

It's so on. CCLaP. Szumowski. The New York Stories. Day One. More here. Much more. And Mourning Goats. Excerpt maybe? Sweet. 

You've worked with quite a few publishers, how have they all been? Is there a favorite?

What's next, should I tell you who my favorite member of the X-Men is, well, its Wolverine, or the Knicks maybe,Patrick Ewing of course, because I won't, normally, but overall all of the publishers been great to work with for different reasons. All have different strengths and interests. Jason Pettus and CCLaP with his e-genius, Ryan Bradley and Artistically Declined with his mad Chip Kiddian skills, Jason Behrends and Orange Alert, with his insane indie network cred. So all good, really, though ultimately my favorite is clear of course, whoever publishes me next and gets my book optioned and introduces me to Diane Lane, that's my favorite.