{"id":3595,"date":"2014-12-02T08:10:33","date_gmt":"2014-12-02T14:10:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/?p=3595"},"modified":"2014-12-02T08:44:07","modified_gmt":"2014-12-02T14:44:07","slug":"seven-questions-over-breakfast-with-jen-corace","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/?p=3595","title":{"rendered":"Seven Questions Over Breakfast with Jen Corace"},"content":{"rendered":"


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\nIllustrator Jen Corace<\/a><\/strong> is visiting 7-Imp this morning. Turns out that she takes breakfast pretty seriously, because when I asked about her breakfast-of-choice, she said: “Oh, man. I love breakfast so much. Pretty much all of it\u2019s ‘of-choice.’ At home, what I like most is something called a taco sundae. It\u2019s a crisped-up corn tortilla, refried beans, saut\u00e9ed kale, and a split, soft-boiled egg on top with hot sauce. Not-at-home I like having someone to go split-sies with — half-savory, half-sweet. I never want a full stack of pancakes or a whole waffle. I want just a bit, and I want that just-a-bit to mix and match with some polenta or over-medium eggs or just-right home fries. So yeah. I love breakfast.”<\/em><\/p>\n

I actually really love breakfast, too, so let’s do this. <\/p>\n

Jen, as you’ll see below, has illustrated a handful of picture books since 2005. (It occurred to me while working on this interview that her children’s book illustration has been around about just as long as I’ve been blogging, yet I had thought her career had started sooner.) I always like to see what Jen will do next. She’s capable of over-the-top fun (see her illustrations for Mac Barnett’s<\/a><\/strong> Telephone<\/em><\/a><\/strong>, which came out this Fall) and dark (Cynthia Rylant’s<\/a><\/strong> Hansel and Gretel<\/a><\/em><\/strong> from 2008), and she has a style all her own. It has an inherent quirkiness I like, though “quirky” is so overused in children’s literature. I may be able to find a better word after we have our coffee. <\/p>\n

Here is our taco sundae for breakfast: <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Yum. I wish these interviews were<\/em> real and in-person. Why can’t I do like Seinfeld and drive around<\/a><\/strong> and pick up picture-book creators for coffee? <\/p>\n

Anyway. Enjoy the chat! Jen sent lots and lots of art. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

* * * * * * *<\/strong><\/font><\/center><\/p>\n

Jules<\/font><\/strong>: Are you an illustrator or author\/illustrator?<\/font><\/p>\n

Jen<\/font><\/strong>: I\u2019m an Illustrator with Author aspirations. I still love working on manuscripts written by other people. I hope to keep doing that well into the future. But I have a few ideas of my own. They\u2019ve been sitting patiently in the back of my brain, waiting for me to finish work on two solo shows. Once I\u2019m past the solo show work, I can start figuring out how I write.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Jules<\/font><\/strong>: Can you list your books-to-date?<\/font><\/p>\n

Jen<\/font><\/strong>: <\/p>\n