The USA Today and the New York Times both reported on a new study out today on kids and technology. A fascinating look at how quickly things are changing: www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2010-01-20-1Avideokids20_ST_N.htm

As kids and teens spend more and more time tied to tech, what will happen to these things we call books? There’s no doubt that some of them will morph into MMU’s (Media Mash-ups): Printed pages, videos, games, web elements, and mobile content combined to create (sometimes) great stories.

Here’s my guiding principle when I work on multimedia projects: when we put technology ahead of the story, the characters, and the turning of pages, the book itself becomes irrelevant. Mixing books with other modern media’s is perfectly fine, but young readers should hear us loud and clear: the destination is always the book.

For further exploration, check out this audio discussion about Skeleton Creek, the first book/video hybrid ever made: www.patrickcarman.com/media/patrick-carman-jeffrey-townsend-discuss-skeleton-creek-on-ktel/

I’ve only written one series of first chapter books, and it was a ton of fun. For the uninitiated, Elliot’s Park is about one very smart squirrel and all of his friends (also squirrels). There are 5 things I’d like to point parents, teachers, and librarians to, all of which really bring the series to life. If you’re looking to introduce a young reader to a big park full of adventure, these links will get you started.

Visit the park

The setting for Elliot’s Park is an exact replica of the biggest park in Walla Walla, Washington, my home town. Elliot will take you on a guided tour of the real park, a great way to engage young readers before diving into the first book.

Meet the characters

Check out this link to see what each character looks like and listen to them introduce themselves.

Listen to the first chapter

The first chapter of Saving Mr. Nibbles has been made into a dramatization with sound effects and voices that will get even the most reluctant reader ready to read.

Read The Books

There are three books in the series, all of them available in paperback from your nearest bookseller (or online at the usual places).

Put on a play

Now that you’re an Elliot’s Park expert, you’re ready to put on your own Elliot’s Park play! Our team at PC Studio has created a one of a kind Elliot’s Park play you can put on with as few as four or five friends or as a classroom production. Learn the Elliot’s Park theme song using the karaoke song tool, add cool sound effects to your production with the sound console, and make your own simple costumers (we’re talking super basic).

I hope you enjoy reading and sharing Elliot’s Park as much as I’ve enjoyed creating it!

About once a month I like to go back through my photos and post a random collection of images. These don’t have anything to do with one another. They’re just photos that, for whatever reason, I think readers might want to see and comment on. This collection has 7 images. The descriptions are included with each photo so you’ll know what they are. Back to writing….PC

This one is the cover for Skeleton Creek in the UK, which I’m pretty sure I’ve shared before. It’s so different from the US version I can hardly believe it. According to this cover, blood will be spilled. Or Kool-Aide.

This is a picture of a favorite fly fishing spot in Montana. I can’t tell you where it is, because it’s full of big fish. I don’t want anyone else catching (and releasing) them. Me no like to share.

The story behind this picture is pretty simple: there’s not a lot of traffic in Walla Walla on a Sunday afternoon. We were taking a bunch of other shots and someone said ‘go sit in the street, see if anyone notices.’ No one noticed.

This is me before going on the Martha Stewart show. It’s the hallway that leads to the green room. Looking back, that was a really long day. Many hours of preparation for eight minutes on air.

We have a glass blowing studio at our house, where my daughter and I love to hang out. This is me melting glass. Stay tuned for future photos of glass work!

I was out fishing for steelhead about a half hour from my house last week. No one was with me, so I had to hook this fish, set up the camera on a rock, set the timer, push the button, pick up the fish, and take the picture. I can’t believe it worked. About a minute later I had the fish unhooked and back with his pals.

This is a piece of concept art my friend Squire Broel made for me for a future project. That’s all I can say. A future blog entry will showcase the many things Squire has done on my projects over the years. Stay tuned!

At the dawn of a new decade there are a lot of ways to stay connected. When I was a kid, we picked up the phone or rode our bikes down the block, but that’s so 1975. I can do better!

Here are just a few of the ways you can stay in touch with me. I admit it seems like more ways than anyone would want to stay in touch with me, but just in case the need arises….

Youtube

All the video blog entries get posted in my youtube channel, plus other random stuff. In the latest episode, which I just posted, I’m having pizza. I also show a better view of the Thirteen Days to Midnight cover, sign some bookplates, and talk with my friend Jeremy.

Facebook

There are several people working over here (note to self: do a blog entry on the team). Jeremy is one of them and he maintains the Facebook fan site for me. There’s new stuff up there every day, so its a good place to connect. Plus a lot of people who read my books hang out there. We like these people. They are friendly.

Twitter

I try to tweet at least twice a day, mostly about upcoming events, movies, books, video games, gadgets, and other stuff I’m into. When I’m on the road touring, I often post photos of the food I’m about to eat. I do this because I’m a foodie and I love to eat out. I live under the questionable assumption that people like to see plated food from cool restaurants. I also put touring photos on Twitter from the road, so it’s not always pictures of food. But it’s mostly pictures of food.

Contact

The other thing you can do is email me at fanmail@patrickcarman.com and I’ll respond. This is starting to feel so 2008, but I’m still totally into it. Actually, answering email is a lot easier than answering snail mail.

Looking forward to staying in touch in 2010!

PC