2010 SCBWI Southern Breeze Gallery Show

Opening Night for our 2010 SCBWI Southern Breeze Illustrators' Gallery Show was an enormous success!!! We tie this event in with the Decatur (Georgia, USA) Arts Festival's opening night, ArtWalk, every year to guarantee crowds, and this year was bigger than ever!
     We have several newly published members and award winners who have recently move to our area, so it is an exceptionally good show.
     Featured illustrators (some in the photos below) are: Ami Blackford, Mark Braught, Sarah C. Campbell, Elizabeth O. Dulemba, Laura Freeman, Tom Gonzalez, Laura Knorr, Nancy S. Miller, Daniel Powers, and Shadra Strickland.
     So, if you happen to be in the area, the show will be up through June 6th, 2010 at Little Shop of Stories in downtown Decatur, Georgia. More information is available at the Southern Breeze Illustrators' Corner.
Cheers!
e
Elizabeth O. Dulemba
SCBWI Southern Breeze Illustration Coordinator
http://www.southern-breeze.org/

I'll post more photos as they come in!

It's a Book! Trailer

Lane Smith is simply a genius - his latest seems especially relevant...

Thanks to 100 Scope Notes for the heads up!

This month's Children's Carnival is LIVE: http://homespunlight.blogspot.com/2010/05/carnival-of-childrens-literature-food.html

Mark Twain Tell-All

"The great American writer left instructions not to publish his autobiography until 100 years after his death, which is now."
     How could he have known we'd still be interested? Or was he just hoping nobody would care? Either way, I must admit, I'm intrigued. Read more about it at The Independent: After keeping us waiting for a century, Mark Twain will finally reveal all.
Thanks to Kristin O'Donnell Tubb for the heads up.

The Prince of Persia

The Prince of Persia opens today - girl's night out, woohoo!

Google TV is coming!

Honestly, I wonder why it took so long for something like Google TV to exist, but finally, it's here! Although I'm bummed hulu won't be part of it from the get-go. I don't know about you guys, but I've been watching a lot less 'real' tv and a lot more online - especially at hulu.com. I hope this all works itself out soon, I'm really looking forward to it!

You Are Invited to the SCBWI Southern Breeze Gallery Show!

You are Invited to
The 3rd Annual
Children's Book Illustrator's Show
hosted by
Little Shop of Stories
and the
Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, Southern Breeze region during ArtWalk
Opening Night for the
Decatur Arts Festival.
Friday, May 28, 2009, 5 to 9 PM
at
Little Shop of Stories
133 East Court Square
Decatur, Georgia, USA
(404) 373-6300

Featured Illustrators will be: Ami Blackford, Mark Braught, Sarah C. Campbell, Elizabeth O. Dulemba, Laura Freeman, Tom Gonzalez, Laura Knorr, Nancy S. Miller, Daniel Powers, and Shadra Strickland - woosie!

Galleries all over Decatur will stay open late and serve wine and munchies - so come stroll! And don't worry, if you miss opening night the show will run May 28th - June 6th.

Hope to See You!
e
Elizabeth O. Dulemba: http://dulemba.com
SCBWI Southern Breeze Illustrator Coordinator:
http://www.southern-breeze.org/

If you live nowhere near and are wondering why I'm posting this... it's one of the big events I pull together each year as Southern Breeze Illustrator Coordinator - had to share!

Coloring Page Tuesday - Alphabet Leopard

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     Okay, this one was for me. I was sketching and thought, wouldn't it be cool if a leopard's spots were the alphabet? What do you think?
     Click the image to open a .jpg to print and color. Send your colored image (less
than 1mb) to coloringpages@dulemba.com and I'll post it to my blog! Click here to find more coloring pages.


     Click the iPhone to learn about my app - Lula's Brew - also available for the iPad!









Look at what Jackie Watts created!

Sistene Chapel

Can't get to the Sistene Chapel any time soon? Go visit it online! You can rotate and zoom and basically get lost for hours. (Great tunes too.)
Thanks to John Nez for the "heads UP!"

Go Nuts with COLOR!!

Boing Boing recently posted an article on Colourlovers: free, online alternative to Pantone. I've mentioned I used to work in the children's fashion industry and that we leaned on companies that specialized in forecasting color trends, etc. Their presentations were always a blast. So, I love that there's a new way to play with color palettes using COLOURlovers. And if you don't think it fits into your life, use their COLOURlovers | themeleon Twitter application to play with a new background - FUN!

Excuse Me! by Carrot Top

Here's something fun - Lisa Kopelke's EXCUSE ME read by none other than Carrot Top this week on Read To Me. I mean - could there be any perfect reader for this story? Burps abound, so if you find that offensive, well... best go read another story. (They have plenty of others at Read To Me.)

Liz's Birthday

Today is my friend, Liz Conrad's birthday. We lost her last summer to cancer and I miss her bunches. Liz, wherever you are - I'm thinking about you.
You can read about my amazing friend here: In Memoriam (the original post on my old blog had over 70 comments which I turned into a memory book for her family). For illustrators in Georgia, Alabama or Mississippi, you can also learn about the scholarship fund we started in her name at Southern Breeze.

So You Killed Off the Parents in Your Novel?

It's become a cliché way to make sure a main character has the freedom/autonomy to do what they need/want to do in a story - kill off the parents. But doing that creates all sorts of legal ramifications for the protagonisht which must be considered. Here's a great article by Donna Ballman, author of THE WRITER'S GUIDE TO THE COURTROOM: So You Killed Off the Parents in Your Novel? It covers divorce, custody, inheritance, siblings, school, dating, injuries, and work. Great!

Countdown

Is this not the coolest!? A widget for Deborah Wiles' COUNTDOWN:

Child's Own Studio

When you were a kid did you ever draw something that would have made a great toy? Child's Own Studio is doing just that - turning kid art into plushies. What a great idea! And some of the toys turn out really really cute too! Be sure to check out the gallery. (Click the top bar to visit the site.)
Thanks to June Goulding for the link!

Famous Author Rejections...

All writers get rejected, but some go on to such amazing fame it's hard to believe they ever were. At 50 Iconic Writers Who Were Repeatedly Rejected you'll find a list of authors with links to just how bad it got. Good dose of reality and a lesson in never giving up.
(And yes, I've been rejected tons too!)
Thanks to Nathan Bransford for the link.

Update: Don't click on the Dr. Seuss link as it goes to a bogus site. The others appear legitimate, however, and I've emailed the webmaster.

Coloring Page Tuesday - Mother Goose

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     This week's image, Mother Goose, was requested by Angela, the Children's Book Buyer at 57th Street Books in Chicago - they're having a Mother Goose themed story time this week, so if you're in the neighborhood, be sure to drop by!
     Man, I love Chicago. That is one cool town!
     Hey, all you bookstore owners out there - did you know if you are able to arrange paid school visits or speaking engagements (and handle book sales) for me in your area, I will happily pay 10% of my speaking fee to you as booking agent! Read more about it on my VISITS PAGE and email me for pricing information.
     Click the image to open a .jpg to print and color. Send your colored image (less
than 1mb) to coloringpages@dulemba.com and
I'll post it to my blog! Click here to find more coloring pages.

     Learn more about my fun picture book Glitter Girl and the Crazy Cheese - click the cover.







Look what Chris made!


This image was used by 57th Street Books in Chicago for storytime!

Theft at Washington Library Branch Devastates Picture Book Collection: http://ow.ly/1LYRR

Mapping the Effects of Library Budget Cuts

School Library Journal recently wrote about Mapping the Effect of State Budget Cuts on School Librarians (click to read the entire article). Assistant Professor Shonda Brisco used a Google map of the US to illustrate "A Nation without School Libraries." Click the map to read about the impact near you.

Adopt-a-Classroom

I was recently turned onto Adopt a Classroom. You can make donations to your favorite schools or teachers to help fill needs budgets don't cover.
     For instance, did you know the average teacher spends $1,200 per year out of their own pocket on things as basic as paper and pencils to make sure their students have what they need? Even a small donation could help.
     Hubbie and I made a pretty nice one to the school near us (I use their track almost every day so it was the least we could do). We then put out a challenge to our neighborhood's message board. Small steps, big results.
     I bet there's a school near you who could use some help too. Visit Adoptaclassroom.org and punch in your zip code to find out.
     And teachers - if you need help in your classroom, be sure to register!

Author/Illustrator Studios

Jennifer Bertman of "From the Mixed-Up Files" has been interviewing children's authors and illustrators about their work spaces. Ever wonder or want a peek inside? Now you can! Her latest interview (with pictures) is with Diane deGroat (studio above). If you scroll down in the sidebar you'll see links to Amy Kathleen Ryan, Julie Paschkis, Yours Truly, and several others. Lots of fun!

Moxy Fruvous - Green Eggs and Ham (Rap)

Thanks to bookshelves of doom for the heads up!

Bronte Sisters Power Dolls!

OMG - I want the Brontesaurus!!!!
Learn more about this funny video created by Phil Lord and Chris Miller ("Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs") at "Brontes get an action makeover" at Salon.
(Thanks to Betsy James for the heads up!)

We've lost Frank Frazetta, wonderfully talented Fantasy Illustrator: http://ow.ly/1JxWq

Coloring Page Tuesday - Reading Monkey

Sign up to receive alerts when a new coloring page is posted each week and to view more coloring pages - click here!

     You've all been sending me wonderful suggestions for potential coloring pages and I'm finally getting to them (boy we had a lot of holidays in there!).
     This week I get to Kristen Schoonover's request for a monkey! Apparently her classroom is covered in monkeys. Kristen - I'd love to see what you're students do with this guy - send pics!
     Click the image to open a .jpg to print and color. Send your colored image (less
than 1mb) to coloringpages@dulemba.com and
I'll post it to my blog! Click here to find more coloring pages.


Check out my own personal climbing boy from Paco and the Giant Chile Plant!



Check out what Martha Steele created for the Missouri City Branch Library! (Click here to see all of the banners she created.)

Children's Book Week

Today kicks off Children's Book Week. This lovely poster is also an animated card at Readingrockets. It's by Jon Muth, creator of ZEN SHORTS and you can read more about it here. Learn more about Children's Book Week and its history HERE.
     To help celebrate - share my reading-themed coloring pages with the kids in your life!

Art History in Stick Figures

Thanks to BoingBoing for the "heads" up!

Guys Read: Funny Business - The Joke

Thanks to Kelly Milner Halls for the heads up!

Google Editions will have Unique ISBN numbers!

YES!!! I'm starting to hear other companies talking about the importance of assigning ISBN numbers to books (no matter their format). I know its a sleeper subject, but it's important to creators like me. READ WHY HERE: Why APPs need ISBN Numbers.
     And Google is doing it for good reasons - the ISBN system is already established, crosses platforms and is trackable through Bowker. For authors it means we can attach ourselves to our eBooks through search sites like BookTour.com, filedby.com, jacketflap, etc. (Right now, there is no way to do it.)
     Per Publishers Lunch:

     With or Without You, Your Google Editions Will Have Unique ISBNs
... for products sold through Google Editions. They will use the industry-standard ISBN--as opposed to vendors like Amazon, who assign their own unique ASINs to Kindle books.
...
     Google's Tom Turvey says in the announcement "this decision was driven by the book industry's strong reliance on the ISBN along with our partner-centric business and distribution models. We look forward to working closely with Bowker, our publishing and retail partners and the ISBN Standards Community to ensure a stabilized and uniform approach to the cataloging, discovery and selling of Google Editions."

(You can subscribe to receive news like this every day through PublishersMarketplace. Publishers lunch is a free daily summary of happenings in the industry.)

Toon Book Reader

This is a real treat. Toon Books, the new(ish) publishing company by creative geniuses Francoise Mouly and Art Spiegelman, have made their books available online in several different languages and they are absolutely charming. Click the image to visit the Toon Book Reader and enjoy!
Thanks to Anastasia Suen for the heads up!

The London Book Fair Digital Conference

Interesting article about the state of publishing and books - a la London style: London Book Fair Digital Conference.

Publishers get real about digital as they are told: “This industry doesn’t owe you a living”

I feel positive about the future of publishing – not about the future of the publishing industry. An important distinction. Digital publishing opportunities are huge. Publishers are not necessarily the ones who will benefit. – Jon Reed

Celebrate Cinco de Mayo With Books By Local Creator

I received a lovely write-up today in the new Decatur News Online - check it out!

LULA'S BREW - Giveaway for iPad

If you have an iPad, I'd like to give you a code to download LULA'S BREW for free! The only requirement is that you go add a review on iTunes. (Hopefully a good one!) So, the first two people to email me at elizabeth at dulemba dot com (and tell me how geeked out you are about your iPad) will get the code! Subject: LULA!!

In the mean time, you can still check out LULA'S BREW for your iPhone/Touch. Either search "Lula" in the App Store or check it out on iTunes. I also have a LULA page on my website where you can see demos of the app in action at http://dulemba.com/ActivityPage-Lula.html. Thanks!

Coloring Page Tuesday - Cactus dance

Sign up to receive alerts when a new coloring page is posted each week and to view more coloring pages - click here!

     Cinco de Mayo is tomorrow. !Celebramos!
     Last year's cactus man needed an amiga!
     Download more Latino-themed things to do at my PACO and SOAP activity pages (including bilingual word search puzzles). PACO and SOAP both make great books to use in your classrooms too! (Click a cover to learn more.)
     Click the image to open a .jpg to print and color. Send your colored image (less
than 1mb) to coloringpages@dulemba.com and
I'll post it to my blog! Click here to find more coloring pages.

25 Books All Georgians Should Read (You too!)

Recently, the Georgia Center for the Book announced the 2010 25 Books All Georgians Should Read list. (You should too!)
     As a board member, I was so proud to be part of the selection process and to have the opportunity to honor and celebrate some of the amazing talent we have in the state of Georgia. And we'll continue to honor these authors with speaking engagements, web features, and promotions all over the state for the next three years. Some of the names might surprise you as they are heavyweights in national literary circles. In other words, this honor is a big deal.
     The list was a closely guarded secret until Thursday night when it was unveiled during a private party at The Brick Store in downtown Decatur, Georgia (the first time the restaurant has ever closed for a private event). The majority of the authors being honored were actually in attendance, including National Hero Max Cleland for Heart of a Patriot. Press coverage was thick - Creative Loafing, NPR, Decatur News Online, Paste, Veranda, etc. were all represented. Everybody had a wonderful time.
     Afterwards we headed to the Decatur Library for the public unveiling and to give each author their personalized awards.
     Truly, Georgia is a treasure trove of talent and I'm most excited that we will be announcing the first ever 25 Books All Young Georgians Should Read this Fall!