Be a Peach!

THE 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS IN GEORGIA, written by Susan R. Spain and illustrated by Yours Truly (Sterling Children's Books) will be officially released this Tuesday, October 5th. Would you like to help us spread the word?
     Go to my 12 DAYS ACTIVITY PAGE and scroll down to the peach (it looks like the one above). Below the peach is a banner you can share and below the banner is the html code to plug it into your blog or website (just copy the code and pop it into your post)! The banner will look like this...

     Send me the link to your shout-out at elizabeth at dulemba dot com (or use my contact form) and not only will I add your link to Tuesday's big blog announcement (over 4,000 people will see it), your name will also go into a drawing for a free copy of THE 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS IN GEORGIA!
     In fact, stick around dulemba.com all week as I'll be giving away a book each day, from Monday through Friday. Just leave a comment on my blog this Monday through Friday, and you'll be entered in the drawing for that day!
     So, if you decide to Be A Peach and help us spread the word - please accept my sincerest thanks for your support!

CLICK HERE to read about my visit to the Habitat for Humanity Global Village on this, WORLD HABITAT DAY.

Box o' Books: THE 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS IN GEORGIA!!

Look what the nice UPS man brought me!!! These are my illustrator copies of my newest book, THE 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS IN GEORGIA written by Susan R. Spain, published by Sterling Children's Books. Even though the book isn't officially released until October 5th (at which time I will do my obnoxious TA DA!!!! stuff all over my blog - with giveaways!), Susan and I got a chance to do our thing with the new book at the recent Suwanee Festival of Books. And let me tell you - this is a FUN book!! Can't wait to share more.... soon...

25 Books All Young Georgians Should Read

Yesterday, the Georgia Center for the Book announced their very first "25 Books All Young Georgians Should Read" list. All the books chosen have some connection with Georgia either by subject or creator (we have some amazing talent here).
     The GCB has been creating an adult list since 2002, but a children's list is a milestone. This was the first. Because, after all, you have to create a love for reading when people are young, if you want to have readers as adults.
     The list has something to offer for all ages, from two to eighteen, a board book to young adult fiction. Here are the covers with their titles listed below. (Click the image to see it larger in a new window.)

     It took a lot of people on a mission to make this wonderful list a reality!!! Thanks are in order to Bill Starr & Joe Davich of the Georgia Center for the Book; Richard Lenz and Ryan Klee of LENZ marketing for making us look GOOD; Parker's on Ponce for the awesome celebration space; Georgia Humanities Council for their support; and the Board members of the Georgia Center for the Book. What a wonderfully dedicated group we have for literacy in our state!
     We had a grand shindig at Parker's on Ponce in downtown Decatur, Georgia, with lots of press. Almost all the award winners were in attendance - including James Dashner whose publisher flew him out from Utah! Here's the whole gang after the awards were handed out. (Photo taken and used with permission by Ryan Klee.)

And me with my award for SOAP, SOAP, SOAP ~ JABON, JABON, JABON.

Here's the entire list of titles:

Picture Books (Pre K+)
Liz Conrad (illustrator) – Little Duck
Carmen Deedy (author), Thomas Gonzalez (illustrator) – 14 Cows for America
Elizabeth O. Dulemba (author & illustrator) – Soap, Soap, Soap – Jabón, Jabón, Jabón
Nathaniel Lachenmeyer (author), Aki Sogabe (illustrator) – The Origami Master
Eric Litwin (author), James Dean (illustrator) – Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes
Danny Schnitzlein (author), Bill Mayer (illustrator) – The Monster Who Did My Math
Diane Z. Shore & Jessica Alexander (authors), James Ransome (illustrator) – This is the Dream

Early Readers (grades K – 3)
Lola Schaefer – Mittens

Graphic Novel (grades 4+)
Andy Runton – Owly

Middle Readers (grades 4-8)
Evelyn Coleman – Freedom Train
Ted Dunagan – A Yellow Watermelon
Gail Karwoski & Loretta Johnson Hammer – The Tree that Owns Itself and Other Adventure Tales from Georgia's Past
Shelia Moses – Joseph
Mary Ann Rodman – Yankee Girl
Vicky Alvear Shecter – Alexander the Great Rocks the World
Kim L. Siegelson – Honey Bea
Doris Smith Buchanan – A Taste of Blackberries
Laurel Snyder – Any Which Wall
Deborah Wiles – Each Little Bird That Sings

Young Adults (grades 7+)
Jodi Lynn Anderson – Peaches
Lynn Cullen – I Am Rembrandt’s Daughter
James Dashner – The Maze Runner
S.A. Harazin – Blood Brothers
Terra McVoy – Pure
Walter Sorrells – First Shot

     Wow! I hope to interview some of these guys here on my blog over the next few months/years as the GCB promotes them and their books here in the state of Georgia - so check back.
     In the mean time, go read about these books and learn more about their creators at the Georgia Center for the Book website!

More pics coming in!!! Here is a pic of some of Me Girls, Gail Karwoski, Mary Ann Rodman, Kim Siegelson, me and Lola Schaefer!

And me peeps Diane Capriola (co-owner of Little Shop of Stories), Vicky Alvear Shecter and hubbie, Bruce, Laurel Snyder, moi, and Joe Davich of the Georgia Center for the Book! Photograph used with permission and taken by Deborah Wiles.

Debbie with Bill Starr - Executive Director of the Georgia Center for the Book:


RELATED ARTICLES:
Decatur News Online
Deborah Wiles: One Pomegranate
Georgia Center for the Book facebook page
Atlanta INtown
Atlanta Journal Constitution
Baby Got Books

25 Books All Young Georgians Should Read

As a board member of the Georgia Center for the Book I am proud to share that tomorrow we will announce our very first "25 Books All Young Georgians Should Read" list. All books are somehow connected to Georgia either by subject or creator, and we have some amazing talent in the state. Whether or not you live here, you may know some of these titles. Check the GCB website on Friday for the official list, but in the mean time, here's a hint. Do you recognize graphics from any of the covers of your favorite books?

We have a winner!

We reached 2,000 subscribers at Coloring Page Tuesdays and I drew two names to win a Dulemba prize pack. I heard back from Winner #1, Lee Tucker, right away! She said:

     Congratulations on your major accomplishment of 2,000 subscribers! And I was excited when I hit 50 followers on my blog! This is no surprise thanks to your fantabulous illustrations! I was so happy to find your illustrations that I mainly use for the cards I make for Operation Write Home. I can't thank you enough for providing your illustrations as freely as you do! I was also a long-time volunteer in my children's school library as well as the public library children's department where I received the Pikes Peak Library Dist. Volunteer of the Year in 1990 in Colorado Springs, CO. I'm disabled now, but I have 4 grandchildren with another due on Dec. 31st, so reading is still very important in our family households!

     There was more to her letter, but the whole thing just made me all melty. I LOVE my subscribers - what a great group of people you are!!!
     So I'm gathering a bunch of goodies together for Lee and her grandchildren and will send them out with smiles. Thanks for following Lee!
     Information on Winner #2 coming soon!

Copic Creations Challenge - Summer Reading!

Hi All you stampers, scrappers, and card-makers out there! Thanks so much for all the love you've shown me over Coloring Page Tuesdays!
     This week I have the honor of being the featured artist over at Copic Creations for their new READING CHALLENGE! And all I can say is, get ready to kick your creations up a notch!
     You can use my images to create anything from bookmarks to gift card holders, all while keeping in mind, the challenge is READING! (Gotta love it!) And I have an entire section of Reading-Themed Coloring Pages so have at it!
     There's even going to be a prize for the winner - one of my books (your choice)! (Although I have NO IDEA how they're going to be able to pick out a winner, the samples are so gorgeous!)
     Anyhow, the contest ends August 14th - so git creatin'!
     Here's an example of what you're up against... Mary Giemza (my host) created this lovely piece using my Pirate Poetry image... woosie!

PRIZE PACKAGE GIVEAWAYS!!!!

We are almost at 2,000 subscribers for my weekly Coloring Page Tuesday alert - can you believe it?
     With such a milestone must come GIVEAWAYS!!! So when the 2,000th person signs up (which I believe will happen this week) I will randomly draw two names from all of my subscribers and they will get a PRIZE PACKAGE of Dulemba-related STUFF. That could mean a signed book, coloring book, bookmarks, a tchotchke, hmmm... just STUFF!!
     So, if you haven't signed up for my weekly COLORING PAGE TUESDAY alert - now's the time!!!

Pannell Award-Winning Little Shop of Stories Turns Five

MY local children's book indie, Little Shop of Stories, has accomplished amazing things for a five-year-old!! They are the winners of this year's esteemed Pannell Award (kind of like the Oscars for bookstores), have been an integral part in the success of the Decatur Book Festival (the 4th largest in the nation), and they have become a vital part of our local community. I just call them my second home. And why not? The store is CHARMING and the staff is like extended family (the good side)!!!
     Anyhow, read more about their upcoming birthday celebrations (big party on July 29th) at the ABA (American Booksellers Association) website: Pannell Award-Winning Little Shop of Stories Turns Five!
     Photo courtesy of Toni Rhodes of Reading Rhino.

Guest poster at Reading Is Fundamental!

A few months back I was asked to talk about my picture book, SOAP, SOAP, SOAP. Well, it just went live on the Reading is Fundamental blog Rasco From RIF! What an HONOR! You gotta check it out: School's Out For Summer! by Guest Blogger Elizabeth O. Dulemba. How cool is that?