Decatur Book Festival Roundup!

The skies stayed clear, and the sun stayed hot this year at the Decatur Book Festival. The Southern Breeze SCBWI booth, in the children’s zone on Sycamore Street, was staffed by a baker’s dozen of brave and cheerful authors and illustrators including Kim Sullivan, Jodi Wheeler-Toppen, Jill Dubin, Janie Watts, Vickie McEntire, Andy Klein, Alayne Smith, Linda Hodge-McLoud, Susan Allen, Lucyann Wagner, Laura Freeman, Morgan Young, and me.

While we didn’t sell as many books as we would have liked, we talked with dozens of families, teachers, librarians, and grandparents. We handed out fliers about SCBWI to aspiring authors/illustrators, and made some contacts that hopefully will result in school visits and other opportunities.

Plus, the Festival itself was fantastic! There were booths featuring everything from yummy foods to MFA programs. And well-known authors gave talks and signed books in about a dozen venues throughout the weekend. There was no charge for festival visitors, including attending any and all of the speakers’ programs. (I think this festival is Atlanta’s best-kept secret!)

This year marked the first time in a number of years that Southern Breeze had a booth presence at the festival, so it was a bit of a learning experience. I hope we’ll have a booth again in 2019, and make some changes so we can reach even more people (and sell more books).

So whether you’d like to be involved in planning, staffing the booth, or simply as an attendee, pencil in Labor Day weekend. I know I’ll be looking forward to this festival each year from now on.

A big thanks to the Breezers who staffed the booth, the Breezers who stopped by to say hello, and to Ivan Pegram (Sharon’s husband) for shooting photos.

~Lisa Lowe Stauffer

About Lisa Lowe Stauffer

Lisa Lowe Stauffer’s debut book is TWO BY TWO (Zonderkidz), a playful, rhyming story about animals rocking the boat on Noah’s Ark. Her twenty-year journey to publication was helped by the encouragement of many, many critique partners, including lots of fellow Breezers. LisaLoweStauffer.com

Southern Breeze at the DBF, Part Two

For the first time in a number of years, Southern Breeze authors and illustrators will have a booth at the Decatur Book Festival in downtown Decatur, Georgia. And we have so many authors attending, we couldn't fit 'em all in the first post!

On Labor Day weekend, from Friday evening through Sunday afternoon (Aug. 31 - Sept. 2), this festival offers a nonstop roster of speakers, panels, and entertainment that goes on all over the downtown area--and it's all free!

So where will we Breezers be? Our booth is #621, and it’s smack dab in the middle of the children’s section on Sycamore Street. Breezers will be signing as well as selling, so here's the rest of the rundown of what and who you'll find at our booth and when they'll be signing:

Lucyann Wagner and Delia Blackstone's book, NORAH BEDORAH AND THE PINK DOUGHNUT WITH SPRINKLES, is a rhyming story about a spunky little girl who wants to eat LOTS of pink doughnuts with sprinkles for breakfast at her Groovy Grandmas' house.  The Groovy Grandmas ( with pink doughnuts!) will be signing on Saturday 12-2 and Sunday 2-4.

Andy Klein is back with his 3rd book in the 'Oliver Phenomena' series. 'Oliver and the Little Bigfoot' has the boy with an unusual flair for the supernatural meeting up with a young sasquatch who is very shy and just as helpful. Andy will be signing copies of all his books on Sunday from 12-4pm.

Did you ever yearn to hop on a plane and fly to Paris?  In Pap Pap Goes to Paris, and so does Ricky, a five-year-old boy convinces his parents to let him travel to Paris with his beloved grandfather, so they can climb the Eiffel Tower together.  Author Janie Dempsey Watts will sign copies on Saturday and Sunday from 12-2 p.m.

Alayne Smith's novel, Ellen and the Three Predictions, is set in 1959 Marshall, Alabama, where an elderly soothsayer, Luella, makes predictions about all the babies' lives.  Stop by Sunday from 2:00 to 6:00. Luella may have a prediction for you!

Jodi Wheeler-Toppen's Dog Science Unleashed: Fun Activities to Do With Your Canine Companion teaches the science of dogs with hands-on activities and behind-the-scenes peeks into current pup-related research. She'll be signing (and petting dogs) from 10-12 on Saturday and 4 to 6 on Sunday.

Over on a Desert is the seventh book in the “Over in” series of animal counting books written by Marianne Berkes and illustrated by Jill Dubin, published by Dawn Publications. These nature books show a wonderful array of animals and background material illustrated using cut paper collage. Jill will be signing books on Saturday 12-4.

Illustrator Laura Freeman will be signing a handful of books she's illustrated on Saturday from 2-6pm, including Hidden Figures: The True Story of Four Black Women and the Space Race, (written by Margot Lee Shetterly). The incredibly inspiring true story of four black women who helped NASA launch men into space was named as one of the ten “Books All Young Georgians Should Read for 2018." 

Laura will also be signing a book she authored and illustrated, Natalie's Hair was Wild!, inspired by her own childhood adventures with her hair!

That's all but it's quite enough! Don't forget to check the DBF map for parking and the location of the SCBWI Southern Breeze booth. And remember: wear comfortable shoes and plenty of sunscreen, and be sure to come by the booth and say hello! We'd love to see y'all!

Southern Breeze at the DBF, Part One

For the first time in a number of years, Southern Breeze authors and illustrators will have a booth at the Decatur Book Festival in downtown Decatur, Georgia. (And we have so many authors attending, we can't fit 'em all into one post!)

On Labor Day weekend, from Friday evening through Sunday afternoon (Aug. 31 - Sept. 2), this festival offers a nonstop roster of speakers, panels, and entertainment that goes on all over the downtown area--and it's all free!

So where will we Breezers be? Our booth is #621, and it’s smack dab in the middle of the children’s section on Sycamore Street. Breezers will be signing as well as selling, so here's the rundown of what and who you'll find at our booth and when they'll be signing:

When Bigfoot dies in the forest, but no one’s there to see, does he still leave a body? Find out when BIGFOOT CSI author K. Osborn Sullivan signs copies of this exciting, hilarious new young adult novel from 10-12 on Saturday and 2-4 on Sunday.

It will take practice and patience for Joey to master a new skill in 

MORE-IGAMI by Dori Kleber, illustrated by G. Brian Karas. This award-winning picture book was named one of Kirkus Reviews Best Books of 2016.

STEM author Morgan Young's tween novel--LANA & THE WATER CARRIER--takes readers on a cosmic adventure with a fierce girl and her magic telescope. Morgan will be on hand Saturday, 4pm-6pm, to demo her spaceflight VR goggles and sign copies of her book.

Lisa Lowe Stauffer's debut, TWO BY TWO, is a rollicking rhyming board book about two monkeys and their adventures on Noah's Ark. Lisa (and the monkeys!) will be signing on Saturday 10-12 and 4-6, and Sunday 4-6.

Every day is an adventure for Barkley the dog and his farmyard friends in Susan Allen’s latest book, A Week with the Wee Beasties! Come by the Southern Breeze booth between 12:00 - 2:00 on Sunday, where you can have your book signed by Susan and Barkley! 

GABBY GRAPE MEETS JUNK FOOD JUNKIE! written by Linda Hodge-McLoud is an engaging children’s story set in a fictional town called Healthyville where she is often confronted by "Junk Food Junkie and the Munchies". Linda will be signing books on Saturday 2- 4 pm, and 12- 2 pm on Sunday. 

Peggy Shaw will be bringing a collection of her Sesame Street 8x8 books with titles like “What Makes You Giggle?” and “Abby Cadabby’s Rhyme Time.” She'll be signing on Saturday from 10 until 12.

Vickie McEntire’s second children’s book and winner of the Georgia Author of the Year Award, Little Bird & Myrtle Turtle, is an inspiring story of encouragement and persistence for young children. Little Bird overcomes adversity with the help of an unlikely rescuer, Myrtle Turtle.  McEntire will be signing on Saturday 12-2 and 4-6, and Sunday 12-2.

Please check out the map on the DBF website to pinpoint our booth location and available parking and please note: parking is NOT free (but MARTA will drop you off right in the middle of all the activities). And come back tomorrow to read about the next batch of Southern Breeze authors who'll be appearing at the DBF!

PALing Around

So, say you are a Southern Breeze member who happens to have a book/magazine article/illustration published. So what? Congratulations is what! And I hope you are PALing around with the Southern Breeze PALs.

The PAL membership category within SCBWI stands for Published and Listed. To learn more, visit https://www.scbwi.org/membership-categories-new/ As the PAL Coordinator for Southern Breeze, I help PALs get what they need from the organization. If you are pre-published, don’t worry, you aren’t being left out – the PAL activities are specific to their needs (you probably don’t want to sit through a long discussion on how to manage an option clause for a 5^th book).

Some current SB PAL activities:

·         Facebook Southern Breeze PALs: A great place to ask questions. And learn about resources like the YALSA List of YA Authors by State.

·         KidLit Connects: Periodic online chats with librarians on topics of interest to people deeply involved with kidlit. Recent topics: censorship, presenting to librarians, story time at the library. Have a topic you’d like to discuss? Contact Heather.

·         AJC Decatur Book Festival: Southern Breeze is working on hosting a booth at this fabulous book festival. A great option for PALs to sell books and pre-published folks to learn more about book selling.

If you have questions about any of this, if you are a PAL and not receiving periodic emails from me, or if you have ideas about how we can better serve PAL members, please contact me, Heather L. Montgomery, sipsey21 (at) Hotmail (dot) com.