Breezers in Your Neighborhood: September!

It's September already! Around the Southern Breeze region that means the weather is...still hot. But those warm days are perfect for getting out and about in the neighborhood where you'll find these Breezers:

Saturday, September 8th

Jodi Wheeler-Toppen is inviting everyone to her book launch for Dog Science Unleashed: Fun Activities To Do with Your Canine Companion.

Where:  City Dog Market

              4244 Peachtree Rd. NE

              Brookhaven, GA  30319

When:   10 - 2 PM

Jodi says "drop in anytime! There will be fun activities, giveaways, and more. And bring your canine!"

And Nancy Day is launching her newest book, Baby's Firsts!

Where: G. J. Ford Bookshop

             600 Sea Island Rd.

             St. Simon's Island, GA

When:   11 to 12 noon

Sunday, September 9th

Jodi Wheeler-Toppen will be taking her latest release, Dog Science Unleashed: Fun Acitivities To Do with Your Canine Companion to Tennessee!

Where: Barnes & Noble

             2615 Medical Center Parkway

            Murfreesboro, TN  37129

When:   3:00 to 5:00 PM CDT

Saturday, September 15th and Sunday, September 16th

Look for Sucheta Rawal and Beato Goes to Japan at JapanFest. She'll be in the Children's Gallery area at this popular cultural festival. (Tickets are required to attend this event, though 6 years and younger are free.)

Where:  Infinite Energy Center

             6400 Sugarloaf Parkway

             Duluth, GA

When:   10 to 6 PM

Monday, September 17th

Heather Montgomery will be celebrating launch day of her latest release, Bugs Don't Hug: Six-

Legged Parents and Their Kids.

Where: Page & Palette

             32 S Section St.

            Fairhope, AL 36532

When:  4:00 PM

Heather promises "spying on some really fun insect mommies and daddies and also a chat about what it takes to make a picture book work. And of course, there will be some icky-fun science involved!"

Wednesday, September 19th

Nancy Day is celebrating Talk Like a Pirate Day with another of her new releases, Pirate Jack Gets Dressed.

Where:  Brunswick Public Library

              208 Gloucester St.

             Brunswick, GA

When:   10:30 AM

Saturday, September 22nd

Nancy Day's celebrating with a pirate launch party for Pirate Jack Gets Dressed!

Where:   The Book Loft

               214 Centre St.

               Fernandina Beach, FL

When:    1 to 3 PM


Monday, September 24 thru Saturday, September 29th

SCBWI Southern Breeze is sponsoring the Dekalb County Public Library's Lit Story Fest AND Illustrators Showdown!

Lit Story Fest is a literature and storytelling festival held throughout libraries in the Dekalb County Library system during the week. The festival includes author talks, art exhibits, and live performances. The week ends with an adult StorySLAM competition (Friday, September 28th) and Children's Literary Day (Saturday, September 29th).

For all the locations and happenings, please see the website here!


Illustrators Showdown Manuscript Contest!

Send your unpublished picture book manuscripts of 400 words or less to be reviewed and selected for LIVE ILLUSTRATION by illustrators R. Gregory Christie and Kelsi Jackson!

The Showdown will take place on Saturday at 3 PM at Stonecrest Library, 3123 Klondike Rd., Lithonia, GA. You must sign up in order to send your manuscript!

See the sign-up link here for details about manuscript submission and how the showdown will work. Deadline for submission is September 22nd!

Saturday September 29th

It's a busy day (and month!) for Nancy Day! She'll be in the Georgia neighborhood with Baby's Firsts at the following locations:

FoxTale Book Shoppe, 105 E. Main St., Woodstock, GA at 11:00 AM

Horton's Books, 410 Adamson Square, Carrollton, GA at 3 PM

Author Vanessa Fortenberry will be appearing at a collaborative author event featuring works in a variety of genres.

Where:  Douglas County Public Library
              6810 Selman Dr.
             Douglasville, GA  30134

When:  11 AM to 2 PM

Come out and say hello to your Breezers this month. And if you're new to SCBWI, attending these Breezer events is a great way to get to know your community! If you have an event for October, contact Cathy Hall at southern-breeze-ara2@scbwi.org with all the details. See you around the neighborhood!

Breezers in the Neighborhood: APRIL!

It's warming up in our region, and our Southern Breezers are warming up with several events that you can attend!


April 21


If you're in Georgia near the metro Atlanta area, come out to Stephanie Moody's workshop:

What:              Writer's Workshop With a Christian Focus

When:             Saturday, April 21, 10:30 AM

Where:            NE Spruill Oaks Library
                        9560 Spruill Rd.
                        Johns Creek, GA  30022


Join Author and photographer Deborah Malone who will lead "Writing Christian Fiction 101"and author April Love Fordham as she discusses "My Journey as a Christian Author." As always, workshops are FREE and open to the public! For more information or to register, contact Stephanie at moodyviews@bellsouth.net.



If you're in Alabama, we have Breezers in several spots you can visit!

Author Alayne Smith will be participating in the Alabama Book Festival in Montgomery. Her YA novel, Ellen and the Three Predictions will be available for sale and signing. And authors Ash Parsons and Peter Huggins will also be at the festival. Come see them (and their books)!

Author Claire Datnow will be presenting "Writing Nature into Fiction and Non-Fiction:" How authors can seamlessly incorporate nature and science-based information into their writing to make their stories more powerful, entertaining and relevant.

When:     Third Saturday (April 21) 10:00 AM

Where:    Daphne Public Library
                2607 US98
                Daphne, AL 36526



April 28


Author Sucheta Rawal will be at the All About Kids Expo In Gwinnett County!

What:   Book Talk and Signing (Beato Goes To series)

When:  11:00 AM

Where:   Gwinnett County Fairgrounds
               2405 Sugarloaf Parkway
               Lawrenceville, GA 30045

Sucheta's presentation is free as is the entire Kid's Expo. Please see more information here.


So come out and enjoy the spring weather and your Southern Breezers in April. And if you have an event coming up, let us know so we can add you to the fun!

Breezers in the Neighborhood--January

Happy New Year, Breezers!

Are you a resolution maker? Because I have a great one to add to your list: meet someone new in your Southern Breeze region! And there's no better way to make a new Breezer friend than to attend events in your region.

Like a conference. Wik'18 is coming in March so register as soon as possible! Your favorite sessions, presentations, or intensives could fill up before the end of January.

Or how about attending one of our Breezer in the Neighborhood events?

Lisa Lewis Tyre will be launching her new middle grade novel, HOPE IN THE HOLLER!

When:   January 13th, 4:00 to 5:30 PM
Where:  Fox Tale Book Shoppe
              105 East Main Street
              Woodstock, GA  30188








Here's an opportunity for those of you in the northern area of Alabama:

Children's book author and illustrator, Susan Eaddy will share about her roller coaster ride to publication and the power of perseverance! Her presentation is aptly called "Mistakes and Detours--Try, Try Again!" and it's FREE!

When:    January 20th, 10 AM to Noon
Where:   Huntsville-Madison County Library
               Downtown auditorium
               Huntsville, AL




And now's the time to find your Southern Breeze tribe in Athens, GA!

What:  Meet 'n Greet sponsored by LL Martha Hynson (RSVP to mhynson1@gmail.com)

When:  January 20, 2 PM
Where: Oconee County Library


Finally, Sucheta Rawal will be reading and signing her "Beato Goes To" books at Sara Smith Elementary School in Atlanta on January 22nd.


Resolve to make your SCBWI membership pay off this year and come join us at an event near you!



(If you have an event for Breezers in your Neighborhood, please send the information to cathyhall55@hotmail.com so we can share it here. The monthly post is a regular feature; please send the information at least one week prior to the event to get it listed.)