Posted in Uncategorized on May 22, 2013 | 2 Comments »
Truck Stop was released just five days ago last Thursday and author, Anne Rockwell, and I have been enjoying doing guest posts and interviews on our blog tour. So far, here are our stops:
Posted in Uncategorized on May 16, 2013 | 4 Comments »
I'm thrilled to announce the release of TRUCK STOP, written by Anne Rockwell and illustrated by moi!! The official Viking pub date is this Thursday, but we are kicking off our blog tour today. TRUCK STOP is a fun picture book for young kids that celebrates all the different trucks and their drivers who gather for breakfast every day at the young narrator's family's truck stop diner.
Posted in cookbooks, picture books, Uncategorized, young adult on May 6, 2013 | 42 Comments »
Aloha, Friends!
Yes, the cat in the hat is back.
It’s nice to be home again after spending the last several weeks in Hawai’i with my family. Both of my parents are doing as well as can be expected for now, but when you’re 88 and 98, each day brings new challenges and concerns.
While it was very unsettling to have to suddenly drop everything and fly out there, I’m glad I was able to go and be of some help. No doubt there will be more frequent trips in the near future, so if you know anyone who can arrange to move Hawai’i just a tad closer to Virginia, I’d really appreciate it. 
Must thank you all so much for your support, good wishes, encouragement and advice. Your comments, emails, and surprise care packages really cheered me up and kept me going — proof yet again of the restorative power of chocolate, and that you are simply the best (and most good looking) blog readers on the planet.
Poetry for What Ails You
Though I wasn’t able to blog at all during April, I must mention how much I enjoyed reading your wonderful National Poetry Month posts. In past years, when I was tied up with my own Poetry Potluck, I didn’t have as much time to keep up with what everyone else was doing.
Posted in Uncategorized on April 2, 2013 | 39 Comments »
Happy April, Friends,
I was all set to serve up some delicious Poetry Month goodness, but now I’ve been called away because of family health issues. Though it’s likely I won’t be posting for most of April, I’ll try to check in when I can with those of you who are hosting special poetry events on your blogs — I really hate to miss anything.
I will continue to update my 2013 Kidlit Poetry Month Events Roundup, so if you leave a comment at that post or email me, I’ll add your info to the list. Have you checked it lately? It’s growing nicely and there are SO many cool things happening this month.
Sorry about this, thanks for understanding. Keep the soup warm till I get back?
♥,
jama
xoxoxox
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged american artists, art, artists, carla golembe, florida, illustration, illustrators, painting on February 19, 2013 | 15 Comments »
Just in case you’re feeling a tad winter weary and color starved, thought I’d share some gorgeous paintings by award-winning artist, illustrator, author and teacher Carla Golembe, who currently lives in Delray Beach, Florida.
One of Carla’s children’s book illustrations.
Carla is a particular favorite because she illustrated my third picture book, The Woman in the Moon (Little, Brown), and her rich, color drenched, dreamy acrylic paintings always lift me up and transport me to a place far away from the troubles and uncertainty of this world.
Recently, Carla has been painting mermaids for the Mermaid Expo to be held at the Gallery Galleon in Puerto Rico on March 8, 2013. A devoted cat lover, Carla also painted some beautiful tributes to her beloved Zippy (who passed away last summer), as well as several whimsical pieces featuring her new cat Vinny.
This is how Carla describes her work:
My paintings are the product of my dreams and experiences. They speak of hope and love, of mystery and delight. My work expresses the harmony between individuals, between people and animals, people and nature, within a person’s soul.
They are colorful and sensual, reflecting the tropical beauty of my home and travels. The full spectrum of positive emotion echoes through my work.
Although the pieces express an optimistic attitude they are not naive, rather they come from an understanding that pain and anxiety are part of life but joy is a more desirable place to dwell. Although my compositions are designed and defined there is no gravity in my visual world. The figures often inhabit ambiguous spaces, places where sky and water flow into one another and where light and darkness merge. They are frequently caught in a moment of being or becoming, for it is in that moment that all dreams are possible.
