Persephone the Phony: great review at inthehammock

Many thanks to Carrie at in the hammock for her lovely review of Goddess Girls #2: Persephone the Phony on her blog. She's got a lot of followers! Over 840. And I can see why. Hers is a beautifully designed blog, with well-written reviews and daily and weekly giveaways.

From in the hammock: "I really loved this installment of the series. I think it deals with a really important tween issue for girls-standing up for yourself. This is an age where girls really start to feel pressure to be like everyone else and it's hard to remember to speak up...Hades and Persephone's romance was just too adorable, and I enjoyed seeing their relationship continue to blossom in the third book." Overall score: 5/5

Goddess Girls series order:
Athena the Brain; Persephone the Phony; Aphrodite the Beauty; Artemis the Brave; Athena the Wise; Aphrodite the Diva

Our last giveaway for Goddess Girls: Aphrodite the Beauty!

Calling All Goddess Girls!
To celebrate Aphrodite the Beauty, the newest release in the Goddess Girls series, co-authors Joan Holub & Suzanne Williams are giving away one final fabulous Aphrodite the Beauty Swag Bags on a blog tour November 1-7, 2010. (Stay tuned for Artemis the Brave giveaways coming in December!)

* 24-color eye shadow from Claire's
* 7 lip glosses with faux rhinestones
* Multi-color bracelet
* Goddess Girls bookmark
* Autographed copy of Aphrodite the Beauty

Easy entry details at the blogs listed below:

Aphrodite the Beauty (Goddess Girls #3) Blog Tour Schedule:

November 1-7 In the Hammock
Very cool blog with Aphrodite the Beauty Swag Bag giveaway & review!

Drop in to help celebrate, meet some awesome bloggers, and enter for a chance to win an Aphrodite the Beauty Swag Bag. Good luck!

THANK YOU to these bloggers who have already taken part in our blog tour, and CONGRATULATIONS to the winners so far!

Children’s Book Review

Martha Brockenbrough

Writer on the Side

Mixed Up Files of Middle Grade Authors

Tween Book Reviews

Cynsations

GreenBeanTeenQueen (Tween Tuesday)

Series scoop: Join the class at Mount Olympus Academy with Goddess Girls, a new series that puts a modern spin on classic Greek myths!
Aladdin paperbacks, ages 8 ~ 12.

Athena the Brain Finding out she’s a goddess and being sent to Mount Olympus brings Athena new friends, a weird dad, and the meanest girl in mythology—Medusa!

Persephone the Phony Hiding her feelings works fine for Persephone until she meets a guy she can be herself with—Hades, the bad-boy of the Underworld.

NEW! Aphrodite the Beauty Sure Aphrodite is beautiful, but it’s not always easy being the goddessgirl of love.

Artemis the Brave (Dec., 2010) She may be the goddess of the hunt, but that doesn’t mean Artemis always feels brave.
Athena the Wise (April 5, 2011)
Aphrodite the Diva (summer 2011)

We look forward to seeing you!

~ Joan and Suzanne

Aphrodite the Beauty Goddess Girls swag bag giveaways!

Calling All Goddess Girls!
To celebrate Aphrodite the Beauty, the newest release in the Goddess Girls series, co-authors Joan Holub & Suzanne Williams are giving away fabulous Aphrodite the Beauty Swag Bags on a blog tour August - November:

* 24-color eye shadow from Claire's
* 7 lip glosses with faux rhinestones
* Multi-color bracelet
* Goddess Girls bookmark
* Autographed copy of Aphrodite the Beauty

Easy entry details at the blogs listed below:

Aphrodite the Beauty (Goddess Girls #3) Blog Tour Schedule:

November 1-7 In the Hammock
Very cool blog with Aphrodite the Beauty Swag Bag giveaway & review!

Drop in to help celebrate, meet some awesome bloggers, and enter for a chance to win an Aphrodite the Beauty Swag Bag. Good luck!

THANK YOU to these bloggers who have already taken part in our blog tour, and CONGRATULATIONS to the winners so far! Two more to go (see above).

August 3 ~ 20 Children’s Book Review

Interview and 3-book giveaway

August 4 ~ 10 Martha Brockenbrough

Interview and Aphrodite the Beauty Swag Bag giveaway
August 9 ~ 16 Writer on the Side

Interview and Aphrodite the Beauty Swag Bag giveaway

August 22 ~ 31 Mixed Up Files of Middle Grade Authors
Aphrodite the Beauty book giveaway
August 24 ~ 28 Tween Book Reviews

Aphrodite Beauty Advice Column and Swag Bag giveaway

September 3 ~ 9 Cynsations

Aphrodite the Beauty Swag Bag giveaway
October 5
GreenBeanTeenQueen (Tween Tuesday)
Aphrodite the Beauty Swag Bag giveaway & reviews by a tween librarian

Series scoop: Join the class at Mount Olympus Academy with Goddess Girls, a new series that puts a modern spin on classic Greek myths!
Aladdin paperbacks, ages 8 ~ 12.

Athena the Brain Finding out she’s a goddess and being sent to Mount Olympus brings Athena new friends, a weird dad, and the meanest girl in mythology—Medusa!

Persephone the Phony Hiding her feelings works fine for Persephone until she meets a guy she can be herself with—Hades, the bad-boy of the Underworld.

NEW! Aphrodite the Beauty Sure Aphrodite is beautiful, but it’s not always easy being the goddessgirl of love.

Artemis the Brave (Dec., 2010) She may be the goddess of the hunt, but that doesn’t mean Artemis always feels brave.

We look forward to seeing you!

~ Joan and Suzanne

Calling all Goddess Girls: Aphrodite the Beauty book & goodies giveaway at Cynsations!

Calling All Goddess Girls!

To celebrate Aphrodite the Beauty, the newest release in the Goddess Girls series, co-authors Joan Holub & Suzanne Williams are giving away fabulous Aphrodite the Beauty Swag Bags on a blog tour August - October:

* 24-color eye shadow from Claire's
* 7 lip glosses with faux rhinestones
* Multi-color bracelet
* Goddess Girls bookmark
* Autographed copy of Aphrodite the Beauty

Easy entry details at the blogs listed below:

Aphrodite the Beauty (Goddess Girls #3) Blog Tour Schedule:

August 3 ~ 20 Children’s Book Review

Interview and 3-book giveaway

August 4 ~ 10 Martha Brockenbrough

Interview and Aphrodite the Beauty Swag Bag giveaway
August 9 ~ 16 Writer on the Side

Interview and Aphrodite the Beauty Swag Bag giveaway

August 22 ~ 31 Mixed Up Files of Middle Grade Authors
Aphrodite the Beauty book giveaway
August 24 ~ 28 Tween Book Reviews

Aphrodite Beauty Advice Column and Swag Bag giveaway

September 3 ~ 9 Cynsations

Aphrodite the Beauty Swag Bag giveaway

October 5 GreenBeanTeenQueen (Tween Tuesday)
Aphrodite the Beauty Swag Bag giveaway & reviews by a tween librarian

Drop in to help celebrate, meet some awesome bloggers, and enter for a chance to win an Aphrodite the Beauty Swag Bag. Good luck!

Series scoop: Join the class at Mount Olympus Academy with Goddess Girls, a new series that puts a modern spin on classic Greek myths!
Aladdin paperbacks, ages 8 ~ 12.

Athena the Brain Finding out she’s a goddess and being sent to Mount Olympus brings Athena new friends, a weird dad, and the meanest girl in mythology—Medusa!

Persephone the Phony Hiding her feelings works fine for Persephone until she meets a guy she can be herself with—Hades, the bad-boy of the Underworld.

NEW! Aphrodite the Beauty Sure Aphrodite is beautiful, but it’s not always easy being the goddessgirl of love.

Artemis the Brave (Dec., 2010) She may be the goddess of the hunt, but that doesn’t mean Artemis always feels brave.

We look forward to seeing you!

~ Joan and Suzanne

Daddy Forever blogs Goddess Girls

A dad blogged about Persephone the Phony!
Who doesn't love a dad who reads with his daughter?
Mine didn't, and it would have been SO cool if he had.

Daddy Forever

Who Was Jim Henson?

I’m pleased to announce the release of my newest paperback chapter book biography in the “Who Was” series published by Grosset & Dunlap. Aka, the “big head” books. Just take a look at the cover to see how they got this nickname.

The new book is Who Was Jim Henson?

Answer: He was the man behind the Muppets. He was Kermit the frog. He was the heart and soul of Sesame Street. He was a private person. A silly, but serious one. A guy who loved his work, and who inspired others to be excited about puppetry. A man who wanted to make a difference.

Jim Henson died twenty years ago at age 53.

This is my third in the WW series, and I’m currently working on a fourth. I like this series because the books are written in a brisk, kid-friendly way, and they include factual sidebars with information about things kids really want to know. I read every biography on the shelf in my elementary school library (starting with the girl ones), and remain forever a biography fan. Biographies rock!

Some other cool books about Jim Henson:
Jim Henson: The Works - The Art, the Magic, the Imagination
Jim Henson's Designs and Doodles: A Muppet Sketchbook

Who Was Jim Henson?

Ages 7-12

Grosset & Dunlap, paperback

Author: Joan Holub

Shampoodle is a Bank Street College Best Book of the year!

Bank Street College Children's Book Commitee has announced this year Best Children's Books of the Year...

Shampoodle made the cut!
Woo hoodle!

My author pals Laura Kvasnosky and Justina Headley's books are on the list, toodle. Laura's Zelda and Ivy Keeping Secrets is also an early reader and Tina's North of Beautiful is in the YA category.

Celebrating!

Shampoodle
Random House
Early reader, ages 5-9

Last few days to win Athena the Brain / Persephone the Phony, the first books in the Goddess Girls series by Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams

Co-authors Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams are celebrating the release of the first two books in their new Goddess Girls series with five fab days of interviews, guest blogs, and book giveaways, April 4 – April 8. We hope you’ll drop by to help us celebrate, join the fun, meet some of our favorite bloggers, and maybe win a book along the way!

About the books:

Join the class at Mount Olympus Academy with Goddess Girls, a new series that puts a modern spin on classic Greek myths!

by Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams (Aladdin paperbacks) Ages 8 - 12

Athena the Brain (April 6, 2010) ISBN: 978-1416982715

Finding out she’s a goddess and being sent to Mount Olympus brings Athena new friends, a weird dad, and the meanest girl in mythology—Medusa!

Persephone the Phony (April 6, 2010) ISBN: 978-1416982722

Hiding her feelings works fine for Persephone until she meets a guy she can be herself with—Hades, the bad-boy of the Underworld.

Aphrodite the Beauty (August 3, 2010) ISBN: 978-1416982739

Sure Aphrodite is beautiful, but it’s not always easy being the goddessgirl of love.

Artemis the Brave (December 7, 2010) ISBN: 978-1416982746

She may be the goddess of the hunt, but that doesn’t mean Artemis always feels brave.

Five-Day Goddess Girls Tour Line-up

Enter at these blogs for a chance to win the books!

April 4: Bookmuncher (Interview and book giveaway; thebookmuncher.blogspot.com)

April 5: Readertotz, Suzanne’s Place, Joan Holub Author of Books for Children (readertotz.blogspot.com, suzanne-williams.blogspot.com, joanholub.blogspot.com; Expanded interview with the Goddess Girl team at Aladdin: editor Emily Lawrence, book designer Karin Paprocki, and cover artist Glen Hanson. Have you ever wondered why an editor decides to acquire a series? Here’s one editor’s take.)

April 6: Cynsations (Guest blog and book giveaway; cynthialeitichsmith.blogspot.com Learn how we came to write the series, challenges we faced and how we solved them.)

April 7: Little Willow (Interview and book giveaway; slayground.livejournal.com We reveal more about our collaboration and inspirations, and our favorite books of all time.) Winner has been chosen.

April 8: Zoe’s Book Reviews (Q&A and book giveaway. www.zoesbookreviews.com Q&A with both of us authors, our editor, book designer, cover artist, and Zoe herself!)

We look forward to seeing you!

Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams

Goddess Girls Blog Tour!

Co-authors Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams are celebrating the release of the first two books in their new Goddess Girls series with five fab days of interviews, guest blogs, and book giveaways, April 4 – April 8. We hope you’ll drop by to help us celebrate, join the fun, meet some of our favorite bloggers, and maybe win a book along the way!

About the books:

Join the class at Mount Olympus Academy with Goddess Girls, a new series that puts a modern spin on classic Greek myths!

by Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams (Aladdin paperbacks) Ages 8 - 12

Athena the Brain (April 6, 2010) ISBN: 978-1416982715

Finding out she’s a goddess and being sent to Mount Olympus brings Athena new friends, a weird dad, and the meanest girl in mythology—Medusa!

Persephone the Phony (April 6, 2010) ISBN: 978-1416982722

Hiding her feelings works fine for Persephone until she meets a guy she can be herself with—Hades, the bad-boy of the Underworld.

Aphrodite the Beauty (August 3, 2010) ISBN: 978-1416982739

Sure Aphrodite is beautiful, but it’s not always easy being the goddessgirl of love.

Artemis the Brave (December 7, 2010) ISBN: 978-1416982746

She may be the goddess of the hunt, but that doesn’t mean Artemis always feels brave.

Five-Day Goddess Girls Tour Line-up:

April 4: Bookmuncher (Interview and book giveaway; thebookmuncher.blogspot.com)

April 5: Readertotz, Suzanne’s Place, Joan Holub Author of Books for Children (readertotz.blogspot.com, suzanne-williams.blogspot.com, joanholub.blogspot.com; Expanded interview with the Goddess Girl team at Aladdin: editor Emily Lawrence, book designer Karin Paprocki, and cover artist Glen Hanson. Have you ever wondered why an editor decides to acquire a series? Here’s one editor’s take.)

April 6: Cynsations (Guest blog and book giveaway; cynthialeitichsmith.blogspot.com Learn how we came to write the series, challenges we faced and how we solved them.)

April 7: Little Willow (Interview and book giveaway; slayground.livejournal.com We reveal more about our collaboration and inspirations, and our favorite books of all time.)

April 8: Zoe’s Book Reviews (Q&A and book giveaway. www.zoesbookreviews.com Q&A with both of us authors, our editor, book designer, cover artist, and Zoe herself!)

We look forward to seeing you!

Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams

Tails at Twilight baskets for the ASPCA Gala!

I had way too much fun putting these baskets of my autographed books together
to donate to the upcoming auction at the:
Tails at Twilight Gala
The Animal Protection Society of Durham’s (ASPCA of Durham, NC) Tails at Twilight Gala is one of Durham’s signature charity events, featuring a silent auction, dinner and live auction. Each year more than 350 guests attend this elegant evening in support of helping abused and neglected pets throughout the community and placing them in loving homes.

March 20th, 2010

6:00 – 10:30pm

The Washington Duke Inn and Golf Club

3001 Cameron Blvd.

Durham, North Carolina

For information about the event, call Rebecca Hankins 919-560-0640 x231

To donate to the auction: Stephanie Kirby at 919-560-0640 x235

Twinkle, Star of the Week list of related books for classroom or home discussion

A List of Books K-3 children may enjoy along with my new release:

Twinkle, Star of the Week

by Joan Holub (author), Paul Nicholls (illustrator)

picture book, isbn 9780807581315, March 2010, 32 pages, hardcover

The stars in Sky School take turns being Star of the Week and Twinkle can hardly wait for her turn. Simple astronomy facts are interspersed in the story and stated on the endpapers to supplement.

From Booklist: "A sympathetic portrayal of overcoming disappointment and discovering personal talents."

Books about the stars and planets:

The Stars

by H. A. Rey (1952)

By the author of Curious George, this is a guide to stars, constellations, and planets in the night sky.

The Magic School Bus Sees Stars: A Book About Stars

by Nancy White Carlstrom

The Magic School Bus tours the galaxy.

There's No Place Like Space: All About Our Solar System

by Tish Rabe

Cat in the Hat in a space suit among the nine planets, presenting important facts along the way.

I Want to Be an Astronaut

by Byron Barton

A space shuttle heads into orbit. Astronauts get a taste of ready-to-eat food, experience zero gravity, go for space walks, and fix a satellite.

Additional books about Star of the Week:

Star Of The Week (2006)

by Barney Saltzberg (Author)

Emily Santos, Star Of The Week (2006)

by Rozanne Lanczak Williams (Author), Priscilla Burris (Illustrator)

Star Of The Week: A Story Of Love, Adoption, And Brownies With Sprinkles (2009)

by Darlene Friedman (Author), Roger Roth (Illustrator)

Books about the traditional Twinkle rhyme:

Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star

Iza Trapini, Charlesbridge Publishing (1997)

Twinkle The Star: The Ocean Adventure (2009)

by Katina Lawdis (Author), Kristos P. Lawdis

Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star (2006)

by Rosemary Wells

An interview with Groundhog Weather School illustrator, Kristin Sorra

I'm excited to feature Kristin Sorra, illustrator of the new picture book, Groundhog Weather School. Hi Kristin, and welcome! Could you tell us about your illustration technique?

I use Photoshop and I “paint” with my stylus pen, or entirely digitally, but I also create hand-painted textures and place them in a layer as well as a few photographic elements. My technique is not that different from my actual hand painting (when I used to render in oils), it’s just less messy. While it takes almost the same amount of time, I can really play with color and composition more freely than if I were painting by hand. Still, I strive to make the end result look like a hand-painted piece. This book in particular was a great vehicle for me to play with media and patterns. It's a jumping point for much of my future work.

I had no idea it was primarily digital because it looks hand-painted.

Do you have a favorite spread?

It’s tough to pick just one, but I would have to say it’s the sequential spread where the different animals are checking off qualifications for Groundhog Weather School. I love the different environments and the use of the newspaper and pattern designs, not to mention the fun side characters (some of whom make other appearances in the book). I also love the format of the sequential storytelling. It makes reading it more fun.

Which was the last illustration you painted for the book?

The final piece was the cover. That was quite a challenge since I had to please the marketing people. I probably had 5 to 7 sketches and 3 to 4 rounds of changes on the final art. We wanted the cover to reflect the crazy amount of information in the book and the fun that you would find when you open it up, yet still be clear enough to pop off the shelves. The bold type does that and in the back you can see the groundhogs actually burrowing, ironically the only time you actually see this happen in the whole book.

The cover looks so effortless! And it does pop. I've done experiments, where I look at the picture book shelf in bookstores from a distance to see which catch my eye, and this one does, particularly because of the color use and shapes. I particularly like the title type you created. Thanks for a gorgeous cover.

I'm always fascinated with artists' sketches. Would you share one of yours?

Sure! I’m including a few character sketches since I got a chance to play with some “personalities.” I had the most fun with that. I love the ballerina and the intellectual groundhogs. You'll also see the layout sketch of the groundhogs and skunk onstage, which won our editor over pretty easily so it isn’t too different from the finish.

Do you have any groundhogs? How about other pets?

We have a couple neighborhood groundhogs! One actually took the time to visit my front stoop the same day I got feedback from Cecilia, the Art Director. It was such a funny coincidence and perhaps a very good sign if you believe in such things! I do have a rescued black lab mix as a pet, but I have to separate him from the groundhogs since they don’t play nicely together. Oh, and my dog makes a cameo in the book! He's in the bottom right of the illustration below:

What's your studio like?

I have two computers, a Mac Pro tower and Mac Pro laptop (you can never have too much power), an 11 x 17 flatbed scanner and archival printer. Lots of tech. But my studio is full of inspiration, magazines, art and other children’s books of course. I have a literal reminder hanging on my wall of what I need to do everyday.

Any websites or blogs to share, so everyone can see more of your work? Any upcoming books or other projects?

I’m currently working on a picture book with Sterling Publishing. Don't think I can give away the title yet, but it's one of those books where the pictures tell the whole story. It's quite a challenge. You can see my work at www.kristinsorra.com www.kristinsorra.blogspot.com

Please check my website for news on appearances related to Groundhog Weather School. My blog gives some insight into my creative inner workings in and around kids books, and anything else that inspires. I hope you'll feel free to leave feedback. Thank you, Joan for the artistic challenge that was Groundhog Weather School!

You're welcome, Kristin! Your art made this book shine. Thank YOU!

Groundhog Weather School
illustrator: Kristin Sorra
author: Joan Holub
publisher: Putnam, 2010

~ Joan Holub