Wow, time flies! Nearly half a year ago, I spent happy hours in a car with Elizabeth Dulemba as we traveled together to a school in Clanton, Alabama. We had been hired as the visiting author and illustrator of the day. We were a bit early for checking into our hotel rooms, so we found some great shopping nearby where Elizabeth bought that DIVINE wrap you see her wearing below and on her School Visits page. (In fact, the video was shot during that same visit)
I wish had transcribed all the wonderful things we talked about during that car trip and our marvelous meals together. Ah well, in lieu of sharing that conversation with you, I'll share this one, instead...

Hi Elizabeth! Congratulations on the "birth" of SOAP, SOAP, SOAP! Having enjoyed many hours with you in an authentic Mexican restaurant, *I* already know the answer to this question, but my readers might not, so can you tell us a little something about your decision to learn Spanish when you took on this project?



I took French in High School and college (and was an exchange student in Paris), but don't get much chance to practice in Georgia. Here, it's all about Spanish, which I've wanted to learn for years. My 40th birthday was looming and I LOVE Jack Tales, so when Raven Tree Press approached me to illustrate Paco and the Giant Chile Plant, a bilingual adaptation of "Jack and the Beanstalk," I jumped at the chance. Here was my excuse to finally learn Spanish! I signed up for classes at the Latin American Association in Atlanta thinking, no biggie, I'll take lessons. Little did I know what a life-changing impact the LAA and the people there would have on my life!!

Luckily, Paco did so well (it won a Moonbeam Children's Book Award Bronze Medal), my publisher wanted more. It seemed a natural fit to do another Jack Tale adaptation - this time with a slightly less well-known story, SOAP, SOAP, SOAP (now also bilingual: SOAP, SOAP, SOAP ~ JABON, JABON, JABON!)

SOAP isn't your first multi-cultural book. How did you happen to find yourself in the multi-cultural market?

It's funny, since Paco I've received many, many jobs creating multi-cultural illustrations - I must have done something right! In fact, the three books I did for the ParentSmart KidHappy™ series feature Hispanic, African American and Asian characters. I love creating multi-cultural characters - the different bone structures are challenging, so perhaps they slow me down a bit to make sure I'm getting everything right.

I know you work on a computer, (I've seen that marvelous 2-screen setup on your desk) but to me, your work is very painterly. It also has a sort of collage quality to it, as though you cut out the images and collaged them onto paper. Can you talk a little bit about how you give your work its distinctive look?

Thank you! I make a point of making sure people can't tell how I work, and try hard to include as much texture as possible (challenging in the 2-D digital world). That's where the collage elements come in. To me, texture (and color) with all their various nuances are downright fascinating!

You're a marvelous, energetic school presenter who really connects with students. What do you like students to take away from your school presentations?
You are too kind! I have a blast sharing my work with kids - probably because I still am one. But I'm a kid who had a dream and made it happen. I hope I get that across the most - that anybody can make their dream come true with hard work, dedication, and pure stubbornness! (Yes, there is a good side to that trait.)

I know you're also a savvy marketer with a large email list of subscribers to your newsletter. Can you offer any advice to new authors looking to promote themselves and their books?

I have to admit I stumbled into the secret - which is to GIVE. I was already writing articles for the SCBWI Bulletin, teaching at the John C. Campbell Folk School and basically trying to pay it forward as much as possible. But when I started giving away coloring pages on my blog (for teachers, librarians, booksellers, and parents to share with their kids), things really took off. The collection has grown quite large over the last two years and people can now sign up to receive Coloring Page Tuesday alerts in their in-box every week. I love seeing the new subscriptions come in - from libraries, schools, children's hospitals, even nursing homes - it's a thrill to know my work is being shared to spread a little joy like that.

Thanks Kim!

Thank YOU, e! (You have probably noticed by now that Elizabeth likes to just go by "e" in her online posts.) You can read more about our visit to Clanton, and see photos of "e" in action THIS ARTICLE and photo collection published by the Clanton Advertiser.

And if you can't get enough of "e," (I can't!), click HERE to see her full SOAP, SOAP, SOAP blog tour schedule

KIM NORMAN

Both of them!

Or maybe I should call it my "Treadesk?" Nah. Too hard to read. So here's what I rigged up as a treadmill desk for my laptop. "Rigged" being the operative word. Lotta bungee cords, I know!

I wish it were a little higher, for reading and typing comfort, but it's not bad, for free, compared to the cost of the ones I've head were designed by the May clinic.

The desk top is a length of left-over closet shelving. I set it at a slight angle, then ran two bungee cords from a wire in the middle of the shelf, up and over, to grab the backside of the treadmill's console. Then, to make sure the cord tension wouldn't make the whole think flip over, I also fastened the desk to each arm of the treadmill with small bungees.
Needed one more jury rig: a pair of thick, round, adhesive felt floor protectors I happened to have near the treadmill. The sort of things you stick to the bottom of kitchen chairs to keep them from marring the floor. I stuck the pads on the face of the console to keep the top of the desk, (the far edge from me when treading), from touching and accidentally activating the buttons. I stacked two on top of each other, like a pair of checkers that have been "kinged" on both sides. Don't want the desk to suddenly push a button and send me flying into the laundry room behind me! That almost happened when I was rigging it up, so I now wear the safety clip for quick stops, although I haven't had to use it since I raised the desk away from the buttons with those round floor protectors.

Also, using the wire shelving rather than a solid piece of wood allows me access to the buttons when I want to increase the speed, change the display, or whatever.

I've walked off 2 inches from my waist in the past 5 weeks, (yay!!!) so this will provide an additional way for me to walk when I'm trying to plead heat and humidity as an excuse not to walk.

It's also easy to disassemble the whole thing if my husband wants to use the treadmill.

Oh, and one other item I employed: A roll of that non-slip rubber you can buy at the dollar store. It works great to keep the laptop from slipping; it really feels quite secure. I rolled up the lower end, to raise the bottom of the laptop a bit, for better keyboard and screen position.

Kim

I had a book signing at a nearby Barnes and Noble yesterday. My thanks to Samantha Bass, the kind and efficient community relations manager who arranged the visit along with the Sterling publicity department. Some of my friends and writing colleagues took the time to stop by, which I REALLY appreciated, and I even saw one friend whom I hadn't seen in ages (she's still gorgeous!) who just happened to be in the store. I love serendipitous meetings like that.

To quote P. D. Eastman: "Do you like my hat?" (photo below.) I thought it seemed appropriate for reading about the brave young Crocodaddy hunter. It's an old pith helmet that belonged to my late father-in-law. I also wore my FAB lime green "crocodile shoes." Too bad you can't see them in the picture, so I've pasted them in separately.

I signed all the remaining stock which they set up on a nice display at the entrance to the children's section labeled "local favorites." (above.) They also placed some near the front door, I think, under Father's Day suggestions. It was nice feeling like a mini-celebrity for a day.

Crocodaddy seems to be doing well. Aside from that fabulous blog book tour on Kidzbookbuzz, it was also written up in the San Francisco Chronicle last weekend in a list of suggested Father's Day books. I got the happy news from the Sterling publicity dept that it appeared not only online, but in the PAPER paper, as well. Yay! Here's the online article: (CLICK HERE.)

A funny aside: Samantha also asked me to bring Jack of All Tails, (my first book which came out in 2007), in case any customers wanted that. (It's been remaindered by Penguin so I possess most of the remaining stock.) I did a couple of readings of Crocodaddy during the signing, and also read Jack once. I had brought balloons which I had set out for children to take. I displayed the balloons in that "biting" croc head toy I found at the 2nd hand store years ago. (Still works! Although I mostly leave it turned off because when it's turned on -- light activated, I think -- it tries to "bite" you when you put your hand in its mouth. Might be too scary for little ones, although elementary school aged boys LOVE it.)

Anyway, a little girl was playing with a balloon while I read Jack. Just as I got to the line, "passing gas during commercials," she happened to let go of the balloon which flew off with a perfectly-timed blatting noise. So funny!

I'm enjoying my "Croco-summer of '09." My first book was so sadly invisible that it's nice to see Crocodaddy bask in the sun, at least for a while.

Kim Norman