Ebby May Be a Bunny, But She is Spreading her Wings!
Ebby journeyed through the United States this past month and has made friends everywhere she went. In this newsletter, Piper Rae Thompson, the seven-year-old granddaughter of a dear friend, was inspired by Ebby to pick up a pen and "paint with her heart." Next, you will meet some incredible people from Westbrook Elementary School in Roseville, California who invited me to present Ebby to the entire school. I'll also tell you about the wonderful independent bookstores who welcomed Ebby onto their shelves. I've been working on some new paintings for my next book and you'll get a sneak peek into the Land of the Dragons. Finally, I have some exciting announcements about the summer. Let the fun begin!
This is Piper Rae Thompson. Piper is the 7-year-old granddaughter of my friend Tim Thompson. Tim and I go back 30 years, when Piper's mom was about seven! Tim gave a copy of Ebby the Magnificent to his grandchildren, including Piper. He received this message from his daughter: "[Piper] started [Ebby] the other day. It's adorable! Ebby's favorite color is yellow just like Piper. They actually have a lot of similarities and she is loving it so far." She then sent this amazing photo of Piper posing with the map she drew of Fluffle Valley! The smile on Piper's face and the fact that Ebby inspired her to start drawing is the best reward for writing and illustrating Ebby I can imagine. If you submit a picture of your children's, your grandchildren's or even your own Ebby-inspired art, I will share it with my readers, with your permission. Please send your pictures to jessica@jwjulian.com.
What If We Can?
In April, I had the tremendous pleasure of presenting Ebby the Magnificent to all the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders of Westbrook Elementary School in Roseville, California. Roseville is just outside Sacramento. Westbrook's mascot is the Wolverine--fearless, undaunted, and confident, much like the people I met there.
My path to Roseville was almost as circuitous as Ebby's adventures. My invitation came from the recommendation of the sister-in-law of a friend of a friend who read Ebby and thought my book would be perfect for her friend's daughter's brand new elementary school, where she is the principal. The principal in question is Jessica Brooks. Westbrook has an incredibly diverse student body, with kids from all over the world. Mrs. Brooks serves her kids and the community with a fierce energy and determination. The school motto is "What if We Can?" When faced with an obstacle, Mrs. Brooks encourages the students to envision a scenario where they can overcome it. I can't imagine having such an awe-inspiring principal! When I was young, the only time you saw the principal was when you were in trouble. As a result, I never saw mine. The other person responsible for my school visit was the tireless president of the Parent Teacher Club, Traci Davis, pictured below. Not only did Traci organize my visit, she was instrumental in putting on a Community Appreciation Night after the presentation, where I met many of the students and their parents. So fun!
Traci and Jessica work hard to organize events to help support the children in their community who don't have enough money to put food on the table and are constantly in search of ways to assist their student body. You can find Westbrook Elementary on Facebook and Instagram for more information on how to help, or just to see the great work they are doing.
They invited me to go back next year. I can't wait!
It all started with a referral! If you or someone you know would like me to present Ebby the Magnificent, please contact me at jessica@jwjulian.com. I do not charge a fee, but if it's out of town, some minor financial arrangements may need to be made.
Ebby is now in Three Independent Bookstores in St. Louis, Missouri.
While in St. Louis to visit family a few weeks ago, I visited some independent bookstores to see if they would sell Ebby. You might ask yourself why I would want to get Ebby into bookstores? There are two main reasons: 1) it broadens the exposure Ebby can get with people who don't already know about me, and 2) it helps support locally owned independent businesses.
The three stores I visited enthusiastically accepted Ebby. Why did I choose these businesses? Because they are special.
Left Bank Books opened in 1969 with the intent of creating a place for literature from every walk of life. Their mission for the last 50 years is to spark public conversation by curating an intelligent, relevant, culturally diverse section of books. They are the oldest and largest independently-owned full-line bookstore in St. Louis. Betty's Books is a woman-owned independent bookstore, with a graphic-novel focus, created with the goal to create a family-friendly, community-oriented, and inclusive place. Spine Bookstore and Cafe is a consignment bookstore stocked exclusively with indie authors and publishers. The buyer for Left Bank Books, said "It looks like a great fit for our store, and honestly the coolest and most beautifully done self-published book I've seen." If you've seen my book, I'm sure you would agree.
Autographed softcover copies of Ebby the Magnificent can now be purchased at these three fabulous independent bookstores, pictured below. If you want a hardback, you still need to order it from my website. Click on the picture to go to their website. Ebby may not appear on their website yet because it was only recently added, so call or drop by in person. If you or anyone you know lives in St. Louis or the surrounding areas, visit these amazing locally owned businesses and support small businesses. They make our world more interesting and offer personalized service you won't get on Amazon. Plus, they support independent authors, like me. :-)
A very heartfelt thank you to Betty's Books, Spine Bookstore and Cafe, and Left Bank Books!
Spine Indie Bookstore and Cafe
1976 Arsenal Street
St. Louis, MO 63118
(314) 925-8087
Left Bank Books
399 N. Euclid Ave.
St. Louis, MO 63108
(314) 367-6731
Betty's Books
10 Summit Ave
Webster Groves, MO 63119
(314) 279-1731
Ebby has found several new homes in Washington and Oregon
Ebby now has a home at Autumn Leaf Books, the brand new independent bookstore in downtown Camas, Washington. Eden, owner of Autumn Leaf Books, has autographed hardback and softcover versions available.
Autumn Leaf Books
334 NE 4th Ave
Camas, WA 98607
(360) 553-4788
White Oak Books in Vancouver, Washington, not only welcomed Ebby into their home, I had the honor of presenting my book and original artwork at Vancouver's First Friday in May. Besides having autographed hard and softcover versions of Ebby, WOB also sells my art greeting cards and canvas prints. I love these guys and you will too!
White Oak Books
1700 Main Street, Ste. D
Vancouver, WA 98660
(360) 949-6928
Ingrid's GoodStreetFood and Paleo Grill is not only one of Vancouver, Washington's consistently highest rated restaurants serving the highest quality fresh food made daily by co-owner John Kenny, they sell Ebby the Magnificent and my art greeting cards! If you haven't been to Ingrid's, give their healthy, delicious Mediterranean style food a try. Honestly, John makes the best falafel I have ever eaten--and I've been around the world. And you won't find a more delightful person than Ingrid.
Ingrid's GoodStreetFood and Paleo Grill
1701 Broadway
Vancouver, WA 98663
(360) 921-7802
Support your locally owned small businesses wherever you live! They are the heart of our communities.
New Paintings coming to the Land of Dragons.
If you follow either my Facebook or Instagram accounts (which I hope you do), you have seen that I have posted videos about my most recent paintings. Just this past week I finally mastered time-lapse videos on my phone, so you can expect to see firsthand how I paint the illustrations for my book. I started doing this at the suggestion of my cousin, who thought it would be fun. I have been getting great feedback. Since I am self-taught, I don't have the skills to teach someone else how to paint. I can only show you how I paint. Maybe it will give you some ideas. These are two paintings I recently finished. I intend to use them in my second book, which I am working on now. I am attempting to grow my audience organically (without paying for ads). If you are on Facebook or Instagram, I sure would love you to follow me, comment on my posts, and share my content. It mean the world to me. If you like these paintings, I now have art greeting cards with these images. I am also happy to special order prints or T-shirts with these, or any other of my paintings. Just reach out.
Summer is filling up quickly with amazing events featuring my art and Ebby!
On June 22 at 10:30, you can find me at the amazing independent and locally owned toy and bookstore, Hammer and Jacks in Portland, OR. I will do a reading, a little coloring playtime event with the original sketch of Sofia, the purple sea dragon, and I will sign and sell copies of my book. Hammer and Jacks is a fantastic gem of a store that focuses on family-oriented events and educational toys. If you can't make it for the event, stop by and meet Jillian. She is simply fabulous!! Click below to check out her website.
Summer Art Festivals are coming and I will be there!
This year, thanks to the courage Ebby has given me to explore new places and do new things, I entered my art into some local art fairs. I am so happy, humbled, and excited to announce that I received invitations to join the fine art vendors at two events, and other artists have encouraged me to enter a third. Please mark your calendars for the following events, both of which take place in August.
August 10, 2024 Washougal Art and Music Festival from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm at Reflection Plaza, 1703 Main Street, Downtown Washougal, Washington. Click on the poster for more information and stayed tune as this year's artists are announced and added to the website--including me!
August 23, 24, and 25, 2024 Vancouver Wine and Jazz Festival. This three-day festival features not only internationally acclaimed jazz, blues, gospel and pop musicians, but tons of wineries. It is organized by classical and jazz clarinetist, conductor, composer, and producer Dr. Michael Kissinger and his wife, Dr. Maria Manzo, a renowned pianist and composer. In addition to the music, there will be 20 fine artists displaying and selling their artwork, including me! More details will follow in the months to come.
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