Book Giveaway: STORY QUILTS: Appalachian Women Speak by Shannon Hitchcock

Shannon Hitchcock has a picture book, STORY QUILTS: Appalachian Women Speak, illustrated by Sophie Page and published by Reycraft. Shannon has agreed to send a copy to the one lucky winner in the US.

Just leave a comment. Reblog, tweet, or talk about it on Facebook with a link and you will get additional chances to win. Let me know other things you did to share the good news, so I can put the right amount of tickets in my basket for you. Sharing on Facebook, Twitter or reblogging really helps spread the word for a new book. So, thanks for helping Shannon and Sophie.

If you have signed up to follow my blog and it is delivered to you everyday, please let me know when you leave a comment and I will give you an extra ticket. If you want to make sure you don’t miss seeing that you won, please click “Notify Me of Follow-Up Comments by Email” box. I will leave a comment in reply if you win the book. Thanks!

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

History books have forgotten most Appalachian women, many of whom were poor or lacked formal education. Yet these women spoke through the quilts they created from scraps of cloth collected over time. Piece by piece, these patchwork quilts revealed the beauty of mountain life.

BOOK JOURNEY:

My new book, Story Quilts—Appalachian Women Speak is part of a series. I never set out to write a series, but with publishing, you never know where the journey will take you. The whole saga started when I read a Publishers Weekly article about Reycraft, a new publishing house. I knew Wiley Blevins, one of the editors quoted in the article from SCBWI conferences. I emailed Wiley and congratulated him on his new position, and then I made my pitch. Since the stated mission of Reycraft is to “create books of interest for ALL children,” I asked if that included regional diversity. See, I had this manuscript in my file drawer called Saving Granddaddy’s Stories, Ray Hicks, the Voice of Appalachia, and though that manuscript had been nominated for a Sue Alexander Most Promising New Work Award, my agent had been unable to sell it. A familiar refrain was “too regional.”

Since Wiley is from West Virginia, the manuscript piqued his interest, and he offered me a contract. I then spent some time poking around on the Reycraft website and noticed they often publish books in clusters. A good example is Annette Whipple’s The Truth About series, each book featuring a different animal. I then pitched a second manuscript to Wiley, She Sang for the Mountains—The Story of Jean Ritchie, Singer, Songwriter, Activist. He was interested, but the editorial team felt there should be a third book in the series—this one about quilts. I didn’t have a quilt book, but got busy researching and wrote one on spec. Much to my delight, these books are dubbed The Storytellers’ Series. All three of them take place in Appalachia and look at the different ways people share stories– from oral storytelling to ballad singing to quilts.

And another piece of good news, there will be a fourth book in the series, Of Words & Water—The Story of Wilma Dykeman, Writer, Historian, Environmentalist.

One final thing I’d like to point out is the beautiful artwork. The illustrator for the entire series is Sophie Page. Sophie is a mixed media illustrator and a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design. She crafts her images in two and three dimension using paper, clay, fabric, and wire. Sophie and art director, Faride Mereb make a dynamic duo, really bringing the storytellers’ series to life.

SHANNON’S BIO:

Shannon Hitchcock was born in North Carolina and grew up in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. She is the author of four middle grade novels, Flying Over Water, One True Way, Ruby Lee & Me, and The Ballad of Jessie Pearl. Her books have been featured on many state award lists and have received acclaimed reviews. Saving Granddaddy’s Stories is Shannon’s debut picture book.

She recently moved to Asheville, North Carolina, where she can see the mountains every day. For more information, visit her website at shannonhitchcock.com

SOPHIE’S BIO:

Sophie Page is an illustrator, designer, arts educator, and storyteller based in Brooklyn, NY. Attended the Rhode Island School of Design and received a BFA in Illustration. She specializes in 3D sculptural illustration, imaging, and book arts. Sophie uses a unique set of materials and techniques to create images, products, and designs.

Sophie is a freelance illustrator who has illustrated SHE SANG FOR THJE MOUTAINS before working on the art for STORY QUILT by Shannon Hitchcock. She taught art grade 5 through 12 for three years. During that time she won two consecutive Nation Education Awards from Scholatic Art and Writing Competition.

Shannon, thank you for sharing your book and journey with us. This is such a creative book and I love that you wrote a story sharing the history of the Appalachian women and giving them a voice. Sophie’s artwork is wonderful. The two of your together have given us an exquisite book. Best of luck with the book.

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy