Launching Leaving Gee's Bend-A Debut Novel!

Congratulations to IRENE LATHAM, launching her debut middle grade novel today!

LEAVING GEE'S BEND

G.P. Putnam's Son

January 7, 2010

230 pages

Ten year old Ludelphia Bennett has only known log cabins, orange dirt and cotton fields of her small sharecropping community. But when Mama gets deathly ill, Ludelphia does something quite drastic-- she leaves Gee's Bend for the very first time. Mama needs medicine badly, medicine that can only be found in Camden, over forty miles away. It's a dangerous journey, but Ludelphia weathers each challenge in a way that would make Mama proud, including documenting her journey-- her story--in a new quilt for Mama as she goes along. In the end, Ludelphia's courageous adventure saves the day for Mama and all of Gee's Bend.

Take a look at Irene's marvelous book trailer. I love the way she uses contemporary girls to share their mother's best advice to them. Great concept, Irene!

Irene says she will celebrate her debut, quietly, with family and a local quilting group, where she will honor her seamstress mom and talk about how this novel, at its heart is a love poem to her mother. Her "official" book launch party will be January 10 at North Shelby Library (Birmingham, Alabama), where she'll happily, in true introvert style, divert the spotlight by including the actual quilters of Gee's Bend (and a quilt!), without whom there would be no LEAVING GEE'S BEND.

Irene would love to raffle off a signed copy of Leaving Gee's Bend here at Shrinking Violets! And, for a second chance to win, hop on over to her blog, you can win a special Gee's Bend ::prize pack:: that includes a signed book, quilt postcards, a quilted potholder and a original Ludelphia sewing kit. I love this a lot. Deadline to enter is January 10th, so don't tarry. I'm headed there shortly!

Irene Latham is a poet and novelist who writes heart-touching tales of unexpected adventure. She also wrangles three boys, has a charm quilt in the works, and is currently planning a summer trip to the five National Parks in southern Utah. Her favorite characters in books and real life are those who go their own way. You can visit her at her website, her blog and even on Twitter!

A slightly younger Irene encouraging us all to live a life worth writing about!

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Congrats, to Cate for being the winner of a signed copy of Lisa Schroeder's Chasing Brooklyn that launched just this week. Cate, if you send me an email by by clicking here, we'll get that out to you!

Tick-tock! Tick-tock! Just five more days until our exclusive interview with an introvert that is coming out of the Violet Closet! Don't miss it...

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