A Season of Light - Johnette's Holiday Newsletter
Happy Holidays Friends!
A common theme in winter celebrations around the world is light. It stands to reason that during the darkest, shortest days of the year around the winter solstice, the lighting of candles would play an important role in cultural and religious traditions. Festivals of light occur during Christmas, Chinese New Year, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and the Hindu Diwali, among others. In South Louisiana bonfires light the way along the Mississippi River levee. Light often represents hope, love, eternal life, faith, joy, insight, renewal, healing and enlightenment. I wish you and your children light this holiday season, and I hope you enjoy the candle craft in this newsletter.
May the inner light in us see the inner light in others.
2017 - An Award Winning Year
This year had many memorable moments. In October, I received the 2017 Louisiana Writer Award at the Louisiana Book Festival. It is an honor to be among such esteemed past recipients as Ernest Gaines, Darrell Bourque, Tom Piazza, Chris Wiltz and fellow children's book author William Joyce. The award ceremony took place at the State Capital building, which ironically sits on the very land that my Canary Islands ancestor Jose Gonzalez Cabo was given for serving in the American Revolution under General Galvez at the Battle of Baton Rouge. Standing on my ancestor's land and receiving such a prestigious award for my body of work was deeply moving and poignant.
In September, my Mumbo Jumbo, Stay Out of the Gumbo book, illustrated by Jennifer Lindsley, was selected to represent the State of Louisiana at the National Book Festival in Washington, D.C. Jennifer, Scott and I attended the event, and stayed over a few days to enjoy the museums. If you have not taken the Museums at Night tour, I highly recommend it.
In February at the 59th Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, my husband Scott Billington received his third Grammy Award for producing the record "Porcupine Meat" by legendary bluesman Bobby Rush, earning Bobby his first Grammy. Their win earned me a Grammy Award Participation Certificate for co-writing and singing back-up vocals on two songs. What a thrill it was to be on stage with them when they accepted their awards.
On a personal note, Scott and I adopted a health regimen of walking 3-5 miles per day as well as eating a plant-based diet. 90% of our meals are plants, leaving a little wiggle room for seafood on occasion. Many of our vegetables come from our home organic garden. As a New Orleanian, I never thought I could give up meat and dairy, but I am truly enjoying the switch and am astonished by how easy it has been.
The new diet and fitness routine gave me plenty of energy for a heavy performance schedule this year. My Family Friendly First Friday concert series at the New Orleans Jazz Park has been running for nearly a decade, and will continue in 2018. Other performance highlights include the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, French Quarter Festival, Nantucket Atheneum, Grand Kids Festival in Galveston, Texas, Harvest Festival, and Bucktown Seafood Festival, as well as numerous school and library visits. My travels took me to Quebec, Maine, New Hampshire, Texas, California, Tennessee, D.C, Massachusetts, and across Louisiana.
I am deeply grateful for the opportunities people like you have given me this year. I look forward to 2018 which is gearing up to be another exciting year with tours already scheduled in the Philippines, Scotland, Canary Islands, North Carolina, Mississippi, California, Massachusetts, Texas and Louisiana.
May your holidays be filled with light, love, happiness, stories and song.
with gratitude,
Johnette
Special Offer - Free Fan Kit
Send a self-addressed stamped envelope with sufficient postage for 4oz of return weight (roughly $3.00 in the US), and receive a free Fan Kit. The Kit typically includes an autographed poster, autographed photograph, child-friendly temporary tattoos, bookmarks and an official Fan Club Member card. Send your self-addressed stamped envelope to:
Johnette Downing
Fan Club Kit
P. O. Box 13367
New Orleans, LA 70185-3367
Thank you for being a loyal fan!
________________
Candle Craft
To celebrate light, I hope you enjoy sharing this easy torn paper candle craft with the little ones in your life.
Materials
Colored construction paper
Glue
Instructions
- Select the colors you would like for your candle, flame and holly.
- Tear paper into the shapes of a candle, flame and holly. You will need to tear several small pieces to create holly leaves and holly berries.
- Layer the torn paper to create your design for each of the items.
- Glue the layers to a full sheet of black or blue construction paper.
- Sing along while you create. The traditional song "This Little Light of Mine" is a perfect accompaniment to this craft.
- Hang your creation in the family art gallery (on the refrigerator door).
_________________
Live Shows
I would love to see you at upcoming concerts and author events. Check out my full schedule here!
Store
Make a child happy — read and sing! Check out great music and books (if I don't say so myself) for your little ones here!
Social Media
Follow me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram!
Louisiana Roots Music and Books for Children
This email was sent to << Test Email Address >>
why did I get this? unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
Johnette Downing · P. O. Box 13367 · New Orleans, LA 70185 · USA
A FREE gift with every order! Johnette's Black Friday & Saturday Sale ends today.
It's Black Friday!
Black Friday and Saturday Sale!
Here is my Black Friday and Saturday Sale good for only November 24 and 25, 2017 purchases! Purchase at least one book, board board or CD (not an individual song or songs) from my website store and receive a FREE album download card (a $10 value) with your entire order. One download card per customer will be sent with your shipment. Here is the link to my website store - https://www.johnettedowning.com/store to take advantage of this offer.
But wait, there's more! Sign up for my fan e-newsletter and receive a free song download, just like that! Boom!
Happy holiday season! Thank you for being a loyal fan!
-Johnette
2017 Louisiana Writer Award Acceptance Speech Video
In case you missed the Louisiana Writer Award ceremony, the Louisiana Center for the Book and Jerry Mayer of Hometown Productions has provided a YouTube video of the event.
Full Length 2017 Louisiana Writer of the Year Award:
Kirkus Reviews - Mademoiselle Grands Doigts
MADEMOISELLE GRANDS DOIGTS
A Cajun New Year's Eve Tale
Author: Johnette Downing
Illustrator: Heather Stanley
Review Issue Date: December 1, 2017
Online Publish Date: November 13, 2017
Publisher:Pelican
Pages: 32
Price ( Hardcover ): $16.99
Publication Date: February 1, 2018
ISBN ( Hardcover ): 978-1-4556-2393-8
Category: Fiction
A humanizing origin story for the Louisiana New Year's Eve folk figure Madame Grands Doigts. Mademoiselle Grands Doigts is a young, white maiden known for her beauty, her generosity, and the long fingers that lend her her name. As suitors line up, a jealous bunch of Cajun mean girls gets in the way and cooks up a Gris gris. After a night of dancing, Mademoiselle Grands Doigts awakens cursed, her fingers covered in warts and her skin "scaly like a crawfish sack." Confining herself to an attic, she lives on, giving gifts on New Year's Eve to good children. In an afterword, author Downing says she wanted to offer a less-scary take on the story, one that focuses on the Madame as a young woman who remains unchanged on the inside despite her curse. Stanley's hazy, deep-hued painted illustrations are appropriately moody. But modernizing the story to emphasize the cursed woman's generosity doesn't overcome a problematic, perhaps unavoidable plot point. With only her physical appearance having changed, Grands Doigts goes from sought-after maiden to a shut-in. More effective, and much creepier, is the last readers see of the curse makers: "Into the swamps they fled, such a wolfish horrid sight, / and if you listen closely, you'll hear them howl at night." For those unfamiliar with the Cajun story, this update may be a welcome respite from the flood of Santa Claus and snow-fairy books crowding the holiday shelves. (Picture book. 5-8)
Sneak Peek at Mademoiselle Grands Doigts Book Cover!
Here is a sneak peek at the book cover for my upcoming picture book MADEMOISELLE GRANDS DOIGTS, illustrated by the amazing Heather Stanley. This Cajun New Year's Eve tale is slated for a spring 2018 release through Pelican Publishing Company!