The Tempestuous Trial of Maybelline Meriweather Written by Michael Hewes and Illustrated by Sarah Hewes
*SIGNING ONLY*
Maybelline Meriweather has been put on trial for the most heinous of crimes—stealing an egg from another bird’s nest.
Maybelline, without a doubt one of the most colorful citizens of the town of Avian Mile, finds herself in a difficult spot as the accused and, after consulting with the Mockingbirds, retains the renowned Atticus Peck to take her case. A riveting courtroom drama ensues, rich with revelations, cross-examinations, and flighty admissions. In the end, justice is served, and Maybelline is finally—with much joy and fanfare—able to explain the curious behavior that first marked her as a suspect.
Told in alliterative style and referencing more than fifty fascinating and beautifully illustrated bird species, Maybelline’s tale is one to be enjoyed by readers of all ages—feathered or not.
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Scott Campbell, Publisher River Road Press
New Orleans, Louisiana (504) 722-8139
Email: scott@riverroadpress.com
The Tempestuous
Trial of Maybelline
Meriweather
New book Written by Michael Hewes Illustrated by Sarah Hewes
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
River Road Press – The Tempestuous Trial of Maybelline Meriweather August 21, 2018
Page 2
THE AUTHOR AND ILLUSTRATOR
Michael Hewes
As an undergraduate at the University of Southern Mississippi, Michael Hewes shared the hallways of his dorm with a chicken named Maybelline. Ever since, memories of the old banty have popped up now and then. Michael went on to pursue a career in law, and on the way home from a deposition he began to wonder what would happen if a chicken were put on trial for stealing another bird’s egg. By the time he got home, the first two stanzas of this book were written. Michael is the author of the novel Watermark and has been featured in numerous journals and periodicals. A retired JAG officer, Michael practices law in Gulfport, Mississippi, where he lives with his wife, three boys, two dogs, and a cat. No chickens though.
Sarah Hewes
Her mama used to say that Sarah Hewes picked up a pencil when she was three and never put it down. Sarah received her first art award in first grade and has never looked back. Her love for nature is reflected in her work and she has spent the majority of her career painting birds, although this is the first time she has adorned them with pants. Sarah’s work hangs in corporate and private collections throughout Mississippi and Louisiana, and her art has been published in two books. She is the mother to three sons, has nine grandchildren, and has fostered twenty-one dogs – so far.
River Road Press, New Orleans
River Road Press LLC was founded in 2014 by Scott Campbell in New Orleans, Louisiana with a focus on Southern culture, history, food, and children’s books. River Road Press is a boutique publisher, committed to publishing the highest quality books, and encourages collaboration and artistic partnership with its authors, illustrators, photographers, and artists. Fall 2018 titles include: Bayou Ballet; Gumbo; Jack & Remy’s Bayou Band; Mardi Gras in Alabama!; One, Two, Rougarou; The Tempestuous Trial of Maybelline Merriweather; Who Got the Baby in the King Cake?; Little Laveau – Bayou Beware; and Little Laveau - A Magical Bedtime Story. Also by River Road Press: The Incomparable Magazine Street; Simon of New Orleans; Cajun ABC; The Unhuggables; Fred the New Orleans Drummer Boy; The Majorettes are Back in Town and Other Things to Love About the South; A Tree in the Sea; The Little Float That Could;, Ten Gators in the Bed; Bugs on the Rug; Gumbo Ya Ya; Strange True Stories of Louisiana; Three Little Shrimp; Goodnight to da Parish; Rio Grande Valley ABC; and USS Alabama: Hooray for the Mighty A!
