West Seattleites Carmela and Steven D' Amico, the couple behind the best-selling children's book steries, Ella the Elegant Elephant, have published a new book and will be celebrating the launch with a party at Ballard's Secret Garden Books on Friday, March 19.

After the success of their four Ella the Elegant Elephant books, Steven and Carmela D'Amico are now introducing a new character - Suki: the very loud bunny.

"Suki is a young, exuberant bunny who is just very enthusiastic about life," author Carmela D'Amico said. "There's no maliciousness about her, she's just very excited about life and very loud. But bunnies aren't suppose to be loud. They're suppose to be quiet and listen to their mommas.Suki doesn't like doing what she's supposed to do and her big voice leads her into some BIG trouble."

Through a sudden adventure away from the burrow, Suki learns when and how to use voice and it ultimately helps her get back home safely.

"The story is about using what has been seen as a flaw and see that it also has a side of strength," D'Amico said.

"Often children who are just being their vivacious selfs are told to calm down and form to readily. I think it's so important to not lose that. Especially as a girl, it's so important to use your voice and to use it loudly."
D'Amico said Suki was born out of a drawing their daughter Olivia made.

"She was seven at the time and she drew me a bunny named Suki, the very cute bunny. She asked me, "Mom, will you write a story about her? And I did except that all bunnies are cute so I changed it to Suki, the very loud bunny," D'Amico said.

D'Amico said she and her husband, the illustrator, may revisit Ella the elephant sometime in the future but they had been looking to create something new.

"When my husband and I did Ella in 2004, we were floored by all the interest and when we received a deal to do three more Ella books we took it," author Carmela D'Amico said.

"But creatively, I wanted to branch out and do more characters."

D'Amico said they took more time with the Suki book, shopping around for publishing houses and taking time to get to know their new editor.

She revealed that a second Suki book was finished shortly after finishing the draft of the first and a book with another new character, a poodle named Doodle, is in the making.

D'Amico has been writing since the age of five and always said she would write her first novel at age 30. But instead of writing her novel, she got pregnant and had her daughter Olivia.

"I started re-reading all my favorite kids books with her and maybe a picture book is short enough to finish with my new mommy brain," D'Amico said.

It so happened that her husband, Steven D’Amico, had always wanted to illustrate a picture book and together they started on Ella.

While Ella was an instant hit and bestseller, D'Amico said she has no great expectations for Suki. "I just want kids to like it," she said.

On Friday, March 18th, at 7 p.m., D'Amico will read from Suki and sign books during a launch party at Secret Garden Books.

"We have been big fans of West Seattleites the D’Amicos since the first Ella book came out and that was four Ella books ago!," Secret Garden Books staff wrote in an announcement of the event.

"There’s nothing more festive or exciting that joining friends of an author at a party to launch that book out onto the cosmos."     

D'Amico said the event is more of a party than a reading.

"We'll have punch for the kids, beer and wine for the parents and games. I just like to celebrate life's little successes," she said.

Secret Garden books is located on 2214 NW Market Street.