Sue Whiting's Blog: All in the Telling

Walking and writing

2012-02-05T08:20:00.001+11:00

Recently, it was my daughter's 21st birthday. To celebrate we headed down the coast with a small group of her friends to a cedar cabin in the wilderness. There was much eating, drinking, surfing, swimming, laughing, swinging in hammocks, sitting around camp fires - it was a great weekend. A wonderful celebration.

Over the summer, I had been working diligently (and wrestling often) on my second draft of my WIP, and with about a dozen people to cater for and entertain over this particular weekend, I welcomed the chance to leave it at home and party for a while.

But I don't seem ever to be able to do that! Not completely anyway. I may have left the manuscript at home, but the story is always in my mind and no matter how hard I tried to push it out of my thoughts, it always pushed its way back in. (I don't think it helped that the property we were staying on was very similar to the setting of my novel.)

Every morning and every afternoon I headed off up this road for a bit of a walk. And this is where I rediscovered the power of the walk. And even more so, the power of letting your mind wander aimlessly.

Each time I walked up the road and back, I returned with some new insight. Some tiny detail to add to the fabric of the prose. An interesting sentence. A snippet of dialogue. A plot flaw revealed. The place where I could add some emotional depth or further characterisation. Magic.

The manuscript is now "complete". And today I am going to send it to my publisher. Deep breath. Fingers crossed. Wish me luck.

Sue Lawson: on influences – or of Shakespeare and British Blue Cats

2011-12-20T06:00:00.000+11:00

Sue Lawson and I started our writing careers at roughly the same time, and it seems that over the last dozen or so years our paths keep on crossing, and we have become buddies as well as colleagues. So it is my great pleasure to welcome her to my blog today where she will be discussing her latest release, Pan's Whisper, and the things that influenced her in the writing of this poignant novel.

Over to Sue.

Sue, thank you so much for inviting me to visit your blog tochat about Pan’s Whisper.

I thought it would be interesting to talk about influences,as I’ve been asked and know most writers are asked how much of our work isautobiographical.

I guess for me the simple answer is not much is directlyfrom my life – though I did have a pet chook when I was about 12 (Tessa), I grew up on a wool property (After) and my grandfather did dieaboard the Montevideo Maru (FindingDarcy). Rather than being stories about me or my life, my books areinfluenced by my experiences and the questions that these raise.

Pan’s Whisper wassparked by a conversation with my younger sister about an event from ourchildhood, which both of us remembered differently – she recalled it withfondness, while I remember it was an uncomfortable experience. Strange thing isI can’t remember the details of the discussion now, just the question it sparked– why do two people have such different memories of the same event?

Once I start writing it’s inevitable that importantinfluences in my life slip into a story. In Pan’s Whisper two of my great lovesare featured – Shakespeare and Smocker (pronounced Smocker as is soccer).

From the moment our English teacher, Mr Samuel, startedreading Romeo and Juliet to our class, Shakespeare’s language, humour, tragedyand unforgettable characters had me hooked. So that influence is obvious. Butwhat about Smocker?

One of my early memories as a child was an ABC radio programwe used to listen to on Saturday morning, called I Smocker. (Before you right me off as ANCIENT – we did have TV, butABC radio ruled our home.) Smocker, written by Eugene Lumber, was the story of aBritish Blue cat who lived with Patrick the Irish terrier next door to NastyNeighbour Norton. It was hilarious! I can remember my complete joy when Ireceived the two books, I Smocker and Smocker Takes Off for Christmas.

Sue's fat ginger tom, Smocker

So great was my love for Smocker that I named my first pet,a HUGE ginger tom, after him. My Smockerwas every bit as unique as Eugene Lumber’s Smocker, though not quite asmischievous. (Or well bred – he was a moggy!)

When I was writing Pan’s Whisper, I wanted somewhere for Panto keep her treasures and it had to be something that also gave her comfort. Atin or box would be too hard and cold. While trawling the internet, I stumbledupon a picture of a pyjama holder from the 80s and knew I was onto something.The moment I decided the holder had to be a cat, I knew its name was Smocker.

Sue's rabbit pyjama holder she found on Etsy that sparked the idea

Thanks so much for having me Sue.

All good things must come to an end,particularly this close to Christmas, and thus the Pan’s Whisper Blog Tour endstomorrow at http://cherrybananasplit.blogspot.com

Hope to see you there!

All the best for the success of Pan's Whisper, Sue.

Scouting landscapes

2011-10-30T11:38:00.001+11:00

I've been on a road trip through the central west and outback NSW. Marvellous country. Essentially, I was on holiday, but I was also scouting for material for my work in progress, which is set on a wild property somewhere in rural NSW.

I live in a small coastal village, so it was easy for me to write authentically about life by the sea in Get a Grip, Cooper Jones and Battle of the Rats. The sea is such a part of me, I swear I have salt in my veins.

Although I have spent quite a bit of time in the country over the years, country life and all that goes with it is less familiar. That's why it is so important for me to experience it first hand. To drink in the smells, immerse myself in the sights and sounds, and experience the joys and hardships of rural life, take note of the minuscule that will add authenticity to my work.

Here are some of the visual images I brought home with me. We live in a vast land.

Will the real Cooper Jones please stand up

2011-10-03T09:33:00.001+11:00

August and September have flown by in a blur of school and library visits, Book Week events, festivals and conferences. It has been an absolute blast, and although at times I have been on the brink of exhaustion, I would do it all again.

There were so many highlights - too many to mention - but one that I do want to share is when a great young lad by the name of COOPER JONES introduced me at one of my Brisbane Writers Festival sessions. He did a great job with his speech; he was funny and clever and I couldn't help but get a photo of the two of us afterwards.

Coincidentally, this Cooper Jones goes to my niece and nephews' school and his family won a pack of my books (including Get a Grip, Cooper Jones) at a school fundraiser earlier in the year, so it was extra special that Payne Road School was asked to do the introductions and that Cooper was chosen.

Thanks, Coops. (By the way, he assured me that he isn't quite the idiot that the Cooper in the book is and that his life, thankfully, isn't spinning out of control.)

Stories - they'll take you places

2011-09-03T08:08:00.000+10:00

I have been talking a lot these past weeks about story, and in particular story journey.

I love how a story, well told, will take hold of you and transport you to a new and/or different reality; how characters, well drawn, will become like new friends - people you want to hang out with for a while; and while you are hanging out with these new friends and going on a journey with them, you not only get entertained, but you also get to discover a little more about what it means to be a human being.

Here's my favourite quote for the week (another from the wall above my desk):

"Stories not only move us, they motivate us because we can see in them echoes of possibilities for ourselves."
Peter Guber, Film Director

Brilliant, isn't it?

Packing my bags today as I'm off to Brisbane for the Ipswich Literature Festival, Brisbane Writers and CYA conference. Looks like my stories are taking me on a bit off a journey too!

Word Play - Brisbane Writers Festival

2011-08-28T18:22:00.000+10:00

So excited to be part of Word Play at Brisbane Writers Festival. I will be joining many fab children's authors including Wendy Orr, Susanne Gervay and James Roy.

I will be doing two writing workshops, two general sessions and for the first time ever an online session - that's a little scary.

I also have the luxury of having a whole session devoted to the writing of Get a Grip Cooper Jones. Can't wait. Hope to see some of you up there.

Book Week facts and figures

2011-08-27T08:04:00.003+10:00

Well, Book Week is over yet again and I must say I had an awesome week.

The kids at every school I visited were fantastic: warm, friendly, welcoming, excited, funny, interested, motivated - awesome. And the school / council librarians were fantastic too, going out of their way to make my day - and most importantly, the kids' day - the best it possibly could be, and to enthuse all about books and reading and writing. What an important job they do!

Here is the week in a nutshell.
Number of kilometres driven: 759 kms
Number of schools involved: 8 (including 4 who visited Marrickville Library)
Number of sessions: 16
Number of children I spoke to: 960+
Number of times I dressed up as a firefighter: 9
Number of times I told my "Antarctic" story: 8
Questions that I had never been asked before:

Did you tell lies when you were a child?
A: Very rarely. Perhaps that's why I like telling stories now - it gives me the opportunity to "stretch the truth".

How many books have you written that haven't been published?
A: Not counting the numerous unfinished manuscripts gathering dust in my bottom drawer, probably about six.

When you walk down the street do people run after you screaming and wanting your autograph?
A: No.

Favourite display: The giant cactus and spiders at Narraweena.
Number of words added to my work in progress: 0 (Not surprisingly!)

Feeling a bit weary, but there is no time to rest.
Next week is Literacy Week, and the week after that I fly up to Brisbane for the Ipswich Literature Festival, Brisbane Writers' Festival and the CYA conference.

More fun ahead!

Flexing the writing muscle

2011-08-06T11:34:00.000+10:00

I have this quote on the wall above my desk. It's from Jodi Picoult. I can't remember where I got it from.

"Write until it’s a muscle you can flex on command."

This says so much, don't you think? And it is really good advice, and something I have been working on of late.

And you know what? I think it's working. This year, almost every day, no matter what, I have spent some time working on my current work in progress. It has required a lot of discipline and I have had to be creative and tenacious in making writing part of my daily routine, but as a result, my "writing muscle" is getting stronger and more obedient and I am so much closer to the whole "flex on command" thing.

Making writing a habit is well worth the effort, me thinks.

Killer first sentences

2011-07-23T19:52:00.000+10:00

I'm a sucker for a cracker opening sentence.

Here are some of my favourites.
Enjoy!

"We came on the wind of the carnival." Chocolat, Joanne Harris

"Joseph fixed his eyes on the coffin and thought of silkworms." The Running Man, Michael Gerard Bauer

"Change tiptoed into our lives with her eyes down, like a shy chick coming late to class." Boofheads, Mo Johnson

"HERE IS A SMALL FACT
You are going to die."
The Book Thief, Markus Zusak

"My name was Salmon, like the fish; first name, Susie. I was fourteen when I was murdered on December 6, 1973." The Lovely Bones, Alice Sebold

"The monster showed up just after midnight. As they do." A Monster Calls, Patrick Ness

Poetic images and the world wide web

2011-07-17T13:05:00.000+10:00

I am working on text revisions for The Strange Little Monster and the Swamp Goblin today. (Sequel to A Strange Little Monster, illustrated by Stephen Michael King.)

My editor suggested that I should try to make a couple of important lines more poetic - to create stronger images. Great advice. If only I could find the right words!

Sitting in my tiny study this chilly Sunday where does one go for poetic inspiration when the words won't come of their own accord? Of course there is the thesaurus - always a good place to start. But often so limiting, especially when we now have the world at our fingertips with the world wide web!

So I googled some key words, phrases, concepts etc and in seconds I had sound bites, YouTube clips, gorgeous photos, poems, articles, quotes and much more spiralling across my screen, providing me with more than enough inspiration to create the images I needed.

Although often diverting and the cause of much time-wasting the WWW is also the most amazing resource for a writer!

A special kind of magic

2011-07-02T11:08:00.000+10:00

Don't you love that special kind of magic that happens when you open a book and start reading a well-crafted story? There are few pursuits that engage the imagination in such a powerful way.

Love this from The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. (p8)

"How long did I sit on the stairs after reading the letter? I don't know. For I was spellbound. There is something about words. In expert hands, manipulated deftly, they take you prisoner. Wind themselves around your limbs like spider silk, and when you are so enthralled you cannot move, they pierce your skin, enter your blood, numb your thoughts. Inside you they work their magic."

So that's my inspiration for today.

MAY THE MAGIC FIND YOU TOO.

Notable Australian Children's Books 2011

2011-06-29T20:53:00.000+10:00

Earlier in the year I was thrilled to learn that Get a Grip, Cooper Jones was named as a CBCA Notable Book in the Younger Readers category. Today, I received in the mail the CBCA publication, Notable Australian Children's Books 2011, One World, Many Stories that comprises of an annotated list of all the notable and short-listed books.

I have to admit to being really chuffed that my little story was included in the notable list and in this publication. Coops is in such esteemed company, among so many wonderful books written by so many talented authors!

Here is Cooper's annotation. (Page 20)

"Laced with wit and humour, with strong descriptive passages, this very Australian beach and bushfire story, told in the authentic voice of early adolescent Cooper, will have appeal for both male and female younger adolescent readers, dealing as it does with themes of trust, identity, increasing self-awareness and growing independence. Coops is a likeable and reliable narrator, allowing the reader to fully appreciate his struggles and conflicts in coming to terms with himself, his parents and the insecurities and responsibilities of approaching independence."

It left me grinning. Widely.

Powerful Words

2011-06-24T21:57:00.000+10:00

I was flipping through my current notebook the other day and found a number of quotes from books that I had enjoyed earlier in the year. They included several from A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness. (Brilliant book! Superb writing! A must-read for lovers of story.)

Gorgeous lines such as:
"There are worse things than being invisible," the monster had said, and it was right. Connor was no longer invisible. They all saw him now. But he was further away than ever."

And
"The monster showed up just after midnight. As they do."

And
"Connor held tightly into his mother. And by doing so, he could finally let her go."

Under these copied out quotes, I had scrawled the following note to self:

This is what I want to emulate. Not the style or voice or theme - but the intensity of emotions. I want my readers to WEEP, SOB, TO FORGET TO BREATHE. This is what I must do."

Wow - talk about putting pressure on myself! But it's good to be clear about what I am aiming for. It may take me a lifetime, but this is what I hope to achieve in my writing one day.

Wish me luck.

Today's inspiration

2011-06-12T14:23:00.000+10:00

These are the words that have inspired me today.

"Because it was such a very small class, they had a very small classroom, which was perched right at the top of the school. Up four flights of stairs, way up in the sky, like a colony of little birds nesting on a cliff, blown about by wind with the high, airy sounds of the city coming up the hill in the ocean breeze."

Page 6, The Golden Day, by Ursula Dubosarsky. (Allen and Unwin.)

Beautiful, eh?

What inspires you?

2011-06-11T16:46:00.000+10:00

Last week I did an author interview for Bug in a Book. You can read it here. One of the questions they asked was whether I had any role models who inspired me during my journey as a writer.

This really got me thinking. It got me reflecting on all the wonderful people who had supported and/or mentored me over the last dozen or so years. The friends, colleagues, relatives, writing buddies, acquaintances who read the many drafts of my early manuscripts, offered advice, gave feedback, shared my passion, listened to me vent my frustration and on occasion provided a shoulder for me to have a cry on. Then there was those whose courses / workshops / events I attended, who inspired me by their passion, enthusiasm, intellect, skill, talent, their willingness to share the lessons they had learnt along the way. Wow. I owe so much to so many. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

But I also came to a bit of a realisation about what inspires me most these days. And that is good writing: carefully crafted words on the page; elegant prose; vivid imagery; clever storytelling that evokes strong emotions; stories with shape and verve and originality; characters that have blood coursing through their veins, that leap off the page and demand my attention. That's what gets me going, what motivates me to keep writing.

What inspires you?

Sorry, I've been writing

2011-05-14T08:14:00.000+10:00

It has been a while since I posted, but I have an excellent excuse. The best excuse for a writer, actually.

I'VE BEEN WRITING!

This might sound rather weird. Isn't that what a writer is meant to be doing? A writer writes, right?

Well, a writer should write, but this writer over the past few years has found it increasingly difficult to find the time to write the story she really wanted to write: a YA thriller.

Like many writers, TIME has been my greatest enemy. And my writing time has been whittled down to tiny snatches squeezed into a busy schedule of full time work, school visits and speaking engagements, family commitments and the need to eat and sleep occasionally! And these tiny snatches weren't enough for me to be able to make any significant progress on my novel, which of course has been very frustrating.

So what's changed?

Firstly, I made a commitment to myself. This year was going to be my YEAR of WRITING. Writing was going to take precedence for a change. And I was going to FIND the time. (Easier said than done. I can see you all nodding!)

But then the planets aligned and some things changed that have enabled me to honour this commitment.

Due to change in an employment situation, I now have a house-husband. My wonderful Pete has taken over most of the household duties, and suddenly my weekends have freed up and much larger snatches of writing time have appeared, which has been great.

But even with this extra time on the weekend, I still found it hard to make progress with my novel. It seemed that I spent most of the weekend trying to get back in the headspace of the story, to hear my characters and find my voice, and by the time I actually got going it was Sunday night again, and I'd only just begun. A lot of energy spent with very little gain.

Then the second thing happened. I had a birthday and received a very special life-changing present. A new laptop - a MacBook Air. Now I know this is going to sound like an ad for Apple, but this little beauty is the main reason for my renewed writing vigour. It is so light and portable, I take it everywhere with me, and if I have a few spare minutes I flick it on and get going. Even if I have a bag full of manuscripts to cart back and forth from work, it is so light, I can still take it with me on my long daily rail commute.

And to be honest, I don't add hugely to my word count, during my commute, but it doesn't matter. I read back over what I have written, make notes, edit, fiddle around the edges. But all of this allows me to stay in the headspace of the novel and when the weekend arrives, I don't need to claw my way back in. I'm there. Ready to go.

Can you tell I'm excited?
Must fly - I have a new chapter to write.

Wonderful Picture Books in the Making

2011-03-21T21:11:00.000+11:00

I returned to Blacktown Library on Saturday and what a wonderful surprise I got. I couldn't believe how much progress the kids had made with their books. They had been working so hard! Some had nearly finished.

The previous week they had made storyboards and started their rough illustrations with Sarah Davis and now a week later many had started on the final copy of their stories and also their final illustrations. Wow. Was I impressed.

Now they must finish their books off, hand them in for publication and then put on their best outfits and turn up for the launch party!

You can read Sarah's blog about the program here.

Picture Book Creators of the Future

2011-03-12T11:23:00.000+11:00

Had a blast last Saturday at Blacktown Library, working with two groups of enthusiastic young people creating amazing picture book stories. This week they will be working with illustrator, Sarah Davis, making storyboards and illustrating their stories. Next week both Sarah and I will be working with them, helping them to polish their work and put the finishing touches on their books. Such fun. Such a great initiative.

I did it!

2011-02-27T16:49:00.000+11:00

Oh the power of making a promise in writing for all to read on one's blog. Yesterday, I vowed to change my wicked ways. I vowed to put my head down, apply superglue to my backside and get stuck into my writing. And, what do you know, I did.

It wasn't easy. I resisted. I struggled. I complained. But I persevered. And I made a vital discovery.

I was working on a chapter book that I was asked to rework. The editorial feedback was spot on - it all made perfect sense, but every time I came to one particular section of the plot, I became stuck. I couldn't find a satisfying way forward. I studied my characters' motivations, their actions and reactions. I tried a dozen different approaches, but I just couldn't crack it.

It was time for some drastic action. So I gave the whole story an almighty shake up - rearranged the order of events, changed the focus of the story slightly and voila! My problems were more or less solved.

I have had a wonderful weekend of writing. The story I have been agonising about for months has been reworked and polished. Tomorrow I may think it all sucks - but regardless, I have made REAL progress.

Thank you, oh blogosphere. Probably no one even read yesterday's promise to myself - but it doesn't matter, it did the trick. The drought is broken. And I am thankful.

A promise

2011-02-26T09:24:00.004+11:00

This year I resolved I was going to focus on two things. One: do what I can to continue to promote Get a Grip, Cooper Jones. And two: work on the craft of writing and write as often as possible, hopefully completing the reworking of a chapter book, long overdue, and also my YA novel that has been gathering dust for longer than I care to admit.

Well, it is almost March and while I have lots of festivals and school visits coming up to promote Cooper, YAY!, I have fallen very short on the developing my craft side of my resolve and have only reworked two lousy chapters of my chapter book and done nothing with my YA or my "craft" so to speak.

But this is about to change! Today. Really.

Trailer Making

2010-12-11T08:47:00.003+11:00

I've had lots of people ask about the making of the Get a Grip, Cooper Jones trailer. I had always intended to make a trailer for Cooper, and planned to have it ready prior to the book's release in August. I was lucky enough to be able to attend a trailer making workshop organised by Chris Cheng and SCBWI in 2009. So once the book's publication date was locked in, I used my newfound knowledge to work out a bit of a script and concept, and then asked my son, Brad, who enjoys fiddling with film and photography, if he'd help me.

Well, two things happened. Firstly, life intervened for both Brad and me: work commitments, uni, exams, overseas trips etc. and the trailer making kept on being pushed aside. Then when we finally had a window to get it started, Brad confessed that the idea of making a trailer with images overlaid with text and music didn't really inspire him creatively. (In other words, he thought my concept sucked!)

But don't worry, he said, I have an idea.

I'm his mother; I worried!

But I shouldn't have.

The idea was using the technique of stop motion animation - a technique Brad was interested in experimenting with. He showed me a couple of YouTube clips, explained his concept and I was immediately excited. This was going to be a whole lot of fun!

Basically, the technique involves taking a sequence of photos of an action in progress and then stitching them together - in much the same way an animator does with drawn images for cartoons. It took Brad about a week to film the clip and he estimates that he took about 1500 photographs. Another week or so to put it together and another week for a friend of his to add the music and sound effects. Then voila! We had our trailer.

And I think it is pretty cool.

Get a Grip, Cooper Jones - Stop Motion Animation - Book Trailer

2010-12-04T11:33:00.005+11:00

Yay! At last, my trailer for Get a Grip Cooper Jones has been completed and uploaded on to youtube.
My son, Brad, created it for me, using stop motion animation. He is an engineering student with a passion for photography and a pretty strong creative streak.

The clip plays on the notion that stories / books take you on a journey. I think it is a lot of fun. Let me know what you think.

Thanks, St Anne's!

2010-11-30T23:14:00.000+11:00

Had a fab day today hanging out with the great kids at St Anne's School, South Strathfield. I had so much fun and was blown away by their enthusiastic participation , imaginative ideas and intelligent questions and answers.

Highlights:

Creating the "three-eyed spotty alien monster". Hope I got that name right!
Screening for the very first time (to students), the finished, almost ready to post on youtube trailer for Get a Grip, Cooper Jones. Will post the link soon.
Brave Harry and his unique responses to "meeting" Charlie the spider.

Riley and the Curious Koala Blog Tour

2010-11-20T06:36:00.000+11:00

Today I welcome author, Tania McCartney to discuss THE PROS AND CONS OF SELF-PUBLISHING.

It seems like the success of the publication of your first Riley book took you a little by surprise.

Yes, its success has been a surprise! Mainly in regard to how well it’s been received in Australia. I actually released Riley and the Sleeping Dragon: A journey around Beijing while living in China, so my audience in Beijing was very different to home… it was a multinational expat one, along with Westernised local Chinese. The combination of a Western boy touring around China’s ancient capital was one that appealed to this large group enormously, and the book sold over 1500 copies in three months. I had to reprint twice and the book is still selling strongly in some major Chinese cities.

Being a book with such a specific market, I honestly believed Riley and the Sleeping Dragon would die a natural death when we moved home to Australia in January 2009. This was my first picture book, too, so I was not an established children’s author (I have been published in the adult non-fiction category before) and I knew that ‘cracking’ the children’s book industry would be tough. Our children’s market here is enormous, well-established and packed with talent, but nonetheless, I thought I’d give it a go.

I approached a nationwide distributor – Dennis Jones & Associates, and set about marketing the book locally (in Canberra) and online… and the rest is history. Riley and the Sleeping Dragon was featured in the ABA’s Kids Reading Guide for 2009/2010 and continues to sell strongly Australia-wide. I’m only one person, but thankfully my commitment to showcasing the book has paid off and the series has developed a bit of a cult following. The second book in the series Riley and the Dancing Lion: A journey around Hong Kong was released last year and I’m thrilled to bring Riley home this November with Riley and the Curious Koala: A journey around Sydney.

I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised the series has done well here – Aussies are great travellers after all, and many kids can relate to these books because they have either visited Hong Kong and Beijing, or because they harbour an innate sense of adventure.

Can you outline the reasons behind your choice of self-publication for this book and why you think Riley was so successful?

Essentially, I wrote Riley and the Sleeping Dragon as a memento for my kids – of their four years in Beijing. I have long-adored children’s books and after spending too much time just dreaming about writing one, decided to actually do it. I had lots of time on my hands and printing in China is phenomenally cheap, so I thought I’d give self-publishing a go.

I also knew I’d have a good chance of success because I was working in Beijing as a kids editor for several English language magazines, and had developed a bit of a following with my articles and family matters column. I had the audience, I had the printing means, I had the time and the passion – so I did it.

Self-publishing was surprisingly easy – after some serious research online, I found an illustrator and got to work. There were lots of mistakes and much time-wasting along the way, but in five months, I had 1000 books delivered to my door and it was truly one of the most remarkable moments of my life. It was incredibly rewarding.

Marketing and promoting the books was also relatively easy because of the profile I had developed through my magazine work. These magazines were very supportive and we created a fantastic marketing campaign that really helped get the word out. I sold out of books very quickly and even managed to get books into major booksellers.

Coming back to Australia was a different story – trying to infiltrate an already-saturated market was like standing at the base of Mt Everest, but thanks to my wonderful distributor, the internet and relentless hard work – I have succeeded to put a wee dent into the children’s book market and things are still going well. Sure, it’s frustrating at times but I’ve just never given up – and I won’t ever give up.

I’ve continued to self-publish these books because I can do it easily now – I have a glorious illustrator and printer (I print in Australia now), and the templates are all in place, so writing and producing the books is relatively straight forward and great fun.

Marketing and saturation continues to be the greatest challenge with self-publishing, but my stock continues to sell and my profile continues to rise (slowly!) thanks to Kids Book Review and Australian Women Online (where I’m a Senior Editor). It’s a slow, sometimes agonising process, but I couldn’t do anything else. I love it too much.

I think the success of the Riley series is because of my dedication and my passion for writing and the kids book scene. Oh, and I think the books are good! They’re different in that they incorporate several elements – text, illustration, photos and graphics – which really attracts kids. They’re also about travel, something I personally adore, and I think that when you write what you know and love, it has a greater tendency to succeed.

So many authors and illustrators publish or self-publish a book and then sit back and wait for it to succeed. I don’t think anyone – no matter how well-established – can rest on their laurels. Promoting and marketing your work – and yourself – is vital to market saturation, and that is something I ceaselessly work on. They say the most successful authors of the future will be those that market themselves well (on top of producing quality work, of course).

I also think the Riley series has done well because of the books’ quality. Self-publishers need to be mighty careful about quality and credibility – there is so much self-published crap and this tends to blacken the self-publishing genre – alas. This is rapidly changing, however, as more and more house-quality books are self-published and gain nationwide – even worldwide – attention.

There’s a very inaccurate belief that people resort to self-publishing because they can’t get their books published anywhere else. This may be true for a percentage of people but it is by no means the norm – I have met many successfully self-published people who never even approached a publishing house with their manuscript – myself included. There are many circumstances that lead people to self-publish and one of the main ones is that it’s so doable now. So long as you have the dedication and a commitment to quality and promotion, you can’t go wrong.

I imagine self-publishing has its own set of rewards and challenges. What have been some of the rewards and challenges that self-publishing has given you?

The rewards have been many – that feeling of achievement after endless hard work is just priceless. It’s also been wonderful to be able to associate my name with my books. Many authors and illustrators write fabulously successful books but their names can get lost amongst the book’s title and hoo-ha. Self-publishing has allowed me to expand upon and brand my name as opposed to the Riley series in itself. This is especially helpful as I write in other genres than children’s books, and am equally committed to those genres.

The other enormous reward has been the complete freedom to honour my own creative processes and choices, without having editors or publishers alter my work. Of course, this also has its cons! because a good editor is priceless. I’ve been very careful to look at my work objectively and to plan my path carefully, to minimise being too one-eyed.

Another bonus is that I can do what I want with my work – add to it, utilise it, work with it, expand upon it, without having to ask permission or follow any rules. I think being able to do this has added to the books’ success.

Earning a very large to large percentage (depending on whether I sell directly or via my distributor) from the sale of my books is also very nice.

Challenges include being only one person, having to fund everything and taking risks. But the greatest challenge, by far, is time. Publishing, printing, promoting and marketing takes up a huge amount of my creative writing time (and hair-washing time) – and this is a bug-bear I constantly battle with. I often get resentful that I can’t spend hours just writing languidly, because I have other sides of my ‘business’ to honour.

Maybe I’ll approach a publisher one day to take over the series so I can get my hair washed.

What advice would you give to other writers considering self-publishing?

Do consider it, but only if you have the time and dedication. It is truly full time work and your success would rely on a) quality of both the book’s content and production and b) your ability to market and promote.

Seek outside opinion from both children and adults. Listen to what people say but always follow your heart. Be objective about your work.

Don’t become one-eyed and do NOT expect to make much money. Self-publishing is a labour of love and if you’re in it for the money, you can forget it. This route best suits people who are passionate about the entire children’s book industry and have a love of publishing, illustrating and the entire literary scene (as I do). You will learn an enormous amount from self-publishing.

Self-publishing is not a guaranteed route to house publication. It stands alone, though any success you do achieve will certainly bring credibility to your work (if you do it well!).

As a self-publisher you must wear many hats. Put on your marketer’s hat for a moment and describe your latest Riley adventure. What do you think is the key to Riley’s continued success and following?

Riley and the Curious Koala: A journey around Sydney is the third in the Riley series of travelogue picture books for primary school children. This multimedia series combines stunning black and white photos of one of the world’s finest cities, with photographs of a real tin plane and gorgeous illustrations by Canberra artist Kieron Pratt.

Each book in the Riley series follows the adventures of this little Aussie aviator and his friends. Beginning in Beijing with his search for the sleeping dragon, the books are unique in that they combine virtual travel (via the photographs) with an adventure story that incorporates an animal associated with the destination.

The books combine history, culture and education in an almost imperceptible way. The gist of the storyline always incorporates some relatable element to the animal being searched for in each book. Sometimes these elements are literal, sometimes metaphorical, sometimes toyed with, as in the case of Riley and the Curious Koala.

The Riley series of books are different and I believe this is why they stand out and continue to do well. They are beautifully illustrated, humorous, fabulous fun and follow a tried and true story writing formula that draws children into the pages, so they can travel alongside their hero. The characters are charming, cute and totally relatable, meaning children very quickly fall in love.

In each subsequent book, the animal Riley finds becomes a ‘friend’ who then appears in the next book, in the form of a stuffed toy. This links the series in an irresistible way. Featuring a map at the end of the book that promises more adventure really hooks kids into the series, too – where will Riley travel to next? Will it be their town?

All of these above elements combine to add to the success of the Riley series. Along with my personal passion for travel, marketing and writing for children, I’m hoping the Riley books continue to entrance children for a long time to come. And in the meantime, where should Riley travel to next?

Riley and the Curious Koala is the third in the Riley travelogue series of picture books, taking young children on a journey to far flung destinations. Riley’s first adventure began in Beijing with Riley and the Sleeping Dragon, continued on through Hong Kong with Riley and the Dancing Lion, and now enters home turf, with a fun-filled adventure through the beautiful city of Sydney.

Will Riley find this terribly elusive and quite curious fluffy creature amongst the gorgeous watery vistas of one of the world’s most beautiful cities? Panda, Dragon and Lion from earlier books join this little aviator on his sensational Sydney search… and their discovery is a curious (and funny!) one, indeed.

Part of the profits for Riley and the Curious Koala will go to the Australian Koala Foundation https://www.savethekoala.com/.

Thanks, Tania. All the best for the success of Riley and the Curious Koala.

Coming soon - Tania McCartney - Blog Tour

2010-11-18T21:39:00.001+11:00

This coming Saturday, Tania McCartney will be dropping by as part of her blog tour to promote the release of her latest book, Riley and the Curious Koala and to discuss the pros and cons of self-publishing.

A bit about Tania ...

Tania McCartney is an author, editor, publisher, blogger, book reviewer and mango devourer who loves writing, celebrating and supporting children’s literature – and literacy. She is the author of the Riley series of travelogue picture books, as well as several published and self-published adult books.

Tania is an experienced magazine writer and editor, is the founder of Kids Book Review http://kids-book-review.blogspot.com and is a Senior Editor at Australian Women Online. She lives in Canberra with a husband, two kids and a mountain of books. For more about Tania visit her http://www.taniamccartney.com/ or check out these blogs during her tour.
Already this month she has visited:
Writing Out Loud Blog
AUTHOR INTERVIEW
The Book Chook
CRAFTING A BOOK USING PHOTOS
Handmade Canberra Blog
BOOK GIVEAWAY! Win Riley and the Curious Koala! Run!
Dee Scribe
MARKETING A SELF-PUBLISHED BOOK
Reading Upside Down
A CURIOUS LIFE
Australian Women Online
HOW TO SELF-PUBLISH A CHILDREN’S SERIES AND REMAIN SANE
Little People Books
READING TO LITTLE ONES
Miss Helen Writes
TRAVEL, BOOKS AND CHILDREN
Soup Blog
STORY WRITING IDEAS
Bernadette Kelly’s Blog
ILLUSTRATING THE RILEY SERIES
Posie Patchwork: The Blog
EXTENDING YOUR BRAND and BOOK GIVE AWAY!

And still to come:
Friday 19 November
Sally Murphy’s Writing for Children Blog
APPROACHING PUBLISHERS
Saturday 20 November
Sheryl Gwyther's Blog
FROM BEIJING TO CANBERRA
Kids Book Review
LIVE QUESTION TIME WITH TANIA!
Sunday 21 November
Sandy Fussell’s Stories are Light Blog
AN INTERVIEW WITH RILEY!
Kids Book Review
RILEY AND THE CURIOUS KOALA BOOK GIVEAWAYS!
Sunday 21 November, in the evening
Tania McCartney Blog
BOOK LAUNCH PARTY
Join Tania as she takes you through her book launch party, held at Dalton’s Bookstore in Canberra City. There will be photos, stories about the launch and lots of fun!

See you all on Saturday.

Teachers are Awesome

2010-10-31T09:21:00.000+11:00

There is no doubt about it - there are a heck of a lot of seriously dedicated, awesome teachers out there.

Yesterday morning in Sydney was gorgeous. The type of Saturday when a walk in the park or along the beach seems like the perfect thing to do. Or perhaps a picnic or barbecue with friends.

But despite this glorious spring weather beckoning, 65+ teachers headed to Our Lady of Good Counsel School, Forestville to attend an ALEA North Sydney professional development event on Children's Literature. The ALEA North Sydney group hold these events on various topics relating to literacy teaching four times each year, and without fail they are always well attended.

I gave a talk on enticing reluctant readers and the Lightning Strikes series published by Walker Books and Dr Alyson Simpson explored reading and responding to children's literature, giving many practical classroom ideas for the attendees to try out.

There was such a buzz in the room - such wonderful enthusiasm for children's lit, for teaching, for improving literacy, and for finding the right book. I felt privileged to be involved.

Special thanks to the hard-working ALEA North Sydney committee, especially Wendy Bean, Kathy Ferrari and Helen Pearson.

There is a lot of talent out there ...

2010-10-02T16:21:00.001+10:00

There are so many talented young writers out there. It never ceases to amaze me - truly. And last week when I was doing workshops with some amazingly clever and motivated young people at Brewongle - a NSW Department of Education Environmental Learning Centre and Bush Retreat - I was amazed yet again!

Holy guacamole, the kids were were amazing! They had talent by the bucket load.

What a classroom!

This writers' camp is held each year and it is becoming a favourite event with me. Simon French, Susanne Gervay and James Roy were there also, charged with the happy duty of inspiring these fantastic kids.

Tough gig - but, hey, someone has to do it!

Get a Grip, Cooper Jones is Launched

2010-09-26T15:11:00.002+10:00

I donned my party frock and party shoes. We sipped champagne and told jokes. We had a couple of speeches, a competition and lots of laughs, and I couldn’t have asked for a better way to celebrate the launch of Get a Grip, Cooper Jones.

Thanks so much to author, friend and SCBWI leader, Susanne Gervay for giving such a warm, generous and funny launch speech. You can read about it here.

Thanks also to Chris Cheng, SCBWI, the Hughenden Hotel, Claire Saxby, all who attended and shared the journey and joined in with the festivities. I had a blast. (And sold lots of books too! Yay!)

It was such a buzz – I was grinning for days afterwards.

A review and a launch for Cooper

2010-09-12T17:52:00.000+10:00

Here's a lovely review for Get a Grip, Cooper Jones at Chris Cheng's review blog. Thanks, Chris!

Now, drum roll please ...

Get a Grip, Cooper Jones is going to be officially launched by Susanne Gervay next Sunday (September 19) at the SCBWI conference, The Hughenden Hotel, 14 Queen St Woollahra NSW, 12.30 - 1.00 pm. Let me know if you would like to drop by and join the celebration.

Book Week Fun

2010-09-04T16:11:00.002+10:00

Here are some pics from BOOK WEEK. Courtesy of the wonderful Jean Saxby, T/L at Galston Public. Thanks, Jean!

Firefighting fun!

My volunteer firefighters are pretty tired after putting out the fire at Lulu's Ice-creamery.

Teacher / Librarian, Jean Saxby and moi.
Look at the great FREAKY poster on the window.

Teacher's notes for Get a Grip Cooper Jones

2010-09-04T08:44:00.000+10:00

Walker Books has created a great set of comprehensive teachers' notes for Get a Grip, Cooper Jones. They can be downloaded from the Walker Books website. Thanks, Walker!

Lucky Last

2010-08-30T19:36:00.000+10:00

Thanks to a wonderfully relaxing weekend, I headed off to Blaxland School this morning full of beans for my last Book Week school visit.

There is nothing like an eager audience, eyes wide, totally engaged with your stories to fire you up. Thanks Blaxland! Your bubbling enthusiasm, astute questions and lively participation has motivated and inspired me. I can't wait to get my fingers typing on some new stories.

And so it's back to the office tomorrow for the "day job". But that's not so bad, as I'm lucky enough to have a job where I get to work with other authors and illustrators helping them to create fantastic new books.

Glorious Saturday

2010-08-28T19:56:00.000+10:00

Glorious Saturday. After a week of zipping from one side of the countryside to the other, from Galston to Dapto, from Camden to Pymble to Bankstown, speaking to well over a 1,000 children, today I spoiled myself with walks on the beach, cafe breakfast with my hubbie, coffee with friends and lying around reading (Saving Francesca - Melina Machetta) and dozing. Ahh - it's been wonderful.

What a week! Friday saw me heading off to Bankstown City Library. The wonderful children's librarian there, Tara, conducts an amazing Book Week program (which runs for about three weeks!) ferrying authors and illustrators to schools and libraries all over the Bankstown area. This year she has had Sarah Davis, Di Wu, John Heffernan, John Larkin and moi.

First up we shot across to Al Sadiq College, Yagoona to speak to Years 2 & 3. We needed to lug my rather heavy "bag of tricks" and other paraphernalia up two steep flights of stairs - but it was worth it! The kids were fantastic. Attentive and bubbling with enthusiasm - they were intrigued with the whole process of how an idea became a book and asked some rather intelligent questions about the publishing process. The only minor hiccup occurred when I nearly scared one poor young lady half to death with Charlie - my enormous puppet spider. (Sorry!)

Next we headed to Greenacre Library to share stories with Year 2 from Greenacre Primary. Their love of books was catchy and the session was a lot of fun - made even more so by Fire Chief Holden's wonderful help with the dramatisation of The Firefighters. I felt it wise to leave Charlie in the bag for this session as I didn't want to be responsible for any more frights or potential nightmares!

Last session for the week was at Sefton Infants School and I must admit that the enormity of the week sort of hit me halfway through the session and I found myself suddenly very weary and extremely tired of my own voice. Fortunately, adrenaline kicked in and aided by a sea of smiling, excited faces we bravely saved Lulu's Ice-Creamery and toiled over bubbling pots of sugary syrup, until the session was over and so was Book Week. Phew!

Well ... almost. I still have one more school on Monday. Blaxland Public, here I come!

All worth it

2010-08-26T19:09:00.000+10:00

To avoid having to drive two hours each way two days in a row, I shouted myself to a night in a hotel in Pennant Hills last night. It was a good move. I had noble intentions of using the solitude of my lonely room to write long into the night. Instead, I flaked. The bed was the hardest bed I have ever slept in, but it didn't seem to matter - I slept like a baby.

So this morning, I was ready and rearing to go, especially as Galston School was now only about twenty minutes away. Yay!

The kids at Galston love their stories and I had a ball sharing mine with them. Freaky again starred and so did my "Adventure Story". Question time was a blast with hands shooting in the air and kids almost begging to be picked - many having to save their questions until lunchtime.

I always hope that just a tiny bit of my enthusiasm for writing will rub off when I am doing these visits, so I was thrilled when one kindi teacher told me how inspired and excited the kids were to write after my session. One student in particular responded really well and wrote not only with increased confidence and enthusiasm - she also wrote far, far more than she usually does. Ahhh ... stories like this make it all worthwhile.

Bankstown Library tomorrow.

Freaky - the star of the show

2010-08-25T19:03:00.000+10:00

Another day, another school. This time Sacred Heart, Pymble, where I was greeted with much enthusiasm and excitement. (They even had a parking spot reserved for me!) And, oh, what a gorgeous library - I started tingling the moment I walked through the door!

Book Week and school visits are such a great opportunity to see what works, and what doesn't - to really get an understanding of what makes your readership tick. And I am always amazed at how different every school you visit is - how different the reactions are. One school might fall about laughing over a story or anecdote, where the next school may barely crack a smile over the same material. What interests one group enormously, may seemingly wash over the next.

I find this intriguing and such a useful exercise in discovering what elements of my books appeal most widely. This year, the "star" book - the one that has had the most kids talking at the most schools - is Freaky. There seems to be a lot of excitement surrounding the possibility of a story containing giant spiders. The kids at Sacred Heart certainly followed this trend and seemed to really enjoy meeting my very hairy pet spider, Charlie!

Thanks, Sacred Heart - I had so much fun sharing my stories with you all.

Tomorrow - Galston.

Day Two - Lakelands Primary, Dapto

2010-08-24T17:26:00.000+10:00

Well, today found me zipping down the coast to Lakelands Primary at Dapto.

There were two things that really struck me about Lakelands Primary (apart from its gorgeous name). Firstly, the kids were extremely well-behaved and attentive and it was obvious that the teaching staff worked really hard towards this end. Secondly, there was a wonderful buzz on the playground after my sessions. Kids everywhere talking about their favourite stories, favourite books, favourite authors, planning their own stories, bursting with questions as I walked through. The excitement about books was palpable.

This is why I love Book Week. It energises me. Inspires. Motivates.
Great stuff.
Thanks, Lakelands.

A great start to Book Week at St Paul's Camden + wonderful review at Kids' Book Capers

2010-08-23T16:22:00.000+10:00

Just spent the day with the wonderful kids of St Paul's Primary at Camden (Kindi - grade 3).

We created a crazy monster called Hornhead, put out several raging fires at Lulu's Ice-Creamery, got freaked out over large and very hairy spiders, twirled to Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy and toiled over bubbling pots of sugary syrup! No wonder I'm exhausted. Hope you had as much fun as I did, kids!

I also had another interesting question that required some research back at home to find the answer. The question: "How many different illustrators have illustrated my books?" Great question - and I had no idea. But after a bit of a stock take at home, I think the answer is 35. (Even I was surprised.)

Four sessions down, fifteen more to go.

For those interested, check out this great review for Get a Grip, Cooper Jones at Kids Book Capers, Boomerang Blog. This one had me grinning all weekend.

An Interesting Question and Abbotsleigh Literary Festival

2010-08-22T07:35:00.000+10:00

Last Monday I had the pleasure of speaking at the Abbotsleigh Literary Festival. I was a little nervous prior to the event as I was going to present Get a Grip, Cooper Jones for the first time and wasn't sure how Cooper would be received. I felt like the mother of a kindi student about to send her precious child off for his first day at school. Will the other kids be kind? Will he make any friends? Will the kids like him as much as I do?

As is often the case, I need not have worried. Cooper held his own and I had numerous students milling around me after my sessions asking the question author's love to hear: "Where can I buy the book?"

It was a wonderful event, the students were fantastic and I had a great time.

During one session, I had a question from a student (Miriam) that I couldn't think of an answer for at the time and I promised to think about it and get back to her. The question was: "If you could be a character from any book, who would you be?"

I have been mulling over this ever since and I haven't yet been able to come up with a female character that I sincerely would want to be. This troubles me slightly.

If I look to my own books, I think I would want to be Sasha from A Strange Little Monster because she has a kind heart, but is also strong and courageous and true to herself. If I look elsewhere in Children's Literature, I guess I am partial to Hermione Granger from the Harry Potter series - for similar reasons, and also because of her intelligence.

When I look to adult literature, I really can't get past Atticus Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird. I love Atticus because of his honesty and integrity.

I'm sure there are plenty of wonderful characters out there that I have overlooked. Any ideas? (Thanks for the great question, Miriam.)

Tomorrow is the first day of Book Week, and to mark the week, I have set myself the task of writing a blog post about each school/library I visit. Book Week is exhausting at best, so I'm not sure if I will be up for the challenge, but I will give it my best shot.

Congrats to all the winners in the CBCA Book of the Year Awards - especially the wonderfully talented bunch from Walker Books : Glenda Millard, Rebecca Cool, Sally Murphy and Heather Potter. You rock, gals!

Happy Book Week everyone!

Get a Grip, Cooper Jones - Release Day

2010-08-02T02:08:00.000+10:00

I may be on the other side of the world (Vancouver at the moment) but I couldn't let the release day of Get a Grip, Cooper Jones slip by without at least raising a glass of cyber-bubbles and saying "Good luck, Cooper!" with my cyber buddies.

I will be returning in a week or so - after a kayak and camping trip out of Vancouver Island - just in time for Book Week and a full program of school and library visits to help celebrate Cooper's release "for real".

Until then, cyber-celebrations will have to suffice.
So ... here's cheers!

Get a Grip, Suzie-Q

2010-06-27T07:58:00.000+10:00

In the next week or so, I will finally be holding an advance copy of my novel for 10-14 year olds, Get a Grip, Cooper Jones (published by Walker Books). And I am jiggling with excitement and nerves. And yes, this book is my third and final example of the three Ps of Publication. (Practice, Patience and Perseverance.)

This little baby has been my work in progress for the past six years. It has undergone so many rewrites that I couldn't even hazard a guess as to the number. It started out as one book, based on what I believed was a strong premise, and has ended up an entirely different book with that original premise thrown out the window. I have killed thousands of my "darlings", to coin a phrase from Stephen King's, On Writing, with some of my favourite scenes and funniest lines being mortally wounded by the delete key. In my last rewrite in January, I estimate I axed about 10 000 words and added about 15 000 new ones. (At this point, I'd like to add another P: PERSPIRATION! I have certainly put in the hard yards with this book.)

It has also gone through numerous name changes. It started out as Feral Feet (now totally irrelevant) and was To the Feral Tree up until about three or four months ago. Now it is Get a Grip, Cooper Jones and I think it is the perfect title for it.

So if ever there was a book that demonstrates that you shouldn't give up, this is it. It is due for release on August 1 and I can hardly wait!

What do you think of the cover? Pretty cool, isn't it?

More anon.

CBCA NSW State Conference

2010-06-21T21:46:00.000+10:00

What an amazing couple of days. Terrific organisation. Wonderfully inspiring and entertaining speakers. Great company. Great fun. Congrats and thanks to all who were involved! I loved it, loved it, loved it!

The Three Ps of Publishing - Part 2

2010-05-30T07:34:00.000+10:00

This week my Aussie Nibble, A Strange Little Monster, illustrated by Stephen Michael King, will be released. YAY! And this release provides me with my second example of the three Ps of Publishing at work.

This story started with a first line that just popped into my head:

"In all of Grotty Hollow, there was no stranger little monster than Sasha."

I had no idea where the line came from, but it immediately intrigued me and I wanted to know more about this strange little monster. What made her strange? How did she cope with her strangeness?

A Strange Little Monster started out as a picture book manuscript and I honestly felt that this was the "one" - the one that publishers were going to be falling over themselves to publish. I was sadly mistaken. I sent the manuscript to eight publishers, and eight publishers rejected it. (This was in 2002/2003.)

But I was not deterred! (Cue: PERSEVERANCE.) I reworked the manuscript as a chapter book, a short story, a reader ... I sent it back out into the world and again it was rejected. (And I was sorely dejected, I have to say.) So I put the manuscript in my bottom drawer where all lonely homeless manuscripts go, and got on with other projects.

Five years later (cue: PATIENCE), I stumbled across it quite by accident and had another read. Hey, I think this could work as an Aussie Nibble, I thought. I pulled out my previous chapter book version, and with clear eyes and five years further writing experience behind me, I could see its flaws - and there were many! I could also see just what it needed to work in this format. So I set to work, and as they say, the rest is history!

When I was a primary school teacher, come September/October of each school year, I often found myself worrying that my students weren't making enough progress. At this point, I would always go back and look at examples of their work from the beginning of the year, and nine times out of ten, I would discover that they had indeed made loads of progress.

I often feel this way with my writing. Am I progressing? Is my writing getting stronger? Am I doing enough to improve my craft? It is so hard to know and often I find that writing seems to be getting harder for me rather than easier. (I suspect this might be because I am being increasingly harder on myself.)

Fortunately, the rewriting of A Strange Little Monster really brought home to me that yes, my writing has benefited from the years of PRACTICE. All that writing and reading and thinking and workshopping and analysing and critiquing has paid off. Like my primary school students, I have, thankfully, progressed. When I looked at my original manuscript, five years on, I could see why it was rejected. It simply wasn't strong enough. It started off relatively strongly, but wobbled into a meandering middle and fell splat into a limp ending. And it was a wonderful experience for me to rework it to a point that it was accepted rather than rejected!

So the lesson for me with this book is to never give up and to continue to practise my craft: to read and read and read; and write and write and write. It is, I believe, the only path that leads to PUBLICATION.

Oh, and by the way, that opening line that I loved and adored - I gave it the chop! It didn't work for the Aussie Nibble chapter book genre.

The Three Ps of Publishing

2010-05-02T09:07:00.000+10:00

From time to time I give workshops for aspiring authors. During these workshops, I often speak about the three Ps of publishing: Practice, Patience and Perseverance. Over the next few months I have three new books coming out - all that demonstrate the three Ps beautifully.

The first is my picture book You Wish Jellyfish. You Wish Jellyfish, illustrated by Lee Krutop, hits the bookshop shelves this week. This picture book has been a long time in the making - six years to be exact. Six years of PRACTICE, PATIENCE AND PESEVERANCE.

I started writing the story in mid 2004.

I first submitted it in February 2005.

It received its first rejection six weeks later.

Over the next twelve+ months I reworked the manuscript numerous times. I workshopped it with my writing buddies and reworked it some more. I submitted it to twelve publishers. Almost all replied with very positive comment and feedback, but no banana.

In November 2006 it was finally accepted by Koala Books. YAY! I almost didn't send it to Koala , because for some unknown reason, I thought the publisher, who had already published a couple of my books, wouldn't like it! Shows how little I know.

Next of course the manuscript was edited and reworked again and then began the search for an illustrator. Working in children's publishing, I know firsthand how long and difficult the task of finding the right illustrator can be and for You Wish, Jellyfish it wasn't until about May 2008 that I saw the first sample illustration from Lee Krutop.

It is now May 2010 and the book with Lee's beautifully bright illustrations is finally a reality.

I have seen it in a bookshop.

It has been sold to a Korean publisher.

And it has even received its first review in Junior Bookseller and Publisher Magazine.

Here is an excerpt: "... The wording is playful yet evocative, particularly when Jellyfish decribes to Mussel how 'sometimes the current took him where the sea washed warm and milky green over a garden of twisty coral,' and works best when read aloud, with the refrain of 'You wish, Jellyfish' sure to be a hit with the little ones. This is a gorgeous underwater road trip for ages two and up about accepting who you are and looking at life from a different perspective." Clare Hingston, Bookseller Younger Sun Bookshop, Yarraville.

And, heck, what a classic example of the three Ps of publishing! Time to crack open the bubbly. Cheers!

The Firefighters - Paperback and Big Book

2010-04-16T21:35:00.000+10:00

The Firefighters, illustrated by the wonderful Donna Rawlins is now out in paperback and big book. The big book is particularly gorgeous - wonderful to see Donna's art gloriously larger than life. Saw a lovely display of the paperback today at Better Read than Dead (Newtown) with a recommendation and a cheeky note about how Donna and I can often be found hanging outside the local fire station! Made me laugh. (How did they know?)

Classroom ideas have been updated to include big book activities and can be found by clicking on this link. (And also at the Walker Books Australia website.) Click here for a Firefighters' colouring in sheet.

How gorgeous is this?

2010-02-20T16:22:00.000+11:00

This is the cover for my Aussie Nibble, A Strange Little Monster, out in June 2010. Pretty gorgeous, isn't it? Stephen Michael King is a bit of a genius, don't you think?

I have only seen his roughs for the internal illustrations so far - but they made me laugh out loud! He has created some pretty zany monsters for Grotty Hollow. Nothing like the monsters I imagined - but, oh, so much better!

Can't wait to share this one with kids.

Clocking up the Hours

2010-01-17T20:02:00.000+11:00

For the past week or so, I have been on holidays from my "day job" and have been busy working on some major revisions to my middle grade novel To the Feral Tree. I have to say, that I have been thoroughly enjoying the process and have been really proud of myself, especially with the amount of energy and focus I have been able to maintain each and every day.

I'm not sure whether it is the change in routine, or whether it is because I have a deadline and a limited amount of "writerly" time to make that deadline, but I have been hammering away at the keyboard for between 8 - 14 hours each day for the past nine days (plus a few similar random days over the Christmas / New Year period). I have to tell you, this is some kind of record for me. I am the one who usually manages an hour or three, then suddenly remembers that she must mop that floor, or ring her sister, or get some groceries ...

I think it was Edison that said "success is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration". If this is the case, then I have certainly put in the perspiration for this project, here's hoping the inspiration doesn't let the team down.

Nevertheless, it is back to the "day job" and I will be hopping onto the 7.10 train tomorrow, secure in the knowledge that the revised manuscript is already in my editor's inbox. Yay!

And the best part is, I am all fired up and itching to get on to my next project. Double yay!

Confessions of a Scaredy-cat

2009-10-05T07:40:00.000+11:00

Okay, so last post sounded like I was at the confessional! Sorry! But thanks for the comments / emails of support and understanding.

Writing is a scary business. For all of us. With each word we put on the page for others to read, we reveal a little of ourselves. With each book that hits the bookshop shelves, we put ourselves and our work out there to be judged. Scary, indeed.

I still haven't written a word for the WIP. But it's been more because of an extremely hectic schedule rather than because of fear. But I did have time to reflect on what exactly I was scared of.

Summary of Fears:

That I wasn't up to it. That the story I was trying to tell was more than I can handle.
That my writing lacked elegance.
That my writing was flat and dull.
That my characters were two dimensional and boring.
That my story was boring.
That the story that had excited me months ago when I started writing wasn't nearly as exciting or unique or interesting as I had hoped/dreamed/envisioned.
That with my current work commitments, I didn't have the time or the energy to become immersed enough in my characters' heads to do the story justice.

And there's more. But none of these fears are new to me. I go through periods of self-doubt with every book I write. And I'm sure these types of doubts and fears are pretty typical for many writers. It is all part of the territory. And as writers we have to suck up all that negativity and get on with the job. (It helps to have wonderful writing buddies to help you out of the abyss though.)

So Suzie, go listen to your own advice, and get cracking!

Truth is, I'm scared

2009-09-20T22:18:00.000+10:00

Book Week mania is over, and I've now had a chance to recharge my batteries, hang out with the family, smell the gorgeous salty sea breezes from my front verandah - heck, I've even cleaned the house. Technically, I should be brimming with enthusiasm, ready to smash away at the keyboard every chance I get, building my WIP towards its thrilling climax.

But I haven't written a word. Not one.

I open up my file and read snippets, hoping that will get me motivated. Some bits I read, I know are fit only for the waste disposal, but that's okay - it's only a first draft, I can cope with that. Other bits excite me. I really like my characters. I miss them, even. And I am clear about what is going to happen in the next half dozen scenes. I have visualised the scenes over and over, can hear my characters talking - calling to me. So what's my problem?

Writer's block? Nah - I know what I want to write; I just can't get my fingers to do the walking.

Lack of time? Possibly - I've started a new role at Walker Books, and am now full time, all the time, so this is probably part of the reason. (And the reason I like to hide behind.)

But if I am completely frank and honest with myself, I know the real reason. And it's not pretty.
Truth is, I'm scared.

Packing Away the Safari Suit

2009-08-30T07:36:00.000+10:00

After travelling almost 2800 kms (1600 by plane, 1200 by car) to give 11 author talks , 3 writing workshops and attend 5 Book Safari events (including 2 Safari luncheons, 1 dinner and 1 brunch!), it's time to pack away the leopard skin and zebra print outfits and head back to the "day" job.
But it's been a blast.

Highlights:

The surprise "welcome" performance of a dramatisation of Taming Butterflies by a group of Year 6 girls at Meriden.

The nail-biting finishes to the "Who Wants to Win a Sue Whiting Book" competition.

The open-eyed, gaping-mouth response to my readings of Freaky - especially from the boys at Sydney Grammar.

The opportunity to join in with the Queensland events.

The enthusiastic response to some new material I was trying out.

The numerous kids begging me to write a book about the Antarctic adventure story I told.

Favourite quote:

Kindi boy: What is your next book going to be?
Me: A book called A Strange Little Monster.
Kindi boy (gleefully): Yay! It's about me.

And I think he may be right ...
Photos courtesy of Sally Govett at Meriden Junior School. Thanks!

Safari, anyone?

2009-08-27T07:51:00.000+10:00

Book Safari 2009 started off with an early morning flight to the Gold Coast to attend the announcement of the CBCA Book of the Year winners and honour books.

It was my happy duty to look after our talented Walker Books' winners: Bob Graham (Winner, Early Childhood category for How to Heal a Broken Wing) and Mark Greenwood and Frane Lessac (Honour Book, Eve Pownall Award for Simpson and his Donkey). Speeches were accompanied by the barks and coughs of the neighbouring sea lions and a wild time was had by all.

Next stop was Brisbane to the CBCA Qld Branch's Book Safari dinner where the highlight was Glenda Millard's poignant and heartfelt speech, entitled, Getting Naked, which dealt with the use of raw emotion in writing. It was truly wonderful.

Saturday morning I trekked to Cafe San Marco, South Bank, for a wild Book Safari brunch with a great bunch of kids. It was lots of fun celebrating Book Week Queensland-style. (Thanks Beth!)

(I also had the chance to catch up with my sister and nieces and nephews, which was an added bonus!)

Children's Book Week Fast Approaching

2009-08-12T16:50:00.000+10:00

It's that time of the year again!

Children's Book Week is officially celebrated from 21st - 30th August, but for most, the fun and frivolity lasts for most of August. Perhaps we should change it to Book Month? (No groaning, please!)

Although always hectic, I thoroughly enjoy all the festivities, events and school visits. I love the bookishness of the whole thing - the chance to really celebrate Australian children's literature and to put kid's books in the spotlight (albeit briefly). It also provides me time away from my "day" job, to share my passion for story and writing with others and to recharge my batteries.

Once the festivities are over, I usually finish up exhausted and enthused in equal measures. And I'm often ready to dive head first into my current writing project. (I'm really hope this will be the case this year as I have most definitely stalled on my WIP.)

So where will I be?

Monday, 17th August: Gib Gate School, Mittagong, NSW

Tuesday, 18th August, Gib Gate School, Mittagong,NSW

Friday, August 21st: QLD CBCA Book Week Dinner, Brisbane, Qld

Saturday, August 22nd: Book Safari Children's Literary Brunch, Cafe San Marco, South Bank Brisbane, Qld

Monday, August 24th: NSW CBCA Children's Book Week Luncheon, South Steyne, Darling Harbour, Sydney

Tuesday, August 25th: Frenchs Forest School, Sydney

Wednesday, August 26th: Meriden Junior School, Strathfield

Thursday, August 27th: Sydney Grammar Prep, Edgecliff

Sunday, August 30th: NSW CBCA Book Safari at the Australian Museum, Sydney, 10.30 - 11.00.

As you can see, there are a number of events open to the public. So why don't you contact your local CBCA branch and see what they have planned for your state? Come along and join in the fun!

See you round.

People power needed

2009-07-18T16:15:00.000+10:00

It's been a sad week for the Australian publishing industry. The Productivity Commission's report on the Restrictions on the Parallel Importation of Books was released, recommending that the current copyright restrictions be lifted, thus putting the viability of the entire industry in jeopardy.

There is a lot of misinformation in the media about the ramifications of the lifting of these restrictions. The "Coalition for Cheaper Books", which, interestingly, is made up of Coles, Woolworths and Dymocks, is stating that the lifting of the restrictions will result in cheaper books. This is something that I seriously doubt.

Consider these facts:

The commission itself has stated that the lifting of the restrictions will not necessarily lead to cheaper books.
While Australian retailers may be able to obtain cheap remaindered US stock, they are under no obligation to pass on the savings to the buying public.
There is already a great variation in the prices of books in the Australian marketplace and some of the major chains often charge MORE than the publisher's RRP on a number of titles. Do you trust them to deliver cheaper books? I certainly don't. It is within their means to do so within the current market conditions, yet they choose not to.
If it is not likely that the lifting of copyright restrictions will result in cheaper books, but it is likely to have serious ramifications on the viability of the Australian publishing industry, then what's the point?

We need to act now. We must lobby the government to reject the commission's recommendations. And more than anything, we need to try to gain the support of the book-buying public. We need to enlist some People Power!

It is a complex issue, but the following blogs explain the situation very well:

Have a read. Have a think. And if you don't want to hand over further market control to the likes of Woolworths and Coles, but you do want to continue to read quality Australian books, then pick up a pen and write to your local member, telling them so.

I certainly will be.

How long can a character survive concussed at the bottom of a river?

2009-07-06T20:27:00.000+10:00

Have been busier than normal, fitting a number of "author" events around work, as well preparing for my son's 21st birthday. Lots of fun all round, but am feeling rather weary at the back end of it all.

Attended two great events last week. On Wednesday, the Illawarra Branch of the CBCA put on an amazingly well-organised and fun luncheon. I was fortunate to sit with the kids from Berkeley Public School (pictured left). Thanks to Georgie (CBCA, Sutherland Branch) Mrs Hornig (T/L Berkeley) and the awesome Imogen, Crystal, Chelsea, Zoe, Dayna, William and Stephanie for making the day so much fun. (BTW, guys, I lost the piece of paper with your names on it, so I hope my memory hasn't let me down. Please let me know if it has!)

I also had the privilege of speaking at a South-western Sydney Teacher Librarian Network meeting. It is always such a pleasure to be around people who share my enthusiasm and passion for books - makes the job rather easy when you are speaking to the converted. Thanks, Lyn, for inviting me.

Now, hopefully, life will settle down a little and I can get back to my WIP. I woke up with a start in the wee hours this morning as I realised that I hadn't touched the manuscript in weeks and have left young Seth concussed, sinking to the bottom of the river and poor Bailey and Oscar thrashing about frantically searching for him. How could I do that to my characters?! I'm a bad, bad author.

All for now. :)

Lots of Fab Stuff

2009-06-20T07:55:00.000+10:00

While I have been busy flitting around the place sugar plum fairying, some other fab stuff has been happening.

In no particular order:

The Firefighters has been shortlisted for Speech Pathology Australia's Book of the Year Award. You can view the shortlist here. As a former literacy teacher, this is sweet news indeed.
It has also been listed by Brisbane's Book Garden Bookstore as one of the top ten books for children for the holidays at ourbrisbane.com.
I received a great review for the Sugar Plum Fairy at Aussiereviews. The words "sheer delight" were kinda cool to read!
Australian Women Online magazine did a feature article on me. How exciting is that! You can read it here.
I received a lovely thank you letter and a whole pile of kid-made postcards from the kids at Rossmore Public School. I did a school visit there a few months ago and had a ball! What a great school, and what a wonderful surprise to receive in the post. Thanks, Mrs McGregor! Thanks kids!

Here are some snippets from the postcards:

"Thank you so much for coming to our school. We had a fun time when you were here. I've read 'Battle of the Rats'. It was gross but at the same time amazing. I think you are an amazing writer. I love 'Freaky'. I am reading it again ..." Tianna

"We really enjoyed the time you were here. I thought you were very funny." Taryn

"... I enjoyed making a book and hearing your stories ..." Andy

"... It was so funny I nearly died (which you wouldn't want me to do, I hope). Thank you very very much." Hunter

"... We learned many new writing skills and were inspired to write our own stories. One of my favourite parts was Cooking up Books because it was an easier way of remembering the writing process. It was fun and interesting. We are reading Battle of the Rats in Library and loving every minute of it." Lauren

Wow - doesn't get much better than that!

Now, on the down side, I have to admit to only adding 2 500 words to my current WIP during the last month. That will teach me for bragging about getting to 25 000!

Sugar Plum Fairying at The Children's Bookshop in Beecroft

2009-06-13T10:12:00.001+10:00

It's kind of scary standing, book in hand, in front of a room full of under four year olds. Especially when you know that the story you are about to read is longer than your young audience is used to and the chances of holding their attention to the end are slim. So you remind yourself that, if things get too out of hand, you can aways resort to some speed reading or, if need be, bring the story to an abrupt conclusion.

But, oh, one shouldn't underestimate one's audience - no matter how young!

The kids at Storytime at The Children's Bookshop in Beecroft were awesome! They sat and watched and listened, with hardly a peep, as Sarah and I donned hats and wigs and crowns and twirled and "actioned" our way through our story. I'm not sure if they were just too terrified to move as they watched the two mad women at the front, or if they were actually enjoying the story. No matter, we made it to the end, without the need for any diversionary tactics. Yay.

Thanks so much to Paul for inviting us to The Children's Bookshop - what an amazing shop - and for Theresa for sharing her Storytime gig. (Pictured above on the left.)

Launch Pics

2009-06-07T07:15:00.000+10:00

Well, the launch was a lot of fun! Lots of gorgeous sugar plum fairies flitting around the place. A fantastic display of candy making by the talented guys at Sticky. Heaps of clever crafty kids making sparkly wands and pictures. Stacks of enthusiastic participation in the storytelling. And gorgeous sweets to tempt everybody's tastebuds.

Thanks to all who came along - especially all my very supportive writing buddies.

A Sticky Book Celebration

2009-05-29T22:24:00.000+10:00

Illustrator, Sarah Davis and I would like to invite all Sydneysiders to a STICKY celebration for the release of our new book: Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy.

Where: Sticky – CANDYMAKERS
10 The Rocks Centre, Kendall Lane, The Rocks NSW 2000
When: Saturday 6th June at 2.30pm

This book is packed full of magic, music, candymakers, greedy kings, wicked guards, and sugary sweets galore! It is the second book in New Frontier's Music Box series, which aims to introduce children to famous pieces of classical music. It comes with a bonus CD with the story read by Antonia Kidman!

Watch real candy being made!
Taste some of Sticky’s delicious sweets!
Hear Sarah and I read the story and watch Sarah draw!
Come dressed as a fairy, a greedy king, or a yummy sweet! (optional)

No need to RSVP -
just come and join the fun!
Proudly brought to you by:
http://www.newfrontier.com.au/
http://www.sticky.com.au/
http://www.suewhiting.com/
http://www.sarahdavisillustration.com/

WIP - celebration

2009-05-10T16:21:00.000+10:00

Have just passed the 25 000 word mark in my WIP and am feeling decidedly pleased with myself - especially as I am working full time at the moment.

Just needed to share.

Have a STICKY at this!

2009-05-09T12:27:00.000+10:00

In my new picture book Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy, Marcus and Mary are the finest candymakers in all the land. To help make this part of the story authentic, I spent a number of sugary, calorie-rich hours at STICKY ( http://www.sticky.com.au/ ) in The Rocks. All in the name of research, of course!

If you haven't ever seen rock candy being made, it's certainly worth a visit. If you can't make it in person, catch a glimpse of the action in this YouTube clip. These guys are awesome!

Writing Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy

2009-05-02T15:00:00.001+10:00

For me, picture books are one of the most difficult genres to write in. It looks dead easy - heck, how hard can 600 words for 4 and 5 year olds be? In my opinion: very.

One of the things I discovered after a number of years of bashing my head against the proverbial brick wall, writing dozens of flat, uninspiring picture books texts, is that I can't write picture books on demand. My picture book texts generally come to me unbidden and usually in response to something I have witnessed or experienced that has stirred me emotionally. I've also discovered that I need to leave that initial flash of inspiration to simmer in my brain for quite sometime: until the rhythms of the language and the voice of the piece, toll bell-like in my mind; until, in fact, the text is almost fully formed and begging to be written. Then, only then, can I can risk putting words down on paper.

So when the publisher at New Frontier rang and asked me if I'd like to write a picture book text for their new Music Box series, I felt very uneasy - so much so, that I nearly refused. You can't write picture books on demand, I told myself. Don't try. You'll regret it, you fool.

But the concept behind the series was intriguing: writing picture book stories inspired by great pieces of classical music and I was sorely tempted. Then when I was given The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy from the Nutcracker Ballet as my inspiration piece - a piece of music I swirled to in my ballet slippers in front of my wardrobe mirror for most of my childhood - I was more or less hooked.

So I agreed to have a think about it and at least to have a try. But heck - was I nervous, definitely out of my comfort zone!

Then thanks to cyberspace, with a couple of mouse clicks, I was able to find U-tube clips of the ballet and within minutes I was six again, spinning (recklessly) in twirling pirouettes around the lounge room and bending into deep (and clumsy/painful) pliés, and gradually an idea started to form. Ah - here's to the magic of music and the power of our childhood memories! Several brisk walks around the neighbourhood, a bit of research into the story of the ballet, a visit to Sticky (candymakers in The Rocks, Sydney) and I was ready. Ready to start, anyway, and happy that I had a story to tell ...

Here is a link to one of the many Sugar Plum Fairy U-tube clips. Enjoy.

Look what came in the post today!

2009-04-29T22:15:00.000+10:00

Yay! Look what I got today.
An advance copy of my latest picture book, Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy. Gorgeous illustrations by the talented Sarah Davis and a CD with the story narrated by Antonia Kidman.

Happy day.

Freaky Interview

2009-04-19T15:04:00.000+10:00

Interested in a Freaky interview? I have been interviewed by Sally Murphy - author and reviewer - about the writing of Freaky and also about writing for series in general. Thanks, Sally!

Catch the interview at: http://sallymurphy.blogspot.com/ and also http://aussiereviews.blogspot.com/

It's a gloriously wet Sunday afternoon here, perfect for curling up in bed with my laptop and working on WIP. So back to it.

Ciao
PS: Watch out for Sally's new book out next month - Pearl Verses the World. It is gorgeous.

It's all in the telling

2009-04-10T12:42:00.001+10:00

Many years ago, when I first started out trying to write stories for publication, I wrote a story called The Baker and the Bunyip. It was, at the time, the "best" story I had written. I loved it and was very keen to see it get published.

In my enthusiasm to find a publisher, I rang the editor at an established trade publishing house and very cheekily asked: "Do you have an aversion to stories with talking bunyips?"

The editor laughed (thankfully!) and said, "Well, actually, yes. Talking bunyips aren't really my thing. But send it in anyway as, after all, it is all in the telling."

Well, obviously, my "telling" at the time wasn't quite up to scratch as the manuscript was quickly rejected and returned. But that bit of advice - it's all in the telling - stuck. It is the one truth that informs all my writing to this day.

No matter how wonderful your story idea, how exciting your plot, how quirky your characters - it all comes down to the telling. To voice and style. To the way your words flow into sentences and weave their magic on your readers. It is all in the telling.

Now ten years on, the editor I spoke to is a very well-respected publisher.

The Baker and the Bunyip was reworked and became The Baker and the Bush Beastie. I sold it to Macmillan Education in 2005. (Seems it's okay for bush beasties rather than bunyips to talk!)

And I am now an editor who very frequently utters the words: "Well, it's all in the telling, really ..."

Happy writing.

Playing With Spiders

2009-04-04T12:52:00.000+11:00

Any Aussie will tell you that you shouldn't play with spiders. But here's a link to a spider that begs to be played with.

http://www.onemotion.com/flash/spider/

Drag the spider around with your mouse. Feed it some insects and be ready to shudder. Not recommended for anyone suffering with arachnophobia!

Yours in skin-crawling freaky fun. (Thanks for the link, Paul.)

No Stopping Now

2009-03-29T17:36:00.000+11:00

I work as an editor four days per week and have Fridays "off" as my PWD (Precious Writing Day).

My current WIP (work in progress) is a teen novel that I think will end up being about 50 000 words long. At best, on my PWD I seem to be able to do about 1000 words, which means that it is going to take at least one full year, minimum - especially when you factor in school visits, life interventions etc - to get down my first draft. Ouch!

Will I make it?

Answer: yes!

Why?

Because I can happily announce that I have already managed to get over 15 000 words down and that means I will keep going until I finish, no matter how long it takes.

I have many 5000 word "starts" on my hard drive - but once I have got over the 10 000 hurdle, history tells me I'm in for the long haul.

And that makes me very happy.
And satisfied!

CBCA at the Southside Festival

2009-03-22T07:31:00.000+11:00

Yesterday I joined a group of authors and committee members from the Illawarra CBCA to do some readings at a lakeside community festival. Stalls, buskers and artists were sparsely scattered along the foreshore walkway for about three kilometres. (So I was told, as I didn't walk all the way to the end!)

To be honest, despite valiant efforts from Di Bates in lassoing and herding in passersby, we were only able to secure two very small groups to read to - which we did with much enthusiasm, might I add.

So what did I gain from the experience?

In terms of publicity and books sold - very little!

But heck, it was fun. It was a gorgeous day. We were sprawled on picnic blankets overlooking the sparkling lake and distant escarpment. I got to catch up with fellow local authors, Di Bates, Bill Condon and Richard Harland and hardworking CBCA committee members and talented writers, Anke Sieb, Vicki Stanton, Sandy Wooton and Maree Smith (and Maree's gorgeous daughters). I listened to three fantastic young girls from Di's Book Buddies Reading Club enthusiastically and confidently recite poetry. And I met a wonderful family who stayed and listened intently to a number of readers and whose daughter, Elizabeth (10), was a delight: an avid reader and aspiring writer. (Her brothers were very patient and pretty cool too!)

All in all, a lovely day, me thinks.

Pics thanks to Vicki Stanton: Above left Richard Harland and moi / Above right Di Bates and moi. Yes, I'm the silly one in the yellow raincoat pretending to be a firefighter. (Again!)

First Freaky Reviews

2009-03-14T11:15:00.000+11:00

I received a lovely surprise last Friday. On my doorstep was a plastic sleeve with a letter and "reviews" of Freaky from the Year 6 at my local primary school. The teacher, who has been a wonderful supporter of my books, read Freaky to her class in a couple of days. She wrote that: "the children forced me to read the last five chapters before Dictation this morning! I agreed though 'cause I couldn't put it down!"

There is no better validation than responses like these - it truly is what keeps you writing and believing in yourself, especially in those dark - and often too frequent - times when you start doubting yourself and wondering what the heck you are doing! So thanks, Year 6 and Mrs B! You have helped charge my enthusiasm and resolve and helped me add 2,000+ words to me latest novel this week. Yay!

Here is a sample of some of the kids' comments: (Sorry I couldn't post them all Year 6! They were all so great.)

"... Best book ever!" Mitchell
"... The story was great and chilling to the bone. It seemed so real. Please write more." Aidan
"... I loved this story. It is really FREAKY!" Emily
"I loved this novel because of how Jayden isn't used to the country ... It was an excellent book." Ella
"The novel Freaky was fantastic. It had everything a kid wants in a book: thorns, skateboards, computer games, spiders, fire and lots more! I recommend this book to anyone from the ages of 8 - 15." Thilo
"I loved Freaky because it's so funny and exciting ..." Sophie
"I hate spiders and it gave me the chills when the spiders came out ... I enjoyed reading this book and look forward to reading more of Sue Whiting's books!" Nadine.
"My favourite part was when Jayden fell off his board and landed on a cactus. It made me have goose bumps ... I'd recommend it to anyone." Zoe

New blogger. New book.

2009-03-07T20:02:00.000+11:00

HI.

I have resisted the world of blogging for a very long time - being fearful that blogging would eat up my already limited and precious writing time.(Translation: Give me something else to waste time on while procrastinating about my writing!)

But the time has come. I can resist no longer. So here I am.

And here is my new book: Freaky (Walker Books - Lightning Strikes Series).

The reason I have chosen today to enter the blogosphere.

However, I am already very frustrated as the book cover is YELLOW and no matter what I do, it keeps uploading as BLUE? HELP! What have I done wrong?
Sue the hapless new blogger