Aleesah Darlison's Blog

Puggle Picnic

2010-10-27T07:51:00.001-07:00

Fancy a Puggle Picnic?

Check out the flyer for details: Puggle Picnic Flyer.

Includes a FREE voucher for children.

Great Reviews and Articles

2010-10-04T18:32:00.000-07:00

Hi Folks

I'm getting some wonderful reveiws and articles posted on various internet sites and blogspots lately.

It gives you such a great feeling to have people say nice things about you - and your books - and I hope it keeps on coming!

You can check out some of the latest news and reviews here:

Australian Women Online

ReadPlus

Stories are Light

And thanks to everyone for their words of encouragement and support.

TTFN
Aleesah

Brisbane Appearances - November

2010-10-01T00:28:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to give you some advance notice, I will be appearing at a number of events in Brisbane on Friday 5th and Saturday 6th November:

Friday 5th Nov @ 1:30pm, I will be running a writers workshop called 'Marketing and Promoting Your Book'. This is a must-attend event for emerging and established authors who are looking for new ways to help them stand out from the crowd. Cost is $15. For full details, follow this link: Promotion & Marketing Flyer.

Friday 5th Nov @ TLC Bookstore Event: Author & Illustrator Afternoon. Meet illustrator, Sandra Temple, author Louise Elliott and me(!) at a special event to be held at TLC Bookstore, Manly, Brisbane. This is a free event. For full details go to: TLC Event Flyer.

And finally, the Word Writers Fair is a writers festival that's set to be a huge event, allowing attendees to learn from, listen to and network with some brilliant Australian book creators. Check out the details here: WWF Flyer.

Hope to see you there!

TTFN
Aleesah

Blog Tour for Totally Twins

2010-09-27T18:58:00.000-07:00

From Tuesday 5 October to Friday 22 October, I will be conducting a blog tour for my new series, Totally Twins.

Visit my Appearances page at www.aleesahdarlison.com for a full schedule or click here: Appearances & Blog Tour.

Totally Twins Book Launch and a Glowing Review for Puggle's Problem

2010-09-15T03:39:00.000-07:00

Aleesah Darlison (left: author) and Serena Geddes (right: illustrator) at our launch of Totally Twins: Musical Mayhem - and Puggle's Problem still in the picture...

A lovely review of Puggle's Problem appeared on the Buzz Words Magazine blogspot. Check it out at: Buzz Words.

I spent the morning at Killarney Heights Primary School, talking to the children there about Puggle's Problem and Totally Twins. The students and staff were an absolute delight. KHPS is a bilingual school, students are taught to speak English and French and the school is located in the most beautiful spot: quiet, suburban, secluded but with shops, the high school and a recreation oval right nearby. Ah, Killarney Heights is a dream!

Last night saw the official launch of Totally Twins, which was held at Berkelouw Books, Balgowlah. We had around 100 people turn out to help Serena (illustrator for the series) and I celebrate the birth of our new book. The bookstore was absolutely packed, there was a great vibe and I had a wonderful time. It takes an awful lot of energy to plan these events, though, so I am quite glad the festivities are now over!

I'm off to Bookfeast, organised by Michael Fraser, tomorrow at Burwood. Can't wait!

TTFN
Aleesah

Get Ahead Kids Article

2010-09-11T03:38:00.000-07:00

Check out the latest issue of Get Ahead Kids online for my article on 'Making Milestones'. There's also a lovely review of Puggle's Problem: Get Ahead Kids.

All focus at the moment has been on getting out there and talking about my new series, Totally Twins, published by New Frontier. On Tuesday I attended the CBCA 'Lunch with the Stars' function at St Patrick's Manly. Around 200 students and 20 authors attended this marvellous event organised by author, Belinda Murrell.

On Wednesday, I visited the delightful children at St Cecelia's Primary School, Balgowlah. I handed out lots of Totally Twins badges and spoke about puggles and twins and lots of other fun things.

Today, I was at Storytime at Manly Library along with Kate Forsyth and Serena Geddes. We entertained some lively little characters and read our latest picture books.

Tomorrow, Sunday, I will presenting the Draw. Dream. Write. Delight. Writing and Illustrating Super-session with Belinda Murrell and Serena Geddes. We have around 30 girls between the ages of 8 and 12 years coming along to learn about writing and illustrating. Should be fun!

TTFN.
Aleesah

Puggle's Problem Review, Totally Twins Launch

2010-09-05T18:16:00.000-07:00

Hi All

Puggle's Problem received a great review at Bug in A Book blogspot this week. You can check it out here: Bug in a Book Review.

I've just come back from a whirlwind tour of Brisbane, conducting school visits, bookstore events (with 3 other marvellous authors: Peter Carnavas, Julie Nickerson and Oliver Phommavanh), and launching and presenting at the CYA Conference. What a weekend!

Totally Twins is now officially launched in QLD and we'll continue to have more launch parties in NSW. It's my first junior novel in my first junior series, so there's lots to celebrate.

Stay tuned for more info soon!

TTFN
Aleesah

Sun Herald Review of Puggle's Problem

2010-08-30T03:54:00.001-07:00

A lovely review of Puggle's Problem by Jenny Hale appeared in the Sun Herald on 29 August.

Click on the image of the review to magnify and read:

Totally Twins Press Release

2010-08-14T23:58:00.001-07:00

On Friday, I received my first advance copy of Totally Twins. Let me just say, the book looks great. Okay, so I may be a little biased, but really, I couldn't be happier with it.

The distributor, Dennis Jones & Associates, included a photo of the first two books in the series on their Facebook page and listed some of the events I have coming up to promote the book. Thanks to everyone at DJA for your support!

Click here to view the press release for Totally Twins.

Totally Fabulous Book Launch

2010-08-12T05:55:00.000-07:00

Well, word is out: the totally fabulous launch of my series for girls aged nine plus, Totally Twins, will be held on Tuesday 14 September at Berkelouw Books Balgowlah (near Manly in Sydney).

Hope you can make it. It's going to be lots of fun...

Click on this link to view the invitation: Totally Twins Book Launch Invite.

TTFN
Aleesah

CBCA South-Coast Illawarra Luncheon & Newspaper Articles

2010-08-06T04:02:00.000-07:00

Here's a photo of me at the CBCA South-Coast/Illawarra Literary Luncheon. I'm introducing Pipp Puggle's mum to Barney, Shellharbour School's mascot and travelling companion. The two creatures had a lovely time getting to know each other! The photo was taken by Marie Smith, editor of Early Years magazine.

If you want to check out some recent newspaper articles on my visit to the Manning Valley, visit my 'Latest News' page on my website, click here: Latest News.

I've also created a Fan Page on Facebook today, technology is an amazing thing, check it out at: Aleesah Darlison Fan Page.

Puggle's Problem Makes It to Berkelouw Books Top 10

2010-08-03T16:24:00.000-07:00

Here's the photo taken in-store of July's Top 10 selling books at Berkelouws, Balgowlah.

Puggle's Problem has scored Number 1 spot! Yay, Pipp!

Taree Library Storytime

2010-08-03T04:28:00.000-07:00

Last week I spent three days in Taree and Forster visiting schools and bookstores to talk to kids about my picture book, Puggle's Problem, and my junior series, Totally Twins.

I also ran a Storytime session at Taree Library and a Picture Book Writing Workshop.

The reception I received from everyone - children, parents, teachers and the local media was fantastic. Everyone was so warm and welcoming. I even had a guest spot on the local radio station 2BOB FM talking to Josephine Merino and reading my book out live over the air waves. What a fun experience that was!

Today I was in 'The Gong' at the CBCA Illawarra South Coast children's literary luncheon. The luncheon was held at the Fraternity Club at Fairy Meadow. Di Bates hosted the event and there was a tremendous line-up of well known authors and illustrators including: Oliver Phommovanh, Sue Walker, Susanne Gervay, Deb Abela and Bruce Whatley.

I had the privilege of sitting at Shellharbour Public School's table. The girls from Shellharbour were bright, friendly and enthusiastic. Their TL, Margaret, was a delight and my table host, Marie Smith who also produces and edits the magainze, 'Early Years' was simply amazing, making me feel very welcome.

What a wonderful day - thanks to everyone who made it special!

TTFN,
Aleesah

Alphabet Soup Blog Interview

2010-07-30T02:04:00.000-07:00

Check out my interview on the Alphabet Soup Blog: alpha soup.

School Visits Galore

2010-07-27T04:50:00.000-07:00

Now that the school term is back in full swing, I'm visiting schools throughout the Northern Beaches and the Manning Valley (where I grew up) talking about echidnas, writing and my picture book, Puggle's Problem.

I've been having an awesome time, too. Everywhere I go, I receive a wonderful, warm reception. There is an enormous amount of organising and 'behind the scenes' work that each teacher-librarian does in preparation for my visit. I'm thrilled and delighted and very grateful for all the work that's been done. And the children at the schools are so well-behaved and such good fun.

Last week it was Cromer Public School, today Allambie Heights Public School and tomorrow, St Kierans. Thursday and Friday I'm in the Manning visiting Taree West and Tinonee Public Schools. I'm so looking forward to it!

Puggle's Brilliant Review in Kids Book Review

2010-07-22T21:31:00.000-07:00

The lovely Tania McCartney at Kids Book Review has posted this insightful and delightful review of Puggle's Problem today. Thanks, Tania!

http://kids-book-review.blogspot.com/2010/07/review-puggles-problem.html

Puggle's Problem Book Launch

2010-07-22T06:45:00.000-07:00

The newly published author and her friends, Brenda Gary and Susanne Meilenbrock.

People actually lining up to have me sign my books!

Joseph Battaglia and Penny Possum from Sydney Wildlife.

Jill Carter-Henson and Pat Morgan.

The happy crowd...

Well, I think the photos say it all.

The official (bookstore) launch of Puggle's Problem took place on Tuesday night, 20 July at Berkelouw Books, Balgowlah.

What a huge day (and night) it was. The first day back of school getting the kids off, spending the morning down at Cromer Public School talking to nearly 400 children about Pipp Puggle, then the evening spent greeting friends and family and launching my first ever picture book.

As always I was amazed by the support from everyone who came. Some people travelled over an hour to be there, which I thought was just wonderful.

What more can I say? Only this: thank you everyone, you made the night truly special for me!

TTFN
Aleesah

Puggle's Problem Promotions

2010-07-16T01:08:00.000-07:00

The last few days have been taken up with promotional activities for my new picture book, Puggle's Problem. On Wednesday, I was in Taree where I conducted a radio interview with Anthony Zanos on 2RE. Then I dashed off to meet the Scribblers Writers' group, a truly delightful troupe of writers from all over the Manning Region.

At 12:30pm, I presented an Author Talk in the lovely surrounds of Taree Library. The mural that was my backdrop was painted by illustrator Stephen Michael King. I had a lovely group of people come to see me talk and received a very warm welcome on my first official engagement in my home town.

It was a quick dash back to Sydney that afternoon, making it home in time for dinner with the family. The following afternoon, I was the guest author at Manly Library's winter storytime session. What a load of fun that was with all the children bringing their beloved teddy bears to the library for a sleepover.

Oh, and on Wednesday 14 July, the Manly Daily ran a piece on me, photograph included.

So, not a bad week in all...

TTFN,
Aleesah

School Holidays and Taking it Slow

2010-07-08T22:51:00.000-07:00

My son, the snake charmer at Taronga Zoo...

What did I do today?

Well, it's school holidays so I'm actually spending some time with the kids. All this rain is quite a bother, so we've bunkered down today and done some housework, played computer games, did some cooking... and even washed the dog. Not that he was too happy about that.

Braved the weather yesterday with a trip to the zoo, but when it started bucketing down we headed home.

Am I getting any work done these holidays? Yes, late at night and I've started working on my fantasy series for Walker Books. I have to write six books and fortify my world-building a little bit more. To do this, I've been drawing maps of my kingdom and neighbouring ones, been writing out some Character Profile Sheets for my main characters and starting to let the stories flow.

Housework today helped the ideas come and so did a nice long shower. I've been focused on marketing activities for Puggle's Problem and Totally Twins lately, so I guess I've been kind of worried that I'd lost the knack of writing. I do tend to do this - doubt myself - but don't we all. Now that the ideas are flowing, though, I feel really good. I know I can do this. Oh well, must fly, there's a DVD player that's got stuck and so I must fix it so the kids have some holiday entertainment!

TTFN,

Aleesah

A Puggle Is Born

2010-07-05T02:52:00.000-07:00

Well, the auspicious date of 1st of July has arrived and flown past very quickly. Why auspicious? Because that's the day my first ever picture book, Puggle's Problem was released. I am so thrilled with how all the launch activities have gone so far.

I had a huge launch at my kids school, Balgowlah Heights Primary School on Friday 2nd July. About 250 students were packed into the library to hear me speak, to enjoy a yummy Australian-style afternoon tea and to see the special guest for the day, Penny Possum, and her carer, Eira Battaglia. By all accounts everyone had a wonderful time. Oliver Phommavanh, stand-up comedian, teacher and newly published author, launched my book and he did a wonderful job. All the parents at the school were SOOOO supportive, I can't thank them enough. And all I can keep thinking is that I'm SOOOO lucky.

On Saturday, 3rd July, I attend the Children's and Young Adult Literary Festival at the NSW Writers Centre. I'd have to say it was one of the best organised and best attended festivals I've been to. Thanks in large part to the wonderful foresight and organisation of the Festival Director, Susanne Gervay. Susanne gives so much of herself to every project she undertakes. Not only that, the Centre's staff were on hand throughout the day and it was clear they had all worked hard to make the festival a huge success.

Again, I was lucky, this time because I was included on a panel at the festival, talking about picture books alongside the delightful Jeni Mawter (fellow author) and Rochelle Manners (publisher/owner of Wombat Books).

Most of this month and next will be spent promoting Puggle's Problem. I have school visits, bookstore signings, preschool & daycare visits, radio interviews and more lined up. It's going to be a busy but fun time and I'm so glad to be where I am right now.

TTFN

Aleesah

Riding the Wave

2010-06-15T23:14:00.000-07:00

Riding the wave. That's what I feel like I'm doing at the moment. Sometimes that wave seems about to crash on top of me and other times I feel like I'm going to catch it all the way into the shore.

I won't know if I make it the shore for a few months yet, though. With three books coming out in 4 months, my marketing activities are in over-drive. There seems to be so much to do! Not only that, I'm a member of several writer's groups, networks and other initiatives that take up a lot of time and energy to maintain. On top of that, I have to care for 3 young children and manage a household. It's a constant juggle - but I love it. I can't deny that I do. I love every moment of it even if it is flashing by at a rapid pace.

People ask me, 'How do you keep going?', 'How do you keep the energy and excitement for projects alive?' For me, some of it comes naturally. I'm a born organiser and I worked in marketing for ten years, so I'm comfortable with a lot of things I'm doing. I like organising events. I like designing flyers and creating posters and so on.

And while I'm not spending a lot of time writing creatively per se, I am writing a lot about myself for articles and recording childhood stories and experiences that have made me who I am and which can be used for my presentations - I'm storytelling in different ways to add depth and pizazz to my 'road to publication' story. That part of the process I enjoy, too.

Once, those childhood stories would have been embarrassing to tell or I would have thought they had little value. Now I'm drawing on them to show people who I am and where I come from. I've realised that I've grown as a person and gone past the awkwardness of my childhood experiences. As my dream to become a published author slowly materialises, I feel validated as a person. I feel I'm getting closer to becoming who I've always wanted to be. All that makes it easier to deal with the past.

This realisation also gives me the energy and drive to keep going. I know I'm still in that early stage of my career where everything is bright and shiny and new. I know I have so much more to learn - but that excites me. I'm having so much fun riding this wave that whether it does crash on me or not, I will remember this ride as one of the best times in my life.

Totally Twins Taking Off!

2010-06-07T20:53:00.001-07:00

These are the brand new covers for my Totally Twins series - renamed from The Fabulous Diary of Persephone Pinchgut. I hope you like them.

This morning, I met with Sophia Whitfield, publisher at New Frontier. I'm setting up a blog spot for the series, which will be 'written by' Persephone, the main character in the books.

Sophia and I had lots to talk about and we also discussed the second book in the series, Model Behaviour, to be released quite quickly after the first book, Musical Mayhem, which comes out in September 2010.

I also saw the illustrations Serena Geddes has done for the second book and they look awesome. Loads of new characters, gorgeous animals and quirky elements - all the things I love about Serena's work. Musical Mayhem goes off to the printers in the next few weeks. Very exciting!

It's a great feeling to be at this stage in my writing career, on the cusp of real-life author-dom and publication of my first few children's books. Sure, I've got a busy few months ahead, but I figure it's all part of getting my name out there and establishing myself.

Yesterday, I spent half the day presenting at Literature Live! practise session at Balgowlah Heights Public School, along with other children's book creators: Susanne Gervay, Sue Walker, Nina Rycroft, Laurine Croasdale, Jeni Mawter and Serena Geddes.

The fun part for me came when I was talking about the characters in my Totally Twins series, and discoverd that I had two real-life identical twins in the audience. Georgia and Lucy were lovely girls and although they looked as identical as Perse and Portia from Totally Twins, they were also very different. Glad to know I got something right!

Short Stories & Articles

2010-06-01T03:04:00.000-07:00

Do you recognise this stately gentleman? He's the Big Merino at Goulbourn, just north of Canberra. He's absolutely massive, as one of my sons said with a great deal of admiration, 'He's bigger than a mammoth!'.

I spent the weekend in Canberra with my family on a quick getaway for my birthday. Despite the wet weather, we had a wonderful time sightseeing and visiting Parliament House, the Old Bus Depot Markets, Cockington Green and the War Memorial. I highly recommend a trip to Canberra, though navigating your way through London Circuit can be interesting at times!

And yes, never mind this month-long wet weather we've had in Sydney, there's nothing we can do about it and at least it's good for keeping us inside and writing. Speaking of which, I've been working on an article for the ACT Writers' Centre magazine, due out in July. The topic of my article is, 'Who Wants To Publish Your Picture Book?'. I'll be talking about my long and winding road to publication and will be including some advice and tips on getting published. Keep an eye out for it!

Another positive, I received an email tonight stating that the two short stories I entered in the 2010 Common Thread Longer Short Story Competition had been shortlisted. Maggie & Jack and The Tender Barbs Of Sacrifice, are in the running for a prize. Who would have thought? Fingers crossed at least one of them comes through. There's nothing quite like receiving an email (or letter) that says one of your stories has been written well - well enough to make it to the top of the pile in a competition.

Looking forward to the Writers' Network meeting at the Hughendon tomorrow morning. Hope to see some friendly faces and share some good news.

Signing off,

Literature Live! And Other Literary Firsts

2010-05-23T04:57:00.000-07:00

Nina Rycroft, illustrious, industrious and totally ingenious illustrator, via Video conference from Blaxland Public School (above).

Susanne Gervay, Jeni Mawter and Laurine Croasdale (above) reviewing our VC practise session.

Literature Live!, that's the name of the video conferencing festival that several authors/illustrators and myself are putting together with e-lit.

We had our first training session today, connecting Blaxland Public School and Balgowlah Heights Public School. I'm happy to say all the technology worked, the children were absolutely brilliant and all went well. Our next training session will be on 7 June. We should be polished professionals by the time we're ready to go live to schools across NSW on Thursday 22 July for our Literature Live! Video Conference Festival. We're all thoroughly enjoying the process and the opportunity to connect with classes that we wouldn't otherwise be able to 'visit'.

Lots of ideas flowed throughout the day. The whole experience was fun and exciting. And, if that wasn't enough, it was also my first 'public performance'.

In other news this week, there are several other firsts:

My first author interview appeared in Focus Magazine, which goes to all residents in the Manning Valley and Great Lakes areas. You can view the interview by clicking on this link: http://focusmag.com/fb/mgl/pdf/7.pdf

Susanne Gervay, Director of the Kids & YA Festival on 3 July at the NSW Writers' Centre, sent through a copy of the program - and I'm on it! That's my first listing in a festival program, another milestone crossed off.

Alphabet Soup magazine has accepted a short story of mine, titled, The Summer Swoop. My first story to be accepted by them. It will appear in the November 2010 issue.

And, although it's not a first, it's still a great delight to see my work published in The School Magazine. My story, Magali of Istanbul, appeared in the June issue of Touchdown. Noela Young illustrated the story, which I was absolutely thrilled about. Her illustrations are so clever, complimenting the story perfectly and bringing the street scape and architecture of Istanbul, in Turkey, beautifully to life.

Well, I think that's enough for one day, signing off now...

The Week In Review

2010-05-23T04:02:00.000-07:00

This week has flown by! As usual, it's been busy and exciting and I hardly know where to start.

On Wednesday night, I attended the SCBWI quarterly meeting at the Hughendon. Hosted by Susanne Gervay and Chris Cheng, the SCBWI meetings are always ultra-informative and loads of fun. Jacinta di Mase, my literary agent, was in Sydney for the Writers' Festival, so dropped by. There were about 12 of us on the night, a slightly smaller group than usual, but wonderfully intimate.

Serena Geddes, the illustrator of my twins series, now titled Totally Twins, brought along her rough drawings for the second book in the series, 'Model Behaviour'. Things are shaping up nicely and it was wonderful to see the work in motion. Serena is a talented artist, to be sure, to be sure.

On Thursday, I received a surprise in the mail. The June issue of Touchdown - The School Magazine arrived and in it my story, 'Magali of Istanbul' was published. The illustrations were by the wonderful, the amazing, Noela Young. The story has a twist at the end, but Noela sews the seeds of clues in her pictures which perfectly compliment my story. Thanks, Noela!

For the rest of the week, I've been working on the program for our video conferencing training program, which is being run through e-lit. Several well-known authors and illustrators are involved in the program, including Susanne Gervay, Jeni Mawter, Sue Walker, Laurine Croasdale and Nina Rycroft. I'm very lucky to have the opportunity to work with such wonderful professionals. At the end of June we hope to bring a video conference called 'Literature Live' to a large number of schools across NSW. But, for now, we're still learning to conquer the technology.

Tomorrow is our first training session, where we will be linking up Balgowlah Heights Public School and Blaxland Public School. Wish us luck and I'll keep you posted on our progress!

TTFN.

Dreaming About Bats... And A Tiger In Between

2010-05-13T05:57:00.000-07:00

Last week I received the roughs for my next picture book, Warambi. It's a story about a Little Bentwing bat who loses her home. Andrew Plant is the illustrator for the project and after seeing his roughs, I've been so excited all I've been dreaming about for days is bats!

I'm such an animal lover, I can't help writing about them. Maybe it's something that comes from growing up in the country, maybe it's just something that's born inside me, but I can't help myself. I'm constantly amazed at the beauty of animals and how special they are. And I constantly feel the need to share the knowledge of this beauty with others, by writing about them.

Today, I took my two year old daughter to Taronga Zoo. Although the zoo is a huge construction site, with so many enclosures shut down and under renovation, there's still a lot to see. One special exhibit is the elephants, with two babies on display. Very special. And when I saw the tiger up and about and sitting right near the front of his enclosure, I just had to take a photo.

This shot is so close up! I was actually only a metre away from this beautiful, giant cat. Luckily, a thick sheet of glass was separating us, not that you can really tell from the photo.

As for my other writing projects, I'm currently completing a submission for the Manly Arts Festival. I'm coordinating a storytime session for preschoolers on Saturday 11 September and workshop sessions for Sunday 12 September. It's going to be lots of fun, but right now, it's also a lot of hard work. Deadline is looming tomorrow.

I'm also finishing off a manuscript, which I'm being mentored on by Kate Forsyth, as part of the ASA Mentorship prize, which I won in 2009. Polishing, polishing... and I'd better get back to it, so TTFN.

Kate Forsyth & Belinda Murrell Book Launch

2010-05-02T00:41:00.000-07:00

Well, this one is going to be a hard act to follow! I have never seen so many people in a bookstore before, but then, we are talking about Kate Forsyth and Belinda Murrell, two wonderful fantasy writers, two lovely people, and of course, two sisters.

Friday night at Berkelouw Books, Balgowlah was buzzing! I'm guessing there were well over a hundred people in the store, sipping champagne and beer, browsing books and chatting. We were all there to help Kate and Belinda launch their two newest creations, 'The Wildkin's Curse' by Kate and 'The Ruby Talisman' by Belinda into the big, wide world.

The evening kicked off with an introduction of both books by Kate and Belinda's brother, Nick, a short welcome and thank you speech by Belinda and Kate and a reading from their books. Then followed some more chatting and champagne sipping. And lots and lots of books being signed by these two very talented sisters.

I had the pleasure of chatting to other authors like Susanne Gervay, Karen Robertson, Sue Murray, Felicity Pulman and Laurine Croasdale. I also met Cassandra Golds for the first time.

My launch for Puggle's Problem, my picture book to be released in July 2010, will also be held at Berkelouw Books at Balgowlah and I only hope it does half as well as Kate and Belinda's! Well-deserved, girls, and congratulations! I know you will have a busy month ahead but I'm sure it will be fun, too.

Laura Harris speaks at CBC Northern Sydney Sub-Branch Meeting

2010-05-02T00:29:00.000-07:00

Lindy Batchelor, CBC Northern Sydney President (top), the crowd that gathered to hear Laura Harris speak (above).

On Wednesday night, 26 April, the CBC Northern Sydney Sub-Branch met at the beautiful new Abbotsleigh Library at Abbotsleigh Girls' School, Wahroonga. Not only was the venue entirely delightful, so was the company.

We had around 45 people in attendance, one of our biggest meetings yet. Everyone had come from near and far (some as far as the Central Coast!) to hear Laura Harris, Children's Publisher at Penguin speak.

Laura regaled us for over an hour about her experiences at Penguin, what she looks for in a manuscript, how she deals with unsolicited manuscripts (of which she receives around 3000 per year) and the delight she feels upon discovering the next big thing.

Oliver Phommavanh, a soon-to-be-published Penguin author, and a stand-up comedian, was there. Laura told us of her delight at reading Oliver's manuscript when he submitted it through his agent, Brian Cook. Having been in the same writers' group as Oliver for several years now, and having read through many versions of his story titled 'Thai-riffic' I can attest to how funny and clever it was from the very start and how much of a stand-out it was. AND, how much work Oliver has put in these last few months to bring it up to the standards required by Penguin.

Following Laura's relaxed and insightful presentation, we moved on to our AGM where the usual positions of office were up for nomination and election. Lindy Batchelor, our esteemed President, has decided to stay on for another year (phew!) while Wendy Blaxland and Karen Robertson will share the Vice-President position. We had a few new volunteers for positions on the committee, including Antonette Diorio who will be our Secretary, Laurine Croasdale who has agreed to be our Communications Officer, and Poona Bowden, who will help out with the organisation. I'm staying on as Minutes Secretary.

Lots of laughter and chatting followed and a fun night was had by all!

Marketing Your Book

2010-04-27T05:41:00.000-07:00

I've been learning a lot these last few months about how much work it takes to market a book. I have very supportive and helpful publishers, I consider that we work together as a team to bring a book to life. But I don't believe everything can be left up to the publisher when it comes to marketing a book.

With the release of my picture book, Puggle's Problem, in July 2010, I developed a very comprehensive marketing plan. Perhaps a little too comprehensive. The list seems endless, really, of all the things I can do to get my book selling. But by making a list, it helped me formalise the things I should do, the things I want to do. And, having worked through the list these last few months, trying to achieve all I'd set out to achieve, I've realised that I can't do everything.

What you need to do is focus on the things that are achievable and do them as best you can. The areas I'm focusing on are:

School Visits
Library Visits
Bookstore Events
Local newspaper and magazine interviews

Of course, these are all the traditional avenues for promoting a book. The other, more modern methods, are social networking pages like Facebook and Twitter. Also setting up a blog (like this one) and a website. They're all great for getting your name out there - but you also have to let people know you're on the web (promote your promotional tools) and that can be time-consuming, too.

One other thing I enjoyed doing was creating my first ever book trailer for Puggle's Problem. It's very simple, but I'm lucky in a way that Puggle's Problem is a picture book because I was able to use the illustrations done by Sandra Temple to enrich the trailer. For a first effort, I think it works well. It was certainly produced at an affordable budget and hopefully it sends a positive message to potential readers and buyers - and to booksellers who I hope will stock my book.

In terms of good news, I received confirmation from Manly Library that they would like me to come along as a guest author to their Winter Storytime session at 5pm on Thursday 15 July. Kids will come in pyjamas with a soft teddy to hear stories read to them, including mine. It sounds like a fun event and I can't wait to turn up in my PJs too!

I've also been invited to write an article for the ACT Writers' Centre July newsletter, which is focusing on Writing for Young Adults and Children. Now all I need to do is come up with a topic....

TTFN, catch you next time!

Pearson Education Accepts My Chapter Book!

2010-04-20T04:55:00.000-07:00

I'm very excited about my first foray into the educational publishing market. Pearson Education have accepted a chapter book of mine, titled, "Fangs". It's a story about a rather unusual pet named Fangs who isn't quite what you think he is...

I have to send the final version of the story back to Pearson by the end of May, after which time it will be illustrated. Can't wait to see who the illustrator is going to be. I wonder if I will know them? And, I can't wait to see the finished product! Hopefully, it will be out some time in 2011.

Besides working on my Tassie devils ms, which Kate Forsyth is mentoring me on through the ASA Mentorship that I won in 2009, I've been working on promotional plans for Puggle's Problem (due out in July) and my Persephone series (due out in September). I have been absolutely thrilled with the response I've received so far. I've had interest from schools, libraries, bookstores, newspapers and magazines who are keen to help me promote my books. Next, I aim to tackle local radio stations. Wish me luck.

In the meantime, my agent is submitting other picture book mss to publishers for me. It's such a long lead time from submission to acceptance to publication for a picture book, but it's well worth the wait!

Did I mention that I will be appearing at the CYA Conference in Brisbane on 4 September, 2010? As that is where I secured my agent, Jacinta di Mase, the conference organisers thought it only fitting that I appear on the 'CYA Success Story' panel. While I'm up in Brissie, I'll be doing a whole host of promotional activities, including an in-store event at Black Cat Paddington, which has just been confirmed tonight.

Well, I'd best be off. Have a few more emails to send before calling it quits for the night.

Essential Style & Focus Magazine Interview

2010-04-15T06:54:00.000-07:00

Well, the article I wrote on maternity fashions appeared in Essential Style (fashion and homewares section of The Sydney Morning Herald) today. It's on page 18 and the headline is 'Designer Bump'. The article features the latest winter fashion styles and tips from designers at MBC, Fragile and Szabo. It was very exciting to see my name in print and have my friends contact me to say they had read it.

To promote my tour of the Manning Valley and Great Lakes in July, Focus Magazine is running an interview on me. They sent me a series of questions, which I had to answer and keep to a limit of 650 words. Not an easy thing to do when you've got so much to say! I'm happy to say I completed the questions today and sent them off with accompanying photos of myself and images of my book covers. I'll look forward to seeing the article in print - with both trepidation and excitement. Being on the cusp of publication is an interesting, exciting, nerve-wracking and FUN place to be.

As part of our CBCA Northern Sydney sub-branch activities, our planning committee is organising a range of workshops and events to take place during the Manly Arts Festival. Besides having a luncheon at St Patrick's in Manly for 200 school students, we are also in the throes of finalising workshop topics. Kate Forsyth, Belinda Murrell, Oliver Phommovanh, Felicity Pulman, Karen Robertson, myself and others have big plans for entertaining the masses - more on this to come soon.

So, that's today in a nutshell. I wonder what tomorrow will bring...

Society of Women Writers Luncheon - April

2010-04-14T06:42:00.001-07:00

I attended the Society of Women Writers' Luncheon today in the beautiful Mitchell Library, which is part of the State Library of NSW in Macquarie St (Sydney). I'm a member of the SWW and also a friend of one of the guest speakers there today, Wendy Fitzgerald.

I met Wendy through the Children's Book Council (CBCA) Northern Sydney sub-branch, which a number of authors in northern Sydney set up last year. Wendy wrote and self-published 'Bollywood Dreams', a story about a young Indian girl who comes to Australia.

Wendy is such a relaxed and entertaining speaker, she had everyone laughing and hanging on to her every word. Her success is remarkable too, and there's even talk of the book being made into a movie. Go, Wendy!

I had a lovely time talking to friends - Wendy Blaxland, Jan Latta and Beatrice Yell were there - just to name a few. Not only was the venue superb, the food was lovely and so was the wine. And it must have been my lucky day because I won the raffle!

Back at my desk after the lovely lunch, I contacted Tina Clark who organises the CYA Conference. Last year, I attended the conference and met with Jacinta di Mase, literary agent, in a one-on-one meeting. At the time, Jacinta agreed to represent me and ever since we've been forging ahead with writing projects. As a CYA Success Story, Tina has invited me to attend the conference and speak on their 'Success Story Panel', which I'm absolutely thrilled about.

The CYA Conference will be held in Brisbane on 4 September, 2010, which coincides perfectly with the launch of the first book in my 'Fabulous Diary of Persephone Pinchgut' series.

Publishers, Persephone & Puggles

2010-04-12T03:15:00.000-07:00

Today I met with Sophia Whitfield from New Frontier, the company publishing my junior series for girls aged 9+: The Fabulous Diary of Persephone Pinchgut. The lovely and delightful Serena Geddes, illustrator for the series, was also in the meeting.

We talked about lots of things including the book covers, how well the books were received at the Bologna Book Fair (great response there!) and our plans for marketing the series. We obviously have loads of work to do, but that's the fun of it. I'm really looking forward to September when the first book, 'Totally Twins' is released. Serena and I will be visiting schools, libraries and bookstores all around Australia.

A real thrill for me was to see the New Frontier catalogue, which has a page dedicated to the Persephone series. Just imagine, my books are in a publishers' catalogue! And when I got home, I had an email from another one of my publishers, Rochelle Manners at Wombat Books. She sent through a pdf of the Wombat Books catalogue, which is about to go to print, and it features a write up on my picture book, Puggle's Problem. So, I guess you could say that's a good day.

Well, best sign off now, lots of work to do and maybe some writing can be squeezed in there, too!

Manly Fellowship of Australian Writers

2010-04-10T00:59:00.000-07:00

Pippa Kay (right), Author and Short Story Speciality, and Beatrice Yell, President of the Manly & Peninsul FAW.

I'm a member of the Manly and Peninsula Fellowship of Australian Writers (FAW). We have about 25 members and meet on the second Saturday of each month at Warringah Mall Library.

Today we had Pippa Kay, short story specialist, conduct a workshop, which was very informative.

Pippa's exercises helped me get started on a new concept I'm working on, the first book in a new series for boys aged 7+. One of the exercises Pippa had us go through was writing a very, very short story. This is how to do it:

Start with a sentence about setting.
Add a sentence to introduce your characters.
Next, add a line or two about the characters in action and a some dialogue interchange. Make sure you add some conflict to keep readers interested.
Add a sentence or two about the inner thoughts and reflections of one of the characters.
Finally, a sentence to resolve the conflict and finish the story.

And there you have it, a super short story! I found this is a great way to start a longer work, too, like the first chapter of a novel.

My Very First Blog

2010-04-09T06:01:00.000-07:00

Well, this is my very first post in my very first blog - what an auspicious occasion! A writer friend of mine told me she uses her blog rather like it is a diary and I think that's what I will do, too.

While today was a bit of a domestic day, looking after the kids at home during school holidays, I did manage to squeeze a bit of work in in between vacuuming and cooking and washing.

About a year ago, I was asked to write an article about maternity fashions for the Sydney Morning Herald and although I wrote the article they ran out of space for it in the end. But rather late Wednesday night I received an email from the editor of Essential Style (Thursday liftout in SMH) to say that they would like to run a new version of the article and would I be interested in re-writing and re-submitting it. Of course, I said yes and so for the next two days I scurried around obtaining new images from the winter catalogues of three top-notch maternity shops: Fragile, MBC and Szabo.

Finally at about 3pm this afternoon, the story was put to bed. The images, the article and all the outfit descriptions, pricing and stockist information to appear alongside were finalised. Phew! Now I just hope everything is correct! We will see, I guess, on Thursday 15 April because that is when the article will appear in Essential Style. Don't miss it!

Writing material for fashion magazines is not my normal style of writing, but it was still loads of fun. And working to a very, very tight deadline was certainly a challenge.

Back to my usual occupation of children's writer, I embarked on a bit of a research trip yesterday to the Australian Reptile Park at Gosford. Again, I had the kids in tow, so it was a bit of a 'kill two birds with one stone' adventure in that I could entertain the kids whilst also making sure I had a photo taken with a Tasmanian devil. Yes, you read that right!

I am currently working on a mentorship, which I won through the Australian Society of Authors, with Kate Forsyth. The book I'm writing, 'Sebastian Smee and the Tassie devils' features a kid who is trying really hard to help save the Tassie devils from extinction. When I read that the Australian Reptile Park was also working to save the Tassie devils from extinction, I knew I had to go up for a look. They have bred a number of baby Tassie devils, which they include in their keeper education talks to visitors at the park and which they offer photographs with.

After we listened to the keeper talk, my three kids and I headed straight over to get a photo taken with a gorgeous baby Tassie devil. He was a little smelly, but still cute. Check out the photo above. By the way, I thoroughly recommend a visit to the Australian Reptile Park. They have heaps of keeper talks throughout the day and kids can really get up close and personal to all sorts of animals. They have baby wombats at the moment that kids can pat, too. Very special!