Wasted White Cat...

Finished White Cat by Holly Black way too fast - sigh. Thoroughly enjoyed this clever YA tale and discovered that not all my guesses about what was to happen were correct, yay. With the hushed-up murder of a young girl on his hands several years earlier, 17 year old Cassel Sharpe is being stalked by a white cat and hassled by his dysfunctional magic working family while trying to live a normal life. What is really going on? Where does the cat come from and why are there gaps in Cassel's memories? Young Cassel will have the girls swooning and the plot is smart, credible and just the right amount of complex. Ms Black has thought out her alternate reality very well and I was highly impressed with her attention to detail and the lengths she went to for authenticity (you'll have to read the acknowledgements for that one). The first in a trilogy (so apparently the trilogy format is not yet dead), I, for one, will be lining up for book two - Red Glove - next year. Now I'm on to Nicola Morgan's Wasted and have been disturbed by the coincidences I've been experiencing since beginning this book, which has as it's central theme the idea of chance, luck and fate. Fascinating stuff. I shall let you know what I think when I am finished.

Have been getting some unexpected and lovely feedback recently on my picture books. Was delighted to hear my first pb, Clever Moo, was being used in the classroom to teach writing at an Auckland primary school, and The Were-Nana gained some new fans in Hamilton. I've been invited to read The Were-Nana for a special storytime on October 2nd at 11am at the Mt Roskill Library and Pt England School have done a super podcast on The Were-Nana which you can check out here. I especially love how when students Brooke and Selina read the part about Simon scaring his sister with a spider on her plate, ask the question who's brother would do that and both agree that their brother would. Siblings do all sorts of things to each other, including mean and scary things and I like to explore these kinds of things in my writing. Its great to know that readers relate to the family dynamics I portray.

Congrats to fellow writer and faboist, Kyle Mewburn, who is the next University of Otago, College of Education, Children's Writer in Residence. And if you haven't checked it out lately, you should go see where our crazy tale The Visitor's has gone at http://www.fabostory.blogspot.com/ (now up to chapter 8). Love the ruby encrusted lingerie - those are some big gems!