500th post competition...win some books!!

I resisted reading The Hunger Games books by Suzanne Collins for a long time. I'm not much into dystopian /futuristic or sci fi stories. I find wading through someone's world building can be a bit of a drag. I like a light touch. I want to feel like I'm there in a story without having to do the engineering to construct the whole world in my mind. The hype was off-putting as well. Too much hype makes it harder to approach a book objectively. I like to make up my own mind. And I wasn't that struck on the premise either - a game where teens have to kill each other to win? And then I saw the trailer for the movie and I bought the first book. While busy trying to get someone else in my family to read it so we can talk about it, I bought the other two in the trilogy and read them back to back in less than five days. Now I'm feeling mighty tempted to start back on the first book again. I haven't had this kind of reaction in a very long time (maybe reading Lord of the Rings as a teenager? I think I read it around twelve times). The books are not without flaws. Plot flaws, annoying qualities in the characters, inconsistencies, some repetitiveness, especially in the last book. But I didn't care. I loved it all. I felt satisfied by the twists and turns and clever resolutions. I loved the politics and the machinations and the uncertainty. This is why I love books. This level of satisfaction is what I aim for when I write.

My book, The Half Life of Ryan Davis, has been reviewed again (yay!). You can check out the review by the fabulous Bookie Monster here. (BTW I am discovering that some adults are enjoying this book too and have been wondering about its crossover qualities).

I have finally decided on a competition to celebrate reaching 500 posts on this blog. I will give any two of my books (your choice) from the following list (picture books The Were-Nana, The House That Went to Sea, or Made with Love, and novels Jack the Viking and The Half Life of Ryan Davis) as a prize to be posted anywhere in the world to the person who comes up with the best crime writing pseudonym for me. Competition closes March 9th. Please submit your entry in comments to this post. Multiple entries allowed.

March is New Zealand Book Month here in our fair country. I am involved in a number of events some of which I've posted below. To support these events I was encouraged to write educational resources for my new books and while I complained about doing it at the time (sorry Maria), especially as I don't have a teaching background and I have only a small sample size of three to base any understanding of developmental and comprehension levels of children, with the aid of my starry teacher sister Halina I have been able to produce the educational resources and I will be making these available here on the blog. If you are writing for children these are a terrific thing to have to support your books. They give teachers the necessary material to help utilise your books in the classroom which seems a win-win situation all round to me.

Kiwiwrite4kidz and NZ Book Month present

A trio of events for those who love children’s books, this March:

• Know Your NZ Children’s Authors & Illustrators: Test Your knowledge, Win Prizes -
  6pm Tuesday 6^th March,
  Takapuna Library, Cnr The Strand & Gibbons Rd, Takapuna, Auckland

For more information or to RSVP mariagill@ihug.co.nz

• Stories Over Supper: Get the inside scoop on our authors and illustrators –
  6.30pm Wednesday 21^st March,
  Paper Plus, Westfield Shopping Mall, Cnr Glenfield & Downing St, Glenfield

For more information or to RSVP mariagill@ihug.co.nz

• Stories Over Supper: Get the inside scoop on our authors and illustrators –
  6.30pm Wednesday 28^th March,
  Paper Plus, Meadowbank Shopping Centre, Cnr St Johns Rd & Gerard Way, Meadowbank, Auckland

For more information or to RSVP melinda@tale-spin.com

Enjoy a relaxed evening - Hear from new and established New Zealand Children’s Authors and Illustrators –
Find out about the latest New Zealand children’s books.
Featuring Jill Marshall, Chris Gurney, Maria Gill, Nina Rycroft, Melinda Szymanik and many more.