She's gone

Right up until yesterday we were not sure that our eldest child would be heading away to the US on a student exchange. After applying around August last year she was accepted onto the exchange programme, we paid our monies and they circulated her info amongst prospective families. Several potential host families put their hands up but then things began to unravel when our daughter realised she would not be able to do the one thing she wanted to do while she was away - cheerlead. School teams are wildly variable and the only way to guarantee a certain standard is to train at a gym. But the hosts lived hours away from gyms and the programme could not factor this in to the selection process. In desperation our girl got in touch with the cheerleading community in America and said 'help'. This was her last chance. If a suitable family wasn't found in the two months remaining she would be staying home. Then someone put their hand up and said they would love to have her stay. Their local cheer gym is the top gym in the country. The gym was keen too. Could the details be sorted and approvals given in time? Would the local high school take her? Yesterday, we finally got a yes. We took her to the airport for a 10am meet this morning and the plane took off at 1.05. This time tomorrow she should be in South Miami where she will be living for the next 10 months. I am very proud of what she achieved through her own efforts and thrilled the exchange programme came to the party and organised the necessary paperwork. I hope she has a wonderful experience. I miss her already.

I'm glad she didn't get the call up to fly on the weekend. I flew down to Wellington last thursday night to do a bit of book promotion, reading The House That Went to Sea at storytime on friday at the legendary Children's Bookshop in Kilbirnie and then manning the Kiwiwrite4kidz table (available for the first time ever) at the Storylines Family Day at the Wellington Town Hall on Sunday. Lots of people checked out the books by our members, some talked to author Bridget Feehan and I about writing and getting published and some folk bought books for us to sign. It was a wonderful event with many happy young book lovers enjoying themselves, making fun things at the craft tables and meeting beloved authors and illustrators. Its a buzz to be a part of such a positive occasion. Wellington put on a brilliant day. Huge congratulations to Adele Jackson, Fifi Colston and the Storylines team. I will be at the Kiwiwritekidz table at the Auckland Storylines family day this coming Sunday August 28th.

Last tuesday Duck Creek Press held a combined first birthday party and book launch for their 2011 titles including my book The House That Went to Sea, Goodnight Pumpkin (by Belynda Smith illus. Marie Sanders) and Whetu: The Little Blue Duck (by Jennifer Beck, illus. Renee Haggo). There was a large crowd and sales went well (in a sold-out kind of way). Thank you to my sisters, niece, SO and son, and friends for their support on the night.

I think now maybe a little lie down is in order :)

Book launches - Part One or How to Hold One...

People often come across my blog with the search engine 'Book launch Etiquette' so I'm guessing there's a need in the marketplace for information on how to run, behave at or generally conduct oneself at a book launch, whether its one's own or someone elses. I'll split this post in two with part one covering how to behave at your own do and part two talking about attending someone elses. If your manuscript has become a book there are several good reasons to have a launch. 1) to promote your book, 2) to sell your book, 3) to celebrate the fact that your work became a book, 4) to eat cake and drink wine with good friends and family, 5) and to say thank you publicly to all the people who made it possible. These are all important reasons and the way to cope with all that may be required of you as host/hostess, guest of honour, author, family member, friend, party person and marketing sales-person is to follow one simple rule: - be professional. You can be kooky, flakey, shy, silly, and giggly but not disrespectful, arrogant, obnoxious, drunk or crass. Your book launch doesn't need to be lavish or require formal dress. The book business being what it is today, there isn't much spare cashola around to drink Bollinger and have foie gras and caviar. Do try and find a venue that can handle credit card, cash and cheque sales of your book e.g. a bookshop or other retail outlet. Also make sure the venue owners/organisers want you there/support books and it helps if they've done book launches before (although theres a first time for everyone). Its good to have some nibbly food and a variety of drinks (wine and juice or tea and coffee) and remember if you write children's books something the small fry can eat but that can still be vacuumed up if its been ground into the carpet. Marshmallows clean up surprisingly well. My last book launch was in a toy shop which sold books and the children were happy to wander round and let the grown ups spend money on their behalf and chat about grown up things which was rather nice (thank you Mainly Toys in Mt Eden Rd). Have a short speech prepared and I REALLY recommend making a few notes about who you want/need to thank because it is very easy to forget someone. I will forever be haunted by my failure to thank a whole bunch of deserving folk at the NZ Post Children's Book Awards last year. And its good to remember you can never say thank you too much.. Jokes can be hard to carry off but work more often than not so I'd say give being funny a go. Try and recruit a few willing helpers/slaves to do errands during the event (what! No plastic cups/serviettes/knife to cut the cake and the toilets locked/blocked/without loo paper?) and clean up afterwards. Dress nicely in something that makes you feel fab. Selling books is one of the aims but on the day I try not to dwell on this as it's in the hands of the Gods by then. If you have invited lots of good friends, family and publicised the event, chances are a few books will be bought. Practice a signature before hand and its good to think up a few suitable phrases that fit with your book for book signings. If nothing fits or your mind has gone blank Best Wishes and Happy Reading are trusted standbys. And last but not least try and enjoy yourself. If you are the nervous, shy type (as so many authors are) organise a reward for yourself when the launch is over - dinner out, a large block of chocolate, whats left of the wine, a sleep in with breakfast in bed the next day. This list is not exhaustive so feel free to mention any other handy hints in the comments section.

In local news...

I love the internet. The other day I discovered via google that an Australian Library in Victoria had my book Jack the Viking. Jack the Viking is not currently available in Australia. It seems that librarians hunt out the books they've read about (perhaps in reviews?) that they like the sound of. Probably via the internet. Did I tell you I love the internet? I love librarians too.

In local sports news my husband ( a soccer veteran of many years standing) is coaching our son's soccer team for the first time. They were both experiencing nerves before the first official game of the season this morning. They needn't have worried. The sun shone. The air was cool but still. The soccer gods smiled and the 11th Grade Division One Team Norman won 8-1. Go lads! And there is now just over a week to go before our daughters fly out to the US without us, for two weeks in Florida. We all went in 2007 and after a week in Orlando for the World competition at Disneyworld had a wonderful time checking out Miami, the Bahamas and New York. Exploring new places as a family is fantastic and now the girls have a fair idea of what to expect and how the whole travelling thing works. But its a mother's job to worry and I take my job seriously. I'll miss them terribly too. I hope our son is up to three times as many hugs as usual. I've been working through a mental list of things to be bought before they go (toiletries bag, socks, hair ties, spare cheer gear, strapping tape etc, etc, etc,...).

And in publishing news - blah - I had some short stories rejected by Learning Media. One editor was kind enough to give me feedback on two of the stories and not one to waste time, I have already sent these off in other directions. Call me impulsive but I just can't help myself. One story is unchanged but I decided to tweak the second story into something different. I will keep you posted on whether the new incarnation bears fruit. And I'll tell you more about the transformation too.

I unfortunately had to miss Michele Powele's book launch for her novel Weathered Bones last thursday night, but I hope to get myself a copy soon. Instead I got to bake biscuits for the son's shared lunch at school the following day and make homemade Chicken Fried rice for the hungry cheerleading daughters. You can read about the launch at Bookman Beatties Blog. There are no more launches in the immediate future but I have a few authors talks coming up instead.

Etiquette for writers and avoiding the drought...

Went to the Tough Enough book launch last night. Celebrating the birth of a new book is always a good thing but even better when the book is a good 'un and the author (Tania Hutley) is a talented person. And after lamenting the lack of opportunity to meet the new Publishing Manager of Scholastic she was at the launch too and I got the chance after all to mosie on over and say howdy. I hope I didn't shout too much - give me a drink or two in a crowded place and thats what happens. Afterwards I wondered about book launch etiquette and hoped I hadn't transgressed too much. Like the witty retort that always rises to ones lips well after the relevant conversation is long past, I always realise how I should have behaved well after the fact. Someone should write up some rules and I will have them tattooed on my forearm like a cheat sheet. BTW the folk at the launch-hosting book store, Jabberwocky are the most wonderful people and incredibly supportive of local writers. You should go down there and check out their very smart and well stocked shop.

Yesterday someone mentioned they'd had a rejection from a particular publisher to whom I also submitted something and now I'm itching to know if my rejection is pending. Its still too early to enquire but news of someone else's news has accelerated my impatience. While I toil away at a longer work of fiction its good to have other things out there doing the rounds so I don't feel like I've dropped out of the loop completely. As you all know, the whole publishing business is interminably slow and if I'm not submitting things now I would ensure an upcoming publishing drought. Don't like droughts. Droughts are dry.

Was having an interesting discussion last night about the inclusion of swear words in children's books. I am happy to include the occasional semi-salty word if the moment warrants it. Don't like gratuitous swearing and don't feel compelled to try and imitate some of the incredibly bad language that often litters actual teen conversations, especially as in written form it would run the serious risk of becoming entirely meaningless (as it probably is in spoken form as well). However I believe swear words are an inescapable part of teen culture these days and sometimes it just seems the most natural response for a character. I wouldn't include such words in works for a very young audience but think for intermediate age and up the occasional blue word is not going to cause the collapse of civilization as we know it. What do other people think?

Be prepared...

It is Tania Hutley's book launch for her debut children's novel Tough Enough this evening at the wonderful jabberwocky Books in Mt Eden - 6pm. See you there!

Went to see the movie Duplicity yesterday on a daytime date with my SO. We both loved the movie. Weren't so sure about Clive Owen (no, he shouldn't have been James Bond instead of Daniel Craig - he cannot run like JB should and his shoulders are not broad enough to take on all those bad guys - Daniel Craig has 007 stamped on his DNA), Julia Roberts went up in my estimation and I will be watching out for other movies written and directed by Tony Gilroy (of Michael Clayton, Bourne trilogy fame) in the future. I found myself straining to hear every word of dialogue so I didn't miss one single gem. Loved the scene where Julia Roberts said very little but almost killed the other women with her icy stare, and the very first scene at the beginning of the movie when the two main characters first meet. Their conversation sucks you in and you know you have to stay and hear everything else they say until the credits roll and the lights go up at the end.

From across the blogosphere I loved this list of ten lessons from romance writer Michele Dunaway on the Bookends Blog the other day and this incredible video clip today on Kristen Nelson's pubrants. The video clip must be very cleverly edited to produce the miraculous skills it displays but the basic question of how to put your best, most compelling foot forward is an intriguing one. How do we best sell ourselves to potential publishers, agents and book buyers? Everyone has ideas but so often the answer seems out of our hands. Not even the publishers and booksellers can say what makes some books go like a rocket. And agents and publishers can't tell you exactly what they want until they see it in front of them. This is why persistence is a necessary skill. And being prepared. The other day Janet Reid admonished a querier for submitting a query and then going on holiday making himself and his manuscript unavailable for two weeks. The number of people who responded with comments about how they carry their ms around with them electronically wherever they go got me wondering. My first reaction to this whole thing was to think that agents and publishers train us to expect a wait of several months and we imagine those magical stories of being read overnight and contacted the very next day are myths or only apply to anyone else but us. Give the guy a break Janet - you've trained us too well and we've learned not to expect much. We are in a system where many agents/publishers can opt not to reply to submissions at all. However I know I have been lucky a number of times and luck is partly about being in the right place at the right time and being prepared when opportunity comes knocking. I guess I can say the system has its shortcomings or its downright negative side but its the system were in and if we want to succeed we have to be ready.

Jack and I do like a good review...

I'm off to a few book launches over the next three weeks - for a picture book, The Cat with No Name by Sher Foley and Brian Lovelock (on Saturday 14th at Mainly Toys, 4pm), a junior novel Tough Enough by Tania Hutley (at Jabberwocky Books on Monday 23rd at 6pm), and an adult novel, Weathered Bones by Michele Poweles, (details tba). This feels good on so many levels: books are still being published, good things are happening to my friends, people are still celebrating. This weekend at the Auckland Festival Brian Falkner will be reading from his new book The Tomorrow Code on saturday in the Spiegel Tent and Lorraine Orman from her new book Haunted on sunday. Go hear them. I'm enjoying The Tomorrow Code so far, and certain elements of the story are really appealing to my secret inner science geek ( I am a science graduate after all). I have to say, the whole concept of a mobius strip may do my head in though. Good fun!

An author friend and also my agent alerted me to the happy fact of a nice review by Jenny Millar in the latest Magpie magazine (volume 24, page six of the NZ section) for my book Jack the Viking. Yay. The review is a bit spoilery so I will not quote the whole thing here but it closes with:

This is a great adventure story that describes the everyday life and ordeals of the Viking people. The novel also explores the world of adolescent boys, their secret attraction to girls, competitiveness, and power struggles. Highly recommended for the school library.

Also perfectly good for home libraries as well!

Wot a weekend...

Wot a weekend! It was a public holiday on Friday in New Zealand to celebrate Waitangi Day - 6 February was the date in 1840 The Treaty of Waitangi was signed between representatives of the Queen of England and Maori Chiefs agreeing to share the country (feel free to correct my interpretation - its a long time since i got up close and personal with the nuts and bolts of the document): kinda the birth of the nation really although the journey between then and now has sometimes travelled a bumpy road. Whatever the road has been like, celebrations in 2009 seemed happy ones and the long weekend was a stunner.

My eldest now has her learner's licence and her first driving lesson under her belt. This is weirding me out a little. Not because my daughter can get in the drivers seat and other drivers beware but more because my child is now legitimately considered old enough to drive. Crikey where's my zimmer frame. It was bad enough that my youngest is no longer at primary school. Folks, I may need a period of adjustment.

Other things were happening on the weekend. My parents are on the move to a new house after 25 years in the current one. I grew up in the one before where they are now. Another era comes to a close. 2009 seems to be a year for this. My siblings and I have been rallying around to help them box their possessions, get rid of twenty five years of accumulated junk and shift pesky things like pot plants.

Also went to a book launch yesterday for Jill Marshall's new women's fiction 'As it is on Telly' (Penguin). I enjoyed her last adult fiction 'The Two Miss Parsons' (Penguin 2008) and hope to clear the reading decks for this one soon. In the midst of a recession it was uplifting to celebrate the birth of a new book and hear that Jill is signed up for 2 more. All is not lost - publishers are still publishing! The launch was fun, I got to don my crazy new heels (that any witch-pirate would be proud to wear) and participate in a tv quiz which our team won. While some people are concerned about the number of hours we watch tv i have had many positive things come out of my viewing hours - story ideas, quiz wins (including a spot prize of a bottle of bubbles for knowing A Close Shave's Sean the sheep) and the introduction I use in my author visit talks. I seem to have quite a good mind for trivia which is probably not a bad thing when you are a writer, although I apologise if I've ever bored you to death with a conversation riddled with an endless supply of seemingly useless information.

Books launch!

Last saturday, November 8th was a very important date. On that day at Mainly Toys in Mt Eden Road we celebrated the launch of my books The Were-Nana and Jack the Viking. What a buzz. Lots of lovely friends and family came along to toast my books, feast on some nibbles and hear a few speeches. All the public talking I've been doing recently helped enormously and after a few mental rhearsals during the day and following a lovely speech (on behalf of Christine Dale from Scholastic) and introduction by Penny Scown also from Scholastic I said my piece without any flubs and even got a few laughs. Phew. So public speaking does get easier! The venue was excellent. With plenty of amazing cool stuff for the younger set to check out once the ceremonies were over, Mainly Toys is like Aladdins cave. People bought my books which I signed, along with the super talented illustrator for The Were-Nana, Sarah Anderson. Thank you to all of you who came along to support me, I felt extremely fortunate to know so many lovely folk.

Writer's Zen and the art of being rejected...part 2

Maureen Crisp suggests the zen art of rejection calm is the mark of a professional writer. Its a very strange profession we work in - maybe that accounts for the zen! There is a lot about the business of writing and publishing that is unique. The rules are that the rules don't always apply, and cannot be applied uniformly across all authors. But interestingly, despite all the frustrations, I am content to call this odd profession and the difficult industry attached to it, mine. As US literary agent Janet Reid says here - http://jetreidliterary.blogspot.com/ - 'Publishing isn't perfect. It's a small, insular, power imbalanced industry. I still love it.'

And oh my god Fifi - what do you mean 'plan' for my launch? I don't have a plan. Do I need a plan? What does a plan include? I've invited a horde of ten year old boys and I thought I'd feed 'em up on some greasy savouries and sugary foods and then let them loose in the toy/book shop. It seemed like a winner of an idea to me. I've press-ganged a few folk into making sure I don't sit there alone and I've noted the phone number of the Dominos Pizza place which is just a few doors down from the venue. And there is wine. This is as far as my broken brain will get me. Are there other things I should include?

Remember folk - BOOK LAUNCH FOR THE WERE-NANA AND JACK THE VIKING, SATURDAY 8th NOVEMBER, MAINLY TOYS, 539 MT EDEN ROAD, 4PM

Here's to a squillion sales...

Congratulations to Maureen Crisp (www.maureencrisp.blogspot.com ) who launched her Kiwi Bite "Bones" last friday in Wellington. Having a 'yes' from a publisher is such a rush but its even better when the book is finally in the bookshops. The launch looked like it was a blast. Here's to a squillion sales.

Launches are equal parts terror and thrill. After all that work you want to send your book off into the world with a bit of fanfare; a party to celebrate the effort and the achievement. But writing is a profession populated by people happy with their own company and the company of all those imaginary characters crowding inside their heads. Real crowds aren't as obliging as the small army of characters I can control. My characters don't expect me to say much as long as i continue to put words in their mouths. And a blush on paper can be brushed aside much more easily than the one on my own cheeks. Writers are also familiar with rejection and being held at arms length by the publishing industry so it is strange to have people openly praising your work and picking up and buying your book of their own free will. "Are you sure you want to buy my book, theres a book by a real author just over there." Will this feeling ever change? I don't know. I'll tell you if i get there.