A Winter's Day in 1939...(New Zealand Cover)

Coming out March 2013

The boy on the front cover is my father...(designed by Book Design).

The book has been reviewed on radio by Kate De Goldi and Kim Hill (you will need to scroll down the list) here and by John McIntyre of the Children's Bookshop in Wellington here. There are other reviews here, here and here.

Why and How I wrote A Winter’s Day in 1939

When the Soviet soldiers come and order them out, Adam and his family have no idea where they are going or if they will ever come back.  The Germans have attacked Poland and the world is at war. Boarding a cattle train Adam and his family embark on a journey that will cover thousands of miles and several years, and change all their lives forever. And mine too. Because Adam’s story, the story told in my new novel A Winter’s Day in 1939, is very much my Dad’s story.

I often heard fragments of this story from my dad when I was growing up.  It was shocking, and sad, and amazing.  My Dad’s family was forced out of their home and taken to a labour camp in Russia. It was freezing cold, and many people died from disease or starvation. Even when the Soviets finally let them go, they spent weeks travelling around the USSR , were made to work on Soviet farms and were still hungry and often sick, with no idea of where they might end up next.  As a child growing up in a peaceful place like New Zealand it was hard to imagine the real dangers and terrible conditions my father experienced.

 I didn’t get to know the full story until I was grown up with children of my own and was regularly writing stories for children.  I wrote a short story, also called A Winter’s Day in 1939, based on a single event I knew fairly well  from my Dad‘s childhood – when Soviet Soldiers first come to order them off their farm, the only home my father had known up till that point in his life. The story was published in The Australian School Magazine.  I showed the short story to the publishers Scholastic who liked it too. They wondered if I could turn it in to a novel.  This was a chance to tell my father’s story. By now I knew it was an important story that should be shared

Luckily my Dad had made notes about his life during World War Two; about twenty pages all typed up.  However I know people’s real lives don’t always fit into the framework of a novel and I knew I would have to emphasize some things and maybe leave other things out.

I read and researched to add the right details to the story. And asked my parents lots of questions. How cold was it in Poland in January 1940? Who or what were the NKVD? What were the trains like? What are the symptoms of typhoid? How do you make your own skis? Some information was hard to find. Some of the places that existed in the 1940s aren’t there anymore. And people didn’t keep records about how many people were taken to the USSR from Poland or what happened to particular individuals. But what I wanted to give readers most of all was a sense of how it felt to live that life.  So this then is the story of a twelve year old Polish boy in the USSR during World War 2 that all started on A Winter's Day in 1939. 

Just a little bit proud...

Well, what a week (or two). Lots of Olympy stuff. People exceeding expectations, others falling short, folk with extraordinarily long legs or fingers and toes or bigger biceps, triceps and trigeminals, and great guts and determination winning stuff. Good for them. As far as I'm concerned everyone who makes it through to the games after years of hard work, mental and physical discipline should receive a medal. I've been entertained and even swelled a little on occasion (mostly with national pride). There's been some sad things too though, muck ups, stuff ups and the occasional bit of rule over-application. Why can't Usain keep the relay baton with which the Jamaican team just won gold and broke a world record? Maybe the officials were grumpy because the competitors broke something - of course that's it, silly me (yay, I think they were allowed to keep the baton). All in all a riveting watch and it is hard to pick my favourite bit. Right up there is NZ's first gold at Eton Dorney where the double rowery blokes came from the back, right up to the front where the gold is. They had a lot of style. More swelling (with pride). All very smashing.

There have been other things too. My middle child had her first school ball. I went with her to the pre-ball and she looked like this. That's her on the right (with Joanna and Georgia) looking gorgeous. They all did. Gosh our kids do scrub up well. I am overdosed on pride.

Somehow (I can't quite believe it myself yet) I have managed to finish (mostly because, as all you writers will know, we never really truly finish) the latest novel. It is like dough through a pasta machine where you keep feeding it through to make the fettucine smoother and finer and yummier. I think my novel is now edible. Watch this space for more news on this particular book.

Yesterday I dressed up in wig and hat

and stripey trou's and long black boots, and piratey accoutrement and read Margaret Mahy stories at the Central City Library in Auckland with fab librarian Anne Coppell, as part of a nationwide read in Margaret's honour. Afterwards I attended a memorial for her at the Town Hall and sat listening in wonder to her stories and other peoples stories about her and felt even more starstruck. I felt moved then and I feel inspired now.

And my tale of adventure on the high seas, The House That Went to Sea, is an app!!!!!!!!!! Yay :) This is a fun story about stepping out of your shell and embracing life. Sailing out in to the unknown can be the best thing you ever did. It is currently at a tantalisingly affordable price - go check it out here

Will they want to take it home?...

I have had some more nice reviews for The House That Went to Sea, in the Magpies Magazine (volume 26) and the Sunday Herald (18th September issue).

An excerpt from the Magpies review by Rosemary Tisdall, - "Melinda tells a delightful story of subtle and clever manipulation by Granny Gale, as she tempts Michael to try new things. One can well imagine Michael's determination to resist her methods. Gabriella's full-page evocative illustrations create the perfect matching moods and excitement beyond the windows. The sparsely furnished cottage is balanced well with the busy-ness of the mermaids and pirate scenes. I like the way the story develops and I can see young readers wishing it were them on the floating house."

And from the review by Crissi Blair in the Sunday Herald which provides a lovely summary of the story - "A quirky adventure with a delightfully odd grandmother."

And in further developments, The House That Went to Sea may be broadcast on Radio New Zealand - if and when, I will let you know.

Reviews are nerve wracking things for writers and illustrators. Its better to be talked about then not talked about. Its better to get good reviews than bad reviews. Do book buyers read reviews and act upon them? I must say I do, but I am a lonely sample size of one so its hard to extrapolate from this.

And as I did with The House That Went to Sea, I am now reaching that unpleasant phase in the process of publication with my new book The Half Life of Ryan Davis where I know I love my story and I know the publisher has loved it enough to get behind it but now its poised on the edge, ready to throw itself at the public. What will reviewers say? Will they even review it? No matter what you have poured in to your book: the love, the sweat, the tears, the agonies, you cannot tell anyone what they should think of it. You cannot tell them how to read it and how it should be interpreted. They won't know which are your favourite bits, or your proudest. You have to let it go and hope they feel the same way reading it, that you felt writing it. Yikes, I am nervous for my new baby. Will they think its handsome? Will they want to take it home? So you other writers/illustrators/book makers - do you feel like this when your book is released out into the world?

Any minute now...

Things are cranking up for Pear Jam Books. I have been reading and re-reading The Half Life of Ryan Davis in preparation for print (December 1st) and e-publishing (October 1st) which is getting close. Pear Jam Books' first new publication The Rapture by Phillip W. Simpson is already available as an e-book at Amazon. The first in a YA trilogy, go check it out at http://www.rapturetrilogy.com/
or http://www.amazon.com/Rapture-ebook/dp/B005IF8SYM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315695115&sr=8-1 . Pear Jam Books will have books for all ages from board books for the very young to an adult title. Watch this space...

Now as I have the lurgy this will be brief today so I don't germify the intramaweb. After my musings on promotion the other day I saw this lovely post (http://jetreidliterary.blogspot.com/2011/09/promotion-ideas.html) over at Janet Reid's blog which seemed a perfect fit with my witterings. I guess you don't always have to work harder, sometimes you just have to work smarter. Those are very smart suggestions...go take a look.

Okay...I'm off to lysol the keyboard...

Don't try cure your kids of stubborn - it comes in handy in adulthood if you're a writer

And they just keep coming - sometimes uplifting and a clear reminder of how, even though you are just hanging on by your fingernails, you have to keep hanging on - http://cjredwine.blogspot.com/2011/08/youre-kind-of-big-deal.html. Thanks to Janet Reid for the link.

Or sometimes it's the voice of reason - http://www.salon.com/life/feature/2011/07/28/ya (via Beattie's Blog) - which, having written a YA to be published later this year with some close physical contact of the boy-girl kind, I was grateful to read. Sex is a normal part of the world we live in. Teenagers want to know what it's like. Books give them a chance to check it out before they check it out in person.

And for a book that just might knock your socks off (dammit) - read this review of Florence and Giles at Nicola Morgan's blog - http://helpineedapublisher.blogspot.com/2011/08/mind-blowery-of-florence-and-giles.html.

In other news, The House That Went to Sea is now for sail in smart bookshops and online. There have been a few reviews and I will post these up soon.

Well developed tenterhook muscles...

T'was very exciting to see the final pictures for my next picture book on Monday. I don't know what anyone else will think but I am satisfied. They have humour and energy and subtlety. They capture my story. And the good news is the book will be published in June. This is not far away. I popped this manuscript in the post to the publisher on September 28th last year. I have a picture book manuscript that has been under consideration with another publisher since the beginning of last year that I am still awaiting a response on. And if you take from this that no two publishers operate the same (and you would be correct in this) remember to add on that the same publisher may behave differently for different manuscripts. Maybe the best advice for prospective writers is 'expect the unexpected.' Writers are permanently on tenterhooks which is why our tenterhook muscles are so well developed.

And further to my musing on the question of whether being an author from the Antipodes makes any difference to being published outside of Australasia (still unanswered but I'm tending towards 'maybe it does') I now offer a new thought. Getting published offshore has been the Holy Grail for me for many years. That way lies greatness? riches? fame and fortune? Well...the comment from Book Brainz about the comparatively high quality of picture books in New Zealand made me wonder if that Holy Grail is a bit like a dragon - mythical and ethereal. Evidence would suggest that the sheer size of populations overseas makes print runs and therefore advances and subsequent potential income greater. But evidence also shows the difficulties of getting published, of staying published and of avoiding being remaindered are no different in other places. In a larger population where many more authors are being published annually how much harder is it to get noticed and build a name for yourself. I would still like to be published overseas. But the books I have had published here have been beautifully produced and the illustrations wonderful and at least some part of the writing and reading community know my name. I like it here. Why is 'overseas' automatically perceived as 'better'? I have to remember that yes they do have grass over there too but that doesn't mean its greener.

Drinks Monitor...

Someone who knows me very well bought me the coolest badge as a belated birthday present (she also got me book vouchers - I am a little bit in heaven right now). I will be wearing this at every opportunity. I am hoping to work my way up to the badge that says 'Head Girl' :)

I have a month left to finish the WIP. It is a short month. That seems unfair. It has been a tight time frame and I have discovered the pitfalls of having a deadline hanging over you. They are not as appealing as they look from the other side. It is a good experience however and I don't regret it. It hasn't killed me and I am probably stronger.

Last week I received an e-mail with some of the final artwork for my next picture book The House That Went To Sea, due out mid year. I love the pictures. I think the artist's style suits the tone of the story beautifully. I am so looking forward to holding the finished product in my hands. As soon as the cover is sorted I will post up a picture. I also received my copy of Pick 'n' Mix: Volume 2 last week (see above) with a story of mine in it (The Monster Under My Bed). There are lots of other great stories inside by people like Kyle Mewburn, Lorraine Orman and David Hill. Just like its mate, Volume 1, it looks fab. It is available now.

And here for your perusal, because we all need a good laugh, is a juicy link courtesy of Janet Reid. Bless her for ferreting out these gems. I laughed MHO.

Current status?...grovelly...

It finally happened. My brain got so full, some things fell out. My current MO is to apologise a lot. I'm sorry I forgot. I'm sorry I have to postpone this. I'm sorry I'm not on time. I'm sorry I put you in this position. Current status? - grovelly. Ah well. I's doin my best under tricky circumstances. I always knew September was going to be a bit overwhelming and it has only got more so - more appointments, more tasks, more responsibilities. Bring on October I say. Of course this is when my mobile phone decides to pack a sad and die on me. I've already picked out a new one. Its red which makes it go faster.



A happy spot or three for me - last weekend I got to see my eldest compete in The Allstar Cheerleading Spring Carnival. We sold off our last fundraising hot dog by 7pm and sat through the performances of the final four teams, two of whom contain my daughter. Then it was prize giving. Both teams did well and one of them won top overall team. Yay!! My son is off doing what he loves best, competing in another soccer tournament in Taupo this weekend and my middle child, who has been invited to move up a class for Screen Acting, is dancing next saturday at the Performing Arts Centre. And tonite its just me and my sweet honey bee, with the boys away and eldest off to a party in Southside. We are plotting takeaways from Burger Fuel and a mini Harry Potter film festival.



And the release of the short story anthology, Pick 'nMix: Vol. 1 (Scholastic NZ) in November is getting close enough for me to feel that twinge of delicious anticipation. There is at least one of my stories in there (Smart Soup) and maybe two (The Man With the Dog Eye), and some of my Fabo writery pals (Tania and Kathy) have stories in there too. The book looks real pretty and I'll load up a picture as soon as I make this disobedient technology bend to my will. Volume 2 is coming out next February. Yeehah.

Lets play tag...

So I decided to have a go at this tagline thing. Here are my attempts. So the question is would you read these books?

Sally's father hasn't been dead all these years after all. But where is he and why is it a secret? (Mid grade mystery thriller novel)

Poor Margaret can't stop sneezing. What's a cow with hay fever to do? (Picture Book)

Stella Rosa's brother says their Nana is really a monster in disguise. Is she really a were-nana? (Picture Book)

Its tough enough being a schoolboy in the 21st century but the dangers are much greater when Jack finds himself in Viking times. (mid grade adventure time-slip novel)

He survived life as a Viking the first time round but with his best friends life depending on it can Jack find his way home this time? (mid grade adventure time slip novel - sequel)


This one is more of a back cover blurb...

There's something special about the gingerbread biscuits Sam and Penny's mother has baked for them. They feel it when they eat them. The snow feels it when they play outside. And in the middle of the night the last gingerbread woman feels it too when she comes alive and peers through the window at the handsome snowman in the garden... (Picture book)

Some of the above are published, some aren't. I have other manuscripts as yet untagged and I will have a go at generating taglines/blurbs for those too. I found the temptation to end the taglines with a question interesting but I guess not so surprising. Funny too that the longest tag/blurb is for the shortest story. It's a good exercise to do although its one thing to use these in written form in a query letter but I'm not sure how I would deliver them in a face-to-face pitch. I'm not a salesperson and can't see myself ever having the kind of skills required to be one. I'm wondering if there are alternative techniques that I can utilize (maybe like mind control or something) to bend the agent/editor to my will. Its one thing to have a manuscript I believe in, but another thing entirely to demonstrate its fabulosity to someone else (especially someone with all the power and an entrenched rejection habit).

I had planned to blab a whole lot of other stuff today but the cold and the need to do the company tax (due friday) have numbed my brain and pushed a whole bunch of stuff out of my head. I'll add it in if it comes back to me otherwise see you next blog...happy tagging!

No excuses left...

It was my annual pilgrimage to watch my son play soccer today. Today's weather would put many hardy souls off - it rained, it blew, it froze - but I really should go more often. For a bunch of eleven year olds there were some impressive skills on display and in the second half my boy played in goal and made some breath taking saves. His team squeaked in 1-0.

I have few excuses left not to finish my assignment (apart from still waiting on some important material). Its raining, the dishwasher and washing machine are full, switched on and doing their thing and the kids are on the playstation, taking turns on a rented game (and yes I am shocked by how chummy they currently are - I shall enjoy it while it lasts). My SO is off playing soccer. We are out to dinner tonight in honour of his birthday so I don't have to prepare any food. I want to write but know I can't until I get this assignment completed. All the calculations needed for our companies GST Tax return are complete. There are no excuses left. So I shall leave you with the opening lines of an as-yet-unpublished picture book story of mine while I go off and do my assignment:-

Nobody was surprised when Mick turned into a monkey.

Although its quite true he liked to swing on the gate, climb doorways and hang upside down from trees...
...it wasn't that, that did it.

It was dragging everything out of every drawer and cupboard...
...and never putting them back,

slamming doors...
...pulling his sister's hair...

...and jumping up and down screaming.

His Grandma said, "if the wind changes you'll be stuck like that."

My books

I picked up advance copies of my books The Were-Nana (due september 2008) and Jack the Viking (due October 2008) from the publisher yesterday. I have them in my house. They are real. I've held them, looked inside and shown them to my husband and children, who also all agree the books are real. Its been a long process. I finished writing both stories in early 2006 so its hard to get my head around the fact they are finally here. I want to run around the neighborhood showing them to everyone. I want them to be in bookshops now. They are beautiful and i love them and its exciting. Pictures available shortly.

I was also celebrating yesterday because i read the news that the author's fund has had a very positive makeover in the latest Budget. A new name, more money and eventually a new home as well. Yay!!! Hopefully there will be a little extra in the cheque this year.