Fun and good times in August...

Okay so I invoked the Borg in my last post, but folks resistance is not futile. And the only thing that is truly final is death, so if you are still breathing (pretty much essential if you are currently reading these words) then you should keep trying. Keep trying to make your way in whatever crazy endeavour makes you happy and/or excited. As long as its not criminal. Or is bad for other people. But I digress. The reason we feel so awful when we are rejected or get a bad review is because we care so much about what have written. This is a good thing. If you care so much then you should keep at it. And don't forget that Jean-Luc did escape the Borg. There is a lesson in that for all of us (and for some of you that lesson will be to go Google Jean-Luc and the Borg).

I had a terrific time yesterday, first of all out at the NZ History Fair out at the Vodafone Event Centre in Manukau. I was invited by the folk from the Kresy Siberia Virtual Museum which is devoted to the experiences of those Poles deported, like my father and mother were, from the Kresy region of Poland to Soviet labour camps in World War 2. I learnt a lot from my two lovely hosts and came away feeling very motivated for my next book projekt. Then in the afternoon I hung out with the fabulous YA Bookclub at my local independent bookshop, Timeout Bookstore. I got to talk about A Winter's Day in 1939 with them and be impressed by how well read, smart and switched on they all were. I was especially interested in their thoughts on book series and the kinds of books they were reading. While their ages ranged through 10 to 14 their reading was much, much wider. And yes some teens do skip YA and go straight to adult books. This bookshop run bookclub is a tremendous initiative. Timeout Bookstore is a shining example of a bookshop that knows how to make itself an indispensable part of its customers' lives. It does interesting, fun things, goes the extra mile and makes the book buying experience such a positive one. Long may they continue. They'll certainly be getting my continued business.

In a few weeks I am visiting the lovely New Windsor Primary School where I was author in residence last year. I am looking forward to catching up with everyone there, reading some stories and getting dressed up in my onesie and drinking Milo for their Milo Storytime on the Wednesday. This evening of stories and song is another example of a great initiative to switch children on to books and reading. What a fun thing to do and i am so lucky to get to be a part of it.

In a few weeks the Storylines Festival will be upon us. Yay I love this time of year when we get to celebrate children's books with a whole crowd of children and children's book loving adults. I'm going to be a part of the Family Day in Auckland on Sunday August 18th and there are some very exciting things planned (a performance of one of my books, and a panel discussion - more details soon). I'm also running a writing workshop for children on Saturday the 17th at the National Library as party of the Storylines workshop programme and I have all sorts of writing tips, ideas and exercises to touch the magic wand to your writing. Come celebrate with us!

Still here ...

I am still head down, rear in the air, working on a few things, so sadly I am neglecting you all horribly. I feel bad. It has turned August and August is full of busyness as well so I am going to be even more distracted. The Storylines Festival is coming up and I am in Christchurch for the family day on the 19th and will be giving a workshop on 'Plotting' in Auckland on the 25th and will be at the Auckland Family Day on the 26th.  Come and say hello as that is the funnest part of the Family Day's. We really do have the most wonderful Children's Book Community and there is nothing quite like celebrating it. It will be a little strange without Margaret Mahy this year but the children's book community in New Zealand has been colluding and we are having a nationwide read of Margaret's work in libraries all round the country on the morning of August 11th. Check out if your local library is involved. Take a look at the link above if you want to take part. It is lovely to read tributes to Margaret such as these from the writing community around the world. Did we ever really truly know how lucky we were to have her?

In the meantime I am still trying to keep an eye on the book world and monitor changes and developments to pass these on to you. Things aren't changing so much as they are being chewed, digested and reformed. These two posts caught my eye. The first (thank you to Graham Beattie for the link), an article by Ewan Morrison in The Guardian, dishes on why social media doesn't extend your reach as far as you think it does when you are promoting yourself. The cynical bottom line is that all these social media tools have a bottom line and it invariably isn't about the users or the consumers, it is about the business owners. More on this topic soon I hope. The other post is from the notable Mr Nathan Bransford on how the sands are shifting under our feet.

Now I am going to hop into bed with my trusty laptop and knock off some more pages :) Oh and take a look at this - one of my books is an app

and this, a new book just out by my fabulous author friend Tania Hutley. It is VERY good!

The first step on the road to publication...join up...

Storylines Family Days. I have attended two in the past ten days. One running the Kiwiwrite4kidz desk in Wellington on Sunday 21st and another in Auckland Sunday 28th. They are full on days. Even though most of the time is spent sitting, you must keep your wits about you chatting with children who might be readers or writers or both, and adults, who might be parents, teachers, librarians, readers or writers or any mixture of the aforementioned. Its a busy time.

On both weekends the people wanted to know who we were (authors and/or illustrators) ,what our books were about and what age they might be suitable for, whether they could take away the activity sheets, where they could buy the books and if they were writers, how one went about the business of getting published. Sitting at those desks reminded me of one very important thing if you want to be a writer. The first step I took when I decided to take the writing bull by the horns was I joined Storylines (http://www.storylines.org.nz/ )and I started going to their annual AGM/Margaret Mahy Day. I met other writers, published and unpublished. I met teachers and librarians passionate about children's literature. I heard about the Storylines writing competitions and I started entering. I got shortlisted and I met competition winners, one of whom had recently become part of a brand new group of NZ writers called Kiwiwrite4kidz (http://www.kiwiwrite4kidz.co.nz/ ). I joined that too. I went to workshops and joined a local Kiwiwrite4kidz critique group and made some very close writing friends that have changed my writing life in brilliant ways. And now I go along to Storylines family days as a Kiwiwrite4kidz member. If you are published this is where you get to meet your readers, old and new. If you are yet to be published, this is where you meet other writers, both published and unpublished. This is where you feel inspired and motivated to write and discover through the hordes of children and their parents that books and stories still matter. That there is hope. And where you might hear, "...this is the person who wrote this book...Yes really..." and the child's eyes widen, or maybe even "you wrote this book? I love this book..." This is where you get to hang out with kindred spirits who feel the same way you do about writing and stories and the pleasure of reading. Sigh.... If you don't already belong, and you are serious about books for children and/or writing, go sign up now. If you want to get published, these are the best ways to get started on the journey. They have made a big difference to me and to many of my writery friends. I remember one of my first years on the Kiwiwrite4kidz table at the Storylines family day in Auckland when we had maybe six or seven published books by members on the table...this year we had over 30 (and that didn't include those first 6 or 7). Next year will be even bigger. Okay folks, that is all. My job here today is done.

and btw they are reading my book here - http://room4-twizelareaschool-2011.blogspot.com/2011/08/book-week-has-started-at-twizel-area.html

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 :)

Diary of a Storylines day...

A pinch and a punch for the first of the month - and no returns. I wonder who was responsible for that lovely little tradition - they had me pegged because I get an inordinate sense of satisfaction from getting in first amongst my family. Sad really innit.

I don't know if you got along to the Auckland Storylines Family Day last sunday. If you did I hope you enjoyed yourself. As always I was immensely cheered to see so many parents and children wanting to embrace books (and writers and illustrators) and make them part of their lives. Books rock. They feed your mind and make you strong.

I started off with a talk about my work which was a little shakey as I hadn't been anticipating an entire audience of adults. When I'd done my research in preparation (sample size of two) I'd been advised that the audience would be either a) virtually non-existant as I had an early slot or b) mostly children. While my own work is something I should know intimately it can be difficult to know what the audience is most interested to hear. The latest post on Mary McCallum's blog here talks about an interesting discussion between writers Brigid Lowry and Paula Boock she attended recently. I would love to participate in this kind of event or have a question and answer/interview style session. When several writers discuss their work, style and background so much can be revealed.

I also had book signing sessions, book reading sessions and the chance to watch a dramatisation of the Were-Nana. St Cuthberts did a wonderful job and it was a real treat to see how they brought the story to life. I was very fortunate and honoured to have my final reading session introduced by Tessa Duder. I was also honoured to share the judging of the writing entries in the Competition Zone. Judging is not an easy task and i always feel the weight of responsibility. I picked those who I thought had the best grasp of key story telling concepts and who showed some flare with words. A big congratulations to all the participants. And after several attempts to catch him during the day I finally got my chance to meet Dylan Horrocks and tell him how much I liked his graphic novel Hicksville during the group photo session right at the very end. I'm looking forward to buying my own copy when it is reissued next year :)

I didn't talk to as many people as I hoped I would. The schedule was fairly full and the judging took a fair chunk of time. I had the loveliest minder who showed me where and when i should be somewhere and who made me feel very special carrying my name around like a flag as we moved from point to point. Thank you Linda for taking such good care of me! All in all it was great fun and I hope I get the chance to do it all again one day. Thank you to Storylines for giving me the opportunity to meet so many booklovers and to Scholastic who helped make it possible for me.

Come and meet me...

The scheduled publication dates of several projects that my work is appearing in have been delayed. I know these things happen. I feel like a pirate. Garr.

I have not written any words of fiction this week. Rats.

I got my second assignment back and I got a good mark - yay.

The Were-Nana has made another list - will tell you more soon. Yowza.

If you would like to come and say hi and meet me in the flesh or have me sign a book I am appearing at the Storylines Family Day in Auckland on Sunday August 30th. This is a free event on at the Aotea centre (the Edge). I'm in the Limelight room at 10.30 - 11 talking bout my books, at Wheelers Bookshop stand at 11 - 11.30 with Kyle Mewburn, and reading at Borders Bookshop at 12 - 12.30. I'm at Lower NZI at 1.30 - 2 (St Cuthberts are doing a performance of The Were-Nana) and at the Children's Bookshop stand from 2 - 2.30. I wrap up with some more reading on level 4 at Scholastic Books out loud from 2.30 - 3. Storylines family Days are excellent fun and a chance to meet authors and illustrators of childrens books. I'm hoping to squeeze in a visit myself to the Artists in Action event and especially hoping I will have the opportunity to meet Dylan Horrocks. There are lots of excellent people talking about their work, reading from their books and exhibiting their talents. You can check out the Storylines website here for more details about family days in your area. I hope to see you on the 30th.

Good to see so many book readers at storylines...

Things have been busy. Medical appointments, sick children, preparing my talk for last week, children's after school activites (soccer practice and cheerleading), and yesterday my daughters' cheerleading national competition and the Storylines Festival Family Day in Auckland. Somewhere in all of this i have been trying to up my word count for my YA project and of course trying to get my head round the prospect of writing a stunning outline that will sell the book. The doesn't even 'sound' easy. Ack!

My son scored a hat trick for his soccer team on saturday and as karma would have it (go karma!) this was the first game i've been to watch this season. I'm so glad i was there. My daughters didn't fare quite so well at the cheerleading especially compared to previous years when they've stolen the show, but both girls performed well and showed off some new skills. I am in awe of all my children. And incredibly proud.

Storylines was again a great success. I always feel hopeful for the state of the book industry after this event because of all the parents and children who come to hear all about books. Its a fun day of activities, with a chance to make things, get face painted, see favourite characters like Clifford and Hairy MaClairy and hear stories read aloud. And in all of this the families are buying books and passing on a love of literature to their children. Yay. I sat on the Kiwiwrite4kidz stand with a host of other authors displaying our books and talking to keen readers and writers. A personal highlight for me was having one woman tell me that 'Clever Moo' was her daughter's favourite book and they read it together every night. People were also interested in my new books. The other highlight was sitting with the nicest people all day talking books. What a talented, generous, supportive , friendly bunch you all are. I feel lucky to be amongst such company. I think joining Kiwiwrite4kidz has been one of the best moves I ever made for my writing career. I have made such good friends, received brilliant advice and been encouraged and supported over the last four years that I have belonged. Thanks guys. I will be doing my best to pay this forward in future.

Good omens

Things are going along swimmingly with my new project. I'm feeling reasonably in control and i'm liking how its developing. These are good omens. Stories tend to go better when I have these good feelings about them. I guess its ready to be written and i'm ready to write it. I find i can't really plan these things. i can have an idea i like but if it doesn't have that good vibe its hard to write and never turns out as well. I always file these things away for a later date though as sometimes the vibe turns up and its all go. I do envy people who can write to a prescription though. When the theme for the next Random House NZ anthology comes out each year, i'm lucky if i have a story that already fits. I have never written something as the result of the theme that has come out well enough to be submitted. Maybe this is something that i will learn in the future.

I'm still wishing i was pre-empting the YA trend but must keep in touch with reality and realise i cannot turn back time or write my story and have it published in two months time. Just hope i can sustain the positive vibes for the entirety of the story, and that it turns out a decent length. This is one of the draw backs with my style of writing. Writers who do a load more planning and organising than i do will have a much better idea of the final word count. Still it wouldn't be my writing if I didn't do it my way.

Storylines family day in Auckland on June 15. I'll be there. Always a good event, its incredibly heartening to see the hordes of children and their parents wanting to ride the smart wave on books. Its also good to watch what the seasoned professionals do when talking about their own books and I will be taking notes for the future. Hope you are all going.

Opening a can of worms...

I am giving a wee talk in a few weeks on the ten most important things i've learnt about the writing business so far and i must confess i've already rewritten it about five times and i'm no closer to being happy with the final product then i was at the beginning. I'm realising that the ten most important things vary widely depending on where you are at in your writing career. Things i want to know now are not the things i needed or wanted to know four years ago when i had my first book accepted for publication. I know, i know - i should stop whining and get on with it because ultimately as a writer i should be able to come to some conclusions and write them in an interesting fashion. Its what i'm meant to be able to do. I just didn't realise i'd set myself such a difficult task when i glibly suggested i'd talk about the ten most important things. I guess this uncertainty i'm experiencing might be a good place to start my talk. Have a good weekend folks. I'm talking at St Andrews church, Epsom on June 9th in the evening if you want to see me squirm (check out the kiwiwrite4kidz website for details). I'll also be at the Storylines family day in Auckland on Sunday June 15 at the Kiwiwrite4kidz table hawking my books if you want to say hello or see what my books are about. Have a great weekend.