First up, apologies for the long silence: just returned from two blissful weeks in Bali and, although it's hard coming down to earth again, the landing was made easier by all the wonderful emails and blog messages waiting on my computer - thank you all so much for your enthusiasm, it means a lot to me. In answer to some of your questions: still no publishing dates for the next two Janna mysteries, so I'm sorry you'll have to wait a bit longer for news of that. However, there is interest from an agent, and that's a really important first step in the publishing process. I'll keep you posted on that one. AND - exciting for me - I've just attended the biennial book awards at the Society of Women Writers and I'm happy to tell you that Willows for Weeping was awarded a Highly Commended (ie 2nd prize) in the junior/teenage fiction category. It's always great when your work gets some public recognition.
More news is that I've also been given a May Gibbs Fellowship which means I'll be spending June 2010 in Adelaide, so hopefully I'll have a chance to catch up with some readers in South Australia. The Fellowship is to give me 'time out' to work on a new book. I have to say I'm feeling horribly daunted by the prospect. I've spent so long in Janna's world that it's a real wrench to leave medieval England and focus on something completely different. More on this new 'work in progress' once I get my head around it a bit more. But I'm thinking a time-slip Romeo and Juliet type love story.
To those of you who sent me emails: I'll be answering them asap, I promise. Having been in the more remote areas of Bali (having a wonderful time snorkeling and looking at Komodo Dragons amongst other things) I haven't been able to access the internet in quite a while, so there's a mountain of stuff needing my attention. But I really enjoy hearing from you and reading your comments and suggestions: thanks heaps.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Sunday, October 11, 2009
who are the people in the photos?
Good question! These were taken at a recent 'Meet the Author' afternoon tea at Manly Library, organised by the new northern suburbs branch of the Children's Book Council of Australia in conjunction with the library as part of the Manly Arts Festival. It's taken a major tussle with technology to transfer these photos to my blog but when it came to writing captions for them, I'm afraid technology defeated me! So who are the people in the photos? At top, that's me (in the Ghost Boy t-shirt) with two of the lovely students who came to our afternoon tea. Underneath, I'm posing with authors (from left) Wendy Blaxland, Chris Cheng and Belinda Morrell.
And I'm thinking now that I've changed my 'look', I should get some new photos for my website - but I HATE posing for photographs. I always feel like a Cheshire cat grinning away - but I look totally sullen if I don't smile. Anyway, I like smiling! My tip for the day (for a lifetime actually): if you're happy and open to the world you're far more likely to attract good things your way than if you're always expecting the worst - cos then, the worst is what usually happens!
And I'm thinking now that I've changed my 'look', I should get some new photos for my website - but I HATE posing for photographs. I always feel like a Cheshire cat grinning away - but I look totally sullen if I don't smile. Anyway, I like smiling! My tip for the day (for a lifetime actually): if you're happy and open to the world you're far more likely to attract good things your way than if you're always expecting the worst - cos then, the worst is what usually happens!
Friday, October 9, 2009
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Janna rewrites + recent activities
Okay, I've finished the rewrites on Sage for Sanctuary and Thyme for Trust and I hope I can get them published cos I think you'll be as excited about them as I am. YES!! (And I cried - I've lived with Janna for about six years while I've been researching and writing the series, and it's like saying goodbye to a really good friend. It's so strange to think I won't be following her journey and she won't be in my life and in my thoughts any more. Which probably sounds a bit mad, but it's true!) No news on the publishing front as yet - as I said, it's a long, slow process but now I've got two manuscripts ready to go, I'm going to give it my best shot.
As well as writing madly, I've also had some good gigs: first at Bookfeast last week, organised for schools from the western suburbs of Sydney by the fabulous Michael Fraser and held in the city in the Teachers' Federation building. It was the day of the big red dust storm and you could hardly see in front of your face. Ferries were cancelled but I managed to get a ride into the city from Manly on one of the new and privately owned fast ferries. I wondered if I'd be the only one there but, surprisingly, everyone braved the winds and dust and it was a full turn out - but my eyes still feel gritty! I sat with students from Chester Hill North primary - they were great company and it was a really happy day for everyone.
I also took part in a 'meet the author' session at Manly library as part of the local arts festival at the weekend, and that was fun. Other authors there to talk about their books were Kate Forsyth, Belinda Murrell, Chris Cheng, Wendy Blaxland, Karen Robertson, Kirsty Eagar, Jenny Hale, Sarah Davis and Lindy Batchelor. It's always interesting to hear other authors talk about where they get their ideas and how they research and write their books.
My next 'activity' is a workshop at the Writers Centre in Sydney, titled Digging the Past on October 10th. This is for anyone interested in writing historical fiction and we'll be talking about research resources and doing hands-on exercises in setting, characterisation and plotting using photographs, documents, artefacts and so on to flesh out the story. The day will be split in half with Vashti Farrer leading the session on 18th-19th century Australia while I'll be back in medieval England for the second half.
School holidays nearly here in NSW - and elsewhere? Hope you all have fun!
As well as writing madly, I've also had some good gigs: first at Bookfeast last week, organised for schools from the western suburbs of Sydney by the fabulous Michael Fraser and held in the city in the Teachers' Federation building. It was the day of the big red dust storm and you could hardly see in front of your face. Ferries were cancelled but I managed to get a ride into the city from Manly on one of the new and privately owned fast ferries. I wondered if I'd be the only one there but, surprisingly, everyone braved the winds and dust and it was a full turn out - but my eyes still feel gritty! I sat with students from Chester Hill North primary - they were great company and it was a really happy day for everyone.
I also took part in a 'meet the author' session at Manly library as part of the local arts festival at the weekend, and that was fun. Other authors there to talk about their books were Kate Forsyth, Belinda Murrell, Chris Cheng, Wendy Blaxland, Karen Robertson, Kirsty Eagar, Jenny Hale, Sarah Davis and Lindy Batchelor. It's always interesting to hear other authors talk about where they get their ideas and how they research and write their books.
My next 'activity' is a workshop at the Writers Centre in Sydney, titled Digging the Past on October 10th. This is for anyone interested in writing historical fiction and we'll be talking about research resources and doing hands-on exercises in setting, characterisation and plotting using photographs, documents, artefacts and so on to flesh out the story. The day will be split in half with Vashti Farrer leading the session on 18th-19th century Australia while I'll be back in medieval England for the second half.
School holidays nearly here in NSW - and elsewhere? Hope you all have fun!
Saturday, September 12, 2009
What GREAT story ideas! + Shalott news
Thanks so much for all your comments re Janna's love life and also for your good wishes for future publication - no news on that front yet. But I'm blown away by all your suggestions for how the last two books should go - maybe I should just retire and leave it to all of you to finish the series!! Some really good plot ideas there. In fact I'm enjoying the rewriting process and the mss are going to be a lot more interesting as a result of this new input!
Thought I should also mention that Random House has recently rejacketed and reissued The Road to Camelot. This is an anthology of short stories written by numerous well-known authors who were invited to each take a character from Arthurian legend and write about him/her at a crucial moment of their lives when they intersect somehow with Camelot and King Arthur. I chose to write about 'Elaine of Astolat', who was the inspiration behind Tennyson's poem, The Lady of Shalott - which in turn was the inspiration behind my Shalott trilogy. For those of you not familiar with that series (which I absolutely LOVED writing!) this is a story about 5 Australian teenagers who, through virtual reality, go back in time to the court of King Arthur on a quest to save the life of 'the Lady of Shalott' and so save Camelot. And it changes their lives because they have to come to terms with life in medieval England, confronting danger and death, learning to trust - and finding love. (eg What if you fell desperately in love with a legendary character who lived almost a thousand years ago - if he ever lived at all? Or: What if you realised that you loved someone - but dared not confess it to anyone, including the person you love?) Because of what happens to the five teenagers in Camelot they end up not only trying to change the legend, they're actually rewriting their own destiny at the same time.
Writing this trilogy is what ignited my interest in finding out more about medieval time but I also loved exploring Arthurian legends and Celtic myth and writing about 'the otherworld'. Random House have now reprinted and reissued the Shalott trilogy so, if you're interested, have a look out for it! And also for The Road to Camelot. And if they're not in the bookshops, ask your local bookseller to order them in for you.
Thought I should also mention that Random House has recently rejacketed and reissued The Road to Camelot. This is an anthology of short stories written by numerous well-known authors who were invited to each take a character from Arthurian legend and write about him/her at a crucial moment of their lives when they intersect somehow with Camelot and King Arthur. I chose to write about 'Elaine of Astolat', who was the inspiration behind Tennyson's poem, The Lady of Shalott - which in turn was the inspiration behind my Shalott trilogy. For those of you not familiar with that series (which I absolutely LOVED writing!) this is a story about 5 Australian teenagers who, through virtual reality, go back in time to the court of King Arthur on a quest to save the life of 'the Lady of Shalott' and so save Camelot. And it changes their lives because they have to come to terms with life in medieval England, confronting danger and death, learning to trust - and finding love. (eg What if you fell desperately in love with a legendary character who lived almost a thousand years ago - if he ever lived at all? Or: What if you realised that you loved someone - but dared not confess it to anyone, including the person you love?) Because of what happens to the five teenagers in Camelot they end up not only trying to change the legend, they're actually rewriting their own destiny at the same time.
Writing this trilogy is what ignited my interest in finding out more about medieval time but I also loved exploring Arthurian legends and Celtic myth and writing about 'the otherworld'. Random House have now reprinted and reissued the Shalott trilogy so, if you're interested, have a look out for it! And also for The Road to Camelot. And if they're not in the bookshops, ask your local bookseller to order them in for you.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
more book week stuff+ Janna
It's been a hectic few weeks, with visits to some great schools over Book Week: Wenona, Pittwater House, Mosman High and SCEGGS Redlands, as well as a wonderful day spent at Kincumber High School in Gosford. The CBCA lunch on board the ferry with hundreds of students was also fun. I sat with some really interesting students from St Joan of Ark who, as well as being good company, were also clever enough to be short-listed in the short film competition for 'Loud Laura' - you go, girls! Sunday was spent with other authors at the Australian Museum in Sydney, and I've now just been online for a chat with a school in Queensland. In among I've been judging short stories for a competition run by the Quarantine Station in Sydney with the History Week theme of Scandals, Crime and Corruption. Lots of ghosts and fantasy, really good imagination and highly entertaining reads - it was hard to pick the winners. I'll be presenting prizes at the Quarantine Station Open Day at 1 pm on Saturday 5th so, if you're around and want to visit a really creepy and fascinating place, come and join a tour of the Station and please also come and say hi.
I also want to thank you all so much for your input into Janna's future and also your messages of encouragement. At last I have time to go back to the computer and, partly in light of your comments, I'm now reworking both books 5 & 6 and loving being back in medieval time again. I've realised how very important it is that she gets the right guy and that you're all happy with her choice!!!
I also want to thank you all so much for your input into Janna's future and also your messages of encouragement. At last I have time to go back to the computer and, partly in light of your comments, I'm now reworking both books 5 & 6 and loving being back in medieval time again. I've realised how very important it is that she gets the right guy and that you're all happy with her choice!!!
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