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Eileen Kramer arrived like an apparition at The Hughenden, in her flowing dress and graceful movements. She was then 99 years old.

She still sews and designs her own dresses. Something she did for the B by revolutionary choreographer Madam Gertrude Bodenwieser. Eileen was part of the famed ballet troupe.

Elaine told me many stories over breakfast and she’s just gorgeous – she toured across Australia, South Africa and India, USA – an extraordinary life.

Today she turned 100 years old and I’m going to go to a dance class she is running.

ABC Compass has been filming her and her life – look out for it on COMPASS – one of my favourite shows.

The post 100 years old- still dancing, creating in Bodenwieser dance – Eileen Kramer appeared first on Susanne Gervay's Blog.

It was so much SCBWI news at The Hughenden for the SCBWI and excellent sandwiches too – even glutten-free!

Liz Anelli  intrepid explorer made it back after her Outback on a sketch trek for her new book. She crahsed and ended up on crutches.

I think she tripped over a wild dog in the Outback.

Luckily she made it to the SCBWI event at The Hughenden- all the way from Newcastle!

Deb Abela’s celebrating her brand new book – a companion book to the best selling dystopian novel Grimsden. It’s the brilliant NEW CITY (Random house) – a must read if you want to save the environment and the world.

Mark Thomason arrived from his many trips abroad – he’s having too much of a good time – hey but he’s back and writing again.

It was wonderful that Jennifer Reid President of the CBCA Western Sydney branch – so good to see her and she has her first book out!!!  Kooky Pants.

Marjorie Crosby-Fairall slipped the news that she’s illustrating for the iconic School Magazine!!!!  Well, what would you expect from this talented illustrator. Next week we hang her artwork from Croc and the Platypus in the Hughenden Illustrator Gallery.

Margaret Roc, Deb Abela and Marjorie Crosby-Fairall had spent the afternoon on plans – BIG announcement – bookmark 17-20th July 2016 for the next International SCBWI Conference at The Hughenden!

The post SCBWI Alive with Deb Abela, Marjorie Crosby-Fairall, Liz, Anelli, Jennifer Reid more appeared first on Susanne Gervay's Blog.

It was packed with SCBWI authors, illustrators and librarians as everyone shared their children’s book news.

Jenny Stubbs the Director of the Story Arts Festival Ipswich, Book Links and Ipswich District Teacher Librarian Network shared  festival information and ideas from Romancing the Stars of children’s books to the brilliant CBCA Readers’ Cup for the kids of Queensland.

 Valerie Khoo Director of the Sydney Writers Centre was inspiring. Her generosity in sharing how writers reach their audiences through social media and creating a successful career was fantastic.

– And we’re all waiting for the mega Christmas party on 6th December with THEATRE SPORTS organised by our mega team of Nathan Luff, Deb Abela and Wendy Blaxland.

Bookings:- [email protected]

Thursday 6th December 2012

6.30 p.m. – 10 p.m.

Buffet with wine at $45 per person

Come ready to party, perform, laugh and share the Christmas spirit.

The SCBWI Conference has the best committee with lots of brilliant authors and illustrators contributing – some of the team at the committee meeting at The Hughenden in Sydney include:-

Wendy Blaxland – doing media;

Mark Thomason and Nathan Luff – stars organising the critiques which are really hard to do.

Margaret Roc – organising the masterclasses thank goodness.

Toni Brisland – delegate bags – a lot coming in with thanks.

The Illustrator committee – stars led by Frane Lessac, Sarah Davis, Lesley Vamos, Serena Geddes, Andrea Edmunds with a hand from Marjorie Crosby-Fairall

Greg Riley, the psychic who won THE ONE and who always stays at The Hughenden was on a mission to discover The Hughenden stories.

He found Dr Harrison Quaife who brought the first x-ray to the colony  and was a founding father of the British Medical Association and Astronomical Association in Australia.

The Morning Show on Channel 7 was filming Greg and the Australian Paranormal Phenomenon Investigator team as they investigated.

Fred (as the cheeky media personality Todd McKenny called him – Todd’s always a joker) – was much loved, like his father Barzillai Quaife – Australia’s first philosopher.

Fred and Barzillai both lived on Queen Street Woollahra in Sydney and influenced what Australia would become.

Barzillai Quaife wrote:-

‘Men may be foreigners but they are

men. They may be uncivilised but they

are yet men. They may be savages

but they still are men. One nation may

not oppress another. The natural rights

of man are universally the same ….” Barzillai Quaife 1872

Check out Channel 7 youtube to see it live:-  http://yhoo.it/IUpZT7 

The Hughenden supports Room to Read www.roomtoread.org; Books in Homes Australia www.biha.org; Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators SCBWI,The national Year of Reading 2012

Sound of Music in The Hughenden Victorian lounge with Courtney Severini playing the baby grand and singing carols, joined by our night audit Greg who doubles as an actor and singer; and by Erin our breakfast floor staff who’s a song writer singer.

The Hughenden is filled with singers, writers, actors, musicians who also work in all aspects of the hotel. Close to the Australian Film School, Metro Films, Fox studios, music venues, The Hughenden has an artistic/creative soul.

The Hughenden supports Room to read, bringing literacy to the children of the developing world.

www.roomtoread.org

Another day at The Hughenden:-

- a gathering of authors including Moya Simons, Vashi Farrer, Mary Small, Patricia Bernard to celebrate Felicity Pulman’s final 2 books in her historical romances Janna Mysteries  www.felicitypulman.com.au

- a meeting with Stephan Wellink the Executive Producer who is working on a feature film of my JACK books.

- lunch with Mara Williams in transit from a Feminist Conference in Adelaide stopping at The Hughenden before she heads home, the daughter of US author and friend Suzanne Morgan Williams www.[email protected]

- in it’s early stages, I read Suzanne’s manuscript of her moving expose of soldiers coming home to rural USA in the award winning  Bull Rider – Margaret K. McElderry Books

- dinner with my favourite psychic Susan Taylor who does readings at The Hughenden and is here for some media  www.susantaylor.com.au/

-  enjoying the music of pianist Tom Marr on the baby grand over dinner

- the famous Hughenden passionfruit souflee left everyone speechless!!!

&nbs

Lovely Lucy Christopher was on a quick Sydney stop over on her way to Melbourne. She flew in from the UK to go to the Prime Minister’s Literary Awards where her new young adult book ‘Flyaway’ was shortlisted.  

Lucy’s first book ‘Stolen’ won the Honour Prize for the  Prinz, which is a major international YA award.

Lucy’s YA work is confronting modern day fiction dealing with kidnapping, terrorism and relationships. Great writing. Lucy called me, to meet. We shared news and friendship- we’re both adapting our books into film – exciting times ahead.

Please check out her website: – www.lucychristopher.com

Sharon Rundle was also staying at the Hughenden, so she joined us for breakfast which was great.  Sharon is co editing another Picador Anthology, this time called ‘Alien Shores’.  It’s a cross Indian-Australian anthology with 10 stories from Indian  and 10 stories from Australian authors. In her first anthology, ‘Fear Factor: Terror Incognito’ , it included stories by So Salman Rushdie, David Malouf and even one by me.

Then authors Moya Simons and Hilarie Lindsay came by and we talked writing of course.

Great morning.

The Queen’s Honours list – I am overwhelmed and teary by this honour from my country.

Order of Australia

I’ve set up a special file for the beautiful congratulations, emails, phone calls, letters …

Thankyou to my friends across Australia and the world.

Special thankyou to Society of Children’s Book Illustrators and Writers SCBWI - states across USA, Hong Kong, Scotland, Singapore … to India – for your messages.

Thankyou to Room to Read, the NSW Writers Centre, the Children’s Writers * Illustrators Network at The Hughenden, the school librarian’s network … and family and friends.

Feel embraced by your all.  THANKYOU.

LOVE YOU ALL!.

The Hughenden sun lounge was abuzz with kids, parents, adults, storytellers as Anna Conomos the storyteller wove stories of heart and mind among the audience. With Kaiji of Life Rhythms Music on the cello and Angela of Drumbeats on the drums, accompanying Anna.

In was an afternoon where we could engage in story and values that matter. Sharing, relating, engaging in music and the magic of story.

Anna is an international storyteller who lives in the UK and travels throughout Europe performing.  www.annamationstorytellers.com

It was a wonderful event

The great Brisitsh novelist and social commentator Charles Dickens requested that there be no monument or memorial to him.

However there are two statues in the world of Charles Dickens. One is in Philedelphia USA and  one in Centennial Parklands.

The Charles Dickens statue was commissioned by Sir Henry Parkes in 1889 and installed in the Parklands in 1891.

The statue  mysteriously disappeared. The past few years has seen a huge search by the NSW Dickens Society. It was uncovered in the Blue Mountain- missing its head!

The statue was reconstructed by the stonemasons of NSW Heritage Services.

You HAVE to visit this imposing marble statue, so right for a Victorian Parklands with its heritage of writers. Noble Prize winner for Literature Patrick White’s ashes are scattered in the Parklands.

Susannah Fullerton,President of the Jane Austen Society of Australia and author, gave  a funny, sad, moving recitation of the heads cut off in Dickens’ works.

Minister for Major Events Hon Kevin Greene, her Excellency Professor Marie Bashir Governor of NSW as well as senior stonemason Paul Thurloe gave wonderful speeches. Lots of Writing Associations were represented there including the Bronte Association and the Dickens Society. I was there wearing the NSW Writers Centre hat, as well as being a Dickens fan and an author myself.

Charles Dickens is officially unveiled.

Keep this date open:

200th birthday of Charles Dickens 7the February 2012.

Just have a terrific breakfast with Stephanie Owen Reader and her husband at The Hughenden this morning. It was fun sharing and swapping book news. I gave her my JACK books & Butterflies. She gave me her  ’Feeling Fine’ books. 

Stephanie’s new book ‘Feeling Fine’ has just been recognised by IBBY as oustanding literature on disability. Stephanie also illustrated for younger children. 

I was awarded that for my young adult novel ‘Butterflies’ – so we’re connected.

Just LOVE her book LOST! A True Tale from the Bush published by the National Library of Australia.

It is such a special production especially the picture plates and the sensitive cover of the lost 3 children. It won the CBCA 2010 Eve Pownell Award.

Tales of children lost in the bush have frightened and fascinated the Australian public since colonial times. In August 1864, three children––Isaac aged nine, Jane seven, and Frank just three––survived for nine long days and eight cold winter nights in the desolate mallee scrub of the Wimmera District of western Victoria. They walked for nearly 100 kilometres with no food or shelter and very little water. Against all the odds, the children were finally found, very ill but alive. This is their inspiring story.

 Stephanie’s website is:-

www.stephanieowenreeder.com

Patricia is an intrepid explorer – she’s just returned from the Cairo riots safely.

Evi Pickler sang us the beautiful song she wrote ’Australia’

David Morris completed his mega saga manuscript and it’s at his agent

Jill Bruce flashed her 10 fantastic non-fiction books on Australia and we shared Australia Day Ambassador stories.

I shared my excitement about Monkey Baa Theatre performing ‘I Am Jack’ again in October at the Seymour Centre Sydney.

The Compton Cricket Club are coming back to Sydney, staying at the Hughenden February 2011

- they are committed to helping kids in trouble. 

- sponsorship by The Hughenden is natural with its cricketing history and being the home of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators SCBWI, Australia & New Zealand.

The ‘Homies and the Popz’ Compton Cricket Club (CCC) is the only all American born Exhibition cricket team in the world today.

The “Homies” mission is to curb the negative effects of gang activities amongst the youth of Compton, South Central Los Angeles and all inner cities, addressing homelessness through the ethics of Cricket.

Last year, they  collaborated with the charities Father Chris Riley Youth off the Streets as well as Urban Seeds Credo Cricket.

They are global ambassadors of goodwill & peace for urban young people in trouble through Cricket.

BOOK A NIGHT WITH THE HOMIES:-6 p.m. Saturday 5th February 2011

at Ray Hughes Gallery

270 Devonshire Stree Surry Hills (Sydney

$70

Book: [email protected]

www.cricketouttacompton.com.au

The new year started with floods in Queensland and an enormous outpouring of support by Australian children’s writers and illustrators. I am proud to be part of this community.

With the new year comes Network. It begins at the Hughenden again in February.

It’s open to any contracted or published children’s/young adult author or illustrator.  Just turn up.

• Date: 1st Wednesday of the month – 2nd February 2011
• Time: 10.30-12.30
• Place: 14 Queen Street Woollahra (just off Oxford Street Paddington)
• Parking: 2 hour parking on Queen Street; all day parking in Centennial Parklands across the road; parking until 3 p.m. on Oxford Street opposite the Parklands.
• Bus: Plenty of buses along Oxford Street. Just get off at corner of Oxford, Queen, Moore Park Road.
• Cost: Buy your coffees/teas cake or frittatas during the meeting.

 Authors and illustrators often drop by, stay, catch up for coffee. Just caught up for coffee with the talented Queensland author Pamela Rushby at the Hughenden.

Her YA novel ‘When Hip Chicks Went to War’ (Hachette)   won the NSW Premier’s Award in 2010. Fabulous book.

Network supports Room to Read, bringing literacy to the children of the developing world www.roomtoread.com

Sir Michael Parkinson gave a humorous, sincere speech celebrating our cricketing traditions, especially Bradman’s Invincibles, as well as Dame Edna Everidge.

                   Angelo Frangopoulos Chair of the Australia Day Council of New South Wales celebrates cultural diversity within Australia creating who we are.

Angelos Frangopoulos is the Chief Executive Officer of Australian News Channel Pty Ltd, the leading provider of 24 hour digital news services in Australia and New Zealand.       

The Conservatorium is such a beautiful venue for Sir Michael Parkinson’s speech, with its heritage conservation, modern design, grand organ.                    

A huge crowd gathered at The Hughenden, for this wonderful launch, celebrating Helen Laidlaw’s 20 year journey researching, interviewing, discovering and finally writing ‘The Gardener’s Gamble.’

I had the privileged of addressing the audience acknowledging Helen’s commitment and the years she visited The Hughenden Woollahra, as part of her reserach.

Author and historian on history of settlement in Australia, Maggie MacKellor, spoke powerfully about the importance of this book.  

The story is true and has never been told before.

An old rhyme …. describes some of the characters in this story:-

Quaker, tailor, soldier, rich man, farmer, lawyer and thief.

The life stories of the children of a Lincolnshire gardener John Dawson and his wife who migrated in 1835 to Australia reveal the social history of 19th Century Australia.

The launch at The Hughenden was fitting, as it was the home of Dr Frederick Harrison Quaife and his wife Esther Davy the grand daughter of John Dawson. Dr Frederick Harrison Quaife was known for his musical talents and The Hughenden featured a grand piano.  He performed in the Sydney Amateur Orchestra. He was also admired for his medical practice, an X-ray pioneer,a medical examiner at Sydney University and so much more.

‘The Gardener’s Gamble’ is an engrossing story revealing the famous and infamous, artists, the lawyer for Breaker Morant, David Jones family … you’ll love it.

www.thegardenersgamble.com.au

Fabulous launch!!!

We were happy to welcome Jon Appleton back to Australia after 15 years working in UK  publishing. He’s come back to become the children’s publisher at Hachette.

Jonathon was one of those child prodigies who at fifteen years old, he  published a review magazine of Australian children’s books with in depth interviews of creators. He’s excited about being back in Australia. We’re excited too.

It was one of those warm and wonderful nights with balmy summer weather, great food, even greater company and a SCBWI celebration of all the books published this year. 

Marnie and the ‘girls’ from her book club arrived at The Hughenden for lunch.

They travelled across Sydney from their usual haunt at Beecroft Bookshop.

Paul MacDonald the owner and event coordinator for Beecroft Books runs fabulous events – everyone from multi award winning author Jacke French to Shan Tan to new authors like Aleesah Darlinson and illustrators Sarah Davis. He did a wonderful window display of ‘Always Jack’ – thankyou Paul.

Marnie and the Club came to the East this time. We spoke about ‘Always Jack’ and seeing life as warm, funny, loving and safe to talk about cancer.

I love their talk about books, life and their friendship across ages.  

Christmas Writers & Illustraters Network at The Hughenden is the last one of the year and all positive:-

Everyone’s writing books – fantasy queens Kate Forsyth and Belinda Murrell are loved by their publishers Random House and Pan MacMillan- watch for their new series!

Deb Abela is a star - Australian Literacy Ambassador, Room to Read author ambassador. I am an author ambassador for Room to Read too – taking literacy to the kids of the developing world- www.roomtoread.org

William Kostakis finished his Communications Degree (Sydney Uni). There’s heaps of interest in his second YA novel!

Jeni Mawter has her new picture book out by Wombat Books in 2011

Sue Walker’s picture book with WALKER Books of course is coming out in 2011.

My gorgeous picture book illustrated by Anna Pignatoro – Ships in the Field – will be out in October 2011

…. and heaps more. 

2011 is going to be a fabulous year for writing and friendship!

The 2009 Black Saturday  bushfires swept across Victorian townships causing devastation of community, life, land and animals. It was Australia’s highest ever loss of life from bushfires.

SCBWI Australia & New Zealand heads Chris Cheng and I made a call for new books for the schools and the Hope Cards for the kids of the bushfires and their families.

Children’s writers and illustrators from around the world sent beautiful autographed books collated by authors Corinne King and Claire Saxby with the support of the writing community.

The HOPE CARDS from around the world that were hand illustrated artwork was framed and the computer designed artwork printed in the HOPE CARD BOOKS with support from The Hughenden Literary & Arts Hotel and Final Frame.

The presentation to the children of the books and artwork, at the newly built Marysville Public School with the much loved principal Peri Dix  and teachers was moving.

It was renewal, love and hope for a bright new future.

Publishers, editors, sales and marketing people filled the Victorian lounge and bar, conference room and nooks and crannies of The Hughenden in Sydney.

The pitch sessions by the editorial and marketing teams were hilarious – ‘I’ve got a gorgeous girl, who’s a brilliant speaker married to a top footballer, who’s writing an ANGEL series – para normal love with a dash of vampires and angels.’  The pitch was fast and furious and the publishing team were unanimous – it’s a

 BEST SELLER! 

Melina Marchetta spoke wonderfully as always – an author who went from the slush pile to internationally award winning and best selling Young Adult Author.

Her great advice – When a review starts like – ‘I wanted to like this ….’ then DON’T READ THE REST OF THE REVIEW!

PS I gave a session at the Australian Soceity of Author’s workshop for editors. Mark MacLeod publisher, editor and author has so much knowledege to share. Andrew Daddo and I were the brought-in speakers. it was terrific.

Authors & Illustrators network at The Hughenden Hotel in Sydney’s heritage Paddington-Woollahra, where they share publishing, festival, writing news – offering support when there’s a rejection or celebration with a new book, leads for new work, humour and lots of coffee and friendship.

Open to all published authors & illustrators – just turn up and you’ll be welcomed.

It meets the first Wednesday of every month (except January) 10.30-12.30 with optional lunch at The Hughenden.    For directions -  www.thehughenden.com.au

Christmas Network – celebrations and Christmas cheer – 10.30-12.30 – need to book for brunch $15 – just respond to contact here.