After a few days in sunny Santa Monica, I headed for Minneapolis and the Public Library Conference. It was massive - I think there 15,000 attendees - mindboggling! And so many stands, with so many books... it'll feel like Christmas when my parcel arrives, because once I'd decided to send a box it seemed sensible to fill it properly.
Minneapolis is also the home of Lauren Stringer, the artist who's just started working on my picture book text, One Night. Her home's a fascinating old house, a type I've always wanted to live in, full of amazing art, and it was one of those rare and wonderful meetings that feels much more like picking up an old friendship than meeting for the first time. I can't wait to see what she does with the story.
One of the first books that I saw of Lauren's was 'Our Family Tree', which is quite magical - and I also really love her latest, "Winter is the warmest season".
We held a preview screening of Nim's Island for the conference attendees on the Thursday night; it was a lovely atmosphere; people laughed and clapped and asked great questions afterwards - very encouraging as to what audience reactions were likely to be when it actually came out. Best of all, at least on a personal letter, was that I was able to relax and see it as a film, separate from me, and just enjoy it, so I didn't even cry till Nim did, near the end.
I also met Ingrid Lawes, author of Savvy, at dinner after the movie. The book has gone in my box to read when I get home, but the first sentence convinced me - I predict a great future for the book, and for Ingrid.
It was also great to meet some young Nim fans at a signing at Barnes and Noble in Maple Grove, and then the many librians who came to the signing at the conference the morning after the screening.
Of course Minneapolis was a good reminder of northern winters; there was still snow on the ground, and a snow storm prediccted for the Friday we were due to fly back to LA - I was quite happy that didn't eventuate!
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By: Wendy Orr,
on 4/13/2008
Blog: Wendy Orr's author journal (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Minneapolis, Nim's Island at PLA, Lauren Stringer, Public Library Conference, Add a tag
By: Aline Pereira,
on 10/3/2007
Blog: PaperTigers (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Children's Books, Young Adult Books, Authors, The Deep, Albany Australia, Australian children-s books, Chris Cheng, Jesse, Karen Louise, Lockie Leonard series, The Bugalugs Bum Thief, Tim Winton, Add a tag
After writing six adult novels, Tim Winton, named a Living Treasure by the Australian National Trust, wrote his first book for children, Jesse, in 1988. Winton has since been shortlisted twice for the Mann Booker Prize for his adult fiction. But other children’s books also followed, including three silly-wise coming-of-age books (1990-1997), about 13-year-old Lockie Leonard that were recently made into an Australian television series. The first in the series, Lockie Leonard, Human Torpedo (1990), won the Western Australia Premier’s Award for Children’s Fiction. It was adapted for theater and had a successful national tour. Here’s an article about Tim Winton and his home town of Albany, in Western Australia, where the series is set and was filmed. (Winton is known for his lovingly depicted Western Australia settings and characters.) In addition to the two books mentioned, Winton’s other books for children are The Bugalugs Bum Thief, 1991 (yes, this thief steals human bums!); Lockie Leonard, Scumbuster, 1993; Lockie Leonard, Legend, 1997; and The Deep, 1998 (illustrated by Karen Louise).
At PaperTigers, Chris Cheng recently took a larger look at Australia’s environment through children’s books, including Winton’s Lockie Leonard, Scumbuster.