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There really is something for everyone in Ford Street Publishing’s latest collection of Australian stories, poetry and artwork for teens – Rich and Rare. With pieces from almost 50 fab authors and illustrators, including Shaun Tan, Judith Rossell, Susanne Gervay, Gary Crew, Justin D’Ath and Michael Gerard Bauer (to mention a few), the anthology delivers […]

Multi-award winning author Gary Crew delivers a dark, but compelling Australian fairy tale in his latest illustrated book, The Cuckoo (Ford Street Publishing). The story follows the journey of Martin, a boy on the cusp of becoming a teenager, living in the Blue Mountains. Deserted by his mother, bullied by his brothers and neglected by his father, […]

Happy Australia Day. What better thing to celebrate than the wonderful country where I live. As the new Australian of the Year, Lee Kernaghan said in his acceptance speech, there is no greater honour than to be Australian. Anyway, here I am dressed up for the Corrigin Australian Day Breakfast. I had fun with the temporary tattoos, though you can see only one in the photo. The other essential

I thought I’d be spending last weekend feeling sorry for myself about the fact that I wasn’t in LA at SCBWI Nationals, but as it transpired I was too busy to think, much less whine. Ok, maybe I whined a little.

Saturday evening found me driving Daughter and Friend up to Mohegan Sun, CT’s answer to Las Vegas. While at her appt with the diabetic specialist up at Yale last Monday, I happened to notice an American Diabetes Association flyer offering free tickets to (cue prepubescent girl (BUT NOT MY DAUGHTER, I hasten to add) screaming) THE JONAS BROTHERS!!

Quick as a flash, I was on my cell phone, and thanks to the amazing Bob Smith at the Middletown office of the ADA, we had tickets. Nick, the youngest, and to some, the cutest of the Jonas Bros, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes:



In a refreshing change from the Lindsay Lohanesque exploits of the young and famous, this admirable (and ok, rather adorable) young man is using his fame for the greater good.

The boys performed during acoustically during the halftime break of the WNBA game between the Connecticut Sun and Indiana Fever. Then, after the game ended (CT won, YAY!) most of the Y chromosomes cleared the arena and an overwhelmingly XX and under 16 crowd gathered in the middle section for the electric Jonas set. After having sat through Hilary Duff wishing I were at home in bed with a good book, I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed the show. If I weren’t old enough to be their mother, I’d have a crush on them too. And the music wasn’t half bad either.

Here’s the girls and me, our faces shining with delight. Or in my case, enough oil to solve the energy crisis. (If anyone can solve my can share the secret to the shiny face dilemma, you will have my undying gratitude – I’ve tried Lisa Yee’s little blue sheets, powder, expensive stuff from Sephora…nothing works…)



Got back from Casino-ville around about 12:30am, and then the following morning had to try to shovel Daughter and Friend out of bed and down the street to the house of Number One Fan and family so I could get everything ready for the surprise party she’d requested for her birthday. It took me a while to figure out how to give a surprise party to someone who knew they were going to have one, but as Baldrick used to say in Blackadder,
“I have a cunning plan…”

I figured if I did the party the week BEFORE her birthday she wouldn’t be expecting it.
Fortunately, it worked, judging by the expression on her face when she came into the garden:



A good time was had by all, especially the Birthday Girl:




and that made it worth all the hard work on her mom’s part:



Last night it was blast from the past time for myself, Pilot Rocker, the Webmeister, and stars of stage and guitar, Cary and Lori, when we headed over to Lon Giland to see Squeeze perform at the Westbury Music Fair, with Fountains of Wayne opening. Fountains of Wayne were entertaining; I really only knew “Stacey’s Mom” but am now tempted to buy their new album. But it was Squeeze who brought me back to my college daze - and most of the other audience members as well, it seemed as we were all of a vintage. There was one guy that Lori and I were cracking up over – he’d clearly come straight from his job as a lawyer or an investment banker (my guess is lawyer) and was impeccably dressed in his chinos, blue blazer, yellow tie and wire rimmed glasses. But he was playing air guitar in the aisle and bowing down a la “We’re not worthy”. It was hilarious, but rather cute.

And now – I’m ready for some SLEEP!