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Updates Made by Melinda Szymanik
Wednesday, December 14, 2016 1:51:13 AM
Melinda Szymanik wrote a blog post titled Some info on getting (Children's Books) published in NZ ... shiny 2016 version:
Melinda said, "I posted some general information on getting published in New Zealand on this blog in 2010. I updated it in 2014 as the industry had undergone a number of significant changes in the intervening years, and now, as it seems to be one of my most..." more
Thursday, October 27, 2016 9:18:27 PM
Melinda Szymanik wrote a blog post titled Saying 'yes' .......:
Melinda said, "Crikey - the year has been whizzing past and it is nearly time to go into that phase of looking back over the year that was and musing about the one to come. There are still a few engagements left on the work calendar but things are winding..." more
Wednesday, October 5, 2016 2:54:50 PM
Melinda Szymanik wrote a blog post titled Why New Zealand literature deserves your support...:
Melinda said, "Why New Zealand literature is necessary...My parents were immigrants. World War 2 pushed them out of their home country Poland and brought them, via a truly circuitous route, to New Zealand. I was born here about seven years after their arrival.My..." more
Friday, September 16, 2016 8:33:52 PM
Melinda Szymanik wrote a blog post titled Book Review: Annual....:
Melinda said, "I was recently sent a copy of Gecko's 2016 Annual so I thought I'd do a bit of a review. It's a bold new step for Gecko, to produce an Annual: a collection of different writing, games, comic strips, poetry, activities and art for the..." more
Wednesday, September 7, 2016 2:34:15 AM
Melinda Szymanik wrote a blog post titled What I have been up to....:
Melinda said, "Hello thereBoy, August was full on. I became involved in a special project involving half a dozen full day visits to a South Auckland school teaching creative writing and a love of books and reading. I had my first visits in the last week of July..." more
Monday, July 18, 2016 10:01:45 PM
Melinda Szymanik wrote a blog post titled Getting through the mid career doldrums, even if you only have a teaspoon to row with...:
Melinda said, "Woohoo - another short story is to get its moment in the sun. I am so pleased to have something new picked up. It is with an educational publisher and I have no clues about when it will come out - sometimes those things can take some years (my..." more
Wednesday, July 13, 2016 2:02:55 AM
Melinda Szymanik wrote a blog post titled Some magpie behaviour...:
Melinda said, "A friend recently had some toxic blow-back from a book review she posted. The author took exception to this person's view of the book and got in touch personally several times to express their disapproval. This is incredibly poor form, and behaviour..." more
Wednesday, July 13, 2016 1:31:51 AM
Melinda Szymanik wrote a blog post titled Keepin' busy...:
Melinda said, "I have been in the thrilling eye of a school visiting/author event whirlwind for a wee while but this is now quietening down and I seem to have popped out the other side. Big shout outs to the most fabulous Orakei Primary, Parnell District School,..." more
Monday, June 6, 2016 10:06:18 PM
Melinda Szymanik wrote a blog post titled and the book give away winner is.......:
Melinda said, "It is time to announce the winner of my book give-away.Frogmella, the envelope please......table top drumroll................All the entries were fabtabulous. I love the heady magic of a good opening line and you all reminded me of some wonderful..." more
Wednesday, June 1, 2016 10:29:25 PM
Melinda Szymanik wrote a blog post titled Eventually, a reply...:
Melinda said, "I was pretty shocked and dismayed by a recent article that appeared in The Spinoff, defending the new initiative, the Academy of New Zealand Literature. The Academy seeks to support and promote New Zealand Literature here and overseas. The article..." more
Wednesday, May 25, 2016 2:04:23 AM
Melinda Szymanik wrote a blog post titled Win a book - Fuzzy Doodle Competition....:
Melinda said, "Exciting times people, exciting times!! June is but a blink away and with it will come the new book. To that end I think IT IS TIME FOR A COMPETITION!!!Are you ready? Really? Are you sure? Okay. Quite sure? Just testing. No, no, I can tell you're..." more
Wednesday, May 4, 2016 4:12:21 PM
Melinda Szymanik wrote a blog post titled Fuzzy Doodle soon...:
Melinda said, "It is less than a month to go until my new picture book is released. I am simultaneously excited and terrified. I hope y'all love it as much as I do. I am having a little soiree with illustrious illustrator Donovan Bixley to launch Fuzzy Doodle 3pm..." more
Wednesday, March 30, 2016 6:27:03 PM
Melinda Szymanik wrote a blog post titled Girls won't spoil the story....:
Melinda said, "I read this terrific article and wanted to shout 'hallelujah, it's not just me!!' I have long thought that there is something inherently wrong in providing books strictly for boys. Books with boys as the central protagonist, doing 'boy' stuff in a..." more
Sunday, March 27, 2016 5:44:53 PM
Melinda Szymanik wrote a blog post titled Reviewing reviews...:
Melinda said, "Writers block - I've read some excellent articles on this recently which I think address the more serious variety of writer's block and offer insight, advice, solutions and hope if you are locked in mortal combat with the creative side of your mind..." more
Thursday, February 25, 2016 7:49:51 PM
Melinda Szymanik wrote a blog post titled My personal relationship with self promotion:
Melinda said, "I read this blog post on self promotion with great interest. And then its follow up. I felt like the author and I were kindred spirits.My greatest joy as a writer has been discovering that a complete stranger has selected my book from amongst a..." more
Thursday, February 4, 2016 6:49:29 PM
Melinda Szymanik wrote a blog post titled Some brain twirlings on being a mid-career writer:
Melinda said, "Chuck Wendig recently blogged about mid-career writing. Tis an interesting read (although the faint-hearted should avert their eyes cos there are swears and sexy bits) and it got me to thinking. Cos I guess that's where I am at now. Mid career that..." more
Monday, January 11, 2016 8:28:51 PM
Melinda Szymanik wrote a blog post titled Our literary underpinnings:
Melinda said, "I came back from our trip to Europe and the UK last September filled with a difficult kind of jealousy that time will not remedy. I love the country of my birth in so many ways, but I cannot help craving, especially deep down in my creative soul,..." more
Monday, December 21, 2015 3:56:33 PM
Melinda Szymanik wrote a blog post titled Just keep swimming...:
Melinda said, "So I'm hanging in there with the whole twitter thing at the moment, although I've not had much success with twitter pitching. In some respects I am sticking with it because I am a little in love with hashtags. If facebook posts can lack nuance,..." more
Monday, December 7, 2015 5:28:16 PM
Melinda Szymanik wrote a blog post titled When writer's block is real...:
Melinda said, "Over the years I have several times declared my belief that I don't believe in writer's block. Partly, secretly, this was kind of a defense mechanism - if I don't believe it to be true, it won't be. And partly writer's block seemed to be just..." more
Thursday, November 26, 2015 6:33:47 PM
Melinda Szymanik wrote a blog post titled Beans have been spilled...:
Melinda said, "Sorry I haven't posted for a while. I have been sitting on some news and was waiting for my opportunity to spill the beans. As I mentioned last time, I am between published books, and with that in mind I decided to put my hat in the ring when the..." more
Saturday, November 7, 2015 8:02:30 PM
Melinda Szymanik wrote a blog post titled Excuse me while I do the limbo...:
Melinda said, "This year is a year without a book. I have a small project which will be out in print next month and I have been writing, mostly on the novel which I began while at the Pah Homestead, but this has been a fallow year. Excuse me while I do the..." more
Saturday, October 17, 2015 6:11:28 PM
Melinda Szymanik wrote a blog post titled Stewing in a soup of fear of failure:
Melinda said, "I joined twitter. If you notice my sentences getting shorter you'll know why. It was all part of the plot to be able to pitch some of my manuscripts to publishers and agents. This opportunity was offered at the Tinderbox conference and it seemed..." more
Sunday, October 11, 2015 8:20:17 PM
Melinda Szymanik wrote a blog post titled A most excellent conference...:
Melinda said, "I have been to a few conferences over the years. One or two in my previous working life in Hospital administration and a bunch more since I have been writing for children. Tinderbox2015, held last weekend in Wellington, would have to be the best of..." more
Monday, October 5, 2015 3:53:53 PM
Melinda Szymanik wrote a blog post titled When patience was a virtue...:
Melinda said, "You might be wondering where I've been.The big O.E. is a bit of a kiwi tradition. We seem to be fairly well travelled as a population - according to Wikipedia 75% of New Zealanders hold a passport. In 2009, around 42% of Americans held passports,..." more
Wednesday, December 14, 2016 2:13:35 AM
Melinda Szymanik wrote a blog post titled The end is nigh...:
Melinda said, "I've started this post about five times - clearly I need more coffee. Hang on, just gonna go make myself a cup...." more