How to use this Page

How do you feeling about our crazy life?

Ask the PUG!!!!!!

Can any more events, parties, book fairs, get togethers …. be squished into the 4 weeks before December’s Christmas!!!!!!

It’s on … we’re heading for the turkey and an almighty crash!

Diary of November 2013:-

-  Celebrations of Hazel Edwards receiving an Order of Australia – YEAH!

- MC for SCBWI’s INSIDE STORY with our loved authors & illustrators at The Children’s Book Beecroft telling the inside story of creating their books including Deborah Abela, Tony Flowers, Yvette Poshoglian, Jan Latta, Christopher Cheng and more.

- Lunch with assistant editor of School Magazine - LOVE Sue Murray - a talented playwright as well as editor

-  Sharon Rundle editor and friend and I went off to the launch of  ’A Country Too Far’  at Glee Books- caught up with professor Elizabeth Webby and Tom Keneally, Rosie Scott and others.

-  brilliant theatre at the opening at The Ensemble of ‘Rapture Blister Burn’

- catching up with my favourite actor Tim McGarry to talk about the I AM JACK USA tour for 2014

- Society of Women Writers’ at the State Library – lunch and collect a prize for ‘Ships in the Field’ – lovely

- Christmas celebrations at the CBCA lunch Northern Branch – catching up with children’s laureate Alison Lester and fabulous illustrator Sarah Davis

-Unleased Writers Festival in Sydney – loved speaking about the journey of writing with the audience

- post Unleashed Festival shared the book industry over dinner with publisher Paul Collins and author James Roy

- I’m the prize on e-bay for the UNLEASHED FESTIVAL!  Talented author Mo Johnson won me – well a mini mentorship!

- Caught up with Sue Meyer at the Francis Keevil Gallery to se Sue’s beautiful art

- lunching with the fabulous authors Meredith Costain & Louise Park for Christmas cheer

- dinner with my wonderful publisher Lisa Berryman from HarperCollins to share news and my new book JACK 4 – yet untitled!

- coffee with Jesse Blackadder – love her last book STAY the last dog in Antartica -at The Hughenden  who’s down in Sydney for a minute meeting her publishers

- my darling friend Kim’s 40th birthday

- the Australian Publisher Association party – sooo good and caught up with the HarperCollins team there.

- speaking at my old school Daceyville’s Creative Writing Festival – aaahhhhh – memories

- Books in Homes committee meeting selecting books for indigenous & disadvantaged kids – great charity

- launching Margaret Roc’s ‘Jellybean Goes to School’ at the Lindfield Learning Hub – lots of jellybeans and love Margaret

- the SCBWI BOOK FAIR at The Hughenden with some of our best ever authors like Sopgie Masson. kate Forsyth, Belinda Murrell, Deborah Abela and the lsit goes on.

- at the BOOK FAIR supporting ROOM TO READ www.roomtoread.org – loved seeing Jennie Orchard, Wendy Rapee, Cathy and Margaret and the Room to Read team.

- MC for Susan Wyndham’s talk on her book she edited and contributed to   ’My Mother. my Father’ (Allen & Unwin) with authors Margaret Rice and Gerard Windsor – such great wrietrs  at The Hughenden. Buy the book for Christmas.

Phew – that’s November!

The post Writers Go Crazy in November as XMAS starts %@# appeared first on Susanne Gervay's Blog.

 Alison Lester Children’s Laureate and Sarah Davies award winning illustrator and friend were the keynotes at the Children’s Book Council Christmas dinner. Heaps of authors and illustrators celebrated with the community of book lovers.

Society of Women Writers (SWW)  in the Mitchell Library – with its heritage sandstone columns and magnificent rooms – addressed by Professor Yerbury – introduced by historian and author Maria Hill, who’s the President of the Society of Women Writers.

Wonderful event.

Unleased Festival with festival convenor Jodie Wells Slowgrove – who organised a weekend festival of authors and publishers. it was a buzz!  Linda Jaivin gave insight into her travels and life in  China – she was so entertaining. Read her books!

Tim ferguson comedian author who manages his MS with style and humour.  Publishers including Paul Collins Ford Street Publishing, Zoe Walton RandomHouse, Heather Curdie Penguin.

But BEST fun was being won by Maureen Johnson (author of Boofheads and many other books)  to give her a mini mentorship. Love doing it and watch out for her new series!

The post The start of the festive season with Children’s laureate Alison Lester! appeared first on Susanne Gervay's Blog.

 I am in awe of the talents of the illustrators at LitFest:-

Alison Lester’s beautiful illustrations are reknowned. My favourite is always – ‘Are We There Yet?’

Frane Lessac – my wild child buddy’s naive artwork brightens my day with vibant colours, symbolism and the pleasure of  delving into the illustrations – there is so much there to uncover.

Mike Spoor - I have been looking for Mike Spoor for a decade. He lives in the UK where he is a successful illustrator. Exciting news is that he is on tour in Australia now and one of his stops is speaking at All Saints Litfest Perth.  He’s also the illustrator of 2 of the talented Mark Carthew’s picture books.

Why have I been looking for Mike Spoor?

Well, his absolutely endearing illustration of  WATCH DUCK written by Joan Dalgleish has been on exhibition for 10 years at The Hughenden The Reading Room, in Woollahra Sydney.

I feel like the duck. I look like the duck. I love the duck.

Mike has promised to illustrate me another duck. I am soooo….. excited.