Kids’s authors and illustrators, publishers and editors rock and rolled at the Society of Children’s Writers & Illustrators’ Conference at The Hughenden in Sydney – with the BEATNICKERS – the SCBWI band of James Foley, Mark Greenwood, Meredith Costain, 
Scott Chambe
rs and the fabulous ring in on guitar and drums and … Wolfgang!
Best ever -amazing, wild, hilarious, brilliant night of the craziest dancing and partying!
Go kids’ authors and illustrators!!!!!!!
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SCBWI’s International Conference 13-16th July has the hip band – watch out for drummer award winning picture book author Mark Greenwood on the drums.
Mark’s past life was a drummer with the top bands in the world!
James Foley award winning illustrator who’s on vocals.
Scott Chambers scientist and writer on guitar.
Meredith Costain fabulous author, vocalist on the key boards.
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Landing in Melbourne, I zoomed into launching the scary, creepy, cult driven ’The Beckoning’ published by no-less a press than DAMNATION Press and the science fiction last book of the Paul Collins’ Maximus Black series.
Packed with authors & illustrators and good cheer.
There such a beautiful speech by her son in law Dave and the video clip by her beautiful daughter Kim. And so much great food at the RACV too.
Got to hang out with the cool kids at the local pool den in Clifton Hills with the Ford Street Publishing team – special hi to Gemma!!!!!
Also got to see Anna Pignataro’s original artwork for our new picture book to be published by Ford Street
- Elephants Have Wings
We had an editorial meeting with Paul Collins and Meredith Costain and …. it’s sooooo beautiful. Anna Pignataro’s art is amazing! The STAR of course is the huge white strong elephants with wings~~~~~~~ sneak preview
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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!
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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!
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What’s Melbourne mean to me?
The city of literature.
Brilliant creative friends
My welcoming publishers – Lisa Berryman from HarperCollins – thankyou for a great dinner
Paul Collins from Fort Street Publishing – thankyou for your hospitality
Hazel Edwards who gave such a beautiful launch speech for ‘Gracie and Josh’.
Thankyou to the fabulous authors and illustrators who came along to the launch on a long weekend
Special thanks to Meredith Costain and Niki Horin for the editorial inspiration for ‘Gracie and Josh’
Serena Geddes – what can I say? She captured the joy of Gracie and Josh who jump from the pages of the book.
VARIETY the children’s charity – I love VARIETY and Kathryn the marketing manager for Variety Victoria gave such a special speech about helping kids – ‘Gracie and Josh’ is helping them too.
Excited to catch up with the talented Jen McVeity -and hear her Highlighting Writing tours.
Corrine Fenton – the award winning picture book author who leads SCBWI Victoria – love what you are doing for kids writers and illustrators in Victoria – the retreat sounds amazing
….. so many friends …. radio interviews especially loved being in the ABC Tardis ……and so much more!!!!!
The rain poured, Sydney was brooding, but the launch of Gracie and Josh was a total joy.
Paul MacDonld from The Children’s Bookshop, VARIETY the children’s charity, Meredith Costain from Ford Street Publishing and an enthusiastic crowd welcomed ‘Gracie and Josh’ into the world.
I couldn’t believe it when Jodie Wells Slowgrove and Vicki Stanton and others braved the weater to drive hours from Woollongong to this event.
People came from fare and wide:-
Sharon Rundle, Christie Lamb and one of my favourite fans – the wonderful girl Nina Lamb – came from the Central Coast.
Loved poet Beverely George , award winning illustrator Sarah Davis and Nikau – gosh I couldn’t believe that she already a teen. – also from the Central Coast.
The award winning Libby Gleeson, Sue Murray playwright from School Magazine, Rachel Greenwood editor of the CBCA magazine and so many people piled into the Children’s Bookshop.
Serena Geddes and I shared the very special journey of creating our picture book ‘Gracie and Josh’ -
where we celebrated children and families who faced illness through the joy of words and colour.
Deeply personal, ‘Gracie and Josh’ is our public testament to the resilience and courage and love of children.
We were privileged to partner with Variety the children’s charity in ‘Gracie and Josh’ – www.variety.org.au
Australian SCBWI authors, illustrators and members gathered at the Hughenden to listen to visiting Scottish author.
It was wonderful to catch up with award winning author Meredith Costain who flew up from Melbourne and the Singing Librarian Claire Stuckey who drove down from the Central Coast and stayed the weekend at The Hughenden in Sydney.
We all love Linda Strachan’s best-selling and much loved HAMISH McHAGGIS series for young children.
Her latest edgy teenage novels: SPIDER published by Strident has won the Catalyst Teenage Book Award 2010 and her latest novel, DEAD BOY TALKING has just been released.
For those aspiring to become a children’s author, a new writing handbook- WRITING FOR CHILDREN.
Some other books by Linda Strachan
Hamish McHaggis series – GW Publishing
(Currently 9 books in the series including the Activity and Story Book)
Greyfriars Bobby – GW Publishing
What Colour is Love? –Bloomsbury – this is a brilliant picture book!!!!!
Thankyou to Sonia from Bloomsbury for partnering SCBWI and The Hughenden in brining this event to Sydney.
Thankyou Meredith Costain and Marjory Gardner – great author and illustrator friends for you warm and wonderful emails about the ABC Life Matters programme with Richard Aedy.
I love ABC radio – what would we do without ‘Aunty’. ABC is committed to sharing Australian stories and our voice.
THANKYOU Richard Aedy and the producer for a great interview on ‘Always Jack’.
The interview is on ABC National:-
http://www.abc.net.au/rn/lifematters/stories/2010/3076434.htm
‘Sex and drugs have always been difficult topics to address with young children. But what about cancer?
Susanne Gervay has been in this situation more than once battling bouts of breast cancer and other tumours.
Her new book Always Jack deals with how to help children cope when their parents are diagnosed with cancer.’
