Author Blog Hop-Hoppity-Hop

Emily on the cover of her inspiring autobiography
'Finding My Voice'

I've been tagged on a blog-hop by my good friend and fellow children's author, Emily Lim. 

Emily is the author of many picture books including Prince Bear & Pauper Bear, A New Home for Kai Kai and Jia Jia, and her most recent creation Tibby the Tiger Bunny. She has also won many awards including the MDA first time writers award in 2007, Mediacorp Woman Award Honoree in 2013, and 3 IBBY awards in between.

Emily and I first met at the 2013 Asian Festival of Children's Content in Singapore. Emily had been selected as the first Singapore Representative to attend SCBWI WA's Rottnest Retreat, in a new exchange program with the Singapore Book Council. I had been attending the Rottnest retreat since 2010 and as I would also be there in 2013 I introduced myself and gave Emily some tips as to what to pack for the chilly wintry weather (a beanie, warm PJs etc).

While we were at Rottnest our friendship consolidated on the dance floor and strengthened further when, on our return to Singapore we formed a critique group and met for regular writerly discussions over lunch.

Read Emily's blog, Mum Mum's the Word, HERE.

Thank you for tagging me Emily.

Now it's time for me to answer the blog-hop questions.

Q1; What am I working on?

Well, my current work in progress has been put aside temporarily while I promote my new book Darcy Moon and the Deep-fried Frogs.

Who knew there would be so much to do! 

The book was released by Fremantle Press just a few weeks ago and I've been on a major learning curve on (apart from writing) what an author does. I've already done a heap of interviews via phone, email and skype and I'm now preparing for my first ever radio appearance next week - yikes!

I've also been doing school visits at the Australian International School (750 kids over 15 sessions in 5 days) and am planning a book launch at the Arts House in April. It's a free event and there will be cake, so if you live in Singapore, please do come and help me celebrate.

I've also been having fun blogging on my brand new website darcymoonbooks.com.  Please do check it out.  It is a great place for kids to research their science homework.  And it has fun stuff too, like crazy drawings and swamp animal cartoons by Michael Scott Parkinson, so kids can research interesting facts and have a laugh at the same time.

Q2; How does my work differ from others in its genre?

Darcy Moon and the Deep-fried Frogs is fast-paced action-packed fantasy/adventure story with more than its fair share of slimy frog jokes. Its crazy characters and over the top lot plot will appeal to readers aged 7 to 12, but what makes this story different is that it also deals with some serious themes such as the impact of humans on the environment, endangered species and sustainability - albeit in a fun and friendly way.

Q3; Why do I write what I write?

As a child, the adventure, friendship and laughter I found inside the pages of a book added magic to my life. These days I write to entertain, excite and inspire children like the child reader I used to be.
And I’ve also always been drawn to nature, especially the slimy bits. When I was small, I used to love snails and earthworms. I also remember collecting dead flies from windowsills and peering at them through the school microscope. I was fascinated by their alien eyes and strange, hairy legs. I drew them in a sketchbook and labelled all their body parts.

So I suppose I was always going to write an environmental book. Darcy Moon is a culmination of my two loves. Stories ... and mud!

Q4; How does my writing process work?

I don't plan my work. It evolves. I write every day and I scribble in notebooks and I spend a good deal of my time talking to my imaginary characters. I put them in different scenarios to see what they will do, so I suppose my plot is very much driven by the characters I create.

I certainly had no idea when I started Darcy Moon and the Deep-fried Frogs how the plot would play out. I knew my main character would be an adventurous tom-boy with an affinity for nature, and I had a vague idea that the problem would be environmental. But the rest just evolved as new ideas came to me.

My writing process can be summed up by two simple quotes from E.L. Doctorow;

“Writing is an exploration. You start from nothing.” 

“Writing is like driving at night in the fog. You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.” 

So now it’s my turn to tag 3 other authors (who will answer the same questions) as they hop on;

Dianne Touchell

I first came across Dianne when I fell in love with her hilarious and heartbreaking debut novel Creepy and Maud. I immediately looked her up and asked to be her facebook friend. She accepted and I have thoroughly enjoyed reading her entertaining posts and insightful blogs ever since. 

Read Dianne's blog, Swallows in the Eaves, HERE.

Gavin Latz

Gavin isn't exactly an author (as yet), but he is certainly a writer to watch. His blog, The World According to Garv (read it HERE), is not what you would expect from a Financial Planner. His posts cover topics from fatherhood to mortality and are insightful, laugh-out-loud funny and quite often heart-wrenching. So much so that one of his followers (who just happened to be the boss of 'Financial Writer's Australia') approached him to write for her magazine and add more 'humanness' to the industry. Fantastic!

Myra Garces-Bacsall

Myra is one of the most inspiring, intelligent and well-read women I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. Myra is a clinical psychologist and coordinates the Masters and Bachelor's Program in High Ability Studies and Gifted Education at the National Institute of Education, NTU is Singapore (among other things) and her blog, Gathering Books, is dedicated to YA and children's literature.

From author/illustrator interviews, to book reviews and more, read all about it on Myra's blog HERE.

Singapore SCBWI Christmas Celebrations 2013

Singapore SCBWI 2013 Christmas Celebratory Dinner

Some of the Singapore SCBWI crowd got together last night for a Christmas dinner and a great time was had by all.

We enjoyed a sumptuous buffet at the Merchant Court Hotel, Swissotel and not only did we eat, drink and be very very merry, we also reflected on our year and celebrated our collective achievements.

We put our heads together, sharing our writerly highlights for the year and came up with the following statistics.

 2013 we managed to ;

get 12 children's books published

sign another 9 books with publishing houses ready for release in 2014

hold 10 book launches

critique each others work and make significant progress on over 50 different manuscripts

win 2 moonbeam awards

get shortlisted for the red dot award (aside neil gaiman) and the crystal kite

sign with agents, sell foreign rights, have books adapted into plays

travel to hong kong, shanghai, australia, kuala lumpur and london for various conferences, book fairs and workshops

get published in magazines

work on creative projects such as murals, canvasses and Asian content bibliographies 

hold more than 120 school talks at over 70 schools

host dinners with visiting authors Wendy Orr, Sally Rippin and Jacqueline Harvey

and attend the amazing Asian Festival of Children's Content

And these numbers don't include the other 30 members of Singapore SCBWI that were unable to attend the dinner. Some pretty impressive highlights and statistics for a group that started three years ago with a small but enthusiastic group of only five members.

Any SCBWI member will know what I mean when I say that SCBWI is a truly special organisation. Full of creative, passionate and inspiring people who welcome, encourage and support each other through the ups and downs of our creative endeavors. 

Singapore SCBWI has become like family to me. 2013 has been amazing, last night was heaps of fun  and I look forward to sharing the journey together in 2014. 

My tiny piece of the AFCC Pie

Attending The Asian Festival of Children's Content (AFCC) the last three years in a row has been one of the highlights of living in Singapore for me. AFCC is Asia's biggest celebration of children's books. And 2013 was by far the most exciting for me so far.

For many reasons.

First I got to have a cocktail with the beautiful Renae Hayward who came across from Perth for the event (as well as a bit of a holiday). Renae and I met through SCBWI WA in 2009 and have been on the same writerly journey together ever since. Her first book Barking Mad will be released by Walker Books Australia in August 2012 - just a few months before mine. We couldn't wipe the smiles off our faces.  Being together in this fabulous city with a book contract each, was not something we ever dreamed possible when we met four years ago.

Check out those happy grins. Me and my writerly sister Renae Hayward at Blu Jaz, Kampong Glam.

Secondly, I was lucky enough to sit next to Wendy Orr at dinner. I have always been a huge fan of Wendy's, particularly her Nim's Island stories. To me, her writing is brilliant. When I read Wendy's books, her writing is invisible and I see only story. I must be her greatest fan! Here I am doing my best to impress her. Luckily we are both wearing bibs, because I am splashing chilli crab everywhere.

The whole SCBWI Singapore crowd with Wendy Orr at Jumbo Seafood, Boat Quay.

Thirdly I had the great honour of hosting a book launch for my good friend David Seow's 28th picture book, Emma's Elephant. David is one of Singapore's most popular and prolific writers and I was thrilled to be a part of it.  I'm getting better at this public speaking thing. Next time I might even relax enough to smile. Thanks Candy Gourlay for the photos :-)

 

And fourthly, I got to see the sun set over Singapore with some of my favourite people. The ever gracious and supportive Norman Jorgensen (Award winning Author of The Last Viking and In Flanders' Fields),  his lovely wife Jan (amazing school librarian extraordinaire)  and my husband, Jeff (who has read every word I've ever written and has the patience of a Saint).

Me, Norm, Jan and Jeff at the roof top bar, 1-Altitude.

There were so many more highlights, of which I failed to take photos because I was so enraptured at the time. But in summary,  it was a joy to see so many familiar faces. An inspiration to mix with such talented writers and illustrators. And a complete thrill to be a part of one of the most exciting literary events of the year.

Blogging the Journey.

I've been inspired to blog after a wonderful writerly week at the Asian Festival of Children's Content (AFCC) in Singapore.
http://afcc.com.sg/

I attended the AFCC back in 2011 and 2012, but 2013 was my first year with a publishing deal under my belt. My first chapter book, Darcy Moon and the Deep Fried Frogs (working title) is signed with Fremantle Press and is due for release early 2014.

But more about that another time.

This blog is a reach out to all of those aspiring authors I've talked to over the years, all those I've met at AFCC, and all those I know are out there, who share my secret dream, almost too raw and private to share, that one day I might get published.

I've kept this dream inside of me my whole life. Since I was a small girl reading under the covers with a torch.

But it wasn't until 2007, after the birth of my second child, that I actually allowed myself to try. Before that, I had been too scared of failure to admit how much the dream meant to me.

I lived in Perth, Western Australia. I wanted to write for children but had no idea where to start. I found a local writer's group (very easily through google) and joined a 10 week short story writing course at the Peter Cowan Writer's Centre.

http://www.pcwc.org.au/

We were required to write a short story and read it out the following week. I was terrified. But I stood up and read my story. I was told the story was 'nice' but full of cliches. Cliches! I looked up the word when I got home and wept. Then I got my pen out and began to write another story, careful to avoid cliches.

I learned many things that day.

Firstly, avoid cliches when writing (Yes, I had that much to learn!)

But also, that if I wanted to be a good writer, I was going to have to work at it. Work hard.

Through PCWC,  I learned about the Society of Children's Book Writer' and Illustrators (SCBWI) and joined up in early 2008.

http://www.scbwi.org/

I felt like a fraud when I attended my first meeting but was inspired and thrilled to meet so many talented and passionate people.

These people have supported, encouraged and inspired me ever since.

I joined an online critique group with some other aspiring SCBWIs. Critiquing others' work was as much a learning experience as getting my work critiqued. I highly recommend joining a critique group.

Through this critique group, I heard about and enrolled in an online writing course. I completed the Diploma in Professional Children's Writing through Cengage Australia. I absorbed every word. I wrote whenever my children slept. I lived and breathed my story.

In mid 2010, I completed my first manuscript. It had taken me two years.

I attended the 2010 WA SCBWI Rottnest Retreat and paid a visiting editor to critique the first 10 pages of my manuscript. Her feedback was invaluable, and I realised I had a long way to go before my manuscript would be anyway near publishable.

But I didn't have time to dwell on things, because soon after, we discovered we were moving to Singapore. With two children under 5, the move kept me busy and when I picked up my manuscript six months later, I was able to see it with fresh eyes. I knew exactly where I needed to make changes.

I rewrote the whole thing.

In the mean time, I had joined the Singapore SCBWI group and was happy to find they met every month to discuss all things writerly in Singapore, and critique each others' work. Fantastic!

I kept writing, and kept getting feedback through every avenue I could access (competitions, conferences, panels, peers) and eventually, by early 2012. I had a manuscript I was happy with.

So then I started researching publishers. Were they accepting unsolicited manuscripts? What sort of titles did they publish? All that stuff. Scary.

Fremantle Press were accepting manuscripts by West Australian Authors or with West Australian content and setting. And they had a strong children's section, which included mid grade. My manuscript seemed like the perfect fit.

So I sent it off.

And 7 weeks later I got a 'we would like to publish your manuscript' email.

I almost wet myself.

It was a miracle!

A miracle five years in the making.

This is my story.

And for every book published, there will be a different story.

Keep working on yours.