Two minutes of FAME!

I am a star !!!!

Or at least I was a star for 2 minutes last week at the 

12th annual Children's Book Council of Australia's event,

A Night With Our Stars!

West Australian authors and illustrators that had a book released in the past year were invited by the CBCA to give a 2 minute talk about their book to an audience of librarians, teachers and other interested booky people.

It's a long way for me to travel from Singapore to Perth for 2 minutes of stardom but I had a things I needed to do in Perth (e.g. a family barbeque  a catch-up with friends and some shopping) so I took the opportunity to combine business with pleasure and went along!

It was particularly enjoyable because Michael Scott Parkinson, the illustrator of  Darcy Moon and the Deep-fried Frogs, and I were able to do our first ever double-act together.

I talked for two minutes (which went rediculously fast) about Darcy Moon while Michael illustrated my words in 'real' time. I didn't get a photo of what he drew because I was too busy talking, but he had the crowd in hysterics and made me sound even more hilarious than I usually am, so thanks Michael. 

I then illustrated (after receiving a few online lessons from Michael) his newest character creation 'Norbert' while Michael spoke about his new book coming out in August 2015. 

My impression of Michael Scott-Parkinson's 'Norbert'

The event was sponsored by Fremantle Press and Westbooks and was a fantastic celebration of wonderful children's books that were born in WA this year.

All IN! Singapore Young Writer's Festival

#ALLIN2015

ALLIN! Singapore Young Writer's Media Festival took place over February 28th and March 1st of this year (2015), and it was my pleasure to speak about two very different and exciting topics.

In the morning, I ran a three hour workshop entitled Speed-pitching Basics and Preparation. 

It was an intimate and interactive workshop that covered such topics as; 

• What is a pitch?

  

  #ALLIN2015

• Why should I pitch?
• When, where and to whom should I pitch?
• How do I write a pitch?
• How do I prepare and deliver a pitch?

No matter what age you are, if you are interested in pitching your story to editors, publishers, agents or potential buyers watch this space. I will be blogging about these topics over the next few weeks and you could get a lot of advice for free !

The festival was held at the newly opened (October 2014)  library@orchard, located in Orchard Gateway Mall in the heart of Singapore's shopping district, so I was able to have a lovely local lunch with good friends David Seow and Ken Quek between sessions.

#ALLIN2105

My afternoon session was another 3 hour workshop examining the topic, How to Craft Effective Characters.

A large group of more than 20 incredibly articulate and talented upper-school children from both local and international schools attended, and we examined topics such as;

• What makes a memorable character?
• How to create a great character?
• How to use point of view to make my character come alive on the page?
• How to use dialogue to make my character come alive on the page?
• How to use plot to make my character come alive on the page?
• How to use setting to make my character come alive on the page?

#ALLIN2105

If you are interested in learning how to make your lead and/or minor characters believable, I will be giving tips and advice on this blog over the next few weeks, so watch this space.

It was my first time attending the festival and I was struck by how many young people (13-24 year olds) had a viable work-in-progress under their belt. I was also impressed by the extraordinary writing skills these young people already possess. 

Good luck to all of you that attended. You are certainly shining bright at a very young age!

Closetful of Books #ALLIN2015

A new blog, advanced copies and other fan-froggy-tastic stuff!

The first few weeks of 2014 have been super exciting. Firstly, an advanced copy of my first ever book, Darcy Moon and the Deep-Fried Frogs arrived in the mail. I knew it was on its way from Fremantle Press and had been checking the mail several times a day for a whole week! What a feeling when it finally arrived. One of the happiest moments of my life so far.

Over the moon with Darcy Moon

Secondly, my very clever illustrator, Michael Scott Parkinson and I launched a new blog. Check it out here.

www.darcymoonbooks.com

 The blog is a place where kids can go for homework and research or just have a laugh. There will be information about endangered animals, frogs, recycling, composting and freaky food facts as well as fun stuff too, like crazy drawings and swamp animal cartoons. There’s also a really detailed page for teachers full of Darcy Moon and the deep-fried frog related classroom activity ideas which link directly to the Australian cross-curriculum priority of sustainability. Michael and I have had such fun creating the blog and hope to see you there very soon.

Thirdly (if all that wasn't enough), I was interviewed by the West Australian newspaper  and an article about me and Darcy Moon and the deep-fried frogs will be featured in the ED! Magazine section of the West Australian tomorrow (Tuesday 4th Feb).

And finally, Darcy Moon and the deep-fried frogs, will be available for purchase from 1st March 2014.

Fan-froggy-tastic!

Proud Mum Moment #2 cobra golden eyeball finger rotten wizardry hair nose

Another one of Sian's astonishing snippets of writing came home, scrumpled in the bottom of her bag.

She says she just wrote it just for fun.

I had to share!

How to Make a Witches' Potion.

this is how you make a witches potion:

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* take a teaspoon of cobra wine and pour it into a big cauldron with a golden outside

* then plop three mens fingers in and if they don't turn into eyeballs put in a bit of rotten bread

*add a pinch full of wizardry essence and then a bowl full of singed chest hair

* get a fat pig nose and a wooden spoon. Stir the pig nose until it is at the bottom.

* all this will result to a delishus stew. It is called cobra golden eyeball finger rotten wizardry hair nose.


YUM SCRUM in my TUM !!!

There's Soup on my Fly

Story Book Theatre performs 'There's Soup on my Fly,' by David Seow

Last week I went to see the Storybook Theatre's 'trial' performance of 'There's Soup on my Fly' by David Seow which will be released next February. David is a good friend of mine but any of you who know him will understand he can be somewhat 'unpredictable.' So I was a little nervous. This was the first time he had seen the interpretation of his story. What if things went wrong? What if he didn't like it?

But, of course, Storybook Theatre were fantastic and we were treated to a clever mix of humour, music, dance and puppetry. We all loved it. Especially the very adorable children who were lucky enough to be little guinea pigs (and puppies, kittens and hamsters) for the preview performance. There was plenty of audience interaction and the kids were calling out, barking, meowing and squealing with delight all the way through. I couldn't wipe the grin of my face.

Storybook Theatre brings books to life and introduces children to performance and local authors.  Click here then scroll down for more details.

Curtis Brown Creative

The Creative Brown Creative crew, Singapore Writer's Festival 2013

I just completed a three day novel writing course with fifteen of the most inspiring and creative people I have ever met. Here we are all are at the end of the course looking incredibly inspired and somewhat intellectually drained. After such an intense three days, it was sad to say goodbye but happily, we all swapped emails and already have a facebook page where we intend to share our writerly news and hopefully, establish some critiquing relationships.

Anna Davis and Jake Arnott

The course was run by Curtis Brown Creative as part of the Singapore Writer's Festival. It was tutored by  Anna Davis and Jake Arnott, so we knew we were in good hands.

Anna is an agent for Curtis Brown UK as well as director of Curtis Brown Creative. She is also the author of 5 novels which have been published around the world in over twenty languages.

Jake is the author of six best selling novels, two of which have been serialized for British television.

The course itself, Writing Your Novel - From Beginning to End and Beyond, was certainly everything it promised to be. We discussed beginnings, character, point of view, story, plot, editing, rewriting, endings, letters to agents and how to get published. We also did plenty of writing exercises focussing on our own work and got a personal twenty minute critique of our manuscripts from both Anna and Jake. Invaluable stuff!

Personally, I got a great deal from the course. Not only did I have several epiphanies about how to improve my story, but I also enjoyed listening to the enormous diversity of stories taking shape amongst the participants. We had crime thrillers, historical fiction, autobiographical, dystopian, photographic and detective novels as well as my children's story and more. It was a delight and an honour to get a glimpse into the creative process of this amazing group of people.

I also enjoyed getting out of my pyjamas and leaving the school run, dinner and dishwasher hum drum to my ever supportive husband for several days :-)

Curtis Brown Creative have a new online novel writing course available. Applications open soon and the next course starts February 2014.

Singapore Writer's Festival - Two Book Launches

Yesterday was the start of the 2013 Singapore Writer's Festival and today I celebrated by attending the book launch of two fabulous books.

Tibby the Tiger Bunny by Emily Lim and The Robot in my Playground by Pauline Loh.

Emily Lim and I met at the SCBWI West Australian Rottnest Retreat earlier this year and on our return to Singapore, Emily introduced me to Pauline Loh. Since then the three of us have met once a month to critique our mid-grade manuscripts and have become firm friends.


So it was with great pleasure that I was able to share their excitement today.

It was an extra bonus that Emily Lim's book, Tibby the Tiger Bunny, was illustrated by Jade Fang who also illustrated my good friend, Sarah Mounsey's books, Purple Paw Prints and Paw Prints on the Magic Sofa. 

It was a bit of a party to tell you the truth. A book launch, a reunion, and a happy day all round.

Emily Lim, me and Jade Fang with Tibby the Tiger Bunny

Emily Lim launched Tibby the Tiger Bunny, illustrated by Jade Fang.

Poor Tibby! All he ever wanted was some friends to play with, but the other rabbits thought he was too strange. After all, he could pounce and roar like a tiger. But he also had long floppy ears and could hop like a bunny.

Was he a tiger or a bunny?

No one knew, until the day Tibby showed everyone just how much of a tiger - and a bunny - he really was.

Pauline Loh, Edmund Wee (Managing Director of Epigram) and Avina Tan

Pauline Loh launched her picture book, The Robot in my Playground, illustrated by Avina Tan.

Lucus loves robots. Especially the robot in the playground near his house. How he wishes that the robot would come to life, and after a big storm, he does!

Both books were published by leading Singapore publishing house, Epigram Books.

An Author/Illustrator Blog Hop - Hip hop hurray!

I have been tagged by Myra Garces-Bacsal of Gathering Books (a website for children's literature and YA fiction) to participate in the author/illustrator blog hop that is doing the blogosphere at the moment.

The first time I met Myra was at the 2012 Asian Festival of Children's Content in Singapore when I attended her conference session entitled, Picture Books as Portals to Enchantment and Imagination — Choosing Books that Challenge the Mind, in which Myra did what she does best and inspired us all with her passionate belief that the power and beauty of children's literature can be some of the most thought provoking art for all ages.

Since then I have been lucky enough to cross paths with Myra at several conferences and workshops and more recently we both became members of Saturday Night Out for Book Geeks,  a book club for likeminded grown ups with a passion for children's literature. 

Myra's bio on the Gathering Books website has this information about her:

Asst/Prof Myra Garces-Bacsal is a Teacher Educator and Coordinator of the Masters and Bachelor’s Program in High Ability Studies and Gifted Education at the National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. As a clinical psychologist, she has done extensive work with the gifted which range from conducting psychological assessments to counseling and developing indigenous gifted programs for highly-able learners. Aside from doing teaching supervision in Singapore Schools, she also does clinical supervision among graduate students in counseling psychology.

Dr. Bacsal has published on socioaffective concerns of gifted learners, family influences in talent development, and experiences of flow among young artists. Her research interests include psychology of artists, Asian folktales, identification of the disadvantaged gifted, experiences of flow among creatives, and bibliotherapy.

*******

Okay. Now to answer my Blog Hop Questions ...

What are you working on right now? 

My first book Darcy Moon and the Deep Fried Frogs is due for release in March 2014 so I am currently learning about how to market a book from my publishing house, Fremantle Press. Big learning curve!

I am also writing my second book for children entitled, Mergul. I am about 15 000 words into what I imagine will be a 30 000 word story. I am hoping to finish the first draft before the end of the year, but realistically it will take much longer than that.

How does it differ from other works in the genre?

Mergul is a mid-grade adventure story about two fourteen year olds who discover a wounded mermaid in the mangroves and must overcome the authorities to set her free. Set in the mudflats, the strange but beautiful zone between land and sea, the story explores themes of belonging, control and finding your way in a confusing world. Unlike other books in this genre, the setting plays a pivotal role in telling the story and the mermaid is more wild animal than maiden.

Why do you write/illustrate what you do?

I was born in England and as a small child I enjoyed reading, writing and collecting things from nature (snails, earthworms and tadpoles were my favourites).

My family migrated to Australia when I was eight and I was raised in the northern suburbs of Perth. My love of nature and stories continued so I studied botany and journalism, with an aim to get a job doing something I loved. But, as often happens in life, I landed a sensible government position, and lost sight of the original plan.

I moved to Sydney, met my husband and several years later, as I read to my two small children, I remembered my childhood dream and realized something amazing ...I had motorbiked across Australia, backpacked through Europe and explored South East Asia, but my most exciting adventures of all, had taken place within a children's book.I finally knew what I wanted to do - write fantastic stories for children to love.

What is the hardest part about writing/illustrating?

For me, the most difficult part of writing is staying focussed and not getting sidetracked by face book or tempting lunch invitations. 

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Part of the author/illustrator blog is to introduce 3 author/illustrators. So here they are;

Kelly Canby I met illustrator Kelly Canby at the 2012 SCBWI Rottnest Retreat and am a huge fan of her work.

Kelly Canby studied BA Design and Illustration and Design at Curtin University in Western Australia then worked as a graphic designer until now. Recently she saw a twitter from The Bright Group International, calling for new work. She took a risk, tweeted her portfolio and is now represented worldwide by The Bright Group. Watch this space! Kelly Canby is on the rise.

Click here for Kelly's website and blog.

James Foley

I met James Foley at the 2010 SCBWI Rottnest retreat and since then have watched his career go from strength to strength. 

His website has this information about him; 
James is a children’s author and illustrator, cartoonist, public speaker and workshop

facilitator. He is the author/illustrator of In The Lion(Walker Books, 2012) and the illustrator of The Amity Kids Adventures (2013) and The Last Viking (Fremantle Press, 2011). In The Lion was selected for the International Youth library’s White Raven list in 2013. The Last Viking won the 2012 Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators’ Crystal Kite Award, the 2012 WA Young Readers’

Hoffman Award, and a 2012 Children’s Book Council of Australia Junior Judges Award. It was shortlisted for a further four awards. James is a Books In Homes ambassador and the Illustrator Coordinator for SCBWI Australia West. He is a big fan of yoga and gardening and has far too many books in his bedside reading pile.

Click here for James's website and blog.

Emma Nicholson is a fellow member of the SIngapore chapter of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. She is originally from England where she worked for many years in the publishing industry. She is now writing her own stories and her first book, Princess Petunia's Dragon will be out soon.

Click here for Emma's blog

SCBWI Singapore dinner with Jacqueline Harvey

Sarah, Simon, Jeff, Catherine, Jacqueline, Emma, Evelyn and David took the photo

One of the best things about being a member of SCBWI is the inspiring, creative and talented people you get to meet.

This week we had dinner with Jacqueline Harvey, the best selling author of the Alice-Miranda and Clementine Rose series. She is in Singapore for school visits on her way to the UK  for a promotional tour of her latest book.

A full time writer with two best selling series (both recently optioned for animation), more books in the pipeline, a full schedule of school visits, and plenty of world wide travel, Jacqueline is a great Australian success story.

Add to the equation a balmy evening in Singapore, a bustling riverfront, great company and delicious food and you have a very memorable night out.

A good time was had by all.

For more information on Jacqueline Harvey, click on the link below.

http://jacquelineharvey.com.au/

Saturday Night Out Book Geeks

A quick blog to say how excited I am to be part of the newest book club in Singapore, 

The Saturday Night Out Book Geeks!

Felicia, Adan, Myra, Me, Amelia, Dave (and Ken took the photo)

We are a group of book nerds with a shared passion for children's literature.  We plan to meet once a month, on a Saturday of course, because we are book geeks and there is nothing else we'd rather do.

There are so many fantastic children's/ YA books on our want to read list, I'm not sure how we will ever get through them.  But last night, we made a start.

We met at the Book Cafe and discussed 'The Terrible Thing That Happened to Barnaby Brocket,' written by John Boyne and illustrated by Oliver Jeffers.

The Terrible Thing That happened to Barnaby Brocket.

'From the moment Barnaby Brocket comes into the world, it's clear he is anything but normal. To his parents horror, Barnaby defies the laws of gravity - and FLOATS.'

Most of us loved the book with its whimsical tone, floaty pace, oddball characters and poignant exploration of self acceptance in the face of parental criticism. Others were frustrated with Barnaby's lack of initiative and felt the book's message was somewhat contrived and one dimensional.

Personally, I found the book enchanting and am inspired to read more John Boynes, in particular the very famous, 'The Boy in The Striped Pyjamas'.

I give Barnaby 3 and a half stars.

Next month we will be looking at 'The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian,' by Sherman Alexie, art by Ellen Forney. 

I'm off to find myself a copy. Can't wait to read it :-)

Proud Mum Moment #1 Rapunzel Not

This story came home from school and I am so proud of Sian's hilarious and well written tale that I had to share. What a proud writerly Mum I am! Love the title, well developed characters and the clever plot twist at the end. Still smiling :-)

Rupunzel Not

By Sian Carvell (aged 8)

Once upon a time but not very long ago there lived a beautiful princess called Rupunzel. She lived in a castle behind a hill with her maid. Way out in the city lived a prince. He was ordinary but lonely.


One day the prince was out riding a troll and he found Rupunzel's tower. The prince did not know that Rupunzel was deaf. So the prince said, "Let down your hair.' So Rupunzel let down a chair. 


"No," said the prince, "Let down a rope." So Rupunzel let down a billy goat. "No," said the prince. 

"Oh it's pointless. Ah I know ..."

"Rupunzel PLEASE let down your braid."  So Rupunzel let down her maid.

The prince fell in love with the maid. And they all lived happily ever after.

Rottnest - I got an AWARD!

I'm writing this blog from my sunny balcony on Rottnest Island. I'm overlooking the ocean, the waves are rolling and the air is full of salt and eucalyptus. I'm here for SCBWI WA's annual Rottnest Retreat so not only am I in one of my favourite places in the world, but I can talk about writing all day without boring anyone. Everyone here is as obsessed with children's books as I am. It is heaven.

This is my third SCBWI Rottnest retreat. It's four days of fun, laughter, peace and creativity. I look forward to it every year, but this year has been very special because I won an AWARD!

With my very own name engraved on it *squee*

 I'll show it to you in a moment, but first I need to give you some background. 

One of the traditions at Rottnest is the 'Two Minute Pitch'. 

The idea is we get two minutes each to pitch our story idea to the group, making it sound as enticing as possible.

(This is hands on practise for when we trap some hapless publisher/agent in the queue for the loo and have two minutes to convince them to sign us up). 

Whoever gets the first publishing deal for their  pitch wins the award.

And guess what? I pitched Darcy Moon in 2010, which means that I won the award in 2012!

Too much happiness!

Here it is. Isn't it pretty? The engraving says,

2010

SCBWI ROTTNEST RETREAT

PITCH AWARD WINNER

CATHERINE CARVELL

Does this mean I get a little gold sticker on my book cover?

Hmmm. Maybe not.

But seriously ...

Thank you everyone at SCBWI WA for being a great group of people

For all the fun and encouragement and support over the years 

Getting this award felt like another great big hurrah from my very own personal cheer squad.

You guys rock!

Now race you for the Pitch Award 2011 !!!

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.