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!

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.

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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

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.