Big book day out

This event was one of my faves from last year. And this year it seems like it is going to be even bigger and better. Lots of authors and illustrators! Lots of stories! Lots of craft and activities! Lots of fun! I will be in the storytelling tent doing one of my favourite things - telling stories. I also intend to hang out in the crafty area with some platypus activities.

A wonderful celebration of children's books with a community festival feel. If you have young readers at home or if you are interested in kids books please try to come along. I guarantee a fun family day.

The new novel

I have started a new novel and I'm in that it's-so-exciting-to-be-writing-a-new-story phase.

I have progressed past the heady first flush of inspiration, and now my characters are talking, ideas are colliding and the shape of the story is revealing itself to me.

There is so much work to be done.
So much to research.
So much to write and rewrite.
So many wrong turns to take.
So many mistakes to be made.
So much wretched self doubt to deal with.
But, oh, I must be mad, because I am so EXCITED by it all.
Bring it on! I say.

I want to tell you about an interesting book I read recently. WIRED FOR STORY by Lisa Cron. It is basically a manual on how to write a novel - which usually sends alarm bells, as we know there is no magic formula to novel writing - but it is framed around research in neuroscience and cognitive theory, which makes it a little different to most, and intrigued the logical/scientific part of my brain.

More importantly, the timing was perfect for me, as it reminded me of all the things I need to sort out before starting a new book. It helped me to focus, and not to rush headlong into madly writing without first being clear on what the story is about, and what is driving my characters. I am not an outliner - but I work much better if I know what makes my characters tick and what the story is about in a nutshell. And by thinking deeply about these things, I have come to realise that the story I want to tell deals with some very complex emotions and, with a twelve-year-old protagonist, I need to tread carefully and be very clear in my own mind how she feels about the events that will unfold.

A couple of random thoughts from the book that were useful reminders for me:

• Everything must be there on a needs-to-know basis. 
• Plot is not story. Story is how your character is affected by the plot, and how he/she acts and reacts, grows and/or changes.
• Be clear what your character's external goals and inner issues are.

Over and out from me!

Platypus play time

PLATYPUS hit the bookshop shelves this week. So it is Happy Dance time for me.

As with all new releases, I am now thinking of ways to present this book in the upcoming weeks of school visits and events that make up BOOK MONTH. (Book Week usually lasts for at least a month these days.)

So today I purchased online another wonderful FOLKMANIS puppet. Pretty cute, huh?

And I have wasted many hours watching numerous funny and informative platypus videos on YouTube. This one rates high on the cute stakes!

I have even found the most annoying platypus song ever! I dare you to listen to it.

So lots of valuable time wasting. And lots of platypus fun ahead, starting with the CBCA Illawarra-South Coast Sub Branch's Literary Luncheon on Wednesday. Food, kids, authors and books - a winning combination.

For the teachers who might stumble on this post, here is a link to some CLASSROOM IDEAS created by WALKER BOOKS.

Platypus sneak peek

PLATYPUS - my first ever trade nonfiction picture book - is due for release in a week or so.

Yes, I am happy dancing!

It is part of a gorgeous series, called Nature Storybooks, published by Walker Books, which combines lyrical narrative, facts and painterly art.

And I have been ever so lucky to have been paired with the the supremely talented illustrator MARK JACKSON. His work is divine!

Want a sneak peek? Feast your eyes on these.

I love school holidays

I love school holidays. 

This may sound like a strange thing to say for someone who hasn’t been a teacher for ten years and whose kids are well past their school days.

But school holidays are wonderful.

Because school holidays mean delicious cocooning silence for the first half hour of my morning train commute.

Now please don’t think that this is a rant about the youth of today and their disrespect for others. It’s not. It’s just that the first half hour of my commute is the tiny bit of time that I have carved out for me to write. And for exactly sixteen minutes of that time the local high school kids surge into my carriage and command centre stage.

They don’t do anything wrong (mostly). They are just LOUD. Exuberant. As you should be when you are a teen. The carriage fills with their energy: sudden shots of laughter, high-pitched squeals, the click-clack of skateboards, the bouncing of soccer balls, shouted conversations about assignments, or exams or TV shows. Sometimes there is even singing. (I love the singing.) And dancing. And acrobatics. (True.) They are highly entertaining - and extremely distracting - but only once have I felt the need to say, Oh, come on, guys, keep it down. Please. Which they did immediately with red faces and swift apologies.

Funnily enough it wasn’t until midweek last week that I noticed their absence, that I snuggled into the silence of my empty carriage and immersed myself in the voices of my characters. It was nice, I have to admit.

And I have another whole week until the sixteen-minute daily circus returns. 

Give them pleasure

In celebration of the release of the US edition of PORTRAITS OF CELINA, (hardback with a jacket - it looks so pretty!) I have reposted this post about writing a slightly creepy story.

“Give them pleasure. The same pleasure they have when they wake up from a nightmare.” Alfred Hitchcock

I didn’t set out to write a creepy story. But it seems that I have.

Many readers/reviewers of Portraits of Celina say that the novel is gripping, thrilling and seriously creepy. This comment is often followed by grimaces and shudders, and then the sharing of favourite “freak out” moments. All relayed with huge grins and much wide-eyed glee. Fantastic and appreciated feedback for me as the author, but it got me thinking what a weird lot we human beings are! Why do we gain pleasure from reading stories that scare us?

The answer can be found in biology and evolution. Feeling fear is a primeval response that has contributed to our species staying alive and thriving, and that has saved us from many dangers.

The science goes like this. When we are confronted with a dangerous situation, the brain immediately releases a surge of hormones, in particular, adrenaline, but also others such as dopamine. These hormones trigger our fear response that allows us to react swiftly. Our bodies go on high alert, we are charged with energy and our senses are intensified. Essential things for survival.

Now, for many, when these hormones are released in non-dangerous situations, where there is little or no risk of physical harm, this heady rush of hormones results in a type of exhilaration, or at the very least, exciting, pleasurable feelings. All thrill, but no price! Perfect.

I can assure you it is very unlikely that I will ever bungee jump off a bridge, go skydiving or swim with sharks. I’m not even that keen on roller coaster rides. For me, there is no better place to get my dose of thrills and chills than curling up on my sofa in the safety of my own home caught in the suspense of a nail-biting novel, experiencing fear vicariously.

So I am pleased to have written something a little creepy – something that allows readers the same pleasure as waking from a nightmare!

Hope you enjoy the rush.

Christmas, bushfires and Cooper Jones

Happy holidays everyone!

We had our family Christmas at my place this year, which of course meant lots of preparation, including a mid-summer spring clean and the peeling of many vegetables.

It also meant that some of the family stayed over for a Christmas sleepover. This is not one of our usual family Christmas traditions. In fact, it is only the second time it has happened. The last time was in 2001, when around 3 pm on Christmas afternoon, just as we finished our Christmas lunch, raging bushfires swept over the escarpment and our little village was surrounded, cut off and our house filled with stranded friends and family, many of whom stayed not just for Christmas night but for several days.

We had no power. Very little food. No communication with the outside world. When not hosing down friends' houses or rescuing their pets or keeping watch on advancing fronts, we sat out in the street with neighbours and shared a drink or two.

It was a strange time. A surreal time. A time that came to be known as Black Christmas. And a time that eventually inspired my mid-grade novel Get a Grip, Cooper Jones, which was published eight years later in 2010.

No houses were lost in my village, but many were lost in surrounding villages and in various parts of Sydney. Miraculously and thankfully no lives were lost. And now in 2014, with fires tearing through the Adelaide Hills and rural Victoria, I am once again reminded of that time. My thoughts are with you all! Stay safe.