Still here...

... writing... writing... writing... writing... writing...

Young Writer braves germ-warfare to offer a solution to my problem

I was at the Young Writers' Night last night (with my ragging lurgy and all - doing my best for germ warfare by spreading it around). It is an event where authors sit with a group of 10 children or so from around the state (that being South Australia for all you out-of-towners) and listen to them read out their prose or poetry then give encouragement - I am not sure how much use I am to the brave souls who expose their souls through there writing so, I always feel like my comments are a tad thin.

Anyway, one of young lady wrote a fine piece about a magical quill that when the character picked it up amazing ideas filled their head and stories wrote themselves. I am thinking this would be an excellent solution to Sam Hranac's proposition, "Crank yourself up out of your deathbed and put quill to parchment." If it could just be that magical quill we'd be set.

So a shout out to all the children who took part last night, I am sorry if I gave you my cold... :(

Get out your violins...

Just letting you all know that I am still here folks... I have a bad head cold, am madly writing and trying not to feel sorry for myself. As femina recently admitted, I cannot decide whether to wear my cranky pants or my grumpy trousers.

I hope you all are doing well, though - sunshine and cheer will return soon enough, Lord willing.

Anyone else out there got the dreaded lurgy?

L'édition en Français

I very excited - nay! I am le plus merveilleusement excité!! - to see a sneak preview of the French cover of Foundling over at Monsieur Benjamin Lacombe's excellent site (English translation version here).

As you will see, Mr Lacombe has illustrated so much more than just a gorgeously maudlin Rossamünd, but Europe, Licurius (ahhh, old Boxface!) and a rather serious looking chap who I cannot decide is Sebastipole or Gosling (apologies Benjamin - I am not very bright but I can lift heavy things...)

As if i was not before I now am trés, trés! excited about getting my copy of the French edition now - from Mr Lacombe's comments it is a very beautifully produced edition indeed!

Merci, Monsiuer Lacombe! Merci, Milan! (my French publisher)

Hippo Birdy Two Ewes!

Today in the Queen's Birthday Holiday and I would like to say Happy Birthday! to our dear Queen, bless her and the fact we get a day off here Oz.

On a lighter note ;) I found this review thingy over at OF Blog of the Fallen the other day and just wanted to share because I so love it when a fellow soul is on the same wavelength - don't we all...

Oh, and I am as yet to have breakfast.

The day after...

So the Official Launch [TM] happened last night, and I believe it went rather well - public appearances are difficult things but deeply rewarding at the same time (which is a tad frustrating when all you want to do his hide away and write... or procrastinate). I was very gratified (happy in fact - even delighted) to meet MadBomber - one of "the gang" here at Monster Blog Tattoo (if I may use that term), a fine fellow - thank you for making yourself known Mr Bomber, a face to the name and better sense of the goodly soul you have already shown yourself to be here at MBT.

Thank you to all who could be there at the short notice I ended up giving you.

Looking back to the Sydney Writers' Festival I must say what an excellent thing it was to be on the panel with David Kowalski, Stuart Mayne and Judith Ridge and wax as clever as we knew how on genre and truth and editing and all that. Thank you to the three of you for an excellent evening. A shout out too to everyone I talked with afterwards, including Jeremy Gordon - fellow writer/illustrator/dreamer - with whom I had a good though too brief chat afterwards about possibilities and keeping true. He has put something of the night up here - including an odd little image of me, for those of you who want to spoil the visions you might have of the "dashing young author" ;)

Another part of the Syd. Writs'. Fest. 2008 was a couple of workshops with students where we tried our hand together at world building. I would ask folks for a few of their favourite things and from that we began to build our own distinct world settings. What was astounding is just how different the ideas and directions each group took - I had a great time and I hope the others there did too!

So joy and thankfulness all round.