Upcoming events in Brisbane and Melbourne - this week and next

I've been a bit reclusive on the blog the past month as I've been madly working on Alice-Miranda at Camp.I'm thrilled to say that as of about 3pm it's gone to the publisher!  Tomorrow I begin a fortnight of touring in Melbourne, Brisbane and the Gold Coast so I thought I'd publish all the public events below.

Thursday 13 March at 4.30pm at Camberwell Dymocks.  Its at The Well Shopping Centre 793 Burke Rd Camberwell

Saturday 15 March at 11am at The Avenue Bookstore in Albert Park.  You'll find more details on their store Facebook Page The Avenue Bookstore

Saturday 15 March at 2pm Afternoon Tea with Ulysses Bookshop http://www.ulyssesbookstore.com.au/2014/02/afternoon-tea-with-author-of-alice.html (I have heard whispers that this one is sold out but call anyway!)

Monday 17 March at 4pm at Riverbend Books Bulimba in Brisbane http://www.riverbendbooks.com.au/products/780253-MeettheAuthorJacquelineHarvey-Monday17March-RBE17MARCH14

Tuesday 18 March at 3.30pm at Avid Reader in West End http://avidreader.com.au/index.php?option=com_registrationpro&view=event&did=347&Itemid=136&shw_attendees=0

From Wednesday to Friday I will be appearing at The Somerset Celebration of Literature on the Gold Coast. Tickets are available on their website now Somerset Festival

I hope to see you out and about over the coming weeks.  Huge thanks for all the support and love for Alice-Miranda and Clementine Rose!

My Writing Process Blog Tour

I was invited to join this blog tour by the fabulous Lou Kuenzler, a brilliant middle grade author I first had the pleasure of meeting in a Thai restaurant in Queen's Park London, before we appeared together at the Queen's Park Book Festival in 2012.  She is the very first English children's author I met in England.  Lou writes a whole range of wonderful books but I especially love her Shrinking Violet series. Lou has also written Princess Disgrace, Aesop's Awesome Rhymes and many other funny books for primary school age children. She has written for CBeebies too which is one of the children's television channels on the BBC. To read more about Lou click here

What am I working on?
I'm currently finishing Alice-Miranda At Camp, which is another mysterious adventure of epic proportions. I'm right in the midst of its epic-ness at the moment with about 10,000 words to go - so if this blog post makes no sense it's because I've been at my computer since 7am and it's now 9.45pm and I've been writing for about 14 hours.  I'm just reaching that point where I tend to gallop towards the finish (which needs to happen because the deadline is looming so large there is a permanent shadow cast across my desk), but then I'll go back and read it through many times and likely make lots of changes before it goes to my publisher.  I just can't take too long about it though because I am about to go on tour to publicise Alice-Miranda In Japan and then I have to start Clementine Rose's 7th story which I haven't yet decided on the title for and am still really nutting out in terms of the plot.  Fortunately I'm already good friends with all the characters so at least I know who's in the story.  Clementine Rose and the Treasure Box is about to come back from my editor so that will mean another round of changes from me too.  It's the 6th book in the series. Clementine Rose and the Seaside Escape has just landed from the printers and will be in the shops on the 1st April (that's not a joke).

How does my work differ from others of its genre?
My books are character driven with lots of interesting mysteries for the children to solve.  I think it's really important for the readers to feel something for the characters - you know, to love the good guys and hate the baddies.  In the 10th book I've created a new student at Alice-Miranda's school who is just about the most evil piece of work you're ever likely to come across, but I'm enjoying having her in the story because she makes me so cross. I'm also a big fan of interesting settings be they boarding school, big cities like Paris and New York, holiday destinations, hotels, villages and home.  I have a broad range of characters in terms of their ages too.  Alice-Miranda has friends who are very young and very old and that's important to me.  When I'm thinking about the plot, it's a bit like giving ten kittens ten balls of string and chasing them all over the house.  End result is lots of knots.  The plot really comes down to how I can create those knots and then untangle them at the end so it all makes sense.

Why do I write what I do?
I was a teacher for almost twenty years and I have spent my entire adult life working in schools. In some ways I've never truly grown up. In my head when I write I'm usually about nine years old.  I think it's important to remember what it was like to be a child - the wonder of new things, navigating the mysteries of friendships and relationships, exploring the world.  I've always loved to tell stories too - it's a bit of a compulsion and I adore kids. 

How does your writing process work?
I'm a planner.  I need to plan the big ideas and I like to know where my end destination is.  That said, I don't bore myself stupid by plotting every last detail so that I have no room for surprises but I do find, especially as my deadlines are tight and I write a lot, that having a plan guides me and enables me to work more quickly.  I edit as I go, usually writing a couple of chapters at a time then going back to check over them and make changes.  

I think sometimes writing books must be a bit like having a baby (I've never had a baby so this is mere supposition based on the fact that my sister is having her fourth child shortly and I talk to her pretty much every day and let me tell you - some days are golden, others not so much!).  The process of growing the baby seems to vary daily from piece of cake to piece of work!  There are days when the baby moves around a lot and kicks the living daylights out of her and other times when she feels as if she can achieve anything.  Of course towards the end there is more pain (the birth) and then when that little bundle arrives, all is forgiven and everyone's in love.  

I tend to forget the pain of previous books when I'm starting a new one and then I just get going, and a character, the plot or even a single scene gives me a good sharp kick in the ribs to remind me that although the journey might not always be easy, it's worth it for the end result.

I've invited two of my lovely writer friends, Tania McCartney and Krista Bell to continue the Writing Process Blog next week.  Have fun ladies!

Tania McCartney writes books for both children and adults. An experienced magazine writer and editor, she has been writing professionally (print and online) for over 25 years, and in 2009, founded Kids’ Book Review, a highly respected children’s literature site. Tania has many years’ experience in book design and publishing, and has quite the picture book obsession. An Ambassador for the National Year of Reading (2012), she is passionate about literacy, and can occasionally be seen pushing books onto unsuspecting shoppers in bookshops. Or travelling. Or drinking coffee. Always with a book.

Link to blog

Krista Bell is an award-winning Australian author of twenty six books for young readers aged four to fourteen who travels nationwide giving talks and conducting writing workshops for children and adults. She has been an on-air ABC Radio children’s book reviewer for over twenty five years and loves the challenge. Krista’s current titles are: PEEKING DUCKS, a picture book set in China, illustrated by Sally Rippin; WARRIORS, the story of theterracotta warriors of Xi’an, illustrated with Krista’s photos; JACK’S BUGLE, a picture book set during WW1, illustrated by debutante Belinda Elliott; all three published by Windy Hollow Books. BURNING THE BAILS: the story of the Ashes, a cricket story,illustrated by Ainsley Walters, published by One Day Hill. Link to blog

From Australia with Love - Introducing Melissa Gijsbers

Australian writers rock. We know it, and we love them. But it’s not always easy to discover the Australian talent that is right under our noses.

From Australia With Love Blog Hop introduces you to 18 Aussie authors across a variety of categories and genres. Each author is hosting three of their fellow blog hop participants between now and Valentine’s Day to let you find out more about them. So follow them on twitter, like their Facebook page and visit their blogs during the blog hop period to discover more great Australian writers.

Today I'd like to welcome Australian author Melissa Gijsbers to my blog.  Apologies that we missed the Feb 14 cut off, but things have been hectic for Melissa and me of late!

What do you write and why?

I write a number of different things, from flash fiction to picture books and chapter books. I’ve found that I enjoy the shorter stories than writing novels for adults, partly because I get bored part way through!

In 5 words describe your writing style

This is a hard one; I ended up consulting my kids to help me!

Real, descriptive, exciting, fun, and awesome!

Who were your favourite authors growing up?

The books that stand out to me from my childhood include Grug by Ted Prior, Storm Boy, the Little Golden Books, Enid Blyton and Dr Seuss. I was given Storm Boy to read because it was an Australian book and I was an Australian kid in a missionary school in Pokhara, Nepal. I also read The Hobbit when I was in Grade Five, but never got in to The Lord of the Rings!

Who is your favourite children’s book character and why?

This one was hard as there are so many. One of my favourite kids books was “Mr Bear, Babyminder”. I can’t remember who it was by, but I remember laughing at Mr Bear trying to look after all those rabbit babies. But the character that has really stuck with me would have to be Grug – probably because I memorised the text of the first book and have recited it to my kids.

Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?

Keep writing and don’t give up.

Blog: www.melissawrites.com.au
Web: www.melissagijsbers.com (coming soon)


The competition has now closed.

Upcoming events February and March

I'm thrilled to be getting out and about in Sydney over the next few weekends to meet the readers.  It's certainly one of my favourite things about being a writer.  I love hearing the feedback and asking children where they would like Alice-Miranda to go next.  There are lots of wonderful things happening and there is a summary below plus individual posters for some of the events which are free but you will need to book.

Hope to see you out there somewhere!

Some very exciting news!

I've been bursting to be able to tell everyone my celebratory news but have been waiting for some official wording, and finally here it is!

Random House Australia (and me!) are delighted to announce that SLR Productions has optioned the television adaptation rights in the Alice-Miranda series.  Established in 2002 by CEO, Suzanne Ryan, SLR is recognised for creating successful brands such as the internationally acclaimed preschool property, Guess How Much I Love You™, the Australian comic book series GASP!™ and the Emmy Award winning animated series I Got a Rocket™.  We’re thrilled that Alice-Miranda will be in such great company and can’t wait to see her on the small screen.

I'm afraid I can't tell you any more than that, and all good things take time, but watch this space for updates.

From Australia with Love Blog Hop

Australian writers rock. We know it, and we love them. But it’s not always easy to discover the Australian talent that is right under our noses.

From Australia With Love Blog Hop introduces you to 18 Aussie authors across a variety of categories and genres. Each author is hosting three of their fellow blog hop participants between now and Valentine’s Day to let you find out more about them. So follow them on twitter, like their Facebook page and visit their blogs during the blog hop period to discover more great Australian writers.

There's also a fabulous competition to win lots of prizes donated by the authors who will appear on my blog and on a host of others (see the list at the bottom of this post).  Today I'd like to welcome LJ Clarkson, who writes a middle grade fantasy adventure for 9-12 year olds called the Mastermind Academy Series.  The first book is The Silver Strand.  Over to you LJ.

10 Things You Will Only Hear in Australia

Thanks for having me today, Jacqueline.

Sometimes it seems us Aussies speak an entirely different English language. We’ve grown up using made up words, given people nicknames, and created odd sayings. If I counted them all, I bet we’d have enough to fill a dictionary! I blame it on us being so isolated from other English speaking countries. Or fellow Aussies having their brains shaken too much from traveling in Kangaroo pouches! No, I’m just kidding. That myth isn’t true.

But what’s true, is that we talk weird. And in honour of celebrating Australia day on the 26^th January, I’m going to enlighten your international readers with a little lesson in Australian slang and nicknames, taking some examples from my novel, The Silver Strand and throwing in a few extra for fun.

Infamous Aussie Slang

If you can master these, you are a true Aussie at heart.

Don’t get your fringe in a twist - this is a play on the saying, “Don't get your knickers in a knot,” and means “don't upset yourself” or “calm down”.

Let’s go and have a cuppa - let’s have cup of tea or coffee.

Rack off - leave me alone or get lost.

Crikey - is what you say when you get a shock or surprise. It was made famous by the late Steve Irwin, the Crocodile Hunter.

Plonk - to sit down heavily or collapse into a chair.

Thongs – are flip flops. Whoever changed the word just wanted to be different and confuse you.

Budgie smugglers – are an underwear style of swimming brief, and any man caught wearing them in Australia is teased relentlessly.

Nicknames

Now for some reason I don’t understand, Aussies like to add zzz’s on the end of names or o’s. Maybe it’s to sound cool. Who knows?

Mozzy – is a character in The Silver Strand. He’s a Cane Toad named after his favourite food, mosquito.

Sharon and Barry - Shazza  and Bazza

Robert - Robbo

Now I could go on and on with many more, but you’d forget them all. While the selection might be small, I hope it has helped you understand the way us Aussies talk, and hasn’t scared you away from reading any amazing Australian books.

To celebrate Australia Day further, I, LJ Clarkson (aka Louo), Mastermind and champion of spider solitaire, hereby decree that any visitors leaving a comment with their favourite aussie slang or their new nickname, will henceforth be known as an honorary Australian.

Author Bio:

LJ ‘fibber’ Clarkson tells everyone she gave up her Environmental Engineering career to study a Creative Writing Degree and pursue her writing dreams. But that's not entirely true. Ten percent of the time she sleeps in. Playing spider solitaire consumes 5% (bad, bad habit). Running Indicated, a promotional site for authors steals another 18.75%. In her remaining waking hours, she writes, laughs at her own jokes, reads and falls asleep whenever her boyfriend reels off geeky computer lingo (zzzzzz). If she were a Mastermind, she’d uninvent early mornings, grammar, broccoli, cleaning and her dog’s fussy eating habits.

The Silver Strand blurb:

Ever since twelve year old Isabelle Tresdon’s silver strand of hair sprouted, it’s been nothing but trouble: bleeding pink dust and sparking like a firecracker.  Refusing to be known as the girl with the freaky, grandma hair, she wishes it never grew and the hair withers and tarnishes.  

The only problem is, the strand is Isabelle's source of magic, and she can transform particles of energy into matter. It's also her ticket into Mastermind Academy, a secret school inside the earth’s core. Five days remain before the strand drains her magic and life, forcing Isabelle to enter into a deal with two trickster Masterminds to save it. But what she doesn't count on is that there is more at stake than just her life. 

The Silver Strand, a MG Fantasy Adventure for 9-12 year olds, is book 1 in the Mastermind Academy Series.

If you'd like to purchase a copy of the books or learn more about LJ click on the links below.

Author’s websites: www.indicated.com.au

Indicated is a site providing all the resources an indie or small press author needs.

Buy ebook and paperback (Amazon US)

Amazon US

Buy ebook Australia (Amazon Aus)

Amazon Aus

Autographed copies from the author’s website

Buy autographed copies

Buy paperback (UK)

Paperback copies

To enter the competition to win one of the many prizes from the following authors click the link.
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/88d39a11/

*Also visit YAtopia for additional MG posts.

Happy New Year - I'm kicking it off with...

Happy 2014!  I hope you have a great year and stick to any resolutions.  My husband's will be easy as it was not to make any resolutions.  I'm going to spend some time today trying to set some realistic goals - resolutions made in haste usually don't last long for me!

I've got a few events planned in January and I need to start spreading the word.  There are two high teas at The Tea Salon in Westfield Sydney on the 15th and 22nd - consecutive Wednesdays.  We had two high teas in the September school holidays and they were lovely events.  Lots of mothers and daughters and some grandmothers and granddaughters as well as the odd brother came along and enjoyed a morning of delicious food, good company and a Q&A with me.  There will be books on sale for signing and I'm thrilled that Random House has been able to arrange early exclusive release of Alice-Miranda In Japan for these events.

It's important to book early as the previous events were sold out very quickly and tickets are limited.  It's a lovely morning in the city and I know many of the parents planned some shopping and other activities in the afternoon, really making a day of it.

To find out more click on the link
https://theteasalon.com.au/site/alice-miranda-childrens-high-tea/

I'm also teaching a writing course for keen and talented young writers as part of the Abbotsleigh Explore Program on Monday 20 and Tuesday 22 January at Abbotsleigh Junior School in Wahroonga.  Young writers have to submit a piece of work and over the course of the two days we'll look at developing their skills and knowledge and doing lots of writing.  I love working with children and their enthusiasm is inspiring. Places are limited - to enquire follow the link below.

http://www.abbotsleigh.nsw.edu.au/community/abbschool/Documents/Explore_Summer13.pdf
Lastly, I am teaching a course for adults who want to write for children at the NSW Writers' Centre starting in February and running for five weeks, on Tuesday evenings.  I taught the course last year and really enjoyed working with the participants.

I've posted the details below but to get more information or to book, click on the link below.
http://www.nswwc.org.au/products-page/courses/writing-for-kids1/

Writing for Kids


Who: Jacqueline Harvey
When: 5 x Tuesday evenings: 4, 11, 18, 25 February; 4 March, 6:30pm-9:30pm
Cost: Full Price: $500; Member: $350; Conc Member: $300
Writing for children is big business.  Despite the doom and gloom about the state of the publishing industry, the children’s market remains robust and growing.  Children are reading and the demand for quality books is strong.
If you’re keen to write stories that will keep children reading under the covers after lights out, if you’re interested to know more about the puzzling business of publishing, or if you harbour dreams of being the next JK Rowling or Morris Gleitzman, then this course is for you.
Over six evenings, Jacqueline Harvey will guide participants through a practical look at writing for children; from goal setting and understanding what you want to achieve, to finding your voice and knowing how to grow your story.
The course will cover everything you need to get started including:

• Understanding your potential audience
• Finding and developing ideas
• Creating believable characters
• Developing plausible plots
• Using dialogue effectively
• Literary devices
• The importance of editing
• Advice on getting published
• The business of being a writer

A series of practical exercises will give budding writers opportunities to explore style, voice and other key elements of writing for children as well demystifying the publishing process.
Food
Tea and coffee making facilities will be provided. Course participants are advised to bring their own lunch as there are no cafes within easy walking distance.
Student RequirementsPen and paper.

About the tutor
Jacqueline Harvey grew up telling stories.  From a young age she harboured dreams of becoming a teacher and author.  With plenty of outstanding educators around her, making a career as a teacher was the easy part.  Having never met a real life author, writing was far more perplexing.  It wasn’t until she was working as a teacher she met her first published author and the dream grew.   She is now one of Australia’s bestselling authors for children.  Her Alice-Miranda and Clementine Rose series’ have both been sold internationally; her first and only picture book, The Sound of the Sea was an Honour Book in the 2006 Children’s Book Council Awards and Alice-Miranda at School has been shortlisted for four children’s choice awards and the Australian Peace Literature Prize.
Until recently Jacqueline has spent her working life teaching in girls’ boarding schools and has been a Deputy Head and Director of Development.  In 2012, she took a leap of faith becoming a full time writer and speaker.