Brenton's KIDLIT & WRITING Blog
Writing updates, book reviews, writing tips I find and share, and a smattering of things in between.
 Caz Goodwin is an award-winning, internationally published children’s author. Her books have won or been shortlisted for awards including 2024 CBCA Book of the Year (Early Childhood), Speech Pathology Book of the Year (three-five years) and the National Arts Council Beyond Words Award (Singapore). Caz is passionate about children’s literacy and has spoken at numerous local and international festivals, conferences, community events, libraries and schools. She heads the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) in Victoria and is on the Young Australian Best Book Awards (YABBA) council. She is also an Australia Reads ambassador. Caz has been the recipient of an ASA mentorship, a May Gibbs Creative Time Residential Fellowship and was a resident at the Police Point Artist in Residence Program. Her books have been produced in Braille for blind and low-vision children and included in the Premier’s Reading Challenge. Caz’s books have also featured on Sarah Ferguson’s Fergie and Friends show, CBCA Storytime, podcasts, newspapers and radio. Find her online at cazgoodwin.com 1. Caz, congratulations on your latest picture book Little Matilda and the Lost Bunny, the third in the Little Matilda series. You have also written Dragon’s Egg, Lazy Daisy and Daisy Runs Wild and Grace and Mr Milligan. What attracts you to the picture book form? I love the way picture books can create rich emotional experiences that reflect the strong feelings experienced by young children. They can facilitate important conversations and encourage language acquisition and literacy. They are often the books that instil in young children a love of words, books and reading. I also find picture books fun to write, and it’s a privilege seeing my words brought to life by an illustrator. 2. Are there particular joys, or even challenges, when writing picture book texts? Writing is full of joys and challenges. Trying to capture the essence of the story along with relatable characters, an interesting narrative arc, rich vocabulary and a satisfying conclusion, all in a limited word count can be challenging. But it’s a joy when it all comes together. The thrill of holding a new picture book, poring over the illustrations and finally reading it to children is always wonderful. 3. Is writing in rhyme a pleasure or does it prove to be hard work behind the scenes? I’ve always enjoyed rhyme and I love writing it. To me, it’s a challenge and a pleasure. I usually write my picture book manuscripts in prose first, even if I intend to re-write them in rhyme, as it’s important that the story itself is strong enough. It also helps ensure that the rhyme doesn’t drive the storyline. The story must come first, and the words need to fit the story, not just the rhyme. One of the challenges of rhyme is getting the rhythm right. It’s important to maintain a regular beat and that the beats fall on the syllables that would be accented in normal speech. Working out the puzzle of a rhyming manuscript is half the fun. 4. Do you have a typical writing and rewriting process? Or does it vary depending on the book? I don’t have a typical process when writing my manuscripts. It is often trial and error, finding the voice, trying a different tense or point of view. I do lots of drafts. It usually takes me a long time to get a picture book manuscript to a state where I’m happy with it. I agonise about the story itself, individual words, rhymes, character names and so on. You name it, I agonise about it. But I always leave a manuscript for several weeks before I review it one last time before sending it to a publisher, even if I think it’s perfect. With the benefit of time and fresh eyes, I can often spot areas that need further development. 5. What do you know now about the writing and publishing world that you wish you knew earlier in your career? There is so much that that it would have been good to know when I started writing for children. I would have found it helpful to understand how slowly the industry works, and that being patient is essential. I’m not a patient person and I have had to adjust my expectations around how long everything takes. I also had no idea how much I had to learn when I started out. I thought it would be easy to write a picture book because they are so short, but I found the opposite is true. I also thought I’d find it easy because my corporate jobs involved writing. However, the craft of writing for children is very different to writing for an adult audience, and has unique rules and conventions. It seems obvious now, but there was so much to learn and it continues to this day. 6. Your gorgeous, heartfelt picture book Grace and Mr Milligan is currently on the 2024 CBCA Shortlist! Congratulations! What does this honour mean to you, for this book? Can you share the process of Grace and Mr Milligan from idea to publication? Having the CBCA recognise my picture book is such an honour and a career highlight. Grace and Mr Milligan is shortlisted for the 2024 Early Childhood Book of the Year, as well as in the New Illustrator category. Pip Kruger’s bright and lively illustrations are stunning, and balance the pathos surrounding Charlie’s death. Her use of bright colours along with subdued hues and delightful details complement the book’s emotional landscape. The process of writing the story took several years. It was difficult to write, but a manuscript I never gave up on. Death can be a confronting and confusing concept for young children. It can also be a challenging topic for adults to discuss. I wanted to depict a child struggling as she watches a much-loved adult grieving after a loss. I aimed to keep the tone light, yet sensitive and show how children often want to help those who are suffering, but don’t know how. My hope is that the book will foster conversations about death and dying, but also grief, friendship, kindness, hope and the circle of life. 7. You have a very exciting picture book A Wish for Baby (illustrated by Sara Acton, published by Affirm Press) coming out in July. Can you talk a little about the origin of this book and what we have to look forward to? I’m excited about ‘A Wish for Baby’. It is a celebration of a new baby’s arrival, expressing all the hopes, joys and dreams for a little one’s future. ‘I wish you health and happiness, but even when there’s pain, I hope you see the rainbows as you’re running through the rain.’ When my children were born, I would spend hours watching them, wondering what their futures held. Those memories came flooding back to me as I was writing this book. The birth of a baby inspires their loved-ones to dream of all the wonderful adventures and experiences they will have, and the relationships that will flourish over the years. I hope this book captures those feelings and expresses the love and good wishes that we feel towards a much-loved newborn or youngster. 8. For a fun but tricky 2-part question to end with! a) Which of your own books, that best express your storyteller's heart, do you recommend to a new reader and why? Very tricky. Today, I would nominate, ‘A Wish for Baby’. Made up of gentle, rhyming verses, A Wish for Baby is designed to be read by an adult to a baby or young child, expressing their hopes and dreams for the little one's future. Wishes for happy days exploring rockpools by the beach, to tranquil times watching restful rivers flow. From fun with dress-ups, baking and giggling with friends, to adventures climbing snow-topped mountains and riding camels in the desert. There are wishes for supportive friends and importantly, to know that whatever happens and wherever they go, they are loved. b) Which 3 Australian children's books, that you did not write, do you think everyone should read? I wish I’d written, ‘All the Ways to be Smart’ by Davina Bell, illustrated by Allison Colpoys. It’s such a special, clever book. I love ‘Magic Beach’ by Allison Lester. The text and illustrations beautifully showcase all the things we love about the beach, with a dose of nature-inspired imagination. ‘Wilfred Gordon McDonald Partridge’ by Mem Fox, illustrated by Julie Vivas is another important book that everyone should read.
0 Comments
Charlotte Barkla is a Brisbane-based writer who worked as a civil engineer and physics teacher before rediscovering her love for children’s literature. She writes picture books, middle-grade fiction and feature articles. Charlotte’s books include 11 Ruby Road, All Bodies are Good Bodies, the Edie’s Experiments series and From My Head to My Toes, I Say What Goes. She regularly visits schools, libraries and festivals for creative writing workshops, sharing her passion for creativity and stories with children of all ages. Visit Charlotte online at charlottebarkla.com 1. Your terrific new historical children's novel 11 Ruby Road: 1900 has just been published by Walker. Congratulations! Can you talk a little about how the story originated for you and the process from writing it to submitting for publication? Thank you for your kind words! It started off as an idea I had after talking with a neighbour who had lived in the same house, in the same street ever since she was a little girl, for over sixty years. We started talking about how much the street and life had changed over that period. I started thinking about how much change the oldest houses still standing in Brisbane (1860s-era), would've witnessed over the past 100-150 years. I also wondered whether the people who had lived in those houses had influenced some of that change. The idea for a series based around one house, featuring different characters with different struggles over different time periods grew from there! I worked the idea into a proposal, consisting of pitches for four books, and a synopsis and three sample chapters for book 1. I submitted the proposal to a handful of publishers, and Walker Books offered a two-book deal. I was thrilled to accept! 2. This is your first historical middle-grade novel, after a series of sensitive, thoughtful picture books and the Edie's Experiment chapter books - what was it like to switch gears and add historical middle-grade fiction to your oeuvre? This one is the first of a series and yes, historical fiction has been a change for me. I've found the process of researching and writing these books really interesting. It's intriguing to imagine life in the past - I could spend hours reading old articles and searching through old photos. I often found myself lost down a rabbit hole of research! 3. 11 Ruby Road is set in South Brisbane in 1900 and will be the start of a series (the second book will span from 1925). What was your process of historical research like for the novel? What's important to consider for you when researching and writing about the past? I started quite high level, looking at online teaching resources that explored life in the early 20th century in Australia. From this brief research, there were a few themes that piqued my interest, the main one being the suffragist movement and the fight for women's right to vote. I was also drawn to the experiences of Chinese-Australians in the post gold rush period. With these themes in mind, I developed my main characters: ten-year-old Dorothy and her family, who are involved in the suffragist movement through Dorothy's trailblazing aunt, and Dorothy's best friend George, a Chinese-Australian boy whose family experiences racism. The story developed from there! In the process of writing the novel, I then drilled further down into research. Where needed, I used news articles, photographs, archives and local history websites. These resources helped me establish the particulars of life in Brisbane in 1900, and helped give the story its setting. Where I had a particular question -- for example, the First Nations history surrounding Boundary Road in West End -- I contacted researchers who were very helpful in pointing me in the right direction and answering my queries. 4. Is there any thing, or multiple things, you know about the writing and publishing world now that you wish you knew when you began? Great question! I can't think of anything in particular, but if I could go back in time and give a newly-published Charlotte some advice, I would remind myself to slow down and enjoy the writing/publishing process. :) 5. There is a sequel to 11 Ruby Road coming soon (11 Ruby Road: 1925). Can you share anything about what readers can expect? Is there anything else in the pipeline for you? Yes, the next instalment is released in September! I'd love to share the blurb with your readers: 11 Ruby Road: 1925 by Charlotte Barkla It is 1925 and Bert Mueller and his German-Australian family have moved from Ipswich to their new house at 11 Ruby Road. Bert’s father has been deported to Germany after the Great War, and with Dad still absent, Bert is unsure about moving away. But the city means opportunity and jobs for his mother and older siblings. And for the grown-ups , it also means fun - dressing up, going out, and all that jazz. Bert loves jazz too, but he’s too young for the clubs, and instead his time is spent at his new school where the kids play cricket, not music. But with the help of a gramophone, Bert has a solution. He will start his own jazz club, and 11 Ruby Road has the perfect spot to host it. But as prejudice about Bert and his German family start to affect their new life, Bert has to find a way to save his jazz club and his family. I also have a handful of other projects in the pipeline, including a beautiful new picture book coming out at the end of August: Let's Try Again Another Day by Charlotte Barkla A beautifully illustrated story about learning and making mistakes -- If we don't get things right away, we'll try again another day. Bodies grow and brains do, too. Always learning -- me and you. If we don't get things straight away, we'll try again another day. We all know learning can be hard and life skills don't always come right away ... sometimes, we need to keep trying! A rhythmic and fun read-aloud from the trusted author of All Bodies Are Good Bodies and From My Head To My Toes, I Say What Goes, this life-affirming book will appeal to fans of All the Ways to Be Smart by Davina Bell. ** In 2025, I'll have a new junior fiction series and a standalone junior fiction novel being published. Exciting times! 6. And a bit of a fun but tricky question for last, to make you really think! If you could put 3 Australian historical children's novels in a time capsule, to give future generations the best understanding of Aussie historical fiction for children, which 3 would you choose and why? Another great question! I would probably choose some of the Our Australian Girl series, and Katrina Nannestad's Silver Linings. And, of course, I would have to choose 11 Ruby Road! :) Thank you Charlotte Barkla for stopping by to chat! You can catch Charlotte at the Brisbane Writers Festival, running May 30-June 2nd. Her latest book is the terrific 11 Ruby Road:1900. Look out for Charlotte's upcoming two books later this year, Let's Try Again Another Day and 11 Ruby Road: 1925.
Tasmanian-based author Lian Tanner's best-selling, award-winning children's novels and picture books include The Keepers series, The Hidden Rogue series, A Clue for Clara and companion novel Rita's Revenge, Ella and the Ocean and Spellhound: A Dragons of Hallow Book. Lian's latest novel 'Fledgewitch: A Dragons of Hallow Book 2' was just published. Her second picture book 'When the Lights Went Out', illustrated by Jonathan Bentley, is published in July. Visit Lian online at liantanner.com.au 1. Congratulations on your latest release of the whimsical, funny fantasy 'Fledgewitch', the second Dragons of Hallow book after Spellhound. What was your process like for Fledgewitch, from original idea to submitting for publication? And how did it differ from the process for creating Spellhound Book 1? Spellhound was a really interesting book to write, because for at least the first half of the first draft I had no idea what I was doing – I just wanted to see what would happen if I took more risks in my writing. What came out of that was a delightful narrator and a story that was quite different from anything I’d written before. When I submitted it to Allen & Unwin, they offered me a two-book deal. I’d been thinking of Spellhound as a stand-alone, but at the same time I’d been idly wondering what might happen if a girl from a loving family suddenly sprouted witch feathers from her elbows, and how they’d all deal with it. So the basic idea for Fledgewitch was already there in the back of my mind. Despite this, I found it incredibly hard to find the right voice for the second book, partly because I wasn’t sure if I should use the same narrator or try something else. I had some vague idea about ‘upping my game’, so I went down dozens of rabbit holes and wrote reams of nonsense before I realised (with the help of my lovely critique group) that I was making the whole thing much too complicated and should just go with the same narrator and stop trying to be so clever. It still wasn’t an easy book to write – I knew I wanted a different non-human character from the first book, and eventually settled on a horned glob. But then I worried about whether it was okay to have a protagonist who was liable to be eaten if he ever ran into the Spellhound pup. I also kept changing my mind on the question of whether or not Brim would have her heartbeat stolen, and went through quite a few drafts going back and forth on the answer. 2. You are renowned for exciting fantasy action books like The Keepers Trilogy and the Hidden Icebreaker series. What is your process when building a whole world for a fantasy story? How do you realise what you just need to know as the author and what to put in or leave out of the story for the reader? I know that there are authors who build entire worlds before they write a single word. I am not one of them. I basically just find the bits I need for starting the story, then add more as I go along. I’m not at all methodical with any of this, I wander through books of photography, old maps and anything else that strikes my fancy, grabbing random objects, sticking them in a notebook and asking lots of questions. It’s a bit like the old Cabinets of Curiosity people used to build in the 17th century, only unlike the Cabinets it’s not an end in itself. I also find I have to write with a certain lightness of intent to make this work; I have to be willing to keep my creative ears open and let the story veer off in odd directions, because those directions often contain interesting stuff about either the character or the world. As for what to put in or leave out of the story, I go very much by instinct, and by what the story feels like when I read it aloud. If a bit of worldbuilding slows things down at the wrong moment then it has to either be moved or scrapped. That’s one side of the coin. The other side is something my editor often picks me up on, when I have assumed that a necessary bit of information was on the page, but it was still only in my head. Somewhere between these two lies the happy medium of just enough information! 3. Is there one thing, or a few things, you know now about the writing and publishing world that you wish you knew earlier in your career? I think one of the main things is how patient you have to be. Everything in publishing takes a LONG time, and there’s no hurrying it up. You also have to be incredibly stubborn to make a go of it. I remember when my first book, Rats! was published, I was under the illusion that from then on it would all be smooth sailing. I laugh about it now because there’s no such thing in this business. Even when you’ve got a good track record with a publisher, there’s still a chance that they’ll reject a book you’ve spent months writing. There’s no certainty, no guarantees. But there’s also the joy of holding a new book in your hands, and of getting messages from parents and kids whose lives you have touched, thanking you for writing your books and telling you how much they love them. It makes all the uncertainty worthwhile. 4. You have recently made a foray into tender, touching picture books with 'Ella and the Ocean' and the upcoming 'When the Lights Went Out'. What prompted your decision to try your hand at picture books? And, what is your creation process of a picture book compared to a novel? Over the years I’ve found that every idea comes with a specific form attached. Some ideas are clearly meant to be radio plays, some are short stories, some are novels … and every now and again a picture book turns up. This is actually a fairly rare occurrence. I probably have ten novel ideas for every good picture book idea, which is rather frustrating because I love writing picture books. The creative process is very different from a novel. Sometimes I think it’s like writing a poem, because you have to get rid of all the unnecessary stuff, so that every word on the page counts. Sometimes it’s more like a stage play, where you have to leave room for the actors, their actions and emotions – only with picture books it’s leaving room for the illustrations, and their actions and emotions. I usually play around with a whole lot of different approaches, trying to find the voice, trying to find the best way to tell the story. Once I’ve got the basic form right, I set about discovering the essential bones of it, and discarding the rest. I’m always astonished by how many drafts a picture book goes through before I get it right. 5. Please tell us about your writing space/room. I have a room which is called my office, but I actually write on the sofa in the living room. It’s warm, it’s comfortable, and I can write sitting or lying down, whichever I prefer. My main requirements are my laptop, a notebook and pen, and a pot of green tea on the arm of the sofa beside me. Sometimes the neighbour’s cat, Elvis, joins me, which is even better. 6. For a fun but tricky question to end with! If you had to recommend a Lian Tanner book to a reader who had never read your work before, which book that best expresses your storyteller's heart do you recommend and why? That’s a lovely question and a hard one to answer, but probably Spellhound. I find that I’m getting more playful with my books as I get older, and Spellhound is a really nice example of that. Plus it’s got that sitting-around-a-fire-listening-to-a-story feel to it, which I love.
Elizabeth Pulsford is the author of 'But Why?' (Ethicool, 2022) and 'Boots' (Wombat Books, 2024), which was just released last week. Her two brilliant picture books are essential reading for children and adults alike. When not writing, Elizabeth works as an English teacher in Brisbane and was a scriptwriter, actor and director for children's theatre in her previous life. Thanks to Elizabeth for joining me to discuss her fantastic new picture book 'Boots'. Make sure to visit Elizabeth on instagram at @elizabethpulsfordauthor Can you tell us a little about your fantastic, heart-touching and moving new picture book 'Boots' illustrated by Krista Brennan and published by Wombat Books? How did this wonderful idea originate for you and what was the process from beginning writing it to it becoming a published book? ‘Boots’ is inspired by and pays tribute to my grandfather Roy Henderson and his family, and their colonial Australian roots. For most of his life, my grandfather owned the cattle and wheat property ‘Coolamon,’ located outside of the ‘blink-and-you’ll-miss-it’ township of Dulacca in rural Queensland. Many of my happiest childhood memories were created at my grandparents’ when my brothers and I would leave our sea-side home to spend school holidays with our extended family. I remember feeding cattle, hiding between hay bales, riding horses and four-wheelers, and playing ‘Chicken’ with the electric fence. I remember custard creams, and saying ‘Grace’ at dinner, solemn ANZAC services, and kindly visitors just ‘dropping in to say G’day.’ But most clear in my memory, are my Grandpa’s boots – faithfully sitting by the back screen door. This image has inspired the story’s unique perspective. In terms of process, I wrote this manuscript in a single sitting and knew immediately that I wanted the story to be shared largely through the illustrations, with minimal text to accompany. I imagined the illustrations would paint a portrait of ‘an everyday hero’ and honour the legacy of a generation of hardworking men and women, their humble lifestyles, and the unforgiving landscape they survived and thrived within. Krista Brennan surpassed my every expectation in bringing this story to life. In a stroke of luck, ‘Boots’ was picked up by Rochelle Stephens of Wombat Books during an assessment at by first CYA Conference in 2021. I’ve been so fortunate that she has championed this story as a rural Queensland resident herself and the journey towards publication has been a smooth and very special one. Do you have a typical writing and rewriting process? What are the joys, or the challenges, of writing picture book texts specifically? Currently, my writing process is I don’t have a writing process, and I’m always reprimanding myself for that. In 2020-2021, I wrote upward of twenty manuscripts and submitted frequently. In the two years following I didn’t write or submit a single manuscript. Sometimes I write a story in a single day, and sometimes stories take shape over weeks or months. Sometimes I plot, and sometimes I just ‘freestyle.’ My commitment this year is to be much more disciplined. I’ve been trying to write for a total one-hour window each day in whatever minutes I can scratch together. One practice I am consistent in, is sharing my work in various critique groups and often multiple times. This informs my re-writing process and ensures that my stories are the best version they can be by the time I submit to a publisher. Finding time and inspiration, and even opportunity to attend various Kid Lit events amidst work and parenting is my greatest challenge, but that’s not likely exclusive to picture book writing! I’m also very reluctant to market myself and my work, so that’s a skill I’d like to improve. Like many children’s authors, picture books offered me countless opportunities for adventure, escape, humour, learning, companionship and perspective, and in writing my own, there’s such joy in the hope I might gift my readers the same. 'Boots' is your second picture book after 'But Why?' - What was the writing and publishing experience like for 'But Why?', as your very first book, in comparison to the experience with 'Boots'? My first published picture book ‘But Why?’ was written to an illustration stimulus as part of the Bee Ethicool Competition in 2020 and voted upon by the public. Contrarily, ‘Boots’ was accepted by Rochelle Stephens, who championed this project from the outset. In writing ‘Boots’ I certainly felt a greater sense of freedom as the story was ‘mine’, but also responsibility, as I wanted to do my grandfather’s memory justice. Being my second book, I was more familiar with the publishing process, but each ‘milestone’ was equally exciting. My favourite moment is always viewing the illustration proofs for the first time. You are a teacher and have worked in children's theatre too. How does working with kids inform, or help your writing? My first degree was in Acting and I was really lucky to work in children’s theatre in Australia and abroad as an actor and then director for several years. Through this experience, I’ve come to believe that the best children’s theatre requires actors to enter a ‘play state’ in which the inner child is brought to the fore. It’s a truly beautiful state of vulnerability, imagination, curiosity, and possibility. I think as a writer for children, while I’m not engaging my whole body as an actor, I still try to occupy that ‘play state.’ This is when I create my best work. On the other end of the spectrum, I’m a Senior English and Literature teacher. This is handy because I have a strong understanding of the mechanics of writing - form, style, structure, aesthetic features, etc - but more than that, I spend a lot of my life with seventeen and eighteen-year-olds on the cusp of entering adulthood. And surprisingly, they inform a lot of my stories – their fears, their hopes, their humour, their profound insights. As picture book writers we are writing for the children of today, who are the adults of tomorrow, and so I hold both in mind when I write. For me, whether a picture book shares a profound life lesson or a fart joke, the very best have the capacity to affect us all. Is there anything in the pipeline you can share with us? Sadly, nothing right now. I’m on maternity leave with my second daughter following a hiatus from writing. I really struggled to maintain creativity and productivity after returning to work with my first. I’m hoping there may be a few more opportunities headed my way this year, particularly if I can be more disciplined and create better writing habits. And finally, can you name 3 Australian picture books you think everyone should read?
Andrea Rowe is an internationally-published, acclaimed author of three picture books (and more on the way!) and many short stories. A recipient of CBCA Picture Book of the Year - Early Childhood, Australian Speech Pathology Book of the Year, Hal Porter Short Story Award, and many more, Andrea is also a 2024 May Gibbs Children's Literature Trust Fellowship recipient. She lives and writes on Victoria's Mornington Peninsula. Find Andrea online at andrearowe.com.au/
Thank you for stopping by to chat, Andrea! 1. Your latest picture board book 'In the Rockpool', illustrated by incredible Hannah Sommerville has really resonated with readers! It's been a smash hit, is reprinting, was a CBCA Notable, and was chosen to be the representative artwork for Australia's catalogue of books at Bologna Book Fair! Can you please share how this story originated and became published? I am so excited for In the Rockpool, it’s having a fabulous time splashing about! It’s the first in our Little World’s series, a collection of early concept board-books aimed to inspire wide-eyed kids to become wild treasuring grown-ups. In the Rockpool was inspired by my own love of rockpool rambling with my children and the intertidal and rockpool coastal discoveries I loved discovering as a kid too. I wrote it during lockdown where we were limited to 5kms in Victoria. Lucky for me that meant ocean swells and tidal rockpools! I rediscovered the joys of taking our time to peer into miniature It was a small step to combine my love of storytelling for children with my expertise in environmental writing to create books that parents and educators can reach for to ignite conversations and inspire interactions with nature. There’s been incredible interest from bush kindergartens, outdoor playgroups and early educators to include books that reinforce respect for and curiosity with the environment. Rockpools are incredible marine biomes that nurture fascinating and at-risk marine animals, and hasn’t Hannah Somerville depicted this environment so beautifully? Along with our publisher Hardie Grant, I think we’ve created a series that treasures our wild places and invites families to explore them on the page, and afterwards together. 2.You have published two other gorgeous, evocative picture books with themes of bravery, courage, friendship and jetties and skating! Was jetty jumping and Sunday skating a part of your childhood? How much of your own life informs your writing? While I grew to become a seasoned jetty jumper with my brothers, in my early childhood I was the Milla of the story, scared of shadows that move and darks shapes lurking below. Which was a problem because for much of my life, and most of my holidays were coastal, and involved a tonne of jetty jumping adventures! Fortunately, now I leap with glee, and my own kids have no hesitation either. But I’ll never forget that hesitation and worry, that desire to join in the fun, but fear of what lies beneath. Sometimes it takes us a while to build up our bravery. So, it was helpful to recall that feeling and steps towards confidence when I was writing Jetty Jumping. The act of leaping from jetties is such a rite of passage for so many children’s growing up in Australia, and around the world. I was a big roller skater like most kids who grew up in the 1970’s./ My best friend, Flea, and I were the champion roller-skaters of my street (we were the only roller skaters on our street, but let’s not let facts get in the way of a good story!). I was particularly good at scissor skating though and when I was writing Sunday Skating, I loved recalling all the moves we created and practised after school and on weekends. I have such great memories of that time, and I equally love how skate boarding and roller-skating enables kids to build their skills, and practice on their own terms, and move as a pack though the streets. It’s such a time of freedom! I often draw on my own memories from childhood, thew transitional moments and the accomplishments when we mastered new skills, as well as that connections with friends in the outdoors. But equally, my own children have had similar experiences. I’ve witnessed them leap, slide, crash, and cry, trying again and egging each other on. Those small steps and big moments in life seem to come around with the next generations, and I’m watchful for the inspiration! 3. Jetty Jumping was your debut picture book. What was the process of having the original idea to having it published? For me it was a fast-paced idea to manuscript writing. I had a fully formed plot in a day. From there it was a 2-week process re-writing and editing. But the pitching to publishers was a little longer. I was fortunate that Hardie Grant’s then commissioning editor Margrete Lamond, accepted the book as soon as she read it. From there, I had the most minimal of edits. I recall when Margrete emailed me to offer the contracts she started with the lines ‘Congratulations on a near-perfect manuscript.’ Quite the acceptance! (I just wish all my manuscripts felt so effortless! ) It was a 5-year process from contract to publication though which isn’t always the norm. Sometimes things get derailed slightly in picture book production, but luckily, I’m a patient person! It came out in lockdown when we had the smallest of windows for a little book launch. It was all worth the wait though as Jetty Jumping has continued to resonate with booksellers, librarians and educators and readers. 4. Jetty Jumping won CBCA Early Childhood Picture Book of the Year and the 2023 Aust Speech Pathology Book of the Year. You have also won short-story contests writing adult fiction, like Mulga Bill Award and Hal Porter Short Story Award. How important are awards and that kind of peer recognition? Awards are so validating, they’re like a gentle nudge, and sometimes a hearty big shove that says ‘Keep going. We like what you’re doing’. Awards can feel highly personal, a reward for all the things you miss out on, turn away from and shut out when you are writing. They’re also incredibly motivating – certainly the short story awards I’ve achieved have been goals that I work towards, and prompts that I have enjoyed writing to. I also love knowing that entering awards gives you direct access to judges who analyse how you tackle a story. It all helps me refine my own writing craft. For picture book awards, it’s been incredibly humbling to learn how these awards inform educators and specialists in working with children, and inform decisions parents make too in what books to reach for. It’s a privilege when awards for books have happened and I don’t take it for granted. But, I don’t sit down to write a story thinking ‘this will be the award winner’. It’s all about the story. The awards, when they have happened, have been a wonderful surprise. And equally, I read my peers award-winning books and marvel at their skill and creativity. I respect how they’ve evolved a story, and I am inspired by their thinking. 5.What things have you now learned in your writing and publishing experience, compared to when you first began? I think I’m constantly learning. The biggest thing is acceptance. I’ve learnt personally to accept that there are stages of writing a book for me – excitement, creative inspiration, curiosity, self-questioning, doubt, frustration, anxiety. I regularly experience this cycle so I’ve learnt to lean into the emptions and accept it’s how I roll with writing. I don’t let these emotions talk me out of writing a story. And I’ve also learnt that feedback and rejection makes you a better writer, or helps you refine a better story. Feedback from an experienced editor or publisher is a wonderful way of getting the balance write in a book, and reinforces that you are part of a collective, producing something that a reader better connect with. I’ve come to get really excited about feedback now, I like where it can lead me. One thing I am often sharing with others is how your first draft is you telling yourself the story, and to accept that there may be several evolutions of a story before it feels right for publisher, illustrator, and editor, as well as yourself. One other thing that I have loved learning, is how your work as an author doesn’t stop when book is out there in the world. It’s a new stage if you’re open to it. Publicity, promotions, social media, author visit, book signings, library workshops – there’s ample scope to build on your presence as a writer and to keep your book current and connected with others. It’s something that I’ve found incredibly enjoyable. 6. Your manuscript The Everyday Tutu was the story for the Little Hare Illustration Prize. You also have a companion book to In the Rockpool with Hannah Sommerville coming out in December. Can you share a little teaser about what to expect from what is coming up for you? Hannah and I are so in love with this book. I cannot wait for you to see the cover! Amid the Sand Dunes is a rousing chant in tribute to the sounds the dunes make. Sand dunes actually sing, and there’s such a symphony of sound in the dunes, both from nature and from those who explore it. Hannah and I wanted to capture the way both creatures and kids in the dunes bring a happy harmony of noise to these towering, tumbling dunes. It’s a perfect partner for In the Rockpool as the Little Worlds series for early readers too. 7. And to end on a fun, but tricky note: name 3 classic or current Australian children's books every bookshelf should have and why? This is so hard. There are so many! I’ll just have to apply the luck dip principal and shine the spotlight on 3 out of my many! I will always be an adoring fan of Alison’s Lester’s Magic Beach. I’ll aways gravitate to an oceanic read, and it reminds us of the make-believe of childhood and adventures a family builds up over beach holidays. Anything can happen at our Magic Beach. A classic book that I adore is Nadia Wheatley and Donna Rawlin’s My Place. When I first read this book, I adored unpacking the history of one piece of land and the kids who live there in Sydney from 1788 to 1988. It’s like a time machine. The book steps through the history of traditional owners, colonisation and immigration, and the images are superb. I’ve always loved how this book combined fiction and non-fiction elements through text and illustrations. Margaret Wild’s There’s a Sea in my Bedroom. (I know – beach reads again!) The language in this book is so beautiful, it’s such an intimate and enormous story between a boy and the sea. I love that the amazing Margaret Wild surprises you as a reader with the twist this tale takes. It's a perfect combination of imagination and how a child moves through what challenges him. And if you gave me a 4th book to love, I’d give an equal shout out for Margaret Wild’s gleeful The Midnight Gang. It must be an utter joy to be a comet riding baby in a Margaret Wild picture book!
Amelia McInerney is a Canberra-based author of 7 picture books, including The Book Chook, Bad Crab, Neil the Amazing Sea Cucumber and her latest release from Larrikin House, Jeff Giraffe: The Great Escape. Known and published internationally for her hilarious rhyming-picture books, Amelia's work has been longlisted and shortlisted for CBCA Notable, Speech Pathology Book of Year, Indie Book of the Year, and ABDA Book of Year. You can find out more about Amelia and her hysterically riotious stories at www.ameliamcinerney.com/ 1. Thanks for stopping by my blog, Amelia! Congratulations on your wonderful, hysterical new book 'Jeff Girafe: The Great Escape' illustrated by Alexandra Colombo and just released by Larrikin House. Where did Jeff and Jan and Roger and the Fox River Zoo gang come from? I was on a SCBWI 'Sketch and Scribble' day (some years ago) that was supposed to be held at Luna Park, Sydney, but we arrived to find it was closed that day. Being 'locked out', I wondered if the animals at nearby Taronga Zoo, particularly the tall giraffes, could see their neighbouring attractions and if they wanted to visit places they couldn't. And Jeff and Jan were suddenly in my mind! I changed Jeff's dream from visiting the amusement park next door to visiting a regular park (with swings etc) to make it more relatable to young kids and also funnier. I called Jeff's zoo 'Fox River Zoo' because it seemed like a nice name for a zoo, it fit with the rhyme... and because Fox River was the name of the penitentiary in the TV series, Prison Break. Haha. 2. Is there anything you know now about the writing world you wish you knew when you began? How slowly everything moves in this industry. (Although when I submitted this text to Larrikin it was accepted within minutes, so that part was quick!) Publishing is a business and so a text's commercial appeal counts much more than I realised. 3. You are awesomely skilled at clever deadpan and cheeky humour and fantastic ability to write rhyme well, which is notoriously difficult to do! You make it read so effortlessly in the published books! How easily does writing humour and rhyme come to you? Or is it very challenging behind the scenes? You are too kind! Writing humour and rhyme (I don't always write in rhyme, but I often do) is what I want to write and so it feels natural for me. Whether I'm reading other picture books or writing my own, I really enjoy both of those elements, especially together. But even though I really enjoy humour and rhyme, it still takes a lot of time and effort to get a text to the point where it is ready to submit. Rhyme can require tedious hours of refinement, problem-solving wordplay, rewriting to make the meter work without letting it dictate the narrative... I think the writer has to be invested enough in their story and their vision for the book to be sufficiently motivated to put in the time and effort. It does help that I really enjoy playing with words and rhythm. But there's always something you can improve and it can be hard to know when to stop! So for me, writing is fun and exciting, but also challenging at the same time. 4. What is next for you? Do you have anything in the pipeline you can tell us about? Yes, I have another funny (non-rhyming!) picture book coming out with Affirm Press next year. 5. Tell us a little about (or share a pic) your writing space? I don't actually have a writing space! I do have a writing desk, but I usually write elsewhere. I write in various places around the house and yard, often according to the temperature of the room and available sunlight - I'm like a nomadic cat. I'm content to write anywhere, and I choose a space that feels most comfortable. I like to vary my own setting, I suppose. I don't have a writing routine, either. One consistency I have is that I write the first part of a story in an exercise book, usually in pencil, and at some point I move to my laptop, so I'm always very mobile. I also write in my car, around my kids' activities. I'm not one for writing in cafes, because I often write in rhyme and I can't have music playing as it messes with the beat of my rhyme in my head. 6. And a bit of a fun but tricky question to make you really think! If you could put any 3 Amelia McInerney books in a time capsule to be opened in 1,000 years, to give future generations the best understanding of who you are as a writer, then which 3 books would you choose and why? Cool question! Umm, I think the most quintessentially 'me' books would be The Book Chook, Neil the Amazing Sea Cucumber and Jeff Giraffe - The Great Escape!
|
RSS Feed
