Toddlers, Tweens and Teens Festival

I'll be here on Sunday, courtesy of the wonderful Book and Paper Bookshop, as part of a day of activities for the younger set. :)





If you're nearby, or have small people, come on down!

Beginnings

I'm not sure whether I love or loathe this part of the writing process. When an idea breaks away from the clamour of my brain and insists on attention. What seems brilliant in concept form can falter spectacularly in the transition from idea to fully formed story.

At any stage.

Or at several stages.

This is both exciting and terrifying.

Both appear necessary (WARNING: Pun Alert) if the bud is to become a fully formed flower.

(Deep breath) Here goes!

They see him here, they see him there ...

My friend Jackie K writes about Seadog and the launch here
Thanks Jackie.

The weekend that was

Saturday morning saw the official opening of the 10th Williamstown Literary Festival and the presentation of the Ada Cambridge Prose and Poetry Awards. My poem, Accidental Historians, was a Commended Poem. All short listed stories and poems are included in a book, which is lovely. Fascinating to read other entries. 

Here are some of the short listed people, Terry Bracks (Festival Patron) and Angela Altair (Hobsons Bay mayor and President of the Willy Lit Fest committee).

Preparing for Seadog launch.

Angela was back to introduce the launch session.

Waiting for the fun to begin. And fun there was. Andy was almost upstaged by small people at the front who were suggesting some titles for the next book, and sharing stories of their own. Then there was the reading of Seadog - and a few stanzas for a sequel!
Fantastic to share the launch with many good friends and family and other book lovers.

This weekend

Melbourne is the place to be at the moment. Emerging Writers Festival, Reading Matters, Williamstown Literary Festival. It's all happening.

The launch of the Willy Lit Fest is 10 am Saturday and that's also when the announcement will be made of the winners for the Ada Cambridge Short Story and the Poetry Prize. I've a poem shortlisted which is exciting.

Saturday 1.30 pm I'll be running a two hour workshop on picture book writing in the Williamstown Library. Looking forward to that.

Sunday 2.00 pm, with the help of Andy Griffiths, I'll be launching my newest picture book, Seadog.

It's going to be a big weekend!

Details of the program can be found here

Weekend Walking

Last weekend, we took our dog to Brimbank Park - surely one of Melbourne's secret fabulous places. From the park entrance, it looks almost industrial, but wind your way down the entry road and you're in a riverside oasis. You could be in the country in another time rather than contemporary outer suburbia.
 

There are clues though. This farming house boasts a TV antenna. And if you peer through the trees, there are double storey houses perched on the steep bank on the far side of the river.

The ducks have discovered it.
 

This has been another plug for Melbourne and the benefits of being a tourist in your own town. 

Holidays 2

A North Stradbroke Island inhabitant, worn out by the island's pace

No filters (except for polarising). How's this blue?
 

 

Another worn out inhabitant
 

Brown Lake. Clear as weak black tea. Stained by ti tree leaves. Smelt fabulous. Medicinal swimming encouraged.
 

This fellow sang his approval of our dipping
 

At the beach near Ayr North Queensland. This bloke was having a wonderful time. Free entertainment for us too.
 

This cane machine belongs in science fiction - Mad Max?
 

Irrigation begins. It's dry in Ayr. Hard to believe really.
 

Rail nails are all that remains of this section of the cane train rail tracks.