Yearly Archives: 2012

Sydney Writers’ Festival: Day One

Well for me anyway! Hooray I'm in Sydney! For Sydney Writers' Festival!

Currently, I'm snuggled under my sleeping bag in the dorm in the hostel I'm staying at: a dorm which I have to myself I might add! Another hooray for room & ensuite to myself!

I must admit I won't be uploading any photos as my mini laptop, as much as I love it, is very slow, and I don't have the time nor patience currently to wait!

However, you can hit LIKE on my Facebook Fan Page as I've been putting photos up there, and will continue for the rest of my time here.

(Side note: in extraordinarily good timing on Facebook's behalf, when I checked Facebook on the way to the airport this morning, a thing flashed inviting me to download a new Pages app - how awesome! I've been on there ...

Is One Book a Year too Little for Authors?

In what can be seen as a well-timed follow-up to the story about the English novelist who quit in favour of becoming a teacher, The New York Times too did ask:  is there too much pressure on authors?

This is no doubt a hot-topic with debates flying all around the internet.

In Writer’s Cramp: In the E-Reader Era, a Book a Year Is Slacking, The NYT explores publishing and says the once-normal 'book a year' is now out, in favour of two books per year.

Coupled with the fact that authors also have to maintain websites, Facebook, Twitter, blogs, write short stories for release about six weeks before their novels PLUS find time to, you know, have a life/families/etc - some are asking is it little wonder authors like the English author above are quitting?

The e-book age has accelerated the metabolism of book publishing, the article says. The push for ...

‘It doesn’t seem like blogs have as much “power” as they used to’

I have to admit I've been a bad little blogger lately: that is, I've barely read any blogs.

I can trace this back to when I moved from Blogger to WordPress.

See, Blogger has this nifty in-built blog reader thing where you can add blogs to your reader and in a scroll box all the new posts appear.

So I subscribed to roughly one hundred bookish websites, including my own, and every time I'd log into Blogger (on average this was hourly) I'd scroll down the list until I hit my own post recent post: I knew then that I'd read all below that.

This was the perfect way to keep up-to-date with everything and I loved it.

Fast-forward to WordPress which has no such reader.

So everything sort of dropped off the radar.

I'd only read posts that I saw on Facebook or Twitter - few ...

Jeffrey Eugenides in Melbourne

I have been extremely fortunate that I've been meeting all the authors who have written my favourite books over the past few years.

I have five top favourite books (they all swirl around the top equally; there is no specific order) - and when you consider one of those authors is deceased (Richard Yates), another hasn't put out a book this year and therefore unlikely to tour (Tom Perrotta) - I'm doing pretty damn well when I say can I've seen the other three in the flesh: Michael Cunningham, Liane Moriarty and now I can joyfully add Jeffrey Eugenides to that list.

It was a special event, a coat-tail ride-off from Sydney Writers Festival: 10 Writers, Five Double Bills.

Joshua Cody and Jeffrey Eugenides

It’s nice to be surprised as a reader. You open the pages thinking you know how the story goes, but instead you’re ambushed ...

Behind The Scenes: Judging A Short Story Contest

I thought it would be fun to go behind-the-scenes of the short story contest that I helped judged.

It all started way back when (read: about a month ago) I applied to be a judge.

There was the call-out, and I emailed a short plug for myself and a CV. I made the short-list and was sent an application form, which I promptly filled in. It included questions like why do you want to be a judge and what can you offer.

I got the phone call while I was walking down a street in Richmond; I’d just had breakfast with a former boss of mine. A wonderful, lovely woman who has been a great help, inspiration and a whole other bunch of things to me – since I’ve known her really, but also specifically these past few months.

So I was already elated ...

Oliver Jeffers in Melbourne

Lost and Found by Oliver Jeffers is one of my favourite children's books.I have a little stuffed toy of the Penguin, a promotional toy that came out with the hardcover book.

It sits on my dresser, watches me, and I watch it.

I love it, and I love the book.

So you can imagine how excited I was when I saw the he was going to Sydney Writers Festival.

It only dawned on me on Thursday that if he was coming all the way to Australia for SWF, then surely he'd be in Melbourne!

I was in luck: one session at a Melbourne CBD bookstore.

(Can someone explain that to me, by the way? That an international author would fly all the way to Australia, bother to come all the way to a state, and only do one half an hour public event?! I just don't ...

Review: How To Get Your Mojo Back by Dr Ginni Mansberg

Every woman is too busy to stop. 

How to Get your Mojo Back is everywoman’s guide to taking a minute for herself and turning her hectic and stressful life into one that is fulfilling. No life is free from stress, weight problems, relationship worries, but you can break the cycle, get your mojo back and begin to enjoy life again.

Written in an intimate, informal, and hugely entertaining style by medical advisor/GP/author Dr Ginni Mansberg - who has seen and dealt with it all - this book is like having a friend with all the best advice to coach you through your mission to claim your potential and live the life you deserve. 

Covering all the key problem areas — work, eating/weight, sleep, relationship, parenting issues, stress etc this book offers practical, encouraging solutions in an intimate, informal, and entertaining style.

There ...

Author Quits to become a Teacher (Gasp! Horror! Etc)

An article is doing the rounds on Facebook - an article about a UK fantasy author, Ms Steph Swainston, who is quitting the book writing bizz in favour of becoming a chemistry teacher.

It's an interesting article and I'd recommend you to have a read.

I have to admit I was shaking my head when I was reading it, but, of course, I'm reading this article through the eyes of someone who wants to be in her position: what do you mean you don't like the deadlines? I'd kill to have deadlines! What do you mean you don't want to put out a book a year? I'd sell my soul to put out a book a year. What do you mean you hate the isolation? Bring it on! I'd give anything not to have to deal with poo-filled nappies or crying five-year-olds and ...

Come To The Awards Ceremony!

... Of the short story contest I helped judge!

Hooray! You know you want to :P

Y'all remember the short story contest I was judging?

Well after tonight I can say that we've 'been there, judged that'. I am extremely happy with the winners and short-listed entries and can't wait for the awards ceremony.

There will be food and drink (bonus!), me talking (can't wait!) and lots of other goodness including emerging writers being praised for their awesome stories about gambling. (Which really, is why we're all there.)

The deets:

During April, Council held a story telling competition for young people to mark Gambling Awareness Week (14-20 May).

Council called for young people to submit stories on the topic, "Don't let gambling take over". Entries took the form form of  written stories, photographs, drawings, video and other kinds of media.

Winners will be announced at a ceremony at ...

Awful news to discover that Maurice Sendak, author of Where The Wild Things Are among many other books, died on Tuesday after suffering a stroke on Friday.

You should check-out this tribute to Sendak, 'Live Your Life, Live Your Life, Live Your Life' which is just beautiful.

The LA Times also has comprehensive coverage, as do most newspapers.

Here's ten quotes from him. One that made me smile was:

"Once a little boy sent me a charming card with a little drawing on it. I loved it. I answer all my children’s letters, sometimes very hastily, but this one I lingered over. I sent him a card and I drew a picture of a Wild Thing on it. I wrote, 'Dear Jim: I loved your card.' Then I got a letter back from his mother, and she said, 'Jim loved your card so much ...