It’s been a big few months

Back-handing the beagle at Story Arts Festival Ipswich (photos courtesy of Aspire Photographics)

It’s been more jam-packed than Proust’s rememberances. Bigger than Rapunzel’s shampoo bill. Longer than Pinocchio’s nose if they’d ever made lying an Olympic sport.

Yes, it’s been Book Week. Man, I love it, but each year it just keeps getting bigger.

Ostensibly a 7-day celebration of children’s literature in August, CBCA’s Book Week has grown like Topsy into the busiest term of the year for writers, illustrators and those unsung heroes of all things literary, the wonderful teachers and librarians who tirelessly promote reading and writing in our schools.

I started Author Visits for Book Week back in July and just finished my last one yesterday – that’s a couple of dozen schools and a couple of thousand kids who’ve met me, my books and my dog in the last couple of months.

(Yes, Huggy usually manages to put in an appearance on power point; he is, after all, a most inspiring character!)

And that’s what it’s all about: getting kids enthused about reading and writing. Putting books in their hands that open their minds, spark their imaginations and make them think.

It’s a fun gig, one I’m

HHH on trial at the Old Courthouse Ipswich, Story Arts Festival ’17  

 lucky to have.

But now it’s time to rest the voice, plant the birkis firmly on the floor under the desk and get back to finishing my next book (which will give me something new to talk about next year!)

 

The Reading Centre, Book Week launch 2017

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Small month, big goals

Forget New Year resolutions, February is when it gets real, people.

School is back, Uni beckons, the heat is unrelenting, but the holidays are definitely over.

I’ve finally found the courage to peek at the scales through a gap in my fingers (damn you trifle!) and have nancy-ganzed my loins for some big jobs ahead.

Two months away from the work-in-progress has allowed me to see it with fresh eyes. I’ve fixed the most glaring flaws and am back in the rhythm with a writing schedule that will see the manuscript done and dusted by the end of the month – go me!

February is also when school visits and book events kickstart – first cab off the rank is Romancing the Stars at the Gold Coast on Friday 17 February.

You can take a shot at speed-dating a roomful of authors and illustrators – it’s seriously fun, so please come along if you can to support Book Links (Qld) – the Centre for Children’s Literature.

Click here to check out the lineup of talent and book your slot on the night. Would love to see you there!

Nawwww, who’s a good boy?

It’s my birthday – I’m 8 today!

Dear Dog Park humans,

I may only understand about fifteen spoken words, but I know what you’ve been saying about me:

That Huggy is fat. And lazy. And probably depressed.

Well, I have news for you people: I HAVE A THYROID CONDITION.

Yes, that’s right. I am officially one sick puppy.

And I had to all but expire and break out in lesions before anyone figured it out.

Sheesh.

Lucky my mummy disobeyed the pool boy (she lets him sleep in her bed, but in the things that matter, she’s the boss).

He said don’t waste your money on any expensive blood tests. But she said that I’m worth it (and I am).

Me on drugs – thank you thyroxine!

After only two weeks of twice-daily vegemite licks (with some tiny pellet in it that I can’t be bothered spitting out), I’m a new beagle.

I’ve dropped two kilos and five years! I can do backflips again when Mummy puts on her togs.

Even the pool boy is happy. He says we can amortise the cost of the vet fees and drugs over the extra five years I’ve been granted. (A month ago he thought I wouldn’t make eight, but today I proved him wrong – Happy Birthday to me!)

He also says that I’m a good boy, a very good boy – and yes I am.

[If you want to see just how much my humans have always loved me – click on this link Confessions of a dog owner | Christine Bongers]

And that’s a wrap!

Winner of Cutest Selfie of the Year – Michael Gerard Bauer!

The inaugural Big Lit Quiz, courtesy of Book Links Queensland, was a fun way to wrap up a fabulous year of work-related events. (No, our Writers’ Bloc team didn’t win against all those impressive Teacher-Librarians, and no, work is not over for the year, I do still have a middle-grade novel to finish, but hey, who doesn’t?)

Big Lit Quiz Writers’ Bloc team with Samantha Wheeler, Michael Gerard Bauer & Richard Newsome

Rifling through my calendar reminded me of how little I’ve blogged lately, so here’s a quick catch-up on some year highlights including:

Eight weeks in schools, at Festivals and in book shops, running workshops, promoting my books, and championing all the good stuff about reading, writing and literature…

In Conversation with Catherine Jinks

Enjoying not one, not two, but three In Conversations:

with wonderful Australian writers Catherine Jinks and Melina Marchetta (who has a brilliant new crime novel out Tell the Truth, Shame the Devil – get it for Xmas!)

and American YA superstar David Levithan…

And what a pleasure it was to see my brilliant mentor, first reader and former publisher Leonie Tyle win CBCA Queensland’s Dame Annabelle Rankin Award for Distinguished Services to Children’s Literature during this year’s Book Week celebrations…

With Leonie Tyle, 2016 winner of Dame Annabelle Rankin Award for Services to Children’s Literature

Finally, we ended the year on a high note with the youngest of our four children graduating high school! That’s twelve years of schooling done and dusted for him and 21 years straight of being a school mum over for me.

Not that it will make much difference on the ground – early bird bookings for author visits are coming in from schools as far afield as Mareeba and Herberton in the far north to all points south, so expect to see me still hanging around the school yard next year. 🙂

Now, where was I before this unaccustomed urge to blog took over … oh yes, of course, the unfinished middle-grade novel!

Clearly now is the write time to wish you all a fabulous festive season – see you on the other side!

Bored of, bored with, whatever

I try not to flinch every time someone says they are ‘bored of’ something.

Half my brain screams ‘Bored with: it’s tired of; bored with!’ while the other half calmly reasons that language evolves. If young people unanimously decide to go with bored of, who am I to swim against the linguistic tide in my old-fashioned neck-to-knees swimsuit and flowered bathing cap?

And so I gamely dog-paddle on, chin up, through a rising tide of complaints, kids bored of this, bored of that, and try to focus on the real issue…

And that is the belief that being bored is somehow a bad thing.Something to be avoided at all costs. Or fended off with scheduled activities or screen time courtesy of the ubiquitous array of electronic boredom busters.

Lordy me, when did boredom become such a threat? Once upon a time, anyone with the temerity (or lack of imagination) to be bored was either given a job to do or told to make their own fun.

Nowadays, someone passes them an iPad. Or turns on the telly.

No-one tells kids the truth. That boredom is their friend. It’s where creativity is sparked, ideas are born. It’s that  space in our busy lives where we can take the time to amble aimlessly, discover hidden worlds, dream up a story, paint a picture, write a song, build a better mouse trap.

The mind is a marvelous thing. Give it some space to meander and it will surprise you. I know this because all my stories have been daydreamed into existence. I once spent three entire months thinking about a kid called Henry Hoey Hobson before I wrote the first word of his story. Other stories have simmered on the back hotplate of my mind, sometimes for years, till a lull in the busy-busy of life created space for it to move to the front burner.

So don’t fill let your kids fill their days with busy-busy. Even if you’re a mad scheduler and can’t help yourself, schedule some time out for them. Every day. No activities. No screens. No homework.

Let them be bored. Allow them to daydream. And watch their creativity flow.

 

 

 

Book Week: with Catherine Jinks

I am writer, hear me roar

Half the cast were hiding (including YA superstars Rebecca Lim, Nova Weeetman, Kirsty Eagar and Fleur Ferris), but here’s a glimpse of Voices’ fabulousness including Children’s Laureate Lee Hobbs, indigenous authors Lesley Williams, Ellen Van Neerven and photo bomber Greg Dreise, performance poet Phil Wilcox, the talented Janeen Bryan, Samantha Wheeler, Julie Fison, Serena Geddes, Lynette Noni, James Phelan, Shelley Davidow and Sarah Kinsella with festival uber-organiser Kelly Dunham, her ever sunny self in yellow. 🙂

Voices on the Coast rang out loud and strong this week with four-and-a-thousand school kids and more than thirty authors, illustrators, poets and performers converging on the Sunshine Coast University for Immanuel College’s 20th annual celebration of literature.

Thank the high heavens I have a voice that can be heard in the back paddock because it was put through its paces over two packed days of workshops, talks, and signings (and yes, a bit of after-hours goofing off with assorted creative types too).

I’ve had had a soft spot for Voices since the festival was kind enough to launch my debut novel Dust seven years ago and I do love to be invited back (and yes, that is a hint, Kelly!)

This year, I had fun judging the Short, Sharp and Snappy 50 word writing competition (after Festival Organiser Kelly Dunham did all the hard work shortlisting the 320 entries!) 

To all the hundreds of kids (and smattering of keen adults) who came to my talks and workshops, thanks heaps, I loved sharing stories with you.

I know you came for the writing tips and left in love with my beagle, so this is for you …

Yup, the pup missed me.

But now Huggy has a new bed to curl up in, while I can go back to pounding out words on my keyboard.  Both of us, where we belong. 🙂