Sally Murphy's Blog, page 36
February 15, 2017
Meet My Book: Alison Reynolds Introduces Pickle and Bree to the World
My friend Alison Reynolds is busily touring the web spreading the word about her two new books in the Pickle and Bee series. I was really looking forward to hosting her visit on Aussiereviews today – but hackers spoiled that. The site is down while my web-guy (coincidentally also my son) tries to restore it. So rather than not have Alison visit, I figured I would invite her here to my author site instead. So, please welcome Alison Reynolds, here to tell you all about her new book-babies. Over to you Alison:
Give us the details – title, publisher, illustrator, release date.
Pickle & Bree’s Guide to Good Deeds – The Playground Meanies
Pickle & Bree’s Guide to Good Deeds – The Big Snow Adventure
Illustrator Mikki Butterley
The Five Mile Press; February 2017
Why did you write the books?
The publisher commissioned me to write a book about manners subtly hidden in a picture book. We wanted to explore a deeper level of social etiquette rather than the basic “say please and thank-you”.
How long from idea to publication?
The books were written and edited within five months.
What was the hardest thing about writing it?
We decided to have Pickle and Bree in outside locations for these books rather than the home environment of the previous two books. It seemed to take me ages to decide on the location – too many choices.
Coolest thing about your books?
Seeing Pickle and Bree having more adventures. I adore Mikki Butterley’s illustrations.
Something you learnt through writing the books?
That it is so much fun to return to well-loved characters. Also, that the narrative flows from the characters. The personalities of Pickle and Bree dictate what is going to happen.
What did you do celebrate the release?
We’re off to a special Italian restaurant.
And how will you promote the books?
A photo & drawing competition and a blog tour! There are lots of excellent prizes.
What are you working on next?
I’ve been thinking about a new series for 6-8 years old, which could be fun.
Where we can find out more about you and your books?
On my website: www.alisonreynolds.com.au
Via email: alrey@msn.com.au
Or on my Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/alison.reynolds.524
PICKLE AND BREE’S GUIDE TO GOOD DEEDS: BOOKS 3 & 4
Look what’s happening to celebrate the release of the latest two books in the award nominated Pickle & Bree series, The Playground Meanies & The Big Snow Adventure.
BLOG TOUR!
13/2/17 Boomerang Books & Pass-it-on Jackie Hosking
14/2/17 Creative Kids Tales
15/2/17 Buzz Words Di Bates
16/2/17 Aussie Reviews (that’s where it should be: for now it’s here on sallymurphy.com.au
17/2/17 Just Write for Kids & Julie Grasso
BOOK GIVEWAYS!
Just leave a comment on any of the posts in the blog tour, comment on facebook or twitter or even email alrey@msn.com.au to win a copy of The Playground Meanies or The Big Snow Adventure.
JUMP THE SLUSH PILE IS BACK!
Win an opportunity for a children’s editor at The Five Mile Press to look at your picture book submission (strictly 500 words or less). Just comment on any of the posts in the blog tour and add initials JSP.
OR
Win a free picture book assessment by the author Alison Reynolds. Just comment on any of the posts in the blog tour and add the initials PB.
Remember the more you comment, the more chances you have to win.
TEDDY BEAR CONTEST FOR ALL AGES!
Win a print of Mikki Butterley’s fabulous artwork from one of these two books. Just send a photo or drawing of your favourite teddy to alrey@msn.com.au or upload to https://www.facebook.com/alison.reynolds.524 or Twitter @AlisonReynoldsa
Competitions close March 24th and winners to be announced and contacted by March 31st.
February 9, 2017
Poetry Friday: The Jetty
Back in September and October I took a couple of long walks. Actually, I take long walks regularly, but these two were particularly special, because they were out to sea – a mile and a bit out to sea, along the Busselton Jetty. This is a really magical walk, and well worth the time if you happen to be visiting my part of the world.
After the walks I sat down and wrote this poem, which I have finally got a round to editing, with the photos I took, into a video:
And here is the text version:
Jetty
A lovely feature of the jetty is that it has poetry displayed on it. Hoorah!
I’m a mile out to sea
But I’m not wet
The planks beneath my feet
Don’t rock and sway
with the waves
I’m a mile out to sea
And so is the gull
Perched on the railing
Watching me
Beady-eyed
I’m a mile out to sea
And down below
Dark water swirls
And swooshes
Singing ocean’s song
I’m a mile out to sea
And around me
Salty breeze
whispers the secrets
of places far beyond
I’m a mile out to sea
But in a moment
I’ll turn
And start the long walk
Back to land smiling all the way.
(Poem copyright Sally Murphy)
The reason I’ve chosen to share this poem today is because, after I did that walk, I made a decision. I was going to get training and swim around the jetty. Every year, there is annual jetty swim, and I’ve told myself for years that I would do it one day. So I registered, and started training. I joined my local Masters Swimming group and I trained some more. A lot more. At first I wasn’t sure I could get fit enough. Now I’m feeling reasonably confident. And, if I don’t make it, there are plenty of ladders. And I can try again next year.
Wish me luck. I’ll let you know how I go.
Have a great Poetry Friday. Please visit the roundup, hosted by Katie at The Logonauts, for lots more poetry goodness.
February 8, 2017
Postal Treasures – and a Bookmark for YOU
My postman has been kept busy later, bringing me all kinds of goodies. First, I came home to a bulk package from Fremantle Press. It was filled to the brim with these delicious bookmarks, to promote my forthcoming junior novel, Looking Up:
Delicious, aren’t they? If you’d like me to send one your way, I will. All you need to do is take a shelfie (photo of your bookshelf) or a selfie (photo of you) featuring one or more of my books and post it on Twitter, Instagram or my Facebook Page. Tag me (on Twitter or Instagram), then message me privately with your address and I will sign and send you a bookmark. Easy peasy. I’d like to be able to share your photos, so if you are under 18 make sure your parents know what you are doing.
I’d barely recovered from the excitement of having brand new bookmarks, when postie came with another package. This time it was my author copies of my newest book, Sage Cookson’s Fishy Surprise, the third in the series. I couldn’t wait to line them up with the first two books – and my Sage doll, of course.
All three books are in good bookstores now, with three more titles still to come.
Much nicer postal goodies than a bunch of bills, wouldn’t you agree?
February 2, 2017
Poetry Friday: This is Just to Say
Earlier this week, I posted about mentor text, and how can use them to inspire new poems of your own. Today, I wanted to share another effort. This one is based on what I suspect might be the most-used mentor-text poem ever, and a poem which changed my world.
First, the poem, by William Carlos Williams, which I hope you’ve come across before:
This is Just to Say
I have eaten
the plums
that were in
the icebox (read the rest of this copyright poem here)
This poem, written as a note of apology, was one of the first free verse poems I remember reading. It was my first year of high school, and our teacher gave us the poem to read, discuss and, yes, mimic in poems of our own. I remember being amazed that poems could be written that way. Years later, when I wrote my first verse novel, Pearl Verses the World, I gave that experience to Pearl:
One day Granny read me
A poem
About a man stealing a plum
Granny, I remember saying
Why are there no rhymes
In that poem?
Granny laughed.
Why, Pearl, didn’t you know
A poem does not have to rhyme?…
A poem, comes
When it is needed
And writes itself
In the way it needs
To get its point across.
(from Pearl Verses the World, 2009, p. 63 Copyright Sally Murphy)
Anyway, back to the use of a mentor text. Williams’ This is Just to Say ahs been used in classrooms and by writers as a mentor text many many times. There have even been books written based on the poem, my favourite of which is Joyce Sidman’s This is Just to Say: Poems of Apology and Forgiveness.
Here is my own attempt a ‘This is Just to Say’ poem. I stuck with the food theme, and also gave an extra nod to Williams’ poem with my mention of plums.
This is just to say
I have eaten
the cake
that was in
the pantry
and which
you were probably
saving
for visitors.
Forgive me.
We had
no peaches
and no icy plums.
(Copyright Sally Murphy, 2015)
Have you ever written a This is Just to Say Poem? Or do you have your own favourite mentor text? I’d love to hear about it.
This post is part of Poetry Friday, where bloggers around the world post about poetry every Friday. Later today, you’ll see a round up of all the Poetry Friday posts at Penny’s blog.
February 1, 2017
Hooray and Huzzah: Roses are Blue is Shortlisted
It’s a happy day! Actually, every day is a happy day, but today is even happier, with the news that Roses are Blue has been shortlisted for the WAYBRA Awards.
WAYRBA – the Western Australian Young Readers’ Book Awards – are readers’ choice awards, meaning that the shortlisted books are nominated by young readers, and then it is young rea
ders who get to vote for their favourite. These are my favourite kind of awards because just to be nominated mean that kids like my book. And, after all, the people I most want to like my books are kids – young readers – who I am writing for.
So hooray and huzzah for being shortlisted, alongside other wonderful books from around Australia and around the world. You can see the shortlist here.
Writing Tip: Using a Mentor Text
Do you like poetry but have trouble coming up with things to write about? Perhaps you want to try something new in your writing? How about using a mentor text?
A what? I hear you ask. Let me explain.
A mentor text is, quite simply, a piece of good writing (in this case, a poem) which you study and use to inform your own writing. AT its simplest level, you may actually try to replicate the style and form of the poem, though you can of course use a mentor text as a starting point to inspire you to write something quite different.
Here is an example. This week I read a poem by Richard Edwards, which I found in the Puffin Book of Twentieth Century Verse. This poem, which I can’t reproduce entirely, appealed to me both because it had a slightly humorous, but uplifting message about age, but also because it had a really unusual rhyme and rhythm pattern. Here’s the opening stanza:
‘What did you do when you were young?’ 
I asked of the elderly man.
‘I travelled the lanes with a tortoiseshell cat
And a stick and a rickety van,
I travelled the paths with a sun on a thread,
I travelled the roads with a bucket of bread,
I travelled the world with a hen on my head
And my tea in a watering can,’
Said the elderly, elderly man. (Extract from Me & Him, copyright Richard Edwards)
I was so taken by this rhyme scheme, that I decided to try my hand at replicating it. It’s harder than it looks. Here’s a very early effort:
Granny
Grandmother Jo is a funny old thing
She lives in a van near the sea
With her cat, and her dog, and her mouse and her bird
But she always makes room for me.
When the holidays come I jump on a train
So eager to get to see Granny again
And vacation with her in her special domain.
We’ll have crumpets for breakfast and jelly for tea
And talk through the night, as happy can be. ( Copyright Sally Murphy 2017)
You might note that although I’ve used the same rhyme scheme, I didn’t find it easy to replicate the rhythm. In a future draft I might try to do that. However, the point of a mentor text is to make something new, so I’m happy to experiment and change the pattern.
You can find mentor texts easily. Do you have a school English text? See if you can use one of the poems in that as a starting point. Or pick up any book of poetry (if you don’t own one, try your school or local library). Or, feel free to use one of the poems I’ve posted here on my blog. Once you’ve found a poem you like, read it closely. Ask yourself: is there a pattern of rhyme? of syllables and rhythm? What other techniques does the poet use – repetition, simile, metaphor? What other topic might suit this form (you’ll note in my example, I also wrote about an elderly person, and the word ‘van’ unconsciously made its way into my poem). Then, when you feel ready, have a go at writing a poem of your own. Maybe even just a line or two.
If this seems overwhelming, start with a short poem, or work with a friend to write a joint poem. Remember, after you’ve written something, you can always rewrite it or, if you don’t like it, try again with a different mentor poem.
Let me know if you do write a poem. I love to hear from readers and writers.
January 31, 2017
January Reading
This year I am hoping to keep track of my reading with a monthly round up of what I’ve read. I’m only to count picture books if it’s the first time I’ve read them, and I’ve reviewed them. As I read poetry every day, but tend to dip and out of books, I’ll only record collections/anthologies which I have read cover to cover.
Anyway, as January draws to a close, here’s what I’ve read, grouped by age range or format. Where I’ve reviewed the book, I am linking the title to the review, which means you’ll get a bit of a blurb direct from the review. .
Picture Books
Younger Readers
Young Adult
Paladero, by Steven Lochran
Poetry
One Minute till Bedtime, Kenn Nesbitt (ed)
Adult Fiction
That’s it for January – fifteen books. What have you been reading? I’d love to hear your recommendations.
January 27, 2017
Spring: A Magnet Poem
And another magnet poem. Enjoy. 
January 26, 2017
Poetry Friday: A Ferocious Poem
I love challenges, and Donna at Mainly Write set a wonderful one she’s calling Poetpourri . She asked Poetry Friday regulars to offer some lines for a ferious poem, and then collected those lines and challenged any poet who was keen to use only those lines to create a new poem. So, multiple poets using the same lines to each create their own new poem.
Firstly, here are the lines we had to work with, and the people who contributed the, as well as their sources::
Buffy S: “ferocious women who never bring you coffee” – refrigerator magnetic poetry
Donna S (me): “always leave a wild song” – refrigerator magnetic poetry
Linda B: “dreaming women do art in poetry” – from her pile of poetry blocks
Buffy S: “where wizards and wolves rush by in a blur of green and gold and gray” – patched together from Kate Dicamillo’s Where Are You Going Baby Lincoln
Kay: “ignore the awful times, and concentrate on the good ones” from Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse Five
Linda M: “waking the world to a new day“
Margaret S: “steam that climbs like smoke from a fire” – this was in the comments the first week, and I’m not sure if it is a comment or a line… but I’m using it!
Carol V: “fearless women reach out, connect, and find joy in life’s intertwined moments” – Connecting the word “fearless” that April had used last week.
Tabatha Y: “little chest to put the Alive in” – Emily Dickinson
Joy: “wear loose clothing and a smile” – from a thought and some connections
Jan GA: “I feel like there should be more stories out there for girls, and I try to tell them” – a quote from Hope Larson from the book COMICS CONFIDENTIAL.
Mary Lee H: “ferocious women do not exaggerate” – from Mary Oliver’s UPSTREAM on page 109, “I do not exaggerate.”
Brenda H: “make a ferocious dinner then eats masks, drips truth and saves softness for dessert“
Keri L: “radical at their core” from her husband’s magazine, “Guns & Ammo”
Kiesha S: “ferocious women would rather drink the wind” – a line from Mary Oliver’s (Why I Wake Early) titled “The Arrowhead”
16 Diane M: “Out of endurance, exaltation” – a line from the poem “Monadnock” by Robert Francis.
Now, here are the rules she set:
You may break the given lines up into phrases, esp. if the line is broken into prepositional phrases.
A word used in a line may be repeated elsewhere as needed.
You may add or change articles (a, an, the…).
You may change tenses, as necessary for meaning.
If you haven’t added a line to the poem, you may not add one now. Others won’t have it to use.
However, if you can create a brand new line using individual words from the given lines, feel free! Do not do that for the whole poem though – that may be another challenge on another day!
Phrases should still be identifiable even though the whole line may not be in one unit still. (for example: “ignore the awful times” may be used in one place and “concentrate on the good ones” may be in another place).
Remember, these are only guidelines, as it IS poetry and we ARE poets…
Rules are meant to be broken.
You may make your own rules if you don’t like these – and that way you aren’t breaking a rule.
Oh, and if we get an unwieldy number of lines in the next week…I may change the rules, but so far, you need to use ALL the submitted lines in some way.
Please copy and paste the list of participants and their lines in your blog so that each is credited, along with some of their sources for the lines!
Link up here on that day also for potential extra traffic to your poem!
There is no 14. I just didn’t want to stop on 13.
And here’s how I approached it:
I copied each of the lines, in the order given, into a new document, making a menatl note of phrases that jumped out at me – for me the ‘ferocious women’ was echoed by ‘fearless women’ and ‘dreaming women’, each adding a new dimension to the women rather than creating different women.
I started rearranging the lines without changing them – putting together any that seemed linked or to flow into each other.
I started to add in the words I’d chosen to repeat to bring the whole together – ferocious, fearless and dreaming.
As I worked I felt some of the lines needed to be broken up and, of course, the initial order I’d chosen didn’t always work, so I kept moving and tweaking till I had something I felt satisifed with
And, after letting it rest and giving it more tweaks, I got ready to post it. Now, here it is for you to enjoy (or otherwise):
Ferocious Dreaming Poets
ferocious women never bring you coffee
ferocious women would rather drink the wind
ferocious women do not exaggerate
waking the world to a new day
fearless women reach out, connect,
find joy in life’s intertwined moments
fearless ferocious dreaming women do art in poetry
where wizards and wolves rush by in a blur of green and gold and gray
ferocious dreaming women ignore the awful times
fearless women concentrate on the good ones
ferocious women steam like smoke that climbs from a fire
fearless ferocious dreaming women make a little chest to put the Alive in
make ferocious dinners then eat masks, drip truth and save softness for dessert
dreaming women wear loose clothing and a smile
fearless women feel like there should be more stories out there for girls
radical at their core
ferocious dreaming women try to tell them
fearless ferocious dreaming women always leave a wild song
(Final poem copyright Sally Murphy)
I can’t wait to see what other poets have come up with for this challenge. Pop over to Donna’s blog today for links to the other responses.
And, of course, it’s Poetry Friday, so make sure you visit the Poetry Friday roundup at Beyond Literacy where Carol is hosting the roundup.
January 25, 2017
Chocolate: A Magnet Poem
Here’s another magnet poem for your enjoyment (or otherwise).
