Catherine Austen's Blog, page 30

Fall Faves

Writing isn't going so well for me just now–I'm scattered among different projects and I keep going back and forth between two possible plot directions in my sequel to All Good Children. Not good. I don't like writing blind.

I don't want to whine — that's why I haven't blogged in a month — so I'll write about other people's writing instead of my own. I'm not all that keen on the "everyone's a critic" trend but I'm happy to write about a few of the books I've read these past weeks that I would most highly recommend. Here's a suggestion for young readers of every age.

Perfect Picture Book

The Quiet Book

written by Deborah Underwood; illustrated by Renata Liwska (2010)

Simple words and pictures capture complex emotions. More a series of moments than a story.
Sweet and gentle, good for sharing and staring at together.

Beautiful MG novel

Whittington

by Alan Armstrong (2005)

A dignified middle grade novel that tells three stories– one about the legendary Dick Whittington and his cat, one about the cat's descendent who tells the historic tale, and one about the children who listen.
Beautiful writing and honest emotions. Perfect for animal lovers.

Excellent YA novel

Shattering Glass

by Gail Giles (2002)

A gripping young adult novel about popularity. The cool kids and nerds in this story are not cut from molds. They're not quite likeable–my favorite character was the lunch lady–but they're fascinating.
After I read this, I read everything else by the author. I love her.

That's it for today…

Tomorrow I'm a guest blogger on Teens Read Too. Maybe that will inspire me to pull my writing life together.







Filed under: authors, books Tagged: children's books, children's novels, picture books, quiet book, shattering glass, whittington, YA novel

Small Town Blues

There's a lot going on in the big cities these days when it comes to children's literature.

A finalist for the TD Award

I just received an invitation from the Canadian Children's Book Centre to attend the TD Canadian Children's Literature Award Celebration in Montreal on November 2nd. There are cocktails and hors d'oeuvres before the award ceremony, and coffee and dessert after. There's even free valet parking. But it's in Montreal and I am not. And much as I'd like to hobnob with the finalists (check them out here) and eat free dessert, it's too far away. I'll be recovering from Halloween weekend.

A finalist for the QWF Prize

I am also invited to the Quebec Writers' Federation Gala in Montreal on November 23rd. That one I'll go to because my book, Walking Backward, is a finalist for the QWF 2010 Prize for Children's and Young Adults' Literature! Not only do I get free coffee but I get to buy a new dress beforehand, so it's definitely worth the drive. (Plus I get to meet fellow finalist and Orca-author Monique Polak, and she seems lovely.)

QWF would like me and the finalists for all of their awards to come for a reading in Montreal on the evening of November 11th.

Driving with my children

I would love to go. But that's Remembrance Day and my husband has commitments so I have the kids, and the idea of driving four hours in the dark to and from a city of unfamiliar one-way streets — I'm tensing up as I imagine it — that's just not worth a five-minute reading for me. So I'm not going. Bummer.

If I lived in Montreal, I could go without a second thought. I could do it all. AND I could eat authentic Mexican food at Casa de Mateo every weekend!

But then I'd be ever farther from Toronto, which is another happening city that I'm nowhere near.

If I lived in Toronto, I could go to the "Packaging Your Imagination" workshops from CANSCAIP, the Canadian Society of Children's Authors, Illustrators, and Performers, on November 6. I could learn so much — I'd take a workshop on picture books, one on teen novels, one on graphic novels. Great speakers and good value: $150.00 for an entire day of workshops plus lunch! But when you add a train ticket and a hotel, the value dips a tad. (Plus it's my husband's birthday weekend, and that'll cost me.) Too steep for me.

My choices are clear:

(a) Move back to a big city. (No way.)

(b) Break the bank zipping from Montreal to Toronto and back while leaving my kids with a nanny. (Unfortunately, no.)

(c) Choose one event only (the QWF gala) and try not to think of the fun I'm missing in the meantime.

I'll go with (c). And I won't whine about it — honestly, I get to go to a gala! Just saying the word "gala" is fun. Going will be a blast.

For today, I'll bake my own dessert, brew my own coffee, take advantage of the free parking in my driveway, and slog it out on a new book — which is a great pursuit for a small-town writer like me.

Filed under: authors, writing Tagged: book awards, children's book award, writing workshops

Emerging Writer Opportunities

Knock knock. Who's there? Opportunity. Opportunity who?

It's not a joke. Opportunity is walking away shaking its head right now.

Here are a few timely contests for emerging Canadian writers bold enough to try their luck.

The Writers' Union Short Prose Competition. Check it out here. It's open to all Canadian writers who do NOT have book-length publications. There is a cash award for the best prose submission. Fiction or non-fiction. English language. November 10th deadline. That's all I know.

The CBC Literary Awards. Everybody knows about these because they put the winners on the radio and in the Air Canada magazine — and who hasn't been stuck on an airplane with nothing to read?. Check it out here. It's open to published or unpublished Canadian writers. Cash prizes for fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. English and French languages. November 1st deadline. 

And for fellow Quebec-based English-language writers who are not in it for the money, the Quebec Writers' Federation offers a mentorship program for emerging writers. Selected mentees are matched with established writers who dedicate up to 40 hours on the emerging writer's work over approximately 4 months. Check it out here.  For writers of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, or plays without other mentoring resources (no MFA students or writers working with publishing houses). English language. December 1st deadline. 

There are dozens of other opportunities out there. Good luck.

Filed under: writing Tagged: Canadian writers, Quebec writers, writing contests

Exercise and Anglerfish

Healthy me

Sick me

I intended to exercise this morning but my pets conspired against me. I haven't exercised for twelve days due to a bout of bronichiitis that shows no sign of improvement. I fear that all my weight-lifting gains are fading fast. Compare me twelve days ago (left) to me now (right):

Notice how the glow is gone?

Being under the weather, I decided to resume my exercises slowly. I rolled out the yoga mat, turned around to put in a DVD, and presto, here comes Charlie.

She'd been missing that mat these past twelve days.

I am a marshmallow, plus I feel a bit guilty on behalf of all humanity, so I defer to most other species. If my dog wants the mat, she can have the mat. 

I turned to the treadmill. Nothing challenging enough to set me coughing, but maybe a moderate walk up a hill. Just enough to generate a glow. Or so I planned.

I went to fill up my water bottle and wouldn't you know it? The cat and dog are clearly in cahoots.

I figured this was a sign, from nature if not from God, that I should stick to mental exercise today.

Again not wanting to challenge myself too much, I began with a picture book.

Here it is: Bizarre Beasts by Beatrice Fontanel. I thought it would be cute — just look at the cover. That is one cute frog.

Alas, this picture book contains the stuff of nightmares. Specifically, the nightmare that is the anglerfish.

Okay, everybody knows the anglerfish is the stuff of nightmares.

But most people expect nightmares like this:

What Nemo did not discover is that the worst nightmare is on the other end of the fish. Let me quote from the picture book:

"The male anglerfish, which is only a tenth the size of the female, attaches himself to the skin of a female with his jaws and remains there permanently. Once he is attached, all his internal organs apart from his testicles weaken and become paralysed. A female anglerfish can collect a number of males throughout her lifetime."

Aren't picture books the best? Only a kids' book would say something like that in exactly the same way it might say, "The peregrine falcon is the fastest animal on earth" or "Unlike most mammals, a female rat is capable of becoming pregnant even while she's nursing." Those are fun facts. Kids' books love fun facts.

But getting your face stuck on some giant and remaining stuck there slowly atrophying for your entire life, watching others — perhaps brothers – approach and latch on and suffer the same fate, living out your entire life as a sort of sentient sperm bank — ooh, that's not fun. Just imagine it. Hmm. Is that enough mental exercise for you yet? I think it's enough for me.

I shall leave off all forms of exercise for the day and go look at my own picture book, My Cat Isis. The full-colour illustrations arrived in the mail two weeks ago and I cannot stop staring at them. The artist, Virginie Egger, has gone beyond my wildest hopes. I will post the cover as soon as I get a green light from Virginie and Kids Can Press. The book is due for Spring release. (It contains plenty of fun facts but no nightmares — well, nothing as scary as an anglerfish.)

Filed under: books, writing Tagged: angler fish, fun facts, picture books