Dianne Bates's Blog, page 8

Dianne Bates' Published Books

Writing for the past 30+ years, mostly for young readers, I have published in excess of 120 books. Recently I have been updating the list. Here is a full list of my books. *  1983, The Year I Was Born(Moondrake, 1993) ISBN 1 86391 208 8
* 1984, The Year I Was Born(Moondrake, 1993) ISBN 1 86391 209 6
* A Game of Keeps (Celapene Press, 2014) ISBN 978 0 9873677 85
* A Night at Benny’s  (Harcourt Brace, 1989) ISBN  0 729 509 060
* A Tree House (Cambridge Learning, 2008) ISBN 9780521710268
* Aussie Kid Heroes (Interactive Publications, 2009) 9781921479144
* Badu Boys Rule! (Insight Publications, 2006) ISBN 1921088 44 3
* Belly Busters (Random House, 1994) O O9 182945 3
* Between You and Me (Pearson Education, 2003) ISBN 0-1236-0229-7
* Big Bad Bruce illus Phoebe Middleton (A & R, 1994)  ISBN 0 207 18831 9, also 0 207      17696 5
* Big Bad Bruce illus Cheryll Johns (Koala Books, 2007) ISBN 9780864617712
* Basil Bopp the Burper (Hodder Headline, 1996) 9 780733 603693; (Reprinted Five Senses Education, 2010) ISBN
* Billy Fishbone, King of the Kids(Hodder Headline, 1997) ISBN 9780733 605079; (Reprinted Five Senses Education, 2010) ISBN 978174139 4602
* Blowflies and Glow-Worms (Cambridge Learning, 2008 ISBN978 0521710671
* Boys Only (No Girls) Otford Press, 2002) ISBN 1 876928 93 X
* Brad the Wonder Baby (Blake Education, 2000) ISBN 1 86509 331 9
* Bushranger Bob & the Nude Olympics(with Bill Condon) (Hodder Headline, 1999) ISBN 0 7336 1038 2 (reprinted Five Senses Education, 2010) ISBN
* Candy in the Kitchen  (Collins,1989) ISBN  07 3227 320X
* Carl’s Café (Thomas Nelson, 2002) ISBN 0 7339 33386/07608 5799  7
* Champion Children (Heinemann Library, 1998) ISBN 1 86391 694 6
* Christmas Around the World  (Macmillan)ISBN 0 7 329 0215 0
*  Christmas Carols, Songs and Poems (Macmillan) ISBN  0 732 902 126
*  Christmas in Australia (Macmillan) ISBN  0 732 902 169
* Christmas Make and Do (Macmillan) ISBN 0 7329 0217 7
* Christmas Stories (Macmillan) ISBN 0 7329 02134
* Cinderfella (Penguin, 2001) ISBN 0141312653
* Crash Landing (Thomas Nelson, 2002) ISBN 0 17 0105148
* Crossing the Line (Ford Street Publishing, 2008) ISBN 978 1 876462 70 3
* Dame Nellie Nickabocka, shooting Star( Hodder Headline, 1996) ISBN 9 7807 33 603723 (Reprinted Five Senses Education 2010) ISBN 9781741304596
* Daring Dora and the All-Girl Gang(Hodder Headline, 1996) ISBN 9 780733 603358; (Reprinted Five Senses Education 2010) ISBN
* Dateless & Desperate (Pearson Education, 2002) ISBN 07339 3472 2
* Desert Dan the Dunnyman (Hodder Headline, 1997); (reprinted Five Senses Education 2010) ISBN 9781741304819
* Erky Perky Silly Stuff (Five Senses Education, 2012) ISBN 978 1 74130 780 1
* Fangs (Thomas Nelson, 2002) ISBN 017 010513 X
* Famous & Fabulous Kids(Jacaranda Wiley, 1995) ISBN 0 73121 652 0
* Freaky Fact or Fiction: World Records(Hinkler Books, 2011) 978174185253
* Getting Even (Rigby Heinemann, 1996) ISBN 0-7312-1979-1
* Giggle and Grin (Five Senses Education, 2012) ISBN 978 1 74130 598 2
* Grandma Cadbury’s Bikie Gang(A&R, 1993) ISBN 0 207 179182
* Grandma Cadbury’s Safari Tours  (A&R, 1989)  ISBN 0 207 167 60X
* Grandma Cadbury’s Trucking Tales(A&R, 1987) ISBN 0 207 158 770 WINNER 1988 WEST AUSTRALIAN YOUNG READERS’ BOOK AWARD
* Grandma Cadbury’s Water World(Hodder Headline, 1997) ISBN 0-7336-0472-2
* Hairy Hannah and the Grandad Gang(Hodder Headline, 1997) 9 780733 605086; (Reprinted Five Senses Education, 2010) ISBN 9781741304589
* How Christmas Began  (Macmillan,1990) ISBN 0 7329 02142
* How to Self-Edit (To Improve Your Writing) ( Emerald Publishers, India, 2005) ISBN 81 7966 159 8; (reprinted by Five Senses Education, 2009) ISBN 9781741 306835
* I’m An Australian: A Class Journal(Jacaranda Wiley, 1992)   ISBN 0 7016 30280   WINNER SPECIAL PRIZE 1993 MULTICULTURAL CHILDREN’S LITERATURE AWARD.
* In Big Trouble (Rigby, 1996) ISBN 0-7312-2164-8
* Inventions (Heinemann Library,1998) ISBN 1 86391 693 8
* Jacob Fang & His Feral Family(Hodder Headline, 1996) ISBN 9 780733 603716; (Reprint Five Senses Education, 2010) ISBN 9781741304626
* Junk (Cambridge Learning, 2008) ISBN 9780521 710251
* Justin’s Wells, illustrated by Tony Flowers (Rigby, 2007) ISBN 978 07312 7486 4
* How to Self-Edit (To Improve Writing Skills) (Emerald Publishing, India) ISBN 8179661598
* Kings of the Creek (Rigby, 2001) ISBN 0 7312 2743 3
* Madcap Cafe & other humorous plays(with Bill Condon; Brooks Waterloo, 1986)  ISBN 0 86 440 6152
* Making Friends on Beacon Street (Mimosa, 1992) ISBN 0 7 32771 048
* Money Smart Kids (Ibis, 2005) ISBN 1 920923 90 X
* My Other Mother (Rigby Heinemann, 1996) ISBN 0-7312-2155-9
* My Wacky Gran (Angus & Robertson, 1994) ISBN  0 207 18537 9/ also 0-207-19167-0 (1997)
* Ned the Nong & the Kelly Kids(with Bill Condon) (Hodder Headline, 1999)ISBN 0 7336 1040 4; (Reprinted Five Senses Education 2010) ISBN
* Nick Knickers & the Great Santa Round-up (with Bill Condon) (Hodder Headline, 1999) ISBN 0 7336 1039 0; (Reprinted Five Senses Education, 2010) ISBN 978174130 4664
* Nobody’s Boy (Celapene Press, 2012) ISBN 978 0 9872556 00
* Operation Lily-Liver (with Bill Condon, 1987) ISBN 0 333 412 192
* Out of the Blue (PearsonEducation, 2005)
* Piggy  Moss  (Puffin, 1982) ISBN 0140 3153 65
* Promise Not to Laugh (Angus & Robertson, 1996) ISBN 0-207-19142-5 (with Chris McTrustry)
* Resourceful Kids (Rigby, 1997) ISBN 07312 2215 6
* Revise, Edit & Re-Write (Ashton Scholastic, 1994) ISBN 1 86388 173 5
* Rotten Rellies (Nelson, 1997) ISBN 9 780170 093019
* Schools at War! (Random House, 1997) ISBN 9780091 832926
* Scrum O’Crum & the Bushranger Babes(Hodder Headline, 1997) ISBN 0 7336 0510 9; (Reprinted Five Senses Education, 2010) ISBN 9781741304572
* Skin and Bones (Cambridge Learning, 2008) ISBN 9780521 710701
* Stagestruck!  plays (with Bill Condon; HBJ, 1992) ISBN 0 729 5086 5X
* Supermouth  (Rigby, 1995) ISBN 0 7312 1947 3
* Terri (Puffin, 1981) ISBN 01 4031 3761
* The Belligrumble Bigfoot  (Roo Books, 1984) ISBN 0 9499 24474
* The Bogeyman in the Garden  (Longman, 1995) ISBN 0-582-80484-2
* The Boy Who Loved Chocolate  (Omnibus, 1990) ISBN 0 14 3457 01
* The Case of the Kidnapped Brat  with Bill Condon(Reed Mystery Mammoth, 1995)  ISBN 0582 910684/ ISBN 1-86330-475-4
 * The Curse of King Nevertrustme (Angus & Robertson, 1995) ISBN 0 207 18786 X
* The Funnies: Cartoons and Comics(Jacaranda Press, 1993) ISBN 0 7016 2816 2
* The Girl in the Basement (Morris Publishing Australia, 2013) ISBN 978 0 9875434 17
* The Hold-Up Heroes (National Museum of Australia, 2005)
* The Pobblebonk Frog (Cambridge Learning, 2008) ISBN 9780521 710244
* The Last Refuge (Hodder Headline, 1996) ISBN 0 7336 0318 1
* The Little Red Hen, infants’ play (Macmillan, 1987) ISBN 0 333 410193
* The Magician (Rigby,1988) ISBN  0 731 202 740
* The Musicians of Bremen, infants’ play (Macmillan, 1987) ISBN 0 8136 36442
* The New Writer’s Survival Guide(Penguin,1989) ISBN  01 4011 5080
* The Shape (Allen and Unwin, 2000) ISBN 1 86508 353 4
* The Worst Cook in the World(Nelson, 1987) ISBN 0 454 01254 3
* The Slacky Flat Gang (with Bill Condon; Brooks Waterloo, 1988) ISBN 0864 400888
* Top Tasty Treats (Jacaranda, 1993) ISBN 0 7016 3195 3
* Troublemaker (Addison Wesley Longman 1996) ISBN 0 7791 0828 0 + (Sundance, 1997) ISBN 0 7608 0768 X
* The Trouble With Parents  (Longman, 1996) ISBN 0-582-80486-8 + (Scholastic, Canada, 2001) ISBN 0 7791 0827 2
* The Worst Cook in the World  (Nelson, 1987) ISBN  045 4012543
* Thirteen Going on Forty (Hodder & Stoughton, 1986) ISBN 0 340 376120
* Top Tasty Treats (Jacaranda Press, 1993) 0 7016 3195 3
* Treasure Seekers (Pearson Education, 2001) 0 7339 2470 0 (with Ann C Whitehead & Bill Condon)
* Troublemaker  (Longman, 1995) ISBN 0-582-80485-X
* Urgent Delivery (Thomas Nelson, 2002) ISBN 0 17 010519 9
* Villains ((Heinemann Library, 1996) ISBN 1-86391-457-9
* Whales (Cambridge Learning, 2008) ISBN 978-521 710695
* When Melissa-Ann CameTo Dinner (Harcourt Brace, 1989) ISBN 07 2950 8099
* We Care for Our School (Landmark, NZ, 1996)1 86959 174 4
* Who Pushed Humpty  (with Mary Small, illustrated Craig Smith, Mimosa,1992) ISBN 0 7327 09690
* Wordgames (Longman Cheshire, 1993) ISBN 0 582 91068 4
* Wordgames: Activities for Creative Thinking and Writing (Five Senses Education, 2009)   ISBN 781741 306828
* Your Teeth (Cambridge Learning, 2008) ISBN 9 780521 710688
* Zoo Animals (Cambridge Learning, 2008) ISBN 9780521 7107718
 ANTHOLOGIES
 * Stay Loose, Mother Goose! (Omnibus/Puffin, 1990) ISBN 014 0345140
* Fun and Fantasy (Jacaranda Press, 1993) ISBN 0 7016 2786 7
* Out of the Box: Blue Book (Phoenix Education, 1994) ISBN 187569528 1
* That’s Entertainment (Rigby, 1994) ISBN 0 73121 678 2
* The Phone Book (Random House, 1995) ISBN 0 09 183034 6
* Trust Me (Ford Street, 2008) ISBN 978 1 876462 57 4
* Trust Me Too (Ford Street, 2012) ISBN 978 1 921665 58 5
* Stories for Five Year Olds (Random House, 2012) ISBN 978 1 74275 666 0
* Stories for Girls (Random House, 2013) ISBN 978 0 85798 0861
* Charms Volume 1 (Prints Charming Books, 2013) ISBN 5 800099 086146
   For more about my books, please go to my website    www.enterprisingwords.com.au  
 
 
 
 

Annabel's Chewy-Gooey Birthday Cake

Title: Annabel’s Chewy Gooey Birthday CakeAuthor: Ken Williams
Illustrator: Karen Erasmus
Publisher: JoJo Publishing
Publication date: September 2014
Format: Hard cover
ISBN: 9780987607799
For ages: 4-7
Type: Picture Book


SYNOPSIS:
Annabel simply must have the biggest and best cake for her party.

‘Too plain,’ she cries as Chef Pierre whips up ever more elaborate cakes, until his final cake – a chewy gooey chocolate caramel mudcake with butterscotch syrup, every colour sprinkles, topped with icky-sticky toffee waffles on a cherry fudge sundae, smothered in chocolate mousse and a tower of strawberry glazed doughnuts, showered with marshmallows and dripping with hot chocolate ganache.
The subject of cake and an upcoming birthday should appeal to young readers. As will the energy, rhythm and visual humour of this book. A recipe is included for the budding chef to try a Chef Pierre masterpiece.
INTERVIEW:

What genre do you write in?
I started out writing for adults but now tend to write what I enjoy reading the most. I rediscovered picture books after my ten-year-old son was born and I haven’t looked back. Full of emotion and colour, picture books evoke wonder, stimulate imagination and offer a view of the world that resonates. Nothing else does that for me quite like picture books.

What do you like about writing?
I’ve always liked sharing stories. Particularly funny ones. I love hearing people laugh. Whenever I hear a funny joke, I just have to tell everyone. And it’s the same with stories, if an idea comes into my head, I just have to write it down and tell everyone. I look at writing a lot like joke telling – A beginning, middle and end all leading to a singular goal. But it’s hard work too.

Where can we learn more about you? Jump on my website at http://www.kenwilliamswriting.weebly.com where you’ll see I am a Sagittarius, 6ft 4 with mesmerising blue eyes, striking complexion and unfortunately a compulsive liar (5ft 5 and as ugly as a bucket of nails). No seriously, I am devilishly handsome, though you’d never know it to look at me. It’s an inner beauty. It’s all in there somewhere!
My stories have been published in magazines, newspapers and online publications. This is my first picture book. I hope you enjoy it.You can purchase the book from bookstores, online at JoJo Publishing, or you’re welcome to drop Ken a line on his website and he’ll organise a personally signed copy.

 

Mrs T's Kooky Pants

Mrs T’s Kooky Pants by Jennifer Reid (eTV Publishing) PB RRP $16.95

 Mrs T’s Kooky Pants is a story for 6 to 10 year olds about a fun-loving teacher named Mrs T who develops cancer suddenly. Sadly, Mrs T dies and her students have to go on and learn how to cope with this grief and terrible loss.


Even though Mrs T’s Kooky Pants deals with the pain and fears that come about when having to face cancer and death, the message of this book is hopeful and encouraging still. It is a resource for parents and teachers to use when needing to bring this type of subject out into the open -- a tool to support children in understanding that it is normal to be sad in such situations, but offer strategies to help them move forward.
I want every child who is facing or has faced this situation to read Mrs T’s Kooky Pants and be able to talk about their own story and feelings, to bring it out into the open so that there’s care, support and understanding readily available for them.
I want kids to know that it’s okay to be sad when you’ve lost someone you love, but that it’s also really important to be happy again someday.

Mrs T’s Kooky Pants is endorsed by the National Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF), with $1 from every book sold going to breast cancer research.

As a breast cancer survivor, the NBCF’s goal of ‘zero breast cancer deaths by 2030’ gives me hope for the future. If they can find a cure for breast cancer, then surely a cure for all cancers can be found. Just imagine a world without cancer!
Author website – http://jenniferreid.com.au
Publisher's website - http://www.etv.net.au/home/projects/mrs-ts-kooky-pants/

Buzz Words (All the Buzz About Children's Books)

In 2006 I started a subscriber-based twice-monthly online magazine exclusively for people in the Australian children’s book industry.  Buzz Words doesn’t rely on contributors so it’s not full of self-promotion. The aim of the magazine is to keep readers abreast of what’s currently happening in the children’s book industry and to give them as many opportunities to get informed and published. It is concerned with what is happening currently in the industry: the magazine is comprehensive and structured.
Every issue contains the following: local and international news, a publisher profile, short profiles of people in the industry, an interview, opportunities, markets, competitions and awards, recommended books and websites/blogs, festivals and conferences, workshops, article/s, subscribers’ achievements, letters to the editor (have your say), and of course book reviews. There are lots of links provided to all of the above.
Sometimes writers are commissioned (and paid) for their contributions.
Preference for interviews, articles, profiles, etc is given to subscribers. Subscribers are also given the opportunity to advertise for free, if they have a product and/or service. The magazine is as subscriber-friendly as possible. Cost is $48 per year (23 issues).
You will be able to check out what it’s all about if you would like me to send you a free issue on 15 October. Meanwhile I am working on building up the subscriber list.
If you want to subscribe, go to the blog http://www.buzzwordsmagazine.com and check out the LHS of the home page for details of how to proceed.
Any time after 15 October I can also send you a free issue. Just request one through the blog site above.
Dianne (Di) Bates

Promote Your New Book for Children

(Please note that only books for young readers by Australian writers are eligible for this offer). To promote your book on this blog site, Writing for Children you can do all (or some) of the following:

1. Write an article about the book, where the idea came from, who the book is pitched at, what the story is about, name of publisher, etc
2. Include any positive reviews of the book (don’t forget to include the reviewer’s name and where the review first appeared – you can provide a link, if you like)
3. Create your own interview (with questions and answers)
4. Include details of RRP of book and where people can purchase it from
5. Write about yourself as an author, what you’ve written before, classes you’ve attended, successes you’ve had, ambitions, influences, and so on.
It’s your space on the blog, so go to town promoting the book. When the post goes up, let people know, especially Facebook groups. This will help to promote not only your book, but my blog, especially if you supply the link back to the blog/your book.
If you want to email me jpg pictures (as attachments please) of you, of your working space, whatever, then do that, too. You might also like to include a short bio at the foot of your post that includes your contact details (and website).
Dianne (Di) Bates
dibates@outlook.com
www.enterprisingwords.com.au
http://diannedibates.blogspot.com.au
http://wwww.australianchildrenspoetry...

Ph 61 (02) 4271 6168
PO Box 262
Unanderra 2526

Latest books
A Game of Keeps (Celapene Press, 2014)
Nobody's Boy (Celapene Press) 2013 CBCA Notable
The Girl in the Basement (Morris Publishing Australia)
 

Mrs T's Kooky Pants

I am delighted to welcome author Jennifer Reid to talk about her life, her writing journey and her experience with cancer, which inspired her beautiful new children’s picture book Mrs T’s Kooky Pants.
Mrs T’s Kooky Pants is published by eTV Publishing and is priced at $16.95. It is available for purchase at The Children’s Bookstore Beecroft, Better Read than Dead Newtown or online at http://www.etv.net.au/home/projects/mrs-ts-kooky-pants/
Tell us a little bit about yourself. 
I live in Sydney with my husband and two children. My parents migrated to Australia from Lebanon in 1947 and my family have called Australia home ever since. I’m the baby of ten children, so I always boast, “I’ll never be lonely in the world”.

As you can imagine, I grew up in a very busy household, with my dad working two jobs to feed the family, mum racing around from dawn til dusk caring for all of us, and somehow they still had time to solve the worlds’ problems AND make us feel loved and safe all at the same time.
We have a very large extended family, so somebody was always in need of a place to stay, a nutritious meal, or a shoulder to cry on…and my parents were often the ones people turned to. I would retreat into my books to escape the hustle and bustle a lot of the time and this is where my love of reading started.

I’m a primary school teacher, which I love because it’s just fun hanging around 8 year olds all day. But I haven’t always been a teacher. I’ve done a few different things - worked in retail, banking & finance and I even owned a beauty salon for a few years.
I can remember writing in my secret diary from a very young age. I’ve written for as long as I can remember really, but in 2010 after being diagnosed with breast cancer the year before, I started writing a blog, called Life’s like a Cupcake. This was the first time I started to share my writing because before that, I’d always kept it to myself. 
Why do you write?
Writing became my therapy during my cancer treatment, and it remains my therapy. I write about the people I love, places I’ve been or dream of going and things that make me cry or laugh. I’m an artist as well, so I use my writing and drawing as a way of releasing emotions. Writing about my late dad for example, helps me to remember him and makes me feel close to him.
After my breast cancer diagnosis, I started to write a children’s story about cancer, which eventually became “Mrs T’s Kooky Pants”. But the sad reality that some people lose their cancer battle only became a vital theme in the story after I lost my sister Helen to bowel cancer last year. I’m grateful beyond words that I’m a breast cancer survivor, but I continually dream of a world that is cancer-free and one in which my sister is still here with me. Mrs T’s Kooky Pants is dedicated to Helen and some of the lovely characteristics of Mrs T are just like my sister…I love that I could keep my memories of her alive by using them in my story.
 Your new book, Mrs T’s Kooky Pants, was inspired by your battle with breast cancer at a time when your children were very young and also experiencing the loss of loved ones from cancer. Why did you feel compelled to share these raw experiences through this book? 
My hope is that Mrs T’s Kooky Pants becomes a useful tool for parents and teachers, to gently open up the difficult conversations about topics such as cancer, death and grief…it will hopefully give kids strategies to help them move on after loss and help them deal with their grief in a positive way.  






For example, I find it really helpful to talk about loved ones I’ve lost and remember the funny stories they shared with me, or places we went together. This is the type of thing that is modelled in my book. It tells kids that it’s okay to be sad, but it’s important to try to be happy again one day soon… “Every day is a new day and a chance to start again”. This is one piece of advice Mrs T gives her students. My husband sent me a beautiful quote the other day which said,

“When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive-- to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love"
Jennifer Reid reads her book to a group of childrenWhen I was going through cancer treatment, I always tried to encourage my family to enjoy the moments and to look for the positives in each day. We still try to live like that 5 years on. My kids were 11 and 12 at the time and they were amazing. Once they saw that I was going to be positive, even though I had a lot of complications and it was a really hard time, we got through it okay together.
What made you decide to write children’s books? My passion is to help kids and people in general, to see that life is full of different challenges, that are often out of our control, but we can find hope if we try, the rainbow after the storm, if you like.
 I love the children’s literature community in Australia. I’ve recently taken up the role of Inaugural President of the CBCA NSW Sydney West Sub-branch and have already met so many beautiful people, so generous in offering their support and advice, not only with the sub branch, but with my personal writing dreams.
I think it’s important to network and be involved with other writers, particularly of the same genre. I belong to an online critique group through my social media network, but I’ve also just joined another Writer’s group with a few people in from the Sydney West Sub-branch…I’m very excited about this.
Social media is a great alternative for people too busy to travel to meetings or writers’ groups…it’s a fantastic way of networking with like-minded people and is very important in building up your profile, especially if you’re an unpublished or emerging writer.
Do you remember the first story you ever read that impacted you?I remember reading Enid Blyton books when I was very young. I don’t remember the exact details of books like “Adventures of the Wishing Chair” and “The Enchanted Wood”, but I do remember the magic and adventure and the way they made me feel. Great literature is literature that makes you ‘feel’ something!
I’m also grateful to the amazing A.A.Milne for bringing Winnie the Pooh to life. As a mum, I loved reading and watching Winnie the Pooh with my kids when they were growing up. We still sing that song, “Forever and Ever”, from “Pooh’s Grand Adventure: the search for Christopher Robin”.  “Forever, and ever, is a very long time Pooh. And both of us will be, forever you and me, forever and ever.” It’s just a beautiful story of true love and friendship. And Winnie the Pooh taught us about life so gently that we could even talk about losing someone we love and feel comforted somehow. My favourite quote from Pooh to Piglet is:
“If ever there is tomorrow when we're not together... there is something you must always remember. You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. But the most important thing is, even if we're apart... I'll always be with you.”This is the same kind of message we get from Mrs T in my book.

What do you hope this book will impart to its readers? 
Carole Renoufe, CEO of The National Breast Cancer Foundation wrote:
“For many years Jennifer has helped people from all walks of life understand more about breast cancer by sharing her own personal story as a National Breast Cancer Foundation speaker. Jennifer has now drawn on her own experience to help explain cancer to children through Mrs T’s Kooky Pants. Mrs T’s Kooky
Pants is a beautiful tool to fulfil an unmet need - for teachers and parents with young children, how to communicate the reality of cancer in an age-appropriate way.”

Dr Alison Butt, Head of Research at The National Breast Cancer Foundation wrote: 
“Cancer comes with a myriad of challenges. But perhaps one of the greatest is communicating this to our loved ones, especially children. Research tells us that communicating to children about what is happening with family members can really help to reduce their anxiety. Jennifer has used her own experience with breast cancer to help young children better understand cancer.”
Even though it deals with the pain and fears that come about when having to face cancer and death, I wanted the message of my book to be hopeful and encouraging. I want every kid who has or is facing these things to read Mrs T’s Kooky Pants and be able to talk about their own story and feelings, to bring it out into the open so that there’s care, support and underst
You are donating $1 from every copy sold of Mrs T’s Kooky Pants to the National Breast Cancer Foundation. Can you tell us what this means to you? 
I’m a National Breast Cancer Foundation Ambassador and my book is endorsed by them, with $1 from the sale of every book going towards breast cancer research. 
 The sad thing is we still need to face the reality of losing our loved ones to cancer. I’m one of the fortunate ones still here to tell my story, but there are thousands of kids out there losing parents, teachers, siblings or others they love to cancer.
The NBCF fund breast cancer research and it’s this research that gives me hope for the future – this is why I want to support them.

What are the greatest blocks or obstacles you have experienced on your writing journey? 
It’s very hard to get published and I faced many rejections. Because I was writing from such an emotional perspective, it really hurt at first. But then after writing and re-writing and perfecting, I’m grateful for what I’ve learned along the way about the writing process and I’m happy with my final story.
I’m glad I didn’t give up. The theme of my book is not an easy one, but it’s truth and kids can handle the truth as long as it’s delivered in a loving and supportive way. I recently taught a Literacy unit to my year 2 students based on Margaret Wild’s The Treasure Box, which won the CBCA Picture Book of the Year. It’s a story about the horrors of war and the injustice of loss and death and having to continue on regardless. This is a confronting topic for anyone, let alone kids. But surprisingly, the kids loved this book and got so much out of it.
It showed me that we must keep the lines of communication open with kids, no matter how difficult the topic.

What’s next for Jennifer Reid? 
As a newly published author, I want to be active in the writing community and give back in some way. So I am now the Inaugural President of the Children’s Book Council Of Australia NSW Sydney West Sub-branch. The CBCA exists to engage the community with literature for young Australians…my hope is to ignite an even greater passion for literature in my own community through this network.
I’m working on my next picture book and may even attempt illustrating it myself.  I’m also in the middle of writing a historical fiction novel, based on the life of my family migrating from Lebanon to Australia just after WWII. Australian author Amanda Hampson is my mentor for this project.
I recently visited Lebanon as part of my research…I had never been before and got to meet many relatives still living in the beautiful mountain village where my parents were born. And I’ve fallen in love with the place and pray I can visit again some day.

I also had my very first official book launch on Saturday 20thSeptember at The Children’s Bookshop in Beecroft, which also included an exhibition of some of my artworks, with a portion of proceeds going to the National Breast Cancer Foundation. It was a great success, and hopefully the first of many more!
Read more about Jennifer at her website – http://jenniferreid.com.au and see her artworks at http://fantangledesigns.com
 

The Summoning of One

BOOK INFORMATION:

Title : The Summoning of The One – Book 2 in The Knights of Katesch                                 
AUTHOR: Royce Bond
ISBN:  978-0-9925052-0-2       
FORMATS:  eBook and  Paperback
PUBLISHER:  Morris Publishing Australia
CATEGORY: Fantasy/adventure
AUDIENCE:  12 + 
SYNOPSIS:
Andrew Weatherby, a bullied computer nerd from Central Queensland is ripped from his world to lead The Knights of Katesch in their direct attack on Maligor the Destroyer. In the midst of the battle in Mountain City, he rescues princess Katarin to find he has been betrothed to her since birth.
This feisty young lady risks her life to save Andrew. The Knights believe that have finally defeated Maligor after ten thousand years of conflict. In an attempt to escape the fanatic red guards seeking revenge for the death of their god, Agmar accidentally releases a monster army: the Kazdoom.
INTERVIEW:
Did you have to do much research for this book? I had decades of day dreaming behind me … as well as my medieval re-enacting, and all the novels and “How to Write” books and magazines, I had devoured. This was part of my research.
Some of my research also came from the places I visited as I travelled around Australia. In fact, when you read this story you’ll find some of the places mentioned in the beginning, when Andy and Lin are trying to elude the assassins they are in my home town of Rockhampton.
Then the place Agmar and Methelgin hide, (under the overhanging roots of a large tree) is a tree on the back of Mount Archer, near Rockhampton in Queensland. I actually sat there when I was hiking down the mountain, so my research also comes from the places I have visited. By using these places, I can describe them so the readers can see them in their minds.
Then I created the world where I’d like to have my adventure.
Can you tell me about the main character, and what you like/dislike about him/her? The main character is Andy at the beginning, and when he joins with the life essence of the ancient knight Methelgin, they take Methelgin’s name. I actually like Andy, because he is so much like me. Methelgin is how I would like to be as a person.
Is there something that sets this book apart from others? This book is special as it is the first full length fantasy novel I have written. I have so many good memories of writing it – at 4am on Sunday mornings, with music playing in my headphones. The excitement I felt as the adventure unfolded before me was incredible.
I can still remember my wife looking at me and shaking her head as I laughed at the funny parts of the story as I wrote them.
The writing of this book has taken me onto a real life adventure that I never thought would occur, so it has a very special place in my heart.
Follow the blog tour by selecting the link below. Each day you will learn a little more about this exciting book and its unique author.
http://www.morrispublishingaustralia.com/blog-tour-the-summoning-of-the-one.html
 WHOLESALE AND RETAIL ORDERS:
Dennis Jones and Associates – http://dennisjones.com.au
James Bennett library suppliers
Peter Pal library suppliers
http://www.morrispublishingaustralia.com
eBook available on Amazon, Smashwords and many online stores.
 AUTHOR INFORMATION:
Rockhampton resident, Royce Bond, published his first book, Kitchen Science, with Ashton Scholastic after he won the prestigious National B.H.P. /C.S.I.R.O. Science Teacher's Award. This book was used in schools throughout Australia, New Zealand, South East Asia, and in some schools in South America. Many books in the science field followed.

 Since his retirement, he has changed his writing to young adult fantasy novels. The Princess and The Pirate , the first in the series The Knights of Katesch was published by Morris Publishing Australia in 2013.
Royce is available for school visits. Please phone Elaine on 07 54 981 332 or email info@morrispublishingaustralia.com 

Destiny Road

What sparked the idea to write Destiny Road? Recently Melissa Wray was asked this question by Uncommon YA . Here is her very personal response.
We moved to North Queensland when I was 14. After a year or so Mum could see that something about Townsville and I did not mix. Strangely enough it was her suggestion to ring my dad and ask if I could move back south.
So I did. Then I packed my bags and moved 3,000km away to live with him. This decision is what sparked the idea for Destiny Road.
Now I never set out to write this story, let alone have it published. It just kind of happened. It came about because one night I was lying in bed and couldn’t sleep. There was an unspoken conversation going on in my mind. It was a conversation that I regret not having and has played on my mind over the years. This particular night it got the better of me so I got up and began to write. It wasn’t until after I read through those mad ramblings a couple of weeks later that I thought hmmm … I could create a story from this. So I began writing. I passed my 10,000 word milestone. Then 20 then 30 then before I knew it 50,000 words had been typed.
You see I think about that one phone call I made all those years ago sometimes. I have often thought about how that decision, that one pivotal moment that is talked about in Destiny Road, really did change the course of my life. I’m sure as you're reading this you can look back over your life, and pinpoint one moment that has shaped it in a big way. I truly believe that Dad saying yes when I asked was a determining factor in how things have turned out for me.
One afternoon I was sitting with him. He got to talking about his philosophy on life and death. Dad had been fighting a battle against cancer for a while at this point and I was kneeling next to him as he sat on his reclining chair. He was holding my hand as he shared these ideas on life and death. He said to me "It’s cool. Whatever happens, it’s cool." My dad used cool a lot when he spoke. He was pretty cool. He was also a big believer in God. So that afternoon he said "It’s cool if I die because I get to meet my maker." ‘Then he said "But it’s cool if I live because I get to be with the ones I love." This was his philosophy. Either way was cool with him.
I remember kneeling there, holding his hand and wishing I could say thank you to him. Thanks for saying yes all those years ago. Thanks for that pivotal moment in my life. I wanted him to know how much that meant. But I couldn’t. I just couldn’t get those words out.
 That night he passed away.
I never did get to tell him and have regretted that for the past 10 years. So you see once the spark to write Destiny Road was lit, it had to finished. It was my tribute, my thankyou and I am beyond thrilled it was published.
Now I’m not going to bore you with my views on life and death but I can’t help but wonder something, because anyone who knew my dad, Rod Morris, and anyone who knew his sense of humour ... well I can’t help but wonder if there wasn’t a helping hand when Morris Publishing (no relation) chose to publish Destiny Road. I like to think so.

It's hard to believe two years has passed since the launch of Destiny Road. To celebrate there is a chance to win 2 x $20 Gift Cards, ENTER NOW!
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Tottie and Dottie

www.tottieanddot.com

Picture Book Writing Tips
Tottie and Dot was written for pure entertainment value. The final book ended up containing some messaging on such topics as the value of friendship and staying true to ourselves, but it was not intended to be a ‘message-driven’ book. These types of books are very hard to do well, as are rhyming books and humorous books and, well … all manner of picture books, really.
To that end, I present my top tips on writing picture books. I hope they help you refine your work, no matter your underlying purpose.
1.               Don’t use a lot of text, especially dialogue which is very hard to illustrate. If your text simply must be over 500 words long, it should be vibrant and intensely edited.
2.               Let the pictures do the talking––don't say what the pictures can show.
3.               Think carefully about rhythm and flow––read it aloud and listen to the way the words work together, taking note of the beat as you read.
4.               Publishers generally don’t like rhyme and there’s a reason—it’s very, very hard to get right. Don’t attempt rhyme unless it’s infallible. Study the use of iambic pentameter to better understand the concept that two rhyming-end words do not a good rhyme make.
5.               Is your word usage and sentence structure clear, dynamic and interesting? Or does the reader stumble or become confused?
6.               Never talk down to the reader.
7.               Never hammer readers with morals. If you simply must use them, make them funny or so subtle, they can barely be defined. Kids will still pick them up.
8.               A picture book needs a plot or a story arc of some kind. Things need to HAPPEN. Showing someone going about their day and going to bed at night is not a story. It’s an account.
9.               Do different. Avoid overdone topics and try your hand at unusual voice or story structure.
10.           Have an ending. Make it shocking, surprising, funny, quirky, or in some way resolving and/or related to a plot link. Too many picture books fail when it comes to the ending. Resolve it well and repeat-reads are assured.
11.           Ensure your main characters are protagonistic. Employ conflict and resolution—something to overcome.
12.           Most lines in a picture book text should inspire vibrant illustration. Do yours?
13.           Write books for kids, not adults.
14.           Allow your manuscripts to ‘marinate’ between drafts. This will allow things to develop in ways you never dreamed possible.
15.           Write what YOU love, what interests and inspires you. Don’t try to write something to fill a market gap—write something from the heart and make sure it’s something you believe in and enjoy. Both publishers—and kids—will absolutely feel it.
                                                                                                                                                                                           Tania McCartney
Author | Editor | Illustrator | Reviewer
website | blog | facebook | twitter | pinterest | kids’ book review | 52-week illustration challenge

How to Write a Synopsis

 The synopsis is the most important part of your submission package and, as such, it has to be developed and polished with the same attention you devoted to the novel itself. Along with the cover letter, the synopsis is what sells the editor on the manuscript. If they don't see anything they like in the synopsis, they won't even glance at your chapter samples.

The synopsis is your sales pitch. Think of it as the jacket blurb for your novel (the synopsis is often used in writing this, and by the publisher's art and advertising departments, if the novel is purchased), and write it as though you're trying to entice a casual bookstore browser to buy the novel and read it.
One Step at a Time
Rather than being daunted by the enormity of such a task, break it down. Do it step by step.
The first step, of course, is realising that you're going to have to write a synopsis -- if you intend to market your novel, that is. The best time to realise this is just before you sit down with your manuscript for the final reading preparatory to declaring the thing completed.
Sit down to that final reading with a pen and paper beside you. As you finish reading each chapter, write down a one- or two-paragraph summary of what happened where, and to which character, in that chapter.
Notice any themes running through your chapters as you're reading? Symbolism you didn't realise you'd woven through the story while you were slogging away at the computer for all those months? Take note of themes, too. You may just discover your one-line story summary that agents and editors like so much, if you didn't know what it was before.
What you will have when you are done is a chapter-by-chapter novel outline, what might be called the author's outline. Don't throw this away when you've done your synopsis, either. You may know the story intimately now, but you doforget details over time. You may decide to revise the novel in the future, and this outline will help you. Reading an outline is much easier than leafing through or rereading an entire novel.
What you are doing, basically, is distilling the story down into smaller and more manageable packages, step by step. So, you pinpoint the most importantplot points in that outline, and you put them into a synopsis.
We're talking about only those events and motivations that moved the story forward in a major way. We're talking about only the most important characters, the ones your reader will ultimately care about, not the bit players. Right now, we arestriving for bare-bones.
Now I want you to envision one or two things while you rework that synopsis:
1.    Imagine that you're writing a jacket blurb for the novel, one that will pique the casual browser's curiosity and make him or her want to buy the book to see what happens. Read a few jacket blurbs, to get a feel for how it's done.
2.    You've just seen a terrific movie. You're describing it to your friend. You're not saying, "The good guy chased the bad guy and shot him and that was the end." That doesn't sound very enthusiastic, that sounds like your synopsis as it stands right now! No, you say things like, "The good guy is wounded, but he knows if he doesn't stop the evil Dr. Death, the whole world is in danger, so he staggers after Dr. Death, falls, somehow gets to his feet again, and at last zaps him with the Good Guy Death-ray to save the world."
When you're done, a synopsis should be filled with enthusiastic. It should be enticing. A description that makes the reader want to pick up the manuscript and find out how this happens!
How can you make your synopsis unique, exciting? Start with the main character and his or her crisis. Include snippets of dialogue or quote briefly from the novel itself. Don't neglect to reveal the character's emotions and motivations, those points that explain why a character does something, but keep it brief. If the setting is exotic, inject a taste of it into the synopsis with a brief paragraph. This includes any background information that is absolutely necessary for the reader to understand the story. Build excitement as you near the conclusion of the story summary by using shorter sentences and paragraphs. The synopsis is a sample of your writing; it is a taste of what reading the actual novel will be like, so give it your all.
Don't forget that one- or two-sentence story line, or the theme of the story that you discovered. It should go in your synopsis, or in your cover letter. Editors and agents like having this distillation; not only will it pique their interest, but it's something they can use when presenting the novel to the buying board. It's also something you can use, the next time someone politely asks you, "What's your novel about?"
SYNOPSIS LENGTH
Most editors and agents, busy people that they are, prefer short synopses -- two to ten pages. The busier ones like five pages at most. I personally consider two pages ideal, and have distilled synopses down to a single tight page. If you've written a thoroughly intriguing synopsis, don't worry if it's ten or more pages long -- but it had better be gripping.
Edit, edit, edit, if you have to! Always keeping in mind that the synopsis must remain interesting and supply the necessary information. Don't know what to cut? Lose the adjectives and adverbs; keep the motivation and "flavor" of the story.
You have to tell the entire story in your synopsis. Don't send the first three chapters and then start the synopsis at chapter four. Don't leave out the ending, hoping to entice the editor or agent to request the full manuscript in order to find out what happens. What they will do is decide you're an amateur.
No matter what tense your novel was written in, the synopsis is always written in present tense (Jerry goes to the bullfight as opposed to Jerry went to the bullfight.)
Format: to be on the safe side, double-space; it's easier to read. In terms of layout, format your synopsis much as you did your novel.
The first time you use a character's name in the synopsis, type it in CAPITAL letters. Do this only the first time. Avoid confusion by referring to a character the same way throughout (not "Dr. Evans" the first time, "Jerry" the next, and "the doctor" another time). It's also advisable to identify which character(s) is the point of view character by typing "(POV)" after the first instance of the character's name.
Yes, writing a good synopsis is a lot of work, but think of it this way: not only are you creating a vital marketing tool, but you're honing your writing skills at the same time.