Phew - what a massive couple of months.
Since June, I've
- worked at part time librarian at St Mary's Colac
- visited schools in Ballarat, Werribee, Hamilton, Terang and Drysdale
- judged two short story competitions - one for Ruyton in Kew and the other for the Wimmera Regional Library Corporation. (Winners announced in October)
- been to heart stopping footy finals (! one more to go - Go Pies!)
and
- tried to keep up with my writing.
- read heaps of books.
It's been fantastic, but I'm enjoying the quiet and a chance to write more.
Today I'm working on a YA piece while it rains, shines and rains again.
Starting a new piece always feels strange. The words tend to stutter out, rather than flow. I'm sure it's because the project is new and unfamiliar, compared with the work I've just finished, which was Dare You.
But today I feel like I've reached the stage where the words are flowing and last night solutions to problems popped into my head. Thank goodness for notebooks!
By the way, there's a sensational new book about to hit the stores. Six by Karen Tayleur. Loved, loved, loved it. It's out in October!

Ballarat Writers' Festival and St Ignatius

To finish off a busy Book Week and Literacy Week, I visited St Ignatius in Drysdale and then presented two sessions at the Ballarat Writers; Festival.
The Year 7 girls at St Ignatius where terrific! Thanks for your questions and enthusiasm.
Thanks also to the organisers of the Ballarat Writers' Festival! Truly a thought provoking and inspiring day. Congrats to everyone involved.
This week is a quiet one - yay!

After Highly Recommended!

The winners of the 2010 Australian Family Therapists Award for Children's Literature have been announced. (That's the award Allie McGregor's True Colours won three years ago.)

Winner of the older readers' category was I Lost My Mobile At the Mall written by Wendy Harmer. Sally Murphy's Pearl Versus The World won the younger readers' category. Congratulations to Sally and Wendy. I've not read I Lost My Moible yet, but did read and LOVE Pearl. It's a gorgeous book.

One book was highly commended - drum roll...After! Absolutely thrilled with that!

And Dare You is officially 'out there'. Dropped into a bookshop in Geelong to see it front and centre on display! Big like for that one!