Hello, 2018, you are already nearly March

Thursday 15 February 2018


Hello, everybody! No, I have not morphed into a little white bear with a flower crown, though I do feel completely bear-immersed, as we pass the half-way mark with my A Bear a Day auction (@abearaday90) on Instagram. It ends 31 March, so pop on over to see if there's a bear for you.

Scroll down to the end of this post to see the latest bears and their status, and a reminder that most of the unsold bears will be up for a buy-now sale during the first week of April. If you miss out on an original, Nuovo group have published over 60 of the bears (and more to come) as a greeting card range! They will be available at stores Australia-wide this month.




On the topic of illustration...


I was absolutely over the moon to have scored a place in the Flow magazine 365-day calendar for 2019, with an illustration of a girl on a bicycle. Pinching myself all over! I've been a long-time fan of this stunning magazine (based in the Netherlands but available world-wide) so it's such an honour to have been chosen. I'm still pinching. Truly. The calendar will be available towards the end of 2018.

Speaking of large peaches and adorable little bugs...

I have a gorgeous, sweet and thoughtful picture-book-addiction enabler (and fellow coffee-lover) who sent me an advance copy of Gus Gordon's upcoming stunner of a book, The Last Peach. Gasp. I'm so spoilt, honestly. This is another divine eye- and heart-fest. Don't miss it--out this April with Penguin/Viking. You can pre-order it here. The ending! Oh my.


And on the topic of books... my latest with the amazing Jess Racklyeft--See Hear--is due out this April, too, with EK Books. You can read more about it here. Jess and I are prepping a funny little video which will be released next month, and Jess also made an amazing book trailer, with original music that's too adorable for words. Look out for that one, too. I so want to show you now, but I can't, I can't!


I'm on the home-stretch for my picture book Mamie, based on the life of May Gibbs. This has been a dream wrapped in happy, coffee and toast. I don't want it to end, but deadline is 1 March and so it will soon be done and the printing pixies will do their thing. It's out this December, and I'm hoping to have a launch in Adelaide while on my May Gibbs Children's Literature Trust Fellowship. Here's hoping the fairies align.

Here are some little glimpses from the book:


I have a Big Birthday (21, okay... 22) coming up next week, and I enjoyed an early birthday get-together with my authorly/illustratorly home girls at the National Library last week. We basically drank coffee, ate cake and talked shop. What more could a girl want? It was sooooo lovely and a perfect way to celebrate.

Irma Gold, Me, Stephanie Owen Reeder, Leanne Barrett, Pauline Deeves, Tracey Hawkins, Grace Bryant, Danielle McDonald, Emma Allen, Genevieve Hopkins (missing: Shaye Wardrop, Nicole Godwin, Reena Balding)

March is just around the bend, and once Mamie is done and dusted, I'll be more fully immersing in my junior fiction series, Evie and Pog, with huge thanks to artsACT for the grant that's making this possible. It's been amazing to move more fully into fiction, and I'm loving every minute.

In April, our local SCBWI chapter is hosting another fabulous event--all about self-publishing and grants. Nicole Godwin will also talk about her incredible experience at the SCBWI Conference in New York. A must-attend, click the poster for more info and a booking link.

https://australiaeastnz.scbwi.org/events/scbwi-act-secrets-of-self-publishing-and-grants-2/

The kids are happily back at school (my girl in year 12!) and here in Canberra, this rip-roaring summer is tiptoeing out (with claws clinging firmly to the dust bowl that is my garden) and autumn is a faint whisper on the breeze. I saw a single leaf fall yesterday.

Good.

I'm ready. I hope you are, too, and that your 2018 is unfolding smoothly, calmly and creatively. May these coming months bring inspiring surprises and confirmation that you're on the right track.

Tx

A Bear a Day bears up to Day 45 (half way through!)

SOLD

SOLD

SOLD

UNSOLD

SOLD

SOLD

SOLD

UNSOLD

SOLD

SOLD
SOLD

UNSOLD

UNSOLD

SOLD

SOLD

SOLD

SOLD
SOLD

SOLD

SOLD

SOLD




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