BLOG TOUR (15) POND MAGIC

Today I have a Guest Blogger: Angela Sunde. This is a first for me! What it means is that I don't have to dream up appropriate questions or do any of the hard work. Angela is just going to do all that and all I have to do is paste what she says on this blog and sit back and enjoy!In case you don't already know, Angela is the author of Pond Magic - one of Penguin's Aussie Chomps series.

If you check her blogsite at  http://angelasunde.blogspot.com/

you will see what a wonderful time she had with her book launch last Sunday.

Today Angela is going to talk about Promoting your First Book and Planning a Book Launch

Welcome Angela! It's now all over to you.

Thank you, Mabel
‘Author branding’ is a term I first heard a couple of years ago at a writers’ conference. The concept made complete sense to me; the author is the brand. And while many writers may find self-promotion daunting, I took it on with gusto and began using my full author name on all correspondence, including comments I left on other writing blogs.

But just what is a brand and how do you create an author brand?
Someone once told me it is: ‘a promise, an experience and a memory.’

Recently a writing friend complimented me on my website. As I encouraged him to create his own, he said: “Oh, no. I don’t have a product.” The truth is you don’t need a product (or a published book) to promote your author brand. In fact the earlier you start the better. As a writer you are already producing ideas readers may find interesting. You are self-employed – a one man band. And, unless this is a hobby for you, you should begin to look upon your writing as a business and yourself as a professional. Once you do, walking into a pitch session with a potential publisher or agent will be so much less intimidating.

The best way to begin promoting your author brand is to start small with a business card and membership of various writing groups, centres or online clubs, such as Jacketflap, SCBWI or your local writers’ centre. These will often give you the opportunity to create an online profile of a few paragraphs on the member’s page of their website. You can even include a professional photograph – not one taken at the beach last holiday. Your paragraph should highlight your strengths, life experience - which is so important for writers - and your preferred genre with perhaps even a blurb about your work in progress.

Once you’re feeling a little more confident, consider beginning a blog. Blogs are a perfect platform for writers. It’s a way to keep up your writing habit and connect with other writers, readers and publishers. It’s not necessary to blog more than three to four times a month and don’t forget to leave comments on other writers’ blogs. Cross-promotion and sharing links help to get your name and your brand out there.

To promote my author brand I also use social media such as Facebook. It’s possible to create an individual author page and limit your friends to only author/illustrators.

As your online presence grows, so does your author platform. The idea is to create as many opportunities or platforms as possible for you to profile your author brand (you) and later on your published work. In anticipation of my first book, Pond Magic, being published this year, I also created a website, using a free online program called Wix. The simple drag and drop system allowed me to be as creative as I wanted and design a truly personal space on the web, which reflected my ‘brand’.

So now I had: online membership profiles, a social media profile page, a blog and a website. I was also in daily email contact with other writers through several Yahoo groups. I had exhausted all cost-free avenues for online self-promotion and my author platform was ready for the release of my first book, Pond Magic. Now it was simply a matter of utilising this extensive platform to market my book within my budget of next to zero.

Self-marketing is common sense really. There are five possibilities for telling the world about your book: online, email, snail mail, face to face and word of mouth.

Begin with online. I promoted Pond Magic on my website and my blog by creating a book profile page on each, with cross links to each other and also to Pond Magic’s page on the Penguin Australia website. Then I created a separate Facebook page for Pond Magic and an events page for the launch, sending out invites to everyone I knew. As the news spread, it snow-balled and hundreds of fans joined with over half of them people I did not know. I added links on the Facebook page back to my blog and website and vice versa and kept the updates regular as the launch drew nearer. And to create extra interest my main character, Lily Padd, answered all posts left on the wall.

Then send out emails. Create a media kit to send out together with your launch invite to reviewers, newspapers, e-newletters, bloggers, children’s magazines and radio stations. Include a professional photo of yourself, an author biography, a picture of the book’s cover and a media release with a promotional blurb about the book including the launch event details. Keep it all to one to two pages. Even if they never reply, at least you will now be on their radar.

The media is always looking for a unique angle. I promoted Pond Magic’s launch as a fun family day out with free activities, craft, games, music, entertainment and prizes. And our Gold Coast radio station Coast FM ABC 91.7 came on board to promote a local author by giving the Pond Magic Book Launch a promotional plug the day before the event. This was a brilliant result that contributed to the number of people at the Pond Magic launch – over 270!

Snail Mail and Face to Face. A postcard or flyer is a wonderful promotional tool to use when introducing your book to libraries, schools and bookshops. For Pond Magic I had a postcard printed which included a picture of the front cover, the title, publisher, ISBN, a short blurb, some brief author information and most importantly contact details, including my blog and website. I was also fortunate enough to have my promo postcard included in the take home bags at this year’s CYA Conference.

Please visit my blog: http://angelasunde.blogspot.com/ to view photos of the Pond Magic book launch and my website: www.angelasunde.com

So, after all that, do you know a little more about my author brand?

Fun, creative, flamboyant, international

and above all…

professional.

Thank you, Angela! Your post was amazing ... and something I'll be reading and rereading. 

This Blog Tour has visited the following places. Don't forget to drop by for a visit

22nd October – Write and Read with Dale – Dale Harcombe
Review and Developing a Character
http://www.livejournal.com/users/orangedale/

23rd October – Sally Murphy’s Writing for Children Blog
Getting Published for the First Time
http://sallymurphy.blogspot.com/

24th October – Cat Up Over - Catriona Hoy
What Girls Read
http://catrionahoy.blogspot.com/

26th October – Tuesday Writing Tips – Dee White
Writing to this Length
http://deescribewriting.wordpress.com/

27th October – Kids’ Book Capers – Boomerang Books
Review and Where Story Ideas Come From
http://content.boomerangbooks.com.au/kids-book-capers-blog

28th October – Kids Book Review
The Aussie Chomp Format
http://http://www.kids-book-review.blogspot.com/

29th October – Tales I Tell - Mabel Kaplan  [You are here1]
Promoting your First Book & Planning a Book Launch
http://belka37.blogspot.com/

30th October – SherylGwyther4Kids
Once upon a time in a far away place…
http://sherylgwyther4kids.wordpress.com/

Please leave a comment if you've visited, to encourage both Angela and me!
Thanks! Mabel K (aka Belka37)

BLOG TOUR (14) ROSIE BLACK CHRONICLES

THEROSIE
BLACK CHRONICLES: GENESIS

 by Lara Morgan

Walker Books Australia
October 2010

The Book Trailer
I



Reflections on Rosie’s past and future
Preamble:
When I chose this topic ‘Reflections on Rosie’s past and future, Lara said: “An interesting topic you've put down. Just wondering when you say Rosie's past/future are you hoping for me to talk about the character herself or the creation of the book? I'm not quite clear on it.”


That’s when I realised how ambiguous my initial statement had been. Of course, it could be either or both, though my initial idea concerned Rosie herself. But then, I had not yet read the book.


In the back of my mind questions tickled. There was a curiosity about Rosie’s awareness of the past 500 years. Had she looked back in history and pondered on the issues that had brought the world into its current mess?
[In 2010 there were a growing number of people concerned with the possible effects of climate change and dire warnings of the things that might happen unless appropriate and urgent action was taken.]


Is Rosie seeing the results of 500 years of the failures of the past - seeing what those who understood the issues in 2010 hoped would not happen? There are hints. She alludes to … Before the Melt? … The wall that’s been there hundreds of years … the old city — and a Newperth, geothermal powered
Then there’s the cost of water (already a 2010 reality) and the appearance of ‘the feral’.


After reading the book
At one level The Rosie Black Chronicles: Genesis is a rollicking ‘cloak and dagger’ mystery/adventure tale with a touch of teenage romance and angst. Beneath there bubbles dark undercurrents of interacting and multiplying effects generated by the realities of climate change, population shifts, social engineering; and the dehumanising processes where science and technology have become ‘god’ and at the mercy of political intrigue.  And I loved the ambiguity of Rosie (all things rosy) and black!


Let me introduce Lara:
Lara is a Western Australia writer living in Geraldton. The Rosie Black Chronicles: Genesis is the first in a series of Rosie Black stories and Lara's first YA novel. You can find out more about her on her blog at http://www.lara-morgan.com/


Welcome Lara! Now I have some questions for you.


M: Rosie Black’s world is one of social isolation, community fragmentation, increasing state/external pressures leading to the loss of personal power, heightened anxiety and increasing violence. A disturbing glimpse of where the world of 2010 is headed unless …? Yet how different is the world of Rosie Black to our own?
Lara: I’d say Rosie’s world is an extreme version of our own – and I’m talking about Western Society here – especially if you have a look at how the government has been slowly increasing its involvement in our day to day lives. We live in a society that is becoming increasingly violent regulated under the guise of ‘public safety’ but which I see as having the potential to become something much more. Police powers are growing and there are more and more rules about what you can and cannot do in public, from wearing bike helmets to curfews and a push to have people to be on the lookout for ‘suspicious’ activity in their neighbours, it’s all elements that can lead to a society like Rosie’s where the government has ultimate power over you and there is little to no room for dissent.

M: Is this a cautionary tale in the tradition of earlier tales? (For example George Orwell’s Animal Farm)
Lara: It is in some ways but I try not to be too heavy handed about it. I think it is more a cautionary tale in terms of environmental impact than social. I am very concerned with climate change and our apparent lack of ability to pull together and do something about it. I’d like to be hopeful but given the way we are going it is difficult.

M: Which came first the character or the plot?(i.e. an independent smart girl in 2600 who needed a challenge OR a world in crisis in need of a character to lead the way?)
Lara: Well I would say that for me the story always starts with the character first and the plot is driven by who that is and their circumstance. So character definitely came before plot but before both of those I started out wanting to write about Earth post climate change. That is unusual for me. Generally character comes before the world building but this time it was different in that I started off wanting to write a story set in the Earth’s future. I didn’t know what the story was but I knew it was going to be a young adult novel.


M: To what extent does the book do more than paint a landscape of the worst fears of today’s environmentalists?
Lara: Well I hope it offers an exciting adventure story as well. At the heart of it, this is a story about growing up and figuring out who you are and what you want to do, because regardless of the environmental and social background of anything I write what I’m really interested in is people. I like to explore how characters deal with terrible circumstance, how they overcome and move on – if they do – and what they learn. It’s always all about the character and their journey and in this case that’s Rosie.
... The character of Rosie followed very quickly. I’d written a short story a while back had a character in it that was very similar to Aunt Essie and set in a world very similar to the world I’d been thinking of for The Chronicles. So then Rosie just sort of appeared, which often happens for me, and I started discovering who she was and then from there what her story was going to be. 


M: As the story develops in what ways does the reader see Rosie herself change and grow as a person?
Lara: Genesis is the start of Rosie discovering a greater sense of purpose than what she has before Helios and Pip come into her life. It’s a trial by fire really as she has to face some scary situations and learn to trust her ability to get through it, but also to trust others as well – which is not something which comes easily to her. 

M: The story ends on a note of unfinished business. Where to now for Rosie Black? Has Pip really gone forever (or would that be telling)?
Lara: Genesis is the start of Rosie discovering a greater sense of purpose than what she has before Helios and Pip come into her life. It’s a trial by fire really as she has to face some scary situations and learn to trust her ability to get through it, but also to trust others as well – which is not something which comes easily to her.

M: Thank you, Lara, for visiting my blog today and sharing more insights into the life of Rosie Black from Genesis - and beyond!
Lara: I've enjoyed looking at the story from different angles, Mabel - and having the opportunity to visit your blog.


For more about The Rosie Black Chronicles and the Book Trailer go to  http://www.rosieblack.com/

NOW TO A GIVEAWAY
The first three YA readers (of any age) to add a comment to this post and includes an email address so I can contact them will receive a copy of 'The Rosie Black Chronicles' courtesy of the publisher, Walker Books Australia. Others will be eligible to receive a bookmark.

Follow the blog tour below: 
Oct 11 Who is Rosie Black?
http://content.boomerangbooks.com.au/kids-book-capers-blog

Oct 12 Writing tips on creating a futuristic world.
Tuesday Writing Tips http://deescribewriting.wordpress.com/

Oct 13 The Publishing Process
http://www.kids-book-review.blogspot.com/

Oct 14 Writing YA.
http://ripping-ozzie-reads.com/

Writing a Fantasy Series
http://www.sandyfussell.blogspot.com/

Oct 15 Interview
http://www.weloveya.wordpress.com/

Oct 16 Interview
http://bookgryffin.globalteacher.org.au/

Oct 17 Writing sci fi
www.rhiannon-hart.blogspot.com

Oct 18 Heroines in YA
http://www.yareads.com/

Oct 19 The Boy in this story; creating male characters in heroine driven YA.
http://www.thephantomparagrapher.blogspot.com/

Rosie Black’s past and future
http://belka37.blogspot.com/  [You are here!]

Oct 20 Interview
http://sallymurphy.blogspot.com/

BLOG TOUR (13) Princess Clown Workshop Ideas

Princess Clown
written by Sheryl Gwyther
illustrated by Sian Naylor
Blake Education Pty Ltd Australia (2010)
Gigglers Blue Set 2


Princess Clown is a chapter book for 7-8 year olds. It's the story of Belle, a princess who wants more than anything to be a clown. But the trouble is, she's supposed to act like a real princess. When her mother, the queen, frowns at Belle for wearing a red nose, Belle observes, 'Nobody is ever any fun around this castle.'
And it's true, it seems poor Princess Belle can never do anything right. Then, Belle does the one thing that no one else could do. She makes Prince Alan laugh.

This delightful story lends itself to a variety of workshopping possibilities: (1) following a maze (In a full sized version you may like to include more guiding illustrations!); (2) various sequencing tasks; and (3) an opportunity to act out the story. I have chosen the first two to help children internalise the sequence of the story before venturing into acting it out.

...Princess Clown is perfectly suited to being acted out as a classroom play. For example, apart from the main characters, there could be an endless number of courtiers and maids with non-speaking parts who might imitate the stance or facial expressions of the other characters.

1. READ THE STORY


2. TRACE THE MAZE
[Note: If you would like a larger version of the maze, please email me]
  .   .   .   .   .   .   .Guide the princess through the maze to find Prince Alan

3.  PUT THESE IN THE RIGHT ORDER
(1).  Prince Alan laughed and laughed.
(2).  Forgetting she still wore the clown trick ring, Belle shook his hand
(3).  Royal princesses don't wear yellow and red shoes with fake flowers
(4).  A royal princess should never wear a frizzy orange wig under her circlet
(5).  A royal princess should never juggle peaches
(6).  'No,' said the King, 'I think you could be both a royal princess and a royal clown.'
(7).  Then, in a perfect somersault and stretch, she caught the crown.
(8).  A royal princess should never pull coins from people's ears.




4.  ACT OUT THE STORY
Suggestions:
Let the class take as much responsibility as possible.
Go through the characters (in order of appearance) Princess Belle; the Queen; Master Brown; the Royal Cook; the King; the King and Queen of Danzania, and Prince Alan.
Talk about what kind of person each character is: kind, gentle, mean, short-tempered, prim and proper etc.
Add extras (courtiers, maids, gardeners etc) so that anyone wishing to be in the play has a part.
Remind children the importance of the audience. They are the ones who will see the play as a whole. Their responses give the players that extra energy that lifts any performance.


5.  JUST FOR FUN: For brave teachers (and children!)
Take  the clown face below apart and rebuild for a 'tell and draw' version of the story

Thank you Sheryl, for letting me play with your charming story: Princess Clown

To purchase a copy of Princess Clown: http://www.blake.com.au/Gigglers-Blue-2-Princess-Clown-p/9781741646481.htm

Sheryl's Writing blog http://sherylgwyther.wordpress.com/
Sheryl's Kids' blog http://sherylgwyther4kids.wordpress.com/
Website: http://www.sherylgwyther.net/

Tomorrow Sheryl has her official book launch in Brisbane. Congratulations, Sheryl and all good wishes for a spectacular day! I'm sure Sheryl will be sharing the highlights with us via her blog in the next day or two, so don't forget to check it out at http://sherylgwyther.wordpress.com

To review the entire blog tour
06 July Tuesday Dee White – Tips on writing chapter books http://deescribewriting.wordpress.com/
07 July Wednesday Rebecca Newman (Alphabet Soup magazine) http://soupblog.wordpress.com/
08 July Thursday Robyn Opie http://www.robynopie.blogspot.com/
09 July Friday Catriona Hoy http://catrionahoy.blogspot.com/
10 July Saturday Kat Apel katswhiskers.wordpress.com
11 July Sunday Sheryl Gwyther 4 kids http://sherylgwyther4kids.wordpress.com/
12 July Monday Sandy Fussell http://sandyfussell.blogspot.com/
13 July Tuesday Sally Murphy http://www.sallymurphy.blogspot.com/
14 July Wednesday Claire Saxby http://letshavewords.blogspot.com/
15 July Thursday Mabel Kaplan HERE

Thank you for visiting. Please leave a comment!

Reflections on Puggle

Puggle

By Catriona Hoy and Andrew Plant

ISBN 978 1 921504 01 3

HB 32 pp RRP $24.95

Working Title Press

Welcome Catriona! I am so delighted to be able invite into my cosy blog.  I found Puggle such an enchanting story written with great sensitivity in a beautifully illustrated book Reading about him has led me on an exciting journey. Others on this blog tour have explored many aspects Puggle's story, the illustrations, habitat and life cycle. I want to take you on a journey of the senses.

Thanks for having me over to your blog, Mabel and your lovely comments about the book.

Oh yes! Puggle, Puggle Puggle. What an evocative name. It conjures up so many similar sounding words - puzzle, puddle, cuddle, muddle.

Yes, Puggle is such a delightful name. That’s one of the reasons I began writing the story. Although picture books are on the face of it, quite simple texts, there is a lot of thought that goes into what word to use and the images it will evoke.

What hit me most, on first reading was that Puggle was born blind. I don’t know why that surprised me. After all, I knew kittens and other creatures, too are born blind. But suddenly I found myself focussing on the way animals (and humans) develop an awareness of their worlds.

One of the challenges I set myself was to write the book from the point of view of an echidna, without giving him human emotions but still making the reader engage with him.

Yes! I love the way you take the reader right into Puggle's world. We humans, especially, are so used to living in a world of sight and sound it is easy to neglect what our other senses can teach. How often we tell children to look but don’t touch. Yet tactile experiences teach us much about ourselves and our environment.

That’s so true!

As I reflected on Puggle’s stages of learning, I closed my eyes and ears to the world around and focused on motion … swaying gently as his mother shuffled through the forest until there is a loud noise and the swaying stops. I thought about the contrast between movement and stillness. I thought about the Puggle’s journey of experience that changed undifferentiated noise to meaningful sound. From frightening noises to the sound of magpies warble and the cheep of baby birds.

The text has to sound right when read aloud…for example a wet wriggly thing is not so satisfying as a wriggly, wet thing. It was also a challenge to think of words for some of the other creatures as they leave the house. It took some time to come up with the magpie ‘warbling’ at the sky before it flies away

Then I focussed on Puggle’s strengths - he could smell and the milk smelt very, very good.
He must learn to interpret strange smells. As he learns to suckle milk from his carers hand, my attention is drawn to the tactile world - and that part of our body most sensitive to touch - the lips and tongue, snout or nose. Puggle learns about touch and being touched. He learns about the comfort of warmth, the contrasts of hot and cold. All this learning without the benefit of sight! Puggle’s eyes open and he begins to match the visual world to the sensory world he already knows so well.

It’s always fascinating to hear someone else’s point of view and often I learn more about the way I write. It’s good to be able to stand back and reflect on something you have written and work out why it is successful or not.

Then, along with all the physical signs of growth: getting bigger, stronger and confident, Puggles eyes open, his hair grows, he develops spines, he learns to use his claws. I felt my own body stretching as I watched Puggle getting ready to face the world as an adult echnidna, his keen sense of smell, and long, hairless snout to enable him to search for food, detect danger and locate other echidnas.


Now its time! He is carried into the forest and put on a termite mound.

And those closing words , when so beautifully -

‘Puggle digs into the termite mound with his claws.

 ..His tongue flicks in and out.

......The whole forest smells very, very good.

.........And Puggle slowly waddles away.’

[Oh do forgive me! I’ve got so carried away I’ve hardly let you get a word in edgeways.]


Thanks for taking me on this sensory journey Mabel. I really enjoyed seeing Puggle through your eyes and hope you enjoyed seeing Puggle’s world through mine.

I am so glad you stopped by, Catriona.

And as Danos Direct would say, ‘But there’s more!’

DID YOU KNOW?

At birth an Aboriginal child is bestowed with their own totem animal or bird. It is then their lifetime duty to ensure the survival and well being of that creature. A year or two ago, I interviewed an Aboriginal friend as part of an oral history project. Imagine my delight when she told me when she was born an echidna walked through the camp. ‘I was born by the side of a fence - but they set up camp back at the Peak an’ while it was all happenin’ an echidna crawled through the tent - so they were my totems - the echidna. [“My people used to eat the echidna - but I wasn't allowed to eat it because it was my totem. An’ did I used to whinge ‘cos I couldn't have any. I thought that very strange. I didn't even know what a totem was.]
from Lena’s Story by Mabel Kaplan 2006

Echidnas can swim. Some tourists reported having spotted an echidna on the beach only a few meters from the water line. It walked straight out thru the gentle surf - into deeper water and was soon swimming strongly. The speed of swimming was pretty good and the echidna used all four legs to paddle away. He kept his snout at a raised angle - all the better for breathing. I guess it was a warm day 25C and the only thing lacking was an echidna sized surf board! After several minutes it caught a couple of waves and came back ashore.

Echidnas like to bask in the sun like reptiles

An echidna can survive a bushfire by burrowing deep into the earth

Found on the net
http://www.echidna.edu.au/monotremes/echidna_care.html#puggle_post
Issues of Puggle Post from 2000-2009
http://www.echidna.edu.au/puggle_post/PugglePoSummer02.pdf
On page 4 Dreamtime Echidnas - two stories.from the Dreamtime.

The Blog Tour
[Travel up and down the date line for a feast of Puggle]

April 13- http://deescribewriting.wordpress.com
April 14 – http://sallymurphy.blogspot.com
April 15 –http://letshave words.blogspot.com
April 16 – http://orangedale.livejournal.com
April 17 – http://sherylgwyther.wordpress.com
April 18 – http://angelasunde.blogspot.com
April 19 – http://katswhiskers.wordpress.com
April 20 – http://belka37.blogspot.com [Here we are1]
April 21 – http://sandyfussell.blogspot.com
April 22 – http://trudietrewin.com/blog-ramblings

ABOUT TOPPLING AND VERSE NOVELS

While some may have been indulging themselves with a nice Saturday morning sleep-in on 27 February this year, or contemplating what other aspects of the WA Writers Festival to enjoy, I was savouring a windswept breakfast at the Matilda Bay Tearooms with members of SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators).

Among those present was Western Australian children’s author, Sally Murphy. I chatted to her about her latest book: ‘Toppling’, released by Walker Books that week. ‘Toppling’ is Sally’s second verse novel and since I had been lucky enough to receive a review copy, I took it with me for Sally to sign.

Everybody needs a hobby, and in ‘Toppling’ the main character, John, is into domino toppling. He admits to it being a kind of a strange endeavour.

‘Some kids collect model cars

or aeroplanes

or stamps

or Game Boys.

I collect dominoes. ‘

Domino topplers get only a few minutes of glory as they watch several hours or days worth of their work falling down.


But you and I know, there are other kinds of toppling - especially as one gets older - and I have the grazes to prove it. For John, though toppling dominoes is his hobby it is not his whole life. And when, at school one day he finds out, Dominic, his ‘best mate and not just because his name sounds like domino’ is in danger of toppling, his own world begins to topple. He wants to know the truth about his friend.

‘Another sad one,’ says Sally as she hands the book back to me.

I didn’t agree. Sensitive, yes! Sad, no!

. . . Sally Murphy has a gift of getting inside the hearts and heads of middle-graders and exploring the myriad ways they deal with family stuff, loneliness, feelings of isolation and sickness.

So what is a verse novel?

Since the narrative does not rely on rhyme or a set pattern of rhythm what makes a verse novel a verse novel? As it seemed a fair question, I stopped stacking dominoes for a minute to reflect. (Now Caellum is going to finish his tower first!) I thought about the verse novels I'd read. What do they have in common? I started making a list -and this is what I came up with. 


The poetry of a verse novel relies on
 shorter lines and line drops to create a rhythm that approximates human speech without the use of complex punctuation;
 fewer words to convey atmosphere and plot;
 imagination. It asks the reader to experience the story in a way that does not tell all, and relies as much on the space between the lines as it does on the words themselves;
 voice to get convey emotions, details, and nuances in a way that prose can’t always accomplish.


According to Emma Dryden of Dryden Books,
‘A verse novel is, and should be, first and foremost a novel, with a compelling storyline and plot, richly developed characters, and a distinctive narrative voice. … A good verse novel has a such a strong and mesmerizingly compelling story line, characters and voice that the reader does not even recognise they are reading poetry at all.‘


Having read both of Sally Murphy’s verse novels - ‘Pearl verses the World’ and ‘Toppling’, I would have to agree.


You may like to check Sally’s blog at http://sallymurphy.blogspot.com/


Look at this!
Poetry in mo...  toppling

BLOG TOUR (10) There Was an Old Sailor

There Was an Old Sailor

Written by Claire Saxby

Illustrated by Cassandra Allen

Published by Walker Books Australia 2010

Today I am talking to Claire Saxby, author, about her newly released picture book, There Was an Old Sailor. Our discussion focuses on Rhyme, Rhythm and Reason.

.  .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . ‘With a wish and a swish
.   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .he swallowed a fish’

Mabel: Hello Claire. Welcome to my blogspot.

Claire: Hello Mabel. Thanks for hosting me

Mabel: Do you find it fascinating that children begin with rhyme and rhythm; even before they can talk ... as though our ears and brains are hard-wired from birth to sound and repetition?

Claire: Children's language development is nothing short of astounding. It's such a treat to watch as they play with sounds and shape words. I watched a program that looked at children all around the world learning to speak. One comment was that they experiment with their own grammar, rather than just learn by parroting what they hear. eg my ....is betterer than... using grammar forms that don't exist. That's stuck with me, that idea that they have some innate sense of language, not just copying.

Mabel: Would you like to comment on the connections between rhyme and rhythm (poetry, if you like) and magic; poetry and magic?

Claire: Yes, poetry is magic! I like that it can say more with less, that it can open up images in fresh new ways, can paint pictures with words. Rhythm is essential in poetry, as it is in any writing really. The best rhythm allows any reader to read without stumbling.

Mabel: Rhyme has been called a kind of musical punctuation. Is that how you see it?

Claire: Rhyming is hard. Hard to do really well. So generally I avoid it! But the structure was already there for 'There Was an Old Sailor', and I enjoyed the playing with rhyme. Musical punctuation? I joined a choir about a year ago and have been challenged by reading music and reading the breaks. I'd not thought of rhyme that way. I like the idea though.

Mabel: Is rhyme important for pre-readers and beginning readers?

Claire: Rhyme is a great tool for learning. It can help pre- and beginning readers to access language by linking the familiar to the unfamiliar, or just by making words fun.

Mabel: The dictionary defines rhythm as ‘a movement with uniform occurrence of a beat or accent’ - or if you like a pulse that provides a distinct beat and gives shape. Did you feel that as you were writing this book?

Claire: I am very aware of rhythm when I write. I read my work out loud and also get others to read it out loud. This helps me to refine the text and improve the rhythm. Early drafts are about shaping story and working out beginning, middle and end, but later ones are about tweaking and rearranging the words to make them sing.

Mabel: Do you agree that rhyme, rhythm and reason are the three great ‘R’s of storytelling that help maintain the connection with an audience or reader?

Claire: I don't pretend to be a skilled oral storyteller, but I do have a close friend who is mesmerising to listen to. I've learned a lot about reading my stories aloud, and about writing them from listening to her tell stories. She shares stories from all over the world, and all contain the elements you mention. I certainly aspire to pull in the reader and keep them there!

Mabel: Tell me a little about the role of humour in this story. Is it more than a celebration of rhyme and tomfoolery?

Claire: It's an absurd story! Very silly really. But it still makes a silly-sense. When I use the story as a workshop frame in classrooms I talk about the need to use 'silly-sense'. The story must keep moving forward and build to a climax. So there are logical elements e.g., in that each sea creature is larger than the previous one.

Mabel: And that bigger and bigger surely creates a wonderful picture book! Thankyou, Claire for sharing your insights. I’ve really enjoyed being part of this book’s blog tour. Where are you off to tomorrow?

Claire: I’ll be with Sandy Fussell at . Hope to see you there.

For readers who wish to visit or revisit them, the schedule of all the stops is listed below!

Mon 8 February: Sally Murphy's Writing for Children http://www.sallymurphy.blogspot.com/

Tues 9 February: Dee White's Tuesday Writing Tips http://deescribewriting.wordpress.com/
Wed 10 February: Dale Harcombe's Read and Write with Dale http://www.livejournal.com/users/orangedale/
Thurs 11 February: Robyn Opie's Writing Children's books http://www.robynopie.blogspot.com/
Fri 12 February: Lorraine Marwood's Words into Writing http://lorrainemarwoodwordsintowriting.blogspot.com/
Sat 13 February: Mabel Kaplan's Tales I Tell http://belka37.blogspot.com/  [You are here!]
Sun 14 February: Sandy Fussell's Stories are Light http://sandyfussell.blogspot.com/

BLOG Tour(8) Alphabet Soup

The spring 2009 issue of Alphabet Soup marks the first birthday of this
Australian magazine for children aged 6 to 12 who love reading and creative writing. The magazine is published four times a year. A free sample of the magazine (issue 1) can be downloaded from the website (www.alphabetsoup.net.au).

Today, I am delighted to introduce you to the magazine’s editor, Rebecca Newman
...Good morning Rebecca! I can feel how excited you are about this first birthday celebration of your magazine. Congratulations! It’s quite an achievement.

Thank you, Mabel! My team and I are thrilled that the spring 2009 issue marking our first birthday is here. The year has certainly gone very quickly.

Rebecca! Our readers are waiting so I’ll get straight into our interview. I would like to focus on what the submission process might mean for both the magazine editor or production team and the contributors.


...For example, do you aim for a similar mix of content – stories, puzzles, book reviews, poetry, author interviews and children’s contributions – in each issue?
Yes, we include the same elements in each issue of the magazine: one traditional tale (folktale/fairytale/myth), one other story, a page of poems, book recommendations, a page of writing tips, a Q&A with an Australian author or illustrator, a crossword/word puzzle, and the ‘Write On’ section (stories, poems, reviews and artwork by children).

How do you determine what you’re looking for and select contributors?
Alphabet Soup is for children aged 6 to 12, and currently the majority of our readers are children aged 9 to 10. I do keep this in mind when I’m reading submissions. It’s very important that submissions keep within the word limits. If a manuscript is too long we can’t use it, even if it’s brilliant – we just don’t have the space!
...We choose stories with strong characters, an original story idea and good use of language. Due to the age range, we don’t use stories that have violence and swearing.
We have received queries from a few writers about serialising longer stories (printing half in one issue and the other half in the next), but we are not going down this path at the moment.
...Although the Curiosity Corner article suggests a theme for each issue, we don’t require stories and poems to adhere to the theme. (It’s a bonus if it does match the theme but we’re looking for good quality stories – and we’re not too worried about whether or not it fits in with a theme.)
...Poems can be free verse or rhyming – if the latter, rhyme should not sound forced.
...We can only use 2 adult-written stories and 1 to 2 poems in each issue – this means we can only accept 8 stories and 4 to 8 poems per year. It’s important to remember this if we don’t accept your submission. While we do need a supply of fresh material, we can’t accept as many manuscripts as we’d like to!

What guidelines do you offer potential contributors in terms of content, style, length and format? Should they have researched the publication? In the first instance do you prefer a query letter or a copy of the manuscript?
Writers can find the guidelines on the magazine’s website (www.alphabetsoup.net.au). It is strongly recommended that you read an issue of Alphabet Soup before you submit work! (You’ll find a free sample of the magazine – issue 1 – on the home page of the website.)

Stories need to be under 500 words, and poems under 250 words. We accept submissions from emerging and established writers.
...We prefer submissions to be made via mail or email, with a copy of the manuscript attached. And it is important to remember that our audience is Australian children of primary school age!

Should contributors include with their manuscript, a cover letter, something about themselves and what makes them an expert in their area or what piqued their interest in the topic they have chosen to write about?
Contact details in a cover letter or email are essential. We also need to know if the piece has been published previously (and where) for copyright purposes, but we don’t need to know if you’ve had other work published. We will consider your submitted manuscript on its own merits.
...If you’re submitting a story that includes scientific or historical facts (even in a piece of fiction), we need to know that the information can be verified, so it would be useful to know if you are an expert in your area.
...We’ll generally contact you within two weeks of a submission.

Do you accept photographs or illustrations from contributors?
As the magazine has two illustrators, we don’t accept photographs or artwork submissions from adults. Children may submit artwork for the Write On section of the magazine.

To what extent do you rely on submissions by invitation and unsolicited manuscripts?
About 40% of the manuscripts we accept are unsolicited. So we do read all stories and poems coming in!

How important is the ‘Write On’ section for contributions from under 12s?
Children will tell you this is the best part of the magazine! We love reading through children’s submissions of stories, poems, reviews, letters, and artwork. (Write On is not a competition – there is a writing competition in another section of the magazine.) We try to include as many pieces as possible in Write On, without it feeling too cluttered. It’s a great opportunity for children to see their work in print alongside adult writing.
...Submissions need to include a permission form signed by a parent and the child. You’ll find the permission form (and the guidelines for submissions) on the website at www.alphabetsoup.net.au or email or ring us, and we’ll post one out to you!
...If you are on our email list, we usually email our subscribers a competition cover sheet, and a Write On permission form after each issue is posted. Children do not have to be subscribers to enter the competitions, or to submit work for Write On.

Well, that’s where we finish for today. Thank you, Rebecca for your insights into the thought and planning that goes into the publication of Alphabet Soup. I wish you all the best as you continue to develop and grow your publication. Enjoy the rest of your blog tour.
I’ve enjoyed the opportunity to share my passion. Thank you, Mabel, for having me here.

Blog tour dates:
1 September Dale Harcombe (Write and Read With Dale) http://www.livejournal.com/users/orangedale

2 September Sally Murphy (Sally Murphy's Writing for Children Blog) http://sallymurphy.blogspot.com
3 September Claire Saxby (Let's Have Words) http://www.letshavewords.blogspot.com/
4 September Mabel Kaplan (Tales I Tell) http://belka37.blogspot.com
5 September Dee White (Teachers Writing Helper) www.teacherswritinghelper.wordpress.com
6 September Robyn Opie (Writing Children's Books) http://www.robynopie.blogspot.com
7 September Sandy Fussell (Stories Are Light) www.sandyfussell.blogspot.com