tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43243456457274595462024-03-08T03:33:55.301-08:00hick chick clickYou've reached the blog of Ellie Marney, writerAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15185449419652732005noreply@blogger.comBlogger88125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4324345645727459546.post-21059953336819325062016-02-08T21:53:00.000-08:002016-02-08T21:53:08.560-08:00Sound the Trumpets – or at least, y'know, blow one of those squeaky party thingies<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">I’m
kicking off the year with a few fun bits of news:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">The
first bit, is that I’m about to smash champagne bottles over metaphorical bulkheads,
as I help launch two #LoveOzYA books by two (incredibly talented) writer
friends into the universe. <b><i><span style="color: magenta;">Summer Skin</span></i></b>, by <a href="http://www.kirstyeagar.com/blog/">Kirsty Eagar</a> (<i>Raw Blue</i>, <i>Saltwater Vampires</i>), is about a university-student romance, with
characters who shine a light on sexual politics, love, lust and identity – it’s
a gutsy book that all young men and women should read. <b><i>My Sister Rosa</i></b> by <a href="http://justinelarbalestier.com/blog/">Justine Larbalestier</a> (<i>Liar</i>, <i>Razorhurst</i>) is a
sometimes-scathing, something-poignant – but always terrifying – story about a
boy whose little sister has an antisocial personality disorder (she’s a
sociopath, in other words). It packs a
psychological wallop, and manages to cram some incredible insight about family,
faith, identity, nature and nurture, in there as well. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">I would love to see you all at
the <span style="color: red;">Melbourne launch, which is Wednesday 10 Feb, at Readings Carlton in Lygon
Street</span></span></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">. Justine and Kirsty are both coming from
Sydney to be here, after joint- launching their books in spectacular fashion at
Kinokuniya Sydney – I’m looking forward to embarrassing myself in speech, and
saying hi to two women whose writing I’ve read and admired for a long
time. <b>The</b> <b>celebration starts at
6pm</b>, and you can book or <a href="http://www.readings.com.au/event/double-book-launch-justine-larbalestier-and-kirsty-eagar">get more details here at the Readings page</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">And
the second bit of news is… I’m in the middle of writing a new book. I can’t give too much away about it at this
stage – it’s a bit Secret Squirrel – but I can say that I’m almost a third of
the way through the first draft, and it’s got a few new characters in it that I
think might grow on you.*<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Apart
from the <i>Summer Skin</i>/<i>My Sister Rosa</i> launch tomorrow, I see a
few other events on the horizon – I’m visiting Tintern schools next week, and I’ll
be in Sydney in March and May. Most
definitely May, as I’m joining Will Kostakis, Melissa Keil and Gabrielle Tozer
on panels at the <a href="http://www.cbcaconference.org.au/">Children’s Book Council of Australia 2016 conference</a>. But if I don’t see you around at events, I’ll
still say hi on <a href="https://twitter.com/elliemarney?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ellie.marney">Facebook </a>or
<a href="https://www.instagram.com/elliemarney/">Instagram </a>if you drop by, or you can catch me at the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/869745076457468/">#LoveOzYabookclub</a> discussion
threads on Facebook.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">I hope
you’re having a really excellent start to this new Monkey year, 2016 (also a
leap year, something I’m sure you realised before me), and talk again soon!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">XxEllie<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><span style="font-size: x-small;">*<span style="color: #990000;">That
is an in-joke. To do with the book. Which you don’t get yet. But you will.
All will soon be revealed.</span></span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15185449419652732005noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4324345645727459546.post-84511282280622401432016-02-04T11:35:00.000-08:002016-02-10T22:20:26.939-08:00#LoveOzYAbookclub – February 2016 book selection<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";">Welcome
to a brand new year of bookclub! After a slightly, er, hectic start to the
year, we’re back on track with our first title for 2016.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";">This
month’s title was selected by Lili Wilkinson, the author of <a href="http://elliemarney.blogspot.com.au/2016/01/loveozyabookclub-january-2016-book.html">our Dec/Jan book, <i>Green Valentine</i></a> – Lili has chosen the
new book by Alison Goodman, <i><b>Lady Helen
and the Dark Days Club</b></i>. A Regency
adventure story about a society miss who becomes a demon hunter - <i>Pride and Prejudice</i> meets <i>Buffy</i>?
I’m twirling my parasol with excitement!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/alison-goodman/the-dark-days-club/">Kirkus Reviews</a> describes <i>Lady Helen</i> as a
‘deep, deliberately paced journey’ through a Regency London filled with
Reclaimers and Deceivers, a supernatural reflection of what was then the polite
<i>ton</i> society and the seedy underworld
of the period. Lady Helen Wrexhall – led
by her guide, the mysterious Lord Carlston – finds her destiny is a lot more
unusual and deadly than she was originally led to believe…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";">This
is the first book in a new series, about which Kirkus says: <i>“Goodman’s prose is
assured; her impeccable research shines through on every page … and brings to
life questions of freedom and choice for women.”</i> All right, I’m convinced – sign me up!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><span style="color: red;">For this month
only</span></span></i></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><b><i><span style="color: red;"> </span>we
are having a very special bookclub even</i>t</b>: Readings independent bookstore is
also reading <i>Lady Helen</i> for <u>their</u>
YA bookclub this month, so we thought we’d join forces and make things extra
awesome for everybody. So, lovely
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/869745076457468/">#LoveOzYAbookclub</a> members, please make welcome visitors from the Readings YA bookclub
on the title selection and discussion threads, and #LoveOzYAbookclub members
will of course be welcome to join in the <a href="http://www.readings.com.au/event/the-readings-ya-book-club">Readings bookclub discussion on Wed 17February, 7pm, at Readings St Kilda, hosted by St Kilda Children’s book specialist, Isobel Moore</a> (click the FB link to book). To make things even better, you now have <i>two options</i> for purchasing this month’s
title: you can <a href="http://www.boomerangbooks.com.au/Lady-Helen-and-the-Dark-Days-Club/Alison-Goodman/book_9780732296094.htm">order it through Boomerang Books</a>, with the special ‘<span style="color: red;">loveoz</span>’
promotional code, to receive free shipping, or – for February only – you can
buy the book <a href="http://www.readings.com.au/products/20241016/lady-helen-and-the-dark-days-club">in-store at Readings</a> for a 20% discount (just mention bookclub with your purchase at Readings). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";">I hope
you enjoy <i>Lady Helen and the Dark Days
Club</i> – stay tuned for some contact from Alison Goodman during the month,
I’ll let you know when the discussion post goes live, and happy Leap Year!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";">xxEllie<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15185449419652732005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4324345645727459546.post-15421229444790399742016-01-28T15:51:00.001-08:002016-01-28T15:51:21.683-08:00#LoveOzYAbookclub – January 2016 Book Discussion Post: Green Valentine (Lili Wilkinson)<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So here we are – we’ve reached the moment of truth! What did you think of <i><b><span style="color: #6aa84f;">Green Valentine</span></b></i>? I admit to being a little biased with this
book, cos I launched it when it was released…but then I admitted to bias with
our last book too, so I think I should just give up and admit that I have a
general case of bias where books are involved. But It was a very special launch, where all the participants went home with little seedlings for their gardens, and I got to mix a lot of metaphors involving 'growing' and 'sprouting' and 'putting down roots' into my launch speech, and a good time was had by all!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #6aa84f;"><i><b>Green Valentine</b></i></span> is the sweetest little book – this review
by Trisha Buckley on the CBCA Reading Time website says it well:</span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #606569;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">“[Lili Wilkinson’s] books challenge
expectations, and ask teenagers to look at their choices, and be sure they are
making them for the best reasons… [Green Valentine] incorporates social justice
concerns without sounding preachy or teachy… Astrid’s personal growth happens
organically (see what I did there?) and in parallel to the guerrilla garden she
and Hiro create. The issues are relevant to the target audience, and add in the
romance, the humour and the diverse range of characters, and what we have here
is a winner.”</span><span class="apple-converted-space" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 8pt;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">You can read the whole of Trisha’s review <a href="http://readingtime.com.au/green-valentine/">here</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">What did you think of our Dec/Jan title? Add your comments to the discussion thread <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/869745076457468/">on the FB page</a>, where you can join in the conversation, or feel free to leave your
opinion in the comments below.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Next week, be ready for the announcement of our #LoveOzYAbookclub
title for February – see you then!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">xxEllie</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15185449419652732005noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4324345645727459546.post-3725485766494126742016-01-25T17:21:00.000-08:002016-01-25T17:21:00.817-08:00#LoveOzYAbookclub – Author Q&A - Lili Wilkinson (Green Valentine)<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Hi all, welcome to a brand new year with <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/869745076457468/">#LoveOzYAbookclub</a> :) To
kick things off for 2016, our author for Dec/Jan’s title, <b>Lili Wilkinson</b>, has
graciously agreed to answer some slightly ridiculous questions about herself,
her writing, and <b><i><span style="color: #38761d;">Green Valentine</span></i></b>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The discussion thread for <i><b><span style="color: #38761d;">Green Valentine</span></b></i> will be going up
shortly (ie. when I pull my finger out, ieie. in the next few days) Meanwhile, thanks for getting your sillies on
with me and Lili, and happy reading!</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">* Something important
about your writing process you’d like to share:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I don’t write chronologically. I like to put together a
detailed chapter outline before I start writing, and then every day I write the
bit of the story I’m most excited about. It works really well, and I never get
stuck… until I get to the last 20% of the draft which is all the tricky bits I’ve
been avoiding.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">* Your book makes
No#1 with a bullet on the NYT Bestseller List, and a famous bartender at the
Ritz-Carlton makes a cocktail in its honour.
What’s in the cocktail and what is it called:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Green Valentine seems like a pretty good name for a
cocktail. It’s basically a gin and tonic, but served with muddled mint, kaffir
lime and cucumber, garnished with a home-grown strawberry.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">* If your book was a
ride at SeaWorld, it would be…:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">DEFINITELY NOT ONE THAT GOES UPSIDE DOWN BECAUSE WHY WOULD
YOU DO THAT WHAT IF IT GOT STUCK AND YOU HAD TO HANG UPSIDE DOWN FOR HOURS
UNTIL THEY RESCUED YOU DON’T LAUGH IT HAS HAPPENED BEFORE.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">* We’re at a dance
party right now, and the DJ wants to know which song gets you out on the floor
for major boogies and you say…:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Pat Benatar’s <i>Love is
a Battlefield</i>.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">* The zombie
apocalypse strikes, but it’s okay, cos you have your choice of weapons, and you
choose…:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">My iPhone, so I can google <i>what to do in a zombie apocalypse.</i> </span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Thank you Lili! And now I totally want a cocktail with G&T and muddled mint, kaffir lime...er, maybe hold the cucumber. I'm looking forward to seeing what Lili chooses for next month’s bookclub pick, and I'll be updating again VERY soon (I promise).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">xxEllie</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15185449419652732005noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4324345645727459546.post-87798769161578590252015-12-23T13:06:00.001-08:002015-12-23T13:06:22.522-08:00Camping Book List 2015, and happy holidays!<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">It’s
nearly Christmas Day as I’m writing this.
And I’m not organised, except for camping – we’re leaving on our annual
family camping trip on Boxing Day, which I’m excited about because it means a
nice long time out, and lots of writing done on a camp chair at the cliff near
our camp site when everyone else is asleep (and I am weirdly awake – old habits
die hard, I guess). I’ve printed up my
manuscript, I’ve got all my little exercise books full of squiggly notes, and
I’m taking a Melina Marchetta book with me, as a good luck talisman </span><span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Lots
of people put up their ‘Best of 2015’ book lists at this time. I’ve read many many amazing books this year,
but I’m not going to list them all because I don’t like to rank books (I find
it really hard to do, actually) and also because my memory is so poor that I’d
probably leave out all the crucial ones.
Instead, I’m going to list the books that I’m taking on holiday with me
(in hard copy or e-book format), to give you an idea of the kinds of worlds I’ll
be living in while I’m away.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Some
of these books have been recommended, some just looked interesting, some are
books I’m curious about because they correspond in some way with the book I’m
currently writing. But for whatever
reason these titles grabbed me, so I’m hoping to get through them all in the
next fortnight. And here they are:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">The
Rest of Us Just Live Here – Patrick Ness<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">The
Natural Way of Things – Charlotte Wood<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Hope
Farm – Peggy Frew<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Clancy
of the Undertow – Christopher Currie (lots of people reckon this is awesome)*<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Gated
– Amy Parker<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">The
Murder Complex – Lindsay Cummings<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Spark
– Rachael Craw*<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Risk –
Fleur Ferris*<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Pieces
of Sky – Trinity Doyle*<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Ghost
River – Tony Birch<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Lair
of Dreams – Libba Bray (because I’ve been waiting for a chance to sink my teeth
into this)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Nona
& Me – Clare Atkins*<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">A
Thousand Lives – Julie Scheer<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Saving
Francesca – Melina Marchetta (my lucky charm)*<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Wolf
by Wolf – Ryan Graudin (on Amie Kaufman’s strongest recommendation)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Black
Spring – Alison Croggan*<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">The
Interrogation of Ashala Wolf – Ambelin Kwaymullina*<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">(*
#LoveOzYA for the win!)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixvoeB_L-7vCFIbShvQJF7lxcSIznBaQjKf4E7Wu0eG_Zyn4q5tP6GO_rTHjn2vshGDGyoBpA_ROEkKeWJnl7a_eY2RkKVhOx9EUdBBB8qPvJL1tWJguWOjNHGvUeNZJEBpIsgEZvL5DyJ/s1600/IMG_9989.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixvoeB_L-7vCFIbShvQJF7lxcSIznBaQjKf4E7Wu0eG_Zyn4q5tP6GO_rTHjn2vshGDGyoBpA_ROEkKeWJnl7a_eY2RkKVhOx9EUdBBB8qPvJL1tWJguWOjNHGvUeNZJEBpIsgEZvL5DyJ/s400/IMG_9989.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">What
do you reckon? I’ve also been promising
to read <i>Grapes of Wrath</i> for about
three years and never getting around to it, so this could be the time it happens…if
I don’t get distracted by all the other shiny things.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">I also
wanted to let you all know that I won’t be answering emails or texts or phone
calls during the holidays. We’ll be gone
for two weeks, and in that time I will be enacting radio silence (actually,
it’s not like I have a non-radio-silence option: there’s no phone and internet
reception where we’re going). So if
you’re trying to get in touch, please be patient, and I promise to get back to
you around mid-January next year.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">And on
that note – happy holidays! Whatever
your religious affiliation (or not), or plans for the season (or not), I hope
you have a lovely time between now and the New Year. May all good things come your way, may you
stay safe from bushfires and mozzies, may the sunburn (or cool freeze) steer
clear, and may your books (and writing, if you’re that way inclined) be
plentiful! All best wishes from me and
my family to you and yours, and see you in 2016 </span><span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">xxEllie<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15185449419652732005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4324345645727459546.post-2109762838197853712015-12-15T14:57:00.000-08:002015-12-15T14:57:13.743-08:00Literary community: the golden thread<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4kLvOkNl5Twwh5qCTmeFfukSijhobJ09E66SNeED3BFx6GsWq8D08bIB6kM1GguWE5anffuyqN2wgiLdaWhQegHsra-xm_7b6Ff8pEFgFPl9vQP7zX0KwzvuNzbZvPQZKqoD4QS82lfzP/s1600/golden+thread.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4kLvOkNl5Twwh5qCTmeFfukSijhobJ09E66SNeED3BFx6GsWq8D08bIB6kM1GguWE5anffuyqN2wgiLdaWhQegHsra-xm_7b6Ff8pEFgFPl9vQP7zX0KwzvuNzbZvPQZKqoD4QS82lfzP/s1600/golden+thread.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I found my literary community online on Twitter.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It was 2012, or maybe 2013, I’m not exactly sure – basically
it was such a short while after I’d signed my first publishing contract (with Allen
& Unwin for <i>Every Breath</i>) that the
ink of my signature was still wet on the
page. This was about the moment when my
brother, Jared, said, ‘Ell, you’ve got to get some platforms, mate. I’m getting you a domain name. And while you’re at it, learn how to use
Facebook properly and get on Twitter.’</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Twitter? I thought he
was mental. Why would I want to send 140
character missives about what I had for breakfast out into the universe? What could possibly compel me to –</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">‘There’s loads of writers on Twitter. You could be involved in the community.’</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Ah.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Well, that made sense. Living two hours away from the urban action in
Melbourne made me feel disconnected from everything. I’d always worked alone. I’m not into scenes, I didn’t do parties or
events, and I was crap at ‘networking’. I
had no writer’s group, I’d never had a writing buddy. I’d tried a few things online - writer’s forums – to give me some
perspective on whether what I was producing was any good (I even made one
friend that way – hi Denis!) but I really had no idea about the industry or the
community that I purported to be interested in joining. I’d attended one writer’s course (and I made
some friends there too, although they lived far away in Melbourne). The only solid connection I had to other
writers was through their books – books that I devoured, sighed over, read and
re-read. The information that I gleaned
about craft, about submissions, about the professional aspects of writing…I got
most of it from books, or authors’ blogs, or whatever articles I could find online
with my wonky internet modem humming in the background.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Which was…fine.
Really, it was. I got by pretty
well with what info I’d managed to scrape together for myself while working
alone. I managed to fanangle a
publishing deal, didn’t I? I was doing
okay. I have to admit, being a solitary
writer in a rural zone gave me a feeling of specialness, a real ‘pulling myself
up by my bootstraps’ sense of myself. I
didn’t need anybody! I was a literary
island! No derivative outside influences
for me – my singular voice would be my stylistic benchmark. I could make my own rules and do it solo, and
my writing would be better for it, because it would be ALL ME.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The only problem was, it was a crock of shit.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">When I hit a wall with a manuscript, I had no one to turn to
(except my books, my faithful friends).
I think I gave up on a few pieces because I just bounced them around
inside my own head without respite. I
didn’t even realise you <i>could</i> hit the
wall that way – I’d never heard of anyone else doing it. I figured it was just my own faulty wiring. Working out solutions to problems of craft
took a long time, because it was just a slow process of trial and error, and
checking back with dog-eared pages or bookmarked articles (a lot of which
contradicted each other).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And then, when negotiations began for book deals and so
forth, I had <i>no freaking idea</i> what I
was doing. Was this how it was
done? Was this normal? I had a bad experience where a publisher gave
me a twenty-four hour ultimatum to accept a deal or forget it – I angsted about
it, because I really didn’t feel comfortable, and in the end I passed, but I
had no other experiences, no other yardstick with which to measure this, and I
felt <i>terrible</i>.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">What about problems with tax or legal issues? Is this advance split okay? Should I change the POV – can I even do
that? What do editors really want from
you? Am I being unreasonable? Do you have to promote your book yourself? Really?
Should I speak up more in editorial meetings? And what about speaking engagements? What about book launches? Does this chapter really <i>have</i> to go? Why?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I had so many questions about the industry, about writing,
about the profession in general, and no one to ask. I’d been alone for so long, hunkered down in
my writing cave, that I’d almost forgotten that there was a world of other
people out there who were struggling along the same way I was.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Then I discovered Twitter, and suddenly the universe
expanded. I connected with the larger
community of writers, in this country and overseas, and found a great number of
like-minded people who shared my concerns and questions, confronted the same
obstacles. Collectively, they knew a
heck of a lot more about the industry than I did, and they were generous with their
wisdom. Plus, y’know, being in their
company was just <i>nice</i>.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">With the benefit of their frank advice, I was able to tackle
craft issues in new and more constructive ways.
I worked out how to handle my own business affairs (and I’m still
learning on that front). I was
encouraged to engage more at events (and that was a big deal – for city events,
I have to make arrangements for my family and then travel a long way, so it was
good to know which events were good to attend, and whether new friends would be
there to back me up). I developed a much
greater understanding of the industry I was working in, and the professional
standards and expectations of the literature sector. Above all, I discovered a great feeling of
collegiality and support, that I was not doing this on my own, and with that
came a renewed confidence in my own abilities, both in writing and in handling
the concerns of my new chosen field.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Twitter was great for me, because of the distance factor – I
could be involved while still far away.
Other writers I know who live closer to urban centres have the benefit
of meeting writer friends in person, or use alternative ways to connect. Facebook, monthly meet-ups, newsletters,
cons, beers at the pub… Whatever your
preferred method, there’s bound to be a way for you to touch base with your
writing community in one form or another.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I’m extolling the virtues of community here because I recently
read two articles that lamented the involvement of writers in the social
sphere. <a href="https://newrepublic.com/article/124463/writing-art-career">One was about a new anthology of American writing from The Paris Review,called The Unprofessionals</a> – the editor
of this book, Lorin Stein, prefaces the anthology with the complaint that many
young contemporary writers have become ‘unthinkingly proficient’ at
self-promotion and networking, and that such engagement often draws writers
away from the art of writing itself.
According to Stein, this results in “less close reading, less real
criticism, lower standards, and less regard for artistic, as opposed to
commercial, success.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The other article I read was a criticism of ‘literati
communities’ in urban centres, specifically in Melbourne. In her piece titled <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/books/australia-books-blog/2015/dec/14/literati-cities-just-the-spot-for-networking-less-so-for-writing-a-great-novel">‘Literati cities: just the spot for networking, less so for writing a great novel’</a>, Brigid Delaney
highlights the idea (suggested by Adelaide writer Jonno Revanche) that compared
to writers who live and work in the urban ‘literature hubs’ of Australia, outside
voices are undervalued and aren’t as easily heard. Melbourne comes in for some particular
criticism for its ‘cliquey’ scene. This
is a fair cop – I understand what it’s like to be on the fringes of urban
networks – but what bugged me about the article was the idea that to be a <i>real</i> writer of Great Novels, one has to abandon
community and lark out on one’s own. According
to Brigid Delaney, the literary community may actually be holding you back from
producing something of real artistic worth.
She says, ‘You may need the scene to get job opportunities but you don’t
need the scene to write a really great book. In fact the further away you are
from any type of group-think, the better your writing will be, the more
unusual, the more surprising and the more vivid.’</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Both of these ideas stem from the romantic concept of the
writer as The Great Artiste, slaving away over a hot Remington in a garret
somewhere. Real writers – according to
these articles – don’t engage socially, don’t mix well with others. Their focus is exclusively on The Great Work. Writers are a class apart, observant of but clearly
<i>above</i> the squalid affairs of human
life, and they would never stoop to something as crass as networking or (god
forbid) self-promotion, because they <i>don’t
even care</i> if anyone reads their work – the artistic merit of the writing is
its own reward. If writers involve
themselves in the petty concerns of Real Life (like, I dunno, talking to other
writers or even *gasp* promoting their own books) they will lose that
Specialness, that Unique Voice that sets them apart from the rest of the
proles.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I’m sorry, but this is horseshit.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It ignores so many issues that…well, I’m struggling here to
put the issues into some sort of coherent order, there’s just that many of
them. For one, writers are <i>people</i>, just like all the other people
you see around you. They have jobs, and
friends, and families (shocking, I know) that ‘impinge’ on their attention to
their Great Work every freaking day. I’m
not about to tell my seven-year-old, ‘Sorry, darling, but Mummy is too busy
with her Great Work to involve herself in your petty breakfast-making concerns
right now’ (no matter how much I sometimes might like to). Writers are forced to engage with others,
because social engagement is a part of what makes us human.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">For two, writers are <i>always</i>
solitary – always, in their own head. We
don’t need to deliberately separate ourselves.
Let’s face it, even in convivial groups of friends we can’t wait to get
away and be alone with our inner voice.
Writers are always thinking about the story, the words that bring it to
life, and sure, everyone needs alone time to make those words happen on the
page, but you don’t need to isolate yourself from social engagement to ensure
that your focus is laser-pointed <i>all the
time</i>. That would drive you mental.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Are you worried that if you engage socially, your Inner
Voice will be watered down, or polluted, or somehow disappear? Really?
How insecure are you? (Okay,
writers are insecure, but…) I’m pretty
sure that your <i>unusual</i>, <i>surprising</i> and <i>vivid</i> voice is still there, inside you, no matter how much you
communicate with other people and involve yourself in normal life. Amazingly enough, it might even benefit you
to have some input from other sources.
Talking to people and engaging socially means hearing about other
stories, other lives – maybe that might <i>add</i>
to your voice, not detract from it (it’s not a negative-sum game, folks).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And are you quite sure that your issues of craft will be
magically resolved, if only you could have complete isolation? So I’m picturing you, the solitary Great
Writer, bumbling along like Thoreau in the wilderness, reinventing the wheel
every time you have a problem… Uh,
no. Just no. Give yourself time alone to work – <i>obviously</i> – but don’t cut yourself off
from your other writer mates who might (gee, I dunno) <i>have gone through the same problem and have some wisdom to share</i>. Writers need professional friends to lean on
in times of trouble, to ask for advice, to share the hard struggles of
day-to-day work with, and to offer encouragement and support. And if people are distracting you, then back
off – give yourself some space, absolutely!
But don’t worry that your Specialness will somehow up and vanish cos you’re
not living like a hermit.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Finally, I’ve got to ask the question of what you think you’re
writing for. Are you writing exclusively
for you? Then fine, live like a hermit,
write your stuff, then stick it in a drawer and pull it out every few years so
you can have a nice read. Are you
writing to enlighten yourself, or enrich your own life? Again, that’s fine, and maybe you will only
have a readership of one, but at least you’ve done something – you wrote! – and
the writing has fulfilled its function.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Maybe that enrichment might extend to others. Think of LaMott’s patients in the emergency
room. Do you write to tell a story that
you think others might empathise with, a story that they might see reflected in
their own lives? Do you write to explain
something you’ve realised about human existence, an explanation that is so full
of beautiful words and imagery that it resonates with others too? Then congratulations, you might have a
publishable work. Somebody else might
find something good and true in what you wrote.
Maybe <i>lots</i> of people might
find your book resonates with them – you have engaged, in the deepest way, with
people from many different perspectives.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzNQh9g5h6Ovs9IOypoZ8421MVgBy0H-iwzlAEkMq3mChmm4MqVWxDLb82Zhqu1V3OYplcMT97vGYwkBPgR-8XPft8Q5Tu1G0QHtivnsoD9oXd8ph0tl1Png7sHBcklxJwbgl7eBqZGj9p/s1600/Golden+thread+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzNQh9g5h6Ovs9IOypoZ8421MVgBy0H-iwzlAEkMq3mChmm4MqVWxDLb82Zhqu1V3OYplcMT97vGYwkBPgR-8XPft8Q5Tu1G0QHtivnsoD9oXd8ph0tl1Png7sHBcklxJwbgl7eBqZGj9p/s1600/Golden+thread+2.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This is social engagement.
The life of a storyteller is one of giving, of <i>connecting with people</i>, of hearing the chord thrum in every soul. Your writing does not exist in a social
vacuum. To think anything else is
dishonest. Your writing – your published
writing – is going into the hands of many people, is connecting you to them with
a fine golden thread that is no less real for being invisible. Again in LaMott’s terms, you are the host,
the person people come to for food and drink and company. That is a wonderful, humbling role to have in
our society.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">You are a storyteller.
Own it. Then live life, get out
there, and find your community.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">xxEllie</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<br />
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<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15185449419652732005noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4324345645727459546.post-90897497178873119882015-12-06T21:20:00.001-08:002015-12-06T21:22:40.216-08:00#LoveOzYAbookclub: December 2015 book selection<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";">Can
you hear the Christmas sleigh bells tinkling?
No? Well, I hope this tinkles in
your ear then – we have our second book for bookclub!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";">This
month’s book has been selected by the authors of last month’s title – as <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/869745076457468/">#LoveOzYAbookclub</a>
operates on a domino system for titles.
So big thank yous to Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff, who have chosen <i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25808675-green-valentine">Green Valentine</a></i> by <a href="http://liliwilkinson.com.au/">Lili Wilkinson</a> as our
book of the month. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTPLe9kXTn7LYyLwMNW2riUF9tj_25kSHLXNrTGD_IXr69uL7fVN1Pqs102PzuDJOPJyQjKi-x_YuOnS-gc-gLGnycGp2kEVpdmCDoMeMqeZC-fyvdeSaRWbSgjf5bF3jvmeyo6QRN0jqX/s1600/Green+Valentine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTPLe9kXTn7LYyLwMNW2riUF9tj_25kSHLXNrTGD_IXr69uL7fVN1Pqs102PzuDJOPJyQjKi-x_YuOnS-gc-gLGnycGp2kEVpdmCDoMeMqeZC-fyvdeSaRWbSgjf5bF3jvmeyo6QRN0jqX/s320/Green+Valentine.jpg" width="205" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b>Green Valentine</b></span></span></i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"> is the story of Astrid (Lobster Girl), a
perky eco-warrior, and Hiro (Shopping Trolley Boy), a slouchy non-participator, and how they find
common ground while taking on the enormous task of re-greening their hometown
of Valentine. The book has been
described as ‘a charming and inspiring read’ – I was privileged to launch this
book in August, so I’m delighted it’s come on the menu for bookclub.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="http://liliwilkinson.com.au/">Lili Wilkinson</a> is a wonderful writer for teenagers, and was a direct inspiration for
my own foray into crime fiction (after reading her book <i>A Pocketful of Eyes</i>). <a href="http://readingtime.com.au/green-valentine/">CBCA says</a> that “[Lili’s] books challenge
expectations, and ask teenagers to look at their choices, and be sure they are
making them for the best reasons.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";">If you
would like to order the book through <a href="http://www.boomerangbooks.com.au/?gclid=Cj0KEQiAsNyxBRDBuKrMhsbt3vwBEiQAdRgPslOgzYKwKHk-ykEKF6SVDT0SpPhHadezpDlc9Xp77c8aAvFX8P8HAQ">Boomerang Books</a>, <span style="color: red;"><b>use the code loveoz</b></span> at
the ‘use a promotional code’ step, and you’ll receive free shipping.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";">Because
it’s such a busy time, I’ll put the discussion post up either a little early or
a little late, depending on how people are getting through the reading – and we
might have a delayed intro to 2016 as a result (that’s probably my fault, for
selecting a brick like <i>Illuminae </i>for the first title – oops), but let me know
how you’re getting on with it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";">So I
hope you enjoy <i><span style="color: #38761d;"><b>Green Valentine</b></span></i> over
the holiday period, and may your December be full of calm, and many books!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";">xxEllie<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15185449419652732005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4324345645727459546.post-8450421225059447502015-12-02T14:46:00.000-08:002015-12-02T14:46:31.139-08:00EVERY WORD blog tour is over - sads, but thank youse all<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Hello! The North
American blog tour for <i>Every Word</i> is
over – sads. I hope you had a good time
checking out the various posts about the book, especially the silly one <span style="color: red;"><a href="http://foreveryoungadult.com/2015/11/16/blog-tour-every-word/">where I talked about chopping wood in thongs</a></span>. Before we go any further, I’d like to sincerely
thank all the bloggers who participated – they did a mighty job, and showed
amazing energy and enthusiasm, so I’ve listed them all here for awesomeness:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Sam at <a href="https://bellsiebooks.wordpress.com/2015/11/16/blog-tour-every-word-ellie-marney/">Bellsie Books</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Mandy at <a href="http://foreveryoungadult.com/2015/11/16/blog-tour-every-word/">Forever Young Adult</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Eri at <a href="http://airyreads.blogspot.ca/2015/11/every-word-blog-tour-giveaway-five-zany.html">Airy Reads</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Heather at <a href="http://www.heatherpearson.com/2015/11/every-word-by-ellie-marney.html">Books & Quilts</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Nicole and at <a href="http://readinglark.blogspot.ca/2015/11/book-review-giveaway-every-word.html">Reading Lark</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Michelle at <a href="http://booksandmakeup.blogspot.ca/2015/11/review-every-word-by-ellie-marney.html">Michelle & Leslie’s Book Picks</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Jen at <a href="http://starryeyedrevue.blogspot.ca/2015/11/blog-tour-giveaway-ellie-marneys.html">The Starry Eyed Revue</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Amanda at <a href="https://guninactone.wordpress.com/2015/11/17/blog-tour-every-move/">Gun in Act One</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Angie at <a href="http://www.angie-ville.com/2015/11/every-word-blog-tour-giveaway.html">Angieville</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Gillian at <a href="http://gillianeberry.blogspot.ca/2015/11/blog-tour-every-word-by-ellie-marney.html">Writer of Wrongs</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Shilpa at <a href="http://sukasareads.blogspot.ca/2015/11/five-zany-questions-with-ellie-marney.html">sukasareads</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Sabrina at <a href="http://hiveretcafe.blogspot.ca/2015/11/blog-tour-every-word-by-ellie-marney.html">Hiver et Café</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Adrienne at <a href="https://booksandbassets.wordpress.com/2015/11/18/every-word-blog-tour/">Books & Bassetts</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Michelle at <a href="http://fabbookreviews.com/2015/11/19/every-word-blog-tour-day-four-review-of-ellie-marneys-every-word/">FAB Book Reviews</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Marie at <a href="http://sweetmarie-83.blogspot.ca/2015/11/blog-tour-every-word-by-ellie-marney.html">Ramblings of a Daydreamer</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Liz at <a href="http://midnightbloomreads.blogspot.ca/2015/11/blog-tour-giveaway-every-word-by-ellie.html">Midnight Bloom Reads</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Amy at <a href="http://www.trippingoverbooks.com/2015/11/18/blog-tour-book-review-giveaway-every-word-ellie-marney/">Tripping Over Books</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Rachel at <a href="http://thereadersden.blogspot.ca/2015/11/blog-tour-review-giveaway-every-word-by.html">The Reader’s Den</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Lauren at <a href="http://www.loveisnotatriangle.com/2015/11/every-word-blog-tour-giveaway-on.html">Love Is Not a Triangle</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Kristen at <a href="http://www.myfriendsarefiction.com/every-word-blog-tour-author-spotlight-ellie-marney-giveaway">My Friends are Fiction</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Morgan at <a href="http://gonewiththewords.com/2015/11/review-every-word-ellie-marney-blog-tour.html">Gone With the Words</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Leanne at <a href="http://authorleannedyck.blogspot.ca/2015/11/book-review-every-word-yamystery-by.html">authorleannedyck</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Some people really went all out for their end of the
tour – check out these amazing artworks! I especially love the drawing of Rachel and
James (I want that as a poster):</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9F1frJzIaIqDa3gm8PDX_whI9KrhpluJSwfIDmp3w46yHysOuZeAzH-6lIk6Z9si9ueulfSt7q1Z6iOBCJ1snWx7lKNDsainZ0e3ihDR1fmPLe43oOxwZ9mKgBCoxtcTHl7pLY0h4PXdT/s1600/Every+Breath+collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9F1frJzIaIqDa3gm8PDX_whI9KrhpluJSwfIDmp3w46yHysOuZeAzH-6lIk6Z9si9ueulfSt7q1Z6iOBCJ1snWx7lKNDsainZ0e3ihDR1fmPLe43oOxwZ9mKgBCoxtcTHl7pLY0h4PXdT/s320/Every+Breath+collage.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I’d also like to extend a special thank you to my Tundra
liaison/publicist/blog tour manager and <span style="color: red;">all round
incredible person, Sylvia Chan</span>.
Sylvia worked above and beyond the call on this tour of duty, and she
has handled everything with her usual friendliness and calm, and I’m hugely
appreciative of all the effort she put in.
Thank you Sylvia!!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Also, thank you to all of you who Liked, RTed, reposted,
commented, added and joined in the Every Word tour – with your help, the news
about <i>Every Word</i> will spread in the
US and Canada, and Rachel and Mycroft will find some new friends. I’m full of appreciation for everyone who
gave the book a little nudge along, and I hope, if you put your name down for a
giveaway, you get your heart’s desire!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Blog touring is some exhausting work (and it’s not even real
*live* touring! Geddouttahere!) and I’ve gotta say, I’m very glad to be back in
the writing groove for now. I’m working
on a New Thing, which is still a bit too new for me to talk about with
confidence yet, but it’s coming along.
I’ve also got some good news – along with Gabrielle Tozer, Will Kostakis
and Melissa Keil, I’m going to be headlining <a href="http://www.cbcaconference.org.au/">the CBCA National Conference in May 2016</a>. If you’re in Sydney then, do
come along!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Until then – see you around the traps </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">xxEllie</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15185449419652732005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4324345645727459546.post-77475077081877239132015-11-24T03:04:00.000-08:002015-11-24T03:04:05.663-08:00#LoveOzYAbookclub: November 2015 Book Discussion Post – Illuminae (Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff)<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Hi and welcome to our first book club Discussion Post! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Now, as book club host, it’s kind of my job to be impartial,
but this is the first book off the rank, and (hopefully) the only book I’ll get
to choose over the course of book club.
And I’ve got to say, I <b>loved</b> <i>Illuminae</i> – it shook up my head in the
best possible way. I’ve seen a few books
that have tried to meld the narrative aspects with graphic-novel style, but
this is the first book that I think actually managed to pull it off. From page one to finish, I absolutely could <i>not</i> put it down (I read it in almost a
single sitting) and I was truly blown away by the finale. Now I’m praying that Brad Pitt and his movie
production mates do the novel justice on the big screen.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So – on with the show!
<i>Illuminae</i> is reviewed by
<span style="color: red;">Danielle Binks</span>, of <a href="http://alphareader.blogspot.com.au/">Alphareader </a>fame, and she had some great things to say about
it, including this:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxUXjzxLpxWgXROhI0dfYY0RknKtXpZ1VzYQuUT5EaooTSJXYZ0XOqRkjukVkMY6nd1Wr1p6E3PTO0b7qd2pemhnmoGmG2huocZCOFHmxtm8aCtelpKhdM4OtOGBOKvmlkHF1Klp1sdytB/s1600/alphareader.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxUXjzxLpxWgXROhI0dfYY0RknKtXpZ1VzYQuUT5EaooTSJXYZ0XOqRkjukVkMY6nd1Wr1p6E3PTO0b7qd2pemhnmoGmG2huocZCOFHmxtm8aCtelpKhdM4OtOGBOKvmlkHF1Klp1sdytB/s1600/alphareader.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">“Y’know how<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><i>Battlestar Galactica</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> is actually exploring religion and
civil liberty … Or, okay – how Joss Whedon’s<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><i>Firefly</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> isn’t really just an
intergalactic-Western? But rather it’s inspired by the 1863 Battle of
Gettysburg and the everyday people who are stepped on in the great moments of
history, and that it’s even a story of the immigrant experience and outsiders
pushed to the fringe by the victors in a war they never wanted any part of?
Yep, okay – well, in the same way there is a lot happening beneath the surface
of<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><i>Illuminae</i>.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">You can </span><a href="http://alphareader.blogspot.com.au/2015/10/illuminae-illuminae-files01-by-amie.html" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">read Danielle’s full review of <i>Illuminae</i> right here</a><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">What did you think about <i>Illuminae</i>? Add comments below, or feel free to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/869745076457468/">join in the Facebook group</a> for discussion about this book, as well as general book talk
and a bit of silliness on the side.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">xxEllie </span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15185449419652732005noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4324345645727459546.post-74157222689661760572015-11-21T02:32:00.000-08:002015-11-21T02:32:00.542-08:00#LoveOzYAbookclub: Author Q&A – Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff (Illuminae)<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">To
value-add to our book club experience, I’ve asked authors whose books we’re
reading to either a) answer a short Q&A, or b) participate in an FB author
chat, if they’re able. As authors can
get very busy, I’ve tried to keep it light-hearted, with the emphasis on
something fun and easy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The authors of
our November book, Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff, have been very busy indeed of
late, so I’m hugely appreciative that they’ve agreed to join in at
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/869745076457468/">#LoveOzYAbookclub</a> with the answers to a few silly questions. The Discussion Thread for <i>Illuminae </i>will go
up early next week – until then, enjoy!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtL9ojf4CGsC-vq0yjpfbIZv04BgF2_gUfIuDYcHwsNDaX0-Kvc8BCnbXRZVxJvYLSkZbC2tfoHjTtEndynL_FHnjQpeZTrZd2JsE98h-oRMC9JJet9IBufZpUIWufWR71fvgTgUQxqKzx/s1600/Amie+and+Jay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtL9ojf4CGsC-vq0yjpfbIZv04BgF2_gUfIuDYcHwsNDaX0-Kvc8BCnbXRZVxJvYLSkZbC2tfoHjTtEndynL_FHnjQpeZTrZd2JsE98h-oRMC9JJet9IBufZpUIWufWR71fvgTgUQxqKzx/s400/Amie+and+Jay.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">* One curious
or unusual thing about you that most people don’t know:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> is that
Jay is a Karaoke King (you should hear him do metal songs) and Amie used to
work as a professional sailing coach—she walked on a boat before she took her
first steps on land.<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">* Your work
space – tell us about it:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> Right now Amie’s is wherever she can perch amidst towering stacks
of boxes, because she’s moving house, but usually it’s a study lined with
bookshelves, where she writes at her treaddesk, or in an armchair. Jay has a study
too, with a great big fancy desk and a fireplace… but he always ends up writing
on the couch in his uggs.</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">* Writing
Must-Haves – snacks, drinks, music…whatever:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> For Amie, the music is mostly by Muse
or Two Steps From Hell, and for Jay, it’s mostly silence, or the classical
music of Ludovico Einaudi (which is hilarious, because usually Jay listens to
metal.) When we’re brainstorming, Jay drinks Jack Daniels and Amie eats chips.
When we’re at home writing, it’s Red Bull for Jay and Pepsi Max for Amie all
the way.</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">* If your
book was a ride at SeaWorld, it would be…: </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">banned for its incredibly high death toll.</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">* The zombie
apocalypse strikes, but it’s okay, cos you have your choice of weapons, and you
choose…: </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">copies of Illuminae. Seriously, have you seen that thing? It’s the size
of a brick. As our secondary weapon, we choose a friend who runs far more
slowly than us. That should slow them up.</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Thanks Amie
and Jay! And see you all ‘round the Discussion Thread next week :)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">xxEllie<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15185449419652732005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4324345645727459546.post-7386884982228312312015-11-09T18:29:00.001-08:002015-11-09T18:29:35.582-08:00Spring is for hayfever, and the Every Word NA blog tour<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Hello
again! I feel like it’s been ages since
I wrote an update post – but that’s okay.
I’ve been keeping busy with speaking engagements and workshops in
schools and events, and also with the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/869745076457468/">#LoveOzYAbookclub</a> which has been the
topic of my last few posts. We have our
first book for the book club –
<a href="http://elliemarney.blogspot.com.au/2015/11/loveozyabookclub-november-2015-book.html">Illuminae, by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff</a> – which is pretty exciting. And I’ve been dealing with hayfever and
Spring and the last term of school rolling to a close…all in all, that’s been
enough to keep me on the hop.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">The
other thing that’s on the hop is <a href="https://tundrabooks.wordpress.com/2015/10/26/every-word-blog-tour/">the North American tour for Every Word</a>.</span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjtOYIN26TPgIlOEpGV1pPX0LA3F2ndk_XiEDXNvBl_F7qMAsIhZEXjgNpk7EBYEbuWONx2C_3sq2erezfucAtJRknnVxBdhLQlQDHSWoTb9k56UmF9MI7nMhD-CsLu_GQVCWUVVBFYMxo/s1600/EveryWord-Badge+%25282%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjtOYIN26TPgIlOEpGV1pPX0LA3F2ndk_XiEDXNvBl_F7qMAsIhZEXjgNpk7EBYEbuWONx2C_3sq2erezfucAtJRknnVxBdhLQlQDHSWoTb9k56UmF9MI7nMhD-CsLu_GQVCWUVVBFYMxo/s320/EveryWord-Badge+%25282%2529.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">The book was released in the US and Canada a
few months ago, and I’m very excited that readers overseas are finally getting
their hot little hands on it. I’ve been
receiving some (sometimes irate) emails about WHEN IS YOUR SECOND BOOK COMING
OUT HERE OMG WHY THIS WAIT ARGH, so I’m pleased to finally be able to plug
<i>Every Word</i> and enjoy the way folks are getting into it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">The
blog tour starts next week, and it’s a very full schedule of tour stops. Some bloggers are doing reviews, and some
bloggers have livened up their tour stops with a bit of silliness/seriousness
from me. I’ve answered interview
questions (everything from ‘James Mycroft is a jerk: discuss’ to explaining how
I got that weird scar on my right foot), and given location pic-tours of
London, and hopefully shown everyone a pretty good time. If you’d like to catch up with what people
are saying (or you just want to know how I got the weird scar), please do check
out the tour stops below:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Monday Nov 16<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><a href="https://bellsiebooks.wordpress.com/">Bellsie Books</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><a href="http://foreveryoungadult.com/">Forever Young Adult</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><a href="http://airyreads.blogspot.ca/">Airy Reads</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><a href="http://www.heatherpearson.com/">Books and Quilts</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="http://readinglark.blogspot.ca/">Reading Lark</a></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Tuesday Nov 17<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><a href="http://raindropsandpages.com/">Books and Writing</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><a href="http://booksandmakeup.blogspot.ca/">Michelle and Leslie’s Book Picks</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><a href="http://starryeyedrevue.blogspot.ca/">The Starry Eyed Revue</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><a href="https://guninactone.wordpress.com/">Gun in Act One</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Wednesday Nov 18<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><a href="http://gillianeberry.blogspot.ca/">Writer of Wrongs</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><a href="http://sukasareads.blogspot.ca/">Sukasareads</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><a href="http://hiveretcafe.blogspot.ca/">Hiver et Café</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><a href="https://booksandbassets.wordpress.com/">Books and Bassets</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Thursday Nov 19<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><a href="http://fabbookreviews.com/">FAB BOOK REVIEWS</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><a href="http://sweetmarie-83.blogspot.ca/">Ramblings of a Daydreamer</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><a href="http://midnightbloomreads.blogspot.ca/">Midnight Bloom Reads</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><a href="http://www.trippingoverbooks.com/">Tripping Over Books</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><a href="http://thereadersden.blogspot.ca/">The Reader’s Den</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Friday Nov 20<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><a href="http://www.loveisnotatriangle.com/">Love Is Not A Triangl</a>e<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><a href="http://www.myfriendsarefiction.com/">My Friends are Fiction</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><a href="http://gonewiththewords.com/">Gone With the Words</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><a href="http://authorleannedyck.blogspot.ca/">Authorleannedyck</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">I’ve
also been doing a sneaky little promo for the tour on social media, where I’ve
been posting pics of the journey that Rachel and James took from Melbourne to
different places all over London:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwH_FCPRwxU3ZghAI88lwpWEDL-IcGOl-55dibkDLJpGueXoA39CmkE5dsrvgsYOaChLiyZWuMmUTYmmR3aYsvY9IFajO0V7RegXMfyuUVyVlgBzc80Sc2t_m8iZwasZh5lADfCzGN9Vpw/s1600/Terminal+Four.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwH_FCPRwxU3ZghAI88lwpWEDL-IcGOl-55dibkDLJpGueXoA39CmkE5dsrvgsYOaChLiyZWuMmUTYmmR3aYsvY9IFajO0V7RegXMfyuUVyVlgBzc80Sc2t_m8iZwasZh5lADfCzGN9Vpw/s200/Terminal+Four.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I hope
I haven’t confused anybody, because I’m not actually </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">in</i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> London right now…</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">But the snaps have been very fun!</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">If you’d like to check out the pics, or
signal boost the blog tour by cross-posting, go for your life – they’re
gathered under the hashtags <span style="color: red;"><b>#EveryWord</b></span></span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;"><b>#Wattscroft</b></span> on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"> I’ll update again in a little while, but until
then, hope you’re travelling well, and have fun reading the tour posts!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">xxEllie<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15185449419652732005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4324345645727459546.post-28631752214729006012015-11-02T13:20:00.000-08:002015-11-02T14:43:05.268-08:00#LoveOzYAbookclub : November 2015 book selection<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";">Welcome
to the<a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/869745076457468/"> #LoveOzYAbookclub</a> debut book selection!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";">This
month’s book is our very first, and the only book I get to choose – after
November, the title selections will be made by the authors of the books under
discussion. I spent a long time thinking
about which title to choose…and finally made a decision by asking myself <i>Which book would I want to read more than
any other?</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";">So…*drumroll*…
our book for the month of November will be <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23395680-illuminae">Illuminae </a>by Amie Kaufman and Jay
Kristoff.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.allenandunwin.com/browse/books/childrens/young-adult-fiction/Illuminae-Amie-Kaufman-and-Jay-Kristoff-9781760113803">Illuminae</a> is the first book in <i>The Illuminae Files</i> series, and has been described as “a
fantastically entertaining space opera with explosions and romance” combined
with “a thoughtful and expansive tale of political intrigue and subterfuge</span>”. <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> It’s one of the biggest things to come out of
Australian YA in a long time – it’s already hit the New York Times Bestseller
List. It’s also (if you have a quick
glance at the insides) a mashup of graphic design and story – in fact, I’ve
never seen anything quite like it.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="http://amiekaufman.com/">AmieKaufman</a> is the co-author of the <i>Starbound Trilogy</i> with Meagan Spooner, and <a href="https://misterkristoff.wordpress.com/">Jay Kristoff</a>
is the author of <i>The Lotus Wars</i> series, and they both live in Melbourne and are
both quite lovely. Amie and Jay have
already agreed to choose a title for #LoveOzYAbookclub for next month.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";">I've made an arrangement with <a href="http://www.boomerangbooks.com.au/?gclid=Cj0KEQiAsNyxBRDBuKrMhsbt3vwBEiQAdRgPslOgzYKwKHk-ykEKF6SVDT0SpPhHadezpDlc9Xp77c8aAvFX8P8HAQ">Boomerang Books</a> (who specialise in Australian books and had all the titles I searched for at excellent prices) so that #LoveOzYAbookclub members can get free shipping. If you
would like to order the book through <a href="http://www.boomerangbooks.com.au/?gclid=Cj0KEQiAsNyxBRDBuKrMhsbt3vwBEiQAdRgPslOgzYKwKHk-ykEKF6SVDT0SpPhHadezpDlc9Xp77c8aAvFX8P8HAQ">Boomerang Books</a>, <b><span style="color: red;">use the code loveoz</span></b> at
the ‘use a promotional code’ step, and you won't have to pay for postage.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";">So go
forth and read! I hope you enjoy
<b>Illuminae</b>, and I’ll look forward to the discussion we’ll have about it at the
end (probably early in the last week) of November here on the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/869745076457468/">#LoveOzYAbookclub group</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";">xxEllie</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15185449419652732005noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4324345645727459546.post-81688396957622002912015-10-18T18:21:00.000-07:002016-03-27T20:29:55.351-07:00#LoveOzYAbookclub: Title Suggestions Masterlist and How This All Works<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";">Hi
all, this is the introductory post for the<b> #LoveOzYAbookclub </b>– welcome! If you enjoy reading YA books, and specifically Australian YA, then this is the club for you. I'm not going to make stupid references to Fight Club, cos that is passe, and the only rule of #LoveOzYAbookclub is <i>talk all you want about bookclub</i>. Oh, and invite whoever you want - young readers, older readers, readers of all shapes and sizes and persuasions. The more the merrier. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";">I’ll
be updating with posts here on the blog, but running the discussion threads on
the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/869745076457468/">#LoveOzYAbookclub Facebook group page</a> – feel free to run on over there and
join to stay current.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";">This
post is just to say hi, and thanks for coming along, and to show off the list
of books from which we’ll likely select the books we’ll be reading. We'll read a book a month - makes it nice and easy, huh? I’ve made a
big OzYA master list below, which will be added to from time to time, as new
titles get suggested and old ones get crossed off.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";">If we’ve left out your fave, or
you’d like to suggest a particular title to be read for #LoveOzYAbookclub, add
a comment here or <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/869745076457468/">at the FB page</a>, or you can always tweet me</span></b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"> (just <i>remember to tag me and #LoveOzYAbookclub</i>).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";">This will be the process for #LoveOzYAbookclub (title selection and general procedure): <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><i>I’ll
select the first book </i>(because I'm bossy like that), which I’ll announce in early November. Then I’ll ask the author of that book to
choose the next title from the list (for December), and so on down the line (Janurary, February, etc...). If the author of the current book doesn’t
want to choose or is unavailable to do so, I’ll ask someone else to do it or do
it myself. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I’ll
ask someone who enjoyed the book to review it for the first discussion post, which I'll put up here/on FB in
the last half of each month. Then folks who'd like to comment about how they liked the book of the month can take it from there. And so on, ad infinitum, until we run out of books, or the internet collapses, or the zombie apocalypse arrives, or whatever.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">So, you got that?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">*I'll pick the first book, then it will domino from there</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">*I'll make a Title post at the start of each month, letting you know which book we're reading</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">*I'll make a second Discussion post near the end of the month, after we've all had a chance to read</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">*Discussion and comments will be on the
relevant thread over at the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/869745076457468/">#LoveOzYAbookclub FB group page</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">*If the author of the book is amenable, I’ll
try to arrange an interview, or a Facebook author chat, during the relevant
month.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">*I’m also in the process of organising a way
for those buying the book to get free shipping for online orders.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";">Masterlist of OzYA Books
Suggested So Far (feel free to suggest more!):<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25723778-inbetween-days">InBetweenDays</a> – Vikki Wakefield<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19488665-the-flywheel?from_search=true&search_version=service">TheFlywheel</a> – Erin Gough<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24973955-risk?ac=1">Risk </a>–
Fleur Ferris<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25808664-talk-under-water?ac=1">Talk Under Water</a> – Kathryn Lomer<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25574212-the-sidekicks?ac=1">Sidekicks</a>
– Will Kostakis <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20430528-razorhurst?ac=1">Razorhurst</a>– Justine Larbalestier<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8079815-good-oil?ac=1">GoodOil</a> – Laura Buzo<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24885636-zeroes?ac=1">Zeroes</a>– Margo Lanagan, Scott Westerfeld, Deborah Biancotti<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19403811-the-incredible-adventures-of-cinnamon-girl?ac=1">The Incredible Adventures of Cinnamon Girl</a> – Melissa Keil<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22588703-the-book-of-days?ac=1">The Book of Days</a> – KA Barker<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><strike><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25808675-green-valentine?ac=1">GreenValentine</a> – Lili Wilkinson</strike><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7124053-a-little-wanting-song?ac=1">A Little Wanting Song</a> – Cath Crowley<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18599572-the-intern?ac=1">The Intern</a> – Gabrielle Tozer<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><strike><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/322828.Notes_from_the_Teenage_Underground?ac=1">Notes from the Teenage Underground</a> – Simmone Howell</strike><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9433912-burn-bright">Burn Bright</a> - Marianne dePierres</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17261404-my-life-as-an-alphabet?ac=1">My Life as an Alphabet</a> – Barry Jonsberg<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21807013-head-of-the-river?ac=1">Head of the River</a> – Pip Harry<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25904064-atmospheric?ac=1">Atmospheric</a>– Carole Wilkinson<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6050840-deucalion?ac=1">Deucalion </a>- Brian Caswell</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15464101-grace-beside-me?ac=1">Grace Beside Me </a>– Sue McPherson<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17292618-steal-my-sunshine?ac=1">Steal My Sunshine</a> – Emily Gale<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18080157-hate-is-such-a-strong-word?ac=1">Hate is Such A Strong Word</a> – Sarah Ayoub<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><strike><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25674284-how-to-be-happy?ac=1">How to be Happy</a> – Dave Burton</strike><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/140997.Undine?ac=1">Undine</a>– Penni Russon<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18338816-the-last-girl?ac=1">The Last Girl</a> - Michael Adams</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8255417-90-packets-of-instant-noodles">90 Packets of Instant Noodles</a> – Deb Fitzpatrick<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1122786.Finding_Grace?ac=1">Finding Grace</a> – Alyssa Brugman<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11085114-clara-in-washington?ac=1">Clara in Washington</a> – Penni Tangey<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6437426-living-hell?ac=1">Living Hell</a> - Catherine Jinks</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3532445-killing-darcy?ac=1">Killing Darcy</a> – Melissa Lucashenko<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8407173-jasper-jones?ac=1">Jasper Jones</a> – Craig Silvey<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17834579-into-the-river?ac=1">Into the River</a> – Ted Dawe<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12299576-the-extinction-gambit?ac=1">The Extinction Gambit</a> - Michael Pryor</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7944308-girl-saves-boy?ac=1">Girl Saves Boy</a> – Steph Bowe<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="http://wherethewildthingsare.com.au/products/first-person-shooter">First Person Shooter</a> - Cameron Raynes</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1327711.Things_You_Either_Hate_or_Love?ac=1">ThingsYou Either Hate</a> or Love – Brigid Lowry<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22603951-laurinda?ac=1">Laurinda</a>
_ Alice Pung<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22341147-cooper-bartholomew-is-dead?ac=1">Cooper Bartholomew is Dead</a> – Rebecca James<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20950716-spark?ac=1">Spark</a>
– Rachael Craw<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><u><strike><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15993203-the-dark-days-club">Lady Helen and the Dark Days Clu</a>b - Alison Goodman</strike></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="http://www.clandestinepress.com.au/ebook/thrive">Thrive</a>– Mary Borsellino<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10421074-the-dead-i-know?ac=1">The Dead I Know</a> – Scot Gardner<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22419562-the-protected?ac=1">The Protected</a> – Claire Zorn<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1696081.Hating_Alison_Ashley?ac=1">Hating Alison Ashley</a> – Robin Klein<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17204984-between-the-lives">Between The Lives</a> - Jessica Shirvington</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24940565-one-true-thing?ac=1">One True Thing</a> – Nicole Hayes<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1159347.48_Shades_of_Brown?ac=1">48 Shades of Brown</a> – Nick Earls<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17296692-twinmaker?ac=1">Twinmaker</a>:
Jump – Sean Williams<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11560914-whisper?ac=1">Whisper</a>– Christine Keighery<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><strike><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23395680-illuminae?ac=1">Illuminae</a>– Amie Kaufman, Jay Kristoff </strike><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4932435-finnikin-of-the-rock?ac=1">Finnikin of the Rock</a> – Melina Marchetta<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7285998-how-to-make-a-bird?ac=1">How to Make A Bird</a> – Martine Murray<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17665310-rise-of-the-fallen?ac=1">Rise of the Fallen</a> – Teagan Chilcott<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23156588-a-small-madness?ac=1">A Small Madness</a> _ Dianne Touchell<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2986865-eon?ac=1">Eon </a>- Alison Goodman</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23434528-facing-up?ac=1">Facing Up</a> – Carolyn Gilpin<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15713714-fire-in-the-sea?ac=1">Fire in the Sea</a> – Myke Bartlett<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7863668-little-paradise?ac=1">Little Paradise</a> – Gabrielle Wang<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22010062-intruder?ac=1">Intruder</a>– Christine Bongers<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10367686-black-glass?ac=1">Black Glass</a> - Meg Mundell</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22617542-crashing-down?ac=1">Crashing Down</a> – Kate McCaffrey<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15757486-zac-and-mia">Zac & Mia</a> – AJ Betts<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24248906-cloudwish?ac=1">Cloudwish</a>
– Fiona Wood<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/47920.The_Gathering?ac=1">The Gathering</a> – Isobelle Carmody<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27193294-frankie?ac=1">Frankie</a>– Shivaun Plozza<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22454873-nona-me?ac=1">Nona and Me</a> – Clare Atkins<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1770187.Deadly_Unna_?ac=1">Deadly,Unna?</a> – Phillip Gwynne<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23603939-pieces-of-sky?ac=1">Pieces of Sky</a> – Trinity Doyle<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24500090-the-guy-the-girl-the-artist-and-his-ex?ac=1">The Guy, The Girl, The Artist and His Ex</a> – Gabrielle Williams<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/79876.Does_My_Head_Look_Big_In_This_?ac=1">Does My Head Look Big in this?</a> – Randa Abdel-Fattah<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24920626-a-single-stone?ac=1">A Single Stone</a> – Meg McKinley<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51167.So_Much_to_Tell_You?ac=1">So Much To Tell You</a> – John Marsden<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26211610-summer-skin?ac=1">Summer Skin</a> – Kirsty Eagar <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18371573-the-cracks-in-the-kingdom?ac=1">The Cracks in the Kingdom</a> – Jaclyn Moriarty<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/518848.Sabriel?ac=1">Sabriel</a>
– Garth Nix<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23487678-you-re-the-kind-of-girl-i-write-songs-about?ac=1">You’re the Kind of Girl I Write Songs About</a> – Daniel Herborn<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24809790-stay-with-me?ac=1">Stay With Me</a> - Maureen McCarthy</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13414835-shadows?ac=1">Shadows</a>– Paula Weston<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18339183-the-vanishing-moment?ac=1">The Vanishing Moment</a> – Margaret Wild<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25482068-footy-dreaming?ac=1">Footy Dreaming</a> – Michael Hyde<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8061032-this-is-shyness?ac=1">This is Shyness</a> – Leanne Hall<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19057.I_Am_the_Messenger?ac=1">I Am the Messenger</a> – Markus Zusak<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25652768-frankie-and-joely?ac=1">Frankie and Joely</a> – Nova Weetman<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13351300-preloved?ac=1">Preloved </a>- Shirley Marr</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17563783-cry-blue-murder?ac=1">Cry Blue Murder</a> – Kim Kane, Marion Roberts<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21897775-calypso-summer?ac=1">Calypso Summer</a> – Jared Thomas<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25349979-freedom-ride?ac=1">Freedom Ride</a> – Sue Lawson<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13552764-the-interrogation-of-ashala-wolf?ac=1">The Interrogation of Ashala Wolf </a>– Ambelin Kwaymullina<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24036930-the-pause?ac=1">The Pause</a> - John Larkin</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22323949-the-astrologer-s-daughter?ac=1">The Astrologer’s Daughter</a> – Rebecca Lim</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8528548-five-parts-dead?ac=1">Five Parts Dead</a> – Tim Pegler<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9472969-sky-legs?ac=1">Sky Legs</a> - Irini Savvides</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23551456-eat-the-sky-drink-the-ocean?ac=1">Eat the Sky, Drink the Ocean</a> – Kirsty Murray, ed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13245023-losing-it?ac=1">Losing It</a> – Julia Lawrinson<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16120434-fairytales-for-wilde-girls?ac=1">Fairytales for Wilde Girls</a> – Allyse Near<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18103179-the-big-dry?ac=1">The Big Dry</a> - Tony Davis</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/47887.The_Tricksters?ac=1">The Tricksters</a> – Margaret Mahy<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21793750-cracked?ac=1">Cracked</a>
– Clare Strahan<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8113994-oracle?ac=1">Oracle </a>- Jackie French</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17608856-run?ac=1">Run </a>–
Tim Sinclair<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18072883-kill-the-music">Kill The Music</a> - Nansi Kunze</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20765752-the-minnow">The Minnow</a> - Diane Sweeney</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18070679-snow-white?ac=1">Snow White: This is No Fairy Tale</a> - Keith Austin</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";">*Many
of the authors have multiple books, so I’ve only put up one book per
author. The decision on which book to
include was either suggested, or made by me (because I wanted to read a certain
book. Soz.). If you’d like to suggest a different book for
the same author, that’s fine, but let’s make sure we spread the love around.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";">*Some
books have collaborative authors – once their joint book is read and crossed
out, I’m happy to include works they’ve penned as individuals. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";">*Yes,
I’ve included some NZ authors (mainly because I want to read <i>Into the River </i>and <i>Spark</i>, and why not).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";">*No, I
haven’t put my own books on the list, cos I didn’t want to feel like a der. I’m getting plenty of love by facilitating
this bookclub, which is good enough for me (and if you want to go read the <i>Every</i> series, thank you, and the link to Booktopia is on the sidebar at right! #officialplug).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";">* If
you’re a blogger/reviewer and you’d like to have your reviews included in the
bookclub, please get in touch.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";">And
that’s it! Hope you like the list and
please feel welcome to join in the reading and discussion by joining the
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/869745076457468/">#LoveOzYA bookclub on Facebook</a>. Keep an
eye out for the first book, coming up soon (first week of November) –
I’ll post it here and cross-post to the group plus everywhere else. I can’t wait to start reading! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";">xxEllie<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15185449419652732005noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4324345645727459546.post-18061517150515235412015-09-22T01:27:00.000-07:002015-09-22T01:27:23.542-07:00Every Word overseas release! and making new ideas (is hard)<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><i>Every
Word</i>, the second book in the <i>Every </i>series, has been released this month in North
America and the Philippines through <a href="http://www.tundrabooks.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9781770497757">Tundra Books</a>/<a href="http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/240277/every-word-by-ellie-marney/">Penguin Random House</a> – awesome </span><span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNNk8SXK3ALZ3BKx8OHGImPVwsQyNmvcCEeIrXIWOHRQMPlgm4FP0zvbOZ4VexyvKPSIEyLCZrtLXotoLnbZ-Mb5Ipow4d5He65f4RgfD3H3UBjbAMv8rIZkMzCdkmDebEWE3VZ3-hdCoK/s1600/Every+Word+Tundra.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNNk8SXK3ALZ3BKx8OHGImPVwsQyNmvcCEeIrXIWOHRQMPlgm4FP0zvbOZ4VexyvKPSIEyLCZrtLXotoLnbZ-Mb5Ipow4d5He65f4RgfD3H3UBjbAMv8rIZkMzCdkmDebEWE3VZ3-hdCoK/s1600/Every+Word+Tundra.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I’m
pretty happy about that. Early reviews have been coming in, and that’s been keeping me
happy too. If you’d like to read what
people are saying, peruse below…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="http://www.angie-ville.com/2015/09/review-every-word-by-ellie-marney.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter" target="_blank">Angieville @ Bibliocrack Reviews</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="http://www.readsleeprepeat.org/2015/09/every-word-by-ellie-marney/">Read.Sleep.Repeat</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="http://itisabooklife.blogspot.com.au/2015/09/arc-review-every-word-by-ellie-marney.html">It's a Book Life</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="http://foreveryoungadult.com/2015/09/09/every-word/">Forever Young Adult</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="http://airyreads.blogspot.com.au/2015/09/every-word-every-2-by-ellie-marney.html">Airy Reads</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="http://sweetmarie-83.blogspot.ca/2015/09/review-every-word-by-ellie-marney.html">Ramblings of a Daydreamer</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="https://thebookwars.wordpress.com/2015/09/08/review-every-word-by-ellie-marney/">The Book Wars</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="http://hiveretcafe.blogspot.com.au/2015/06/review-every-word-by-ellie-marney.html">Hiver et Cafe</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="http://jenryland.blogspot.com.au/2015/09/just-finished-readingevery-word-by.html">YA Romantics</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.umanitoba.ca/cm/vol22/no2/everyword.html">CM Magazine: University of Manitoba</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.readingbifrost.com/reviews/publishers/tundra-books/">Reading Bifrost</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I’m
also rapt to announce that <span style="color: red;"><b>Every Word has won the Best YA fiction award at this
year’s Davitt Awards</b></span>. WOOT!</span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCkmQNYi5vlEEwtEAlwXBHa_FatLQV9wyrN9dqpl2OxTY0SYOlhjy3mitRlg1hxrTSdBFinHjiGfssi_ThpJbAAvFoGTNskpD-6YXdxQAgIgmU8CJ1uj9mpsRcIiLEOPPd7-xOJ99E_2sS/s1600/Every+Word+davitt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCkmQNYi5vlEEwtEAlwXBHa_FatLQV9wyrN9dqpl2OxTY0SYOlhjy3mitRlg1hxrTSdBFinHjiGfssi_ThpJbAAvFoGTNskpD-6YXdxQAgIgmU8CJ1uj9mpsRcIiLEOPPd7-xOJ99E_2sS/s1600/Every+Word+davitt.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The Davitts,
organised by Sisters in Crime (the Australian women crime writers association),
has been running for 15 years, and this year, <a href="http://www.sistersincrime.org.au/newslisting">96 books by female crime writers were up for consideration</a>. It’s a huge
honour to be given the award, from a stellar line-up of shortlisted authors,
and I’m incredibly grateful. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">What
else has been happening? Well, these
last two weeks I’ve been working up ideas for a new book project. You would think that just ‘coming up with
ideas’ is not a very labour-intensive job – it doesn’t sound as difficult or
time-consuming as actually sitting down and writing an entire book. In fact, to some extent, this is true: the me
who’s ‘coming up with ideas’ actually bears a strong resemblance to the me who’s
‘washing dishes’ or ‘working in the garden’ or ‘going for a walk’. But concept-generation is hard work. I’ve discovered that it’s much harder work
than writing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Creating
a new book is always a process. I get a
inspired by lots of things, but not everything I find inspiring is enough to
hang a book on. Developing every idea takes mental effort, and involves looking
inside yourself for something you can use in the writing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Certainly
looking inside is part of my role, as a writer.
But in the act of writing, only half of my role is in self-examination for
some kind of ‘emotional depth charge’ (thank you for that phrase, Cate Kennedy)
that resonates, that you know you can use to make readers resonate too. The other fifty percent of actual writing is usually
about regurgitating my observations. I
spend a lot of time observing the way people look and behave, the conversations
they have, how their ways of thinking are inscribed on the ways they
interact. Those are the details I borrow
from life and cannibalise to make an imaginary person or situation real.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">But
when you’re thinking up ideas, the process is 100% internal. You need to examine yourself for something
you want to show, something you want to explain. What is inside you is the Important Thing
that informs your original idea. It is the
Something You Want to Say.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
find that kind of self-examination exhausting, but it generates ideas. Quite often, these ideas are hard won – I have
to wrest my idea out of a quagmire of ‘that’s too embarrassing to write about’,
or ‘oh, that’s too personal! Too revealing!’, and so on. And so I am invested in each idea, as it
emerges – blinking, uncurling its damp wings – and I think each of them is beautiful. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
would like to write ALL of them. But I
probably won’t. Sure, I’d like to think
that each of these ideas has promise, potential to be a whole book – like I
said, you can make a book out of almost anything. You can make a book about encyclopedia
salesmen, or someone doing their laundry: it’s all in how the characters
act, the hidden secrets and trauma inside every person, and where those secrets
take them. But I need to narrow down my
options. I want to write something that
resonates both for me and for readers, something that other people will find
interesting, something that has some broad appeal (broader than just an
audience of one – me – at any rate).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">So
I think I’ve come up with something, something new and interesting – I mean, I
hope it’s interesting – and I’m about to embark on the process of letting the
characters take over. I’ll be thinking,
living and breathing the characters and concepts over the next few months,
slowly giving in to them as they start to come alive and talk to each other,
while I note everything down. I’ll be
filling up exercise books with scribbled research and scraps of dialogue,
making boards on Pinterest, tearing out pictures and sticky-taping them up on
my study wall, talking to people who might be able to help me out with the
character development or the plotlines.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">It’s
an exciting time! Also a strangely
nervous time, as I wait to see if I can really make the concept come to
life. So…I guess I’m asking you to wish
me luck? And I hope you’re going
well. It’s school holiday time here,
blowing in with the spring winds, which I s’pose is as good a time to start
something new as any. If it’s not spring
where you are, I hope you’re finding some tiny blooming thing to keep you
happy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">xxEllie<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15185449419652732005noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4324345645727459546.post-65999831735533704872015-08-26T18:32:00.000-07:002015-08-26T18:32:14.193-07:00#LoveOzYA for authors: Your weakness makes you strong<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>*I wrote this piece recently for inclusion on the Wheeler Centre website, but we ended up turning it into a more general article to word up the general public on the #LoveOzYA movement. So I've put this up here: an article on #LoveOzYA just for authors. Thanks to Simmone Howell for proofing, and for reassuring me that it didn't sound too 'Voice of the People'.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">The
#LoveOzYA campaign has been a topic of conversation recently. Much has been made, in the last few years, of the fact that Young Adult
Lit is a growth area in the publishing market, and I suppose that may have
lulled us into feeling as if we’re all doing okay. But when the May 2015 Australian Library Information
Association lists revealed that <i>of the
top ten most-borrowed YA titles in Australian libraries, only two titles were
Australian-made</i>, it was (as Emily Gale pointed out) a kick in the pants. We realised that we needed to have a
conversation about this. That conversation
flowered into a realisation that much work is yet to be done in the promotion of
Australian YA stories for local teenage readers – and that the responsibility
is on us to make it happen.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">It’s
not the situation that Australian YA books aren’t being read because they’re
not good. They are good – let me qualify
that further and say, they’re <i>excellent</i>. But other market issues are at work. Blogger and emerging YA writer Danielle Binks
has written articles in <i>Kill Your
Darlings</i> and <i>Kids Book Review</i> that
explain how local YA is ‘being underrated in its own market by global forces’,
specifically how local voices in the market are often crowded out by the number
of overseas buy-ins and blockbuster titles. How <i>Every Breath</i> made it onto the ALIA
list is still a mystery to me (not that I'm not happy!), but it's noteworthy that it was the only title without a movie tie-in or a big marketing budget. Without that external big-budget push, more
needs to happen to promote homegrown YA literature if we would like to see the
industry continue to thrive, and our own work to be read and sold. Not all that work can be done by
already-stretched publishers, or literature organisations that have just been
de-funded. Clearly, we need to shoulder
some of this responsibility ourselves.
That’s how the #LoveOzYA campaign came into being.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">From
an author’s standpoint, I guess I feel like we’re coming from a point of
vulnerability. We pour our hearts out
into our work, in ways that leave us feeling shaky and exposed. We’re often living ‘balancing-act’ lives,
juggling day jobs, parenting, writing – and with that often comes financial
instability, which can make us feel like we’re on a literal tightrope. The recent disembowelling of the Australia
Council has left us even more vulnerable.
We’re working without a safety net.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">But in
some ways, I suppose none of that is new.
Justine Larbalestier said it well: “Making a living as an artist of any
kind is a long shot”. But what can we do,
as individuals, that can make a difference when we’re already strung so thin? Well, we can sit back helplessly…or we can act.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">The
first thing we can do is <b>be visible, and use that visibility talk about #LoveOzYA. </b>We’re in the middle of Book Week, the
mad-busy time for writers all over. It’s
a great reminder of what we already know, as authors: that the time of writing
and delivering a manuscript and then retiring quietly to our writing caves has
long passed. It’s necessary to come out
into the light in person – to visit at schools and libraries, to attend
festivals and speaking events, to communicate with a wider readership and
support network online, and to engage with the larger community in
general. If we want to support an effort
to promote and profile-raise for Aussie YA books, we need to continue to be
visible, and to speak about #LoveOzYA when given the opportunity.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">We can
also<b> get in touch with organisations. </b>We’re well-placed to contact organisations
like the Australian Society of Authors, the Australasian Children’s Literature
Association for Research, SCBWI and writer’s organisations in our own states,
and let them know we’re on board with the campaign – and encourage them to get
involved. Other organisations who work
in schools to promote Aussie literature, including the Centre for Youth
Literature, IBBY, YABBA, the Australian Children’s Laureate Alliance, the CBCA
and The Stella Prize, might also like to know we’re pitching in.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">As authors, we also have support networks of
other kinds – the large community of teachers, librarians and booksellers, who are always keen to be supportive, and the growing community of reviewers, book bloggers and
book tubers out there who are actively seeking books to love and promote. Heck, our publishers might
like to know we’re supporting the campaign (which they will surely appreciate). We also have our networks at home – local
bookstores, local and high school libraries.
We can let them know we’re supporting the campaign, and suggest that
they come aboard.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">The
best way to communicate the message is by <b>being
positive</b>. It can be dispiriting when
we go into our local library or bookstore and see that they aren’t stocking our
titles – or the titles of other Aussie authors.
But librarians, teachers and booksellers really <i>want</i> to help: having a healthy local publishing industry benefits them,
too. We’re all professionals, and our
relationships are based on respect and friendship…and we all love books. In our exchanges with people who work in the
wider networks of reading and literature, it’s important to give positive
encouragement.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Ultimately,
this is an industry based on mutual support.
None of us would make it without a helping hand – we encourage each
other, give suggestions and advice, share information, and help spread the buzz
about new work at release time. So the
#LoveOzYA campaign is about more than just profile-raising for the industry:
it’s about creating a close-knit community.
As individuals, we can do our bit, but united, we’re more than the sum
of our parts.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">And
that’s another key thing we can do: <b>support
other authors and create community</b>.
We all read widely in the category to stay up-to-date with what’s
happening, and we’ve all read awesome books by other Aussie authors, books we
would happily press into someone else’s hand.
Applaud and encourage each other, and talk about other Aussie YA authors
when you have the chance – they will undoubtedly love you for it, and return
the favour. You will never hurt your own
career by supporting other writers.
Giving other authors a leg-up is really a form of self-help.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">But probably
the most important thing we should be doing is: our job. We need to<b> keep writing</b>. Without the
books, there’s nothing to promote – and nothing to nurture the steadily growing
interest of readers. We can find support,
where and when we need it: from family, friends, writers’ networks and
organisations, and the wider community of OzYA authors. We can reach out for advice and information,
and remember that we’re not struggling alone.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Please
keep writing! We need Australian
stories, told in Australian voices, in which Australian kids can see themselves
reflected. We are the people who write
those stories. Keep writing, #LoveOzYA, and
don’t lose heart.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">xxEllie</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15185449419652732005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4324345645727459546.post-91960184805760752732015-08-20T21:01:00.000-07:002015-08-20T21:01:58.831-07:00Book Week 2015<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Hullo again :)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So <span style="color: red;">Book Week 2015</span> is nearly upon us. The theme for this year's Book Week is 'Books Light Up Our World', and there is a wheelbarrow-load of stuff happening over the next week (well, ten days or so - Book Week does tend to kind of ooze out over the edges of August). Here are some of the things I'm going to, if you'd like to come along:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Saturday 22 August</b></span><br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>RWA conference</b></span><br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Park Hyatt Melbourne</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I'll be presenting at the <a href="http://www.romanceaustralia.com/p/221" target="_blank">Romance Writers of Australia conference</a> this year, which is a privilege - I don't think they've had a workshop on YA fiction before - so if you're around from <b>12-1pm</b> you can catch me at "<b>Going All the Way: Romance (and Sex) in YA</b>"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: red; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>ARRA Signing Event</b></span><br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Park Hyatt Melbourne</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">There will be a <a href="https://australianromancereaders.wordpress.com/2015/06/02/book-signing-event-in-melbourne/" target="_blank">Massive Mega-signing Event</a> for the RWA conference, as organised by the Australian Romance Reader's Association - come along from <b>5-6pm</b> and say hulloo :)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Sunday 23 August</b></span><br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>MWF</b></span><br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Signal</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I'm not speaking on this, but I'm attending WITH BELLS ON - it's a <a href="http://mwf.com.au/session/fan-fictions-2/" target="_blank">Fanfiction Panel</a> with Danielle Binks, Melissa Keil and Justine Larbalestier, talking fanfic. There will even be an open mic for fic readings! Following on from that is the YA Book Swap Event, which will be fantastic...except I don't know if I really want to give any of my YA books away...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Monday 24 August</b></span><br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Billanook College</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I will be visiting here, giving talks and workshops on how I do this writery business, and how to write crime</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Tuesday 25 August</b></span><br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Kardinia College</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">...And then the next day I'll be driving all the way to Geelong to say hi to Kardinia students!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Thursday 27 August</b></span><br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Loreto College</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">After a day at home (probably talking to the builder, because we need to put a room on our house, with all the GIANT BOYS now living here), I'll be dropping by to say hullo to folks at Loreto in Ballarat.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Friday 28 August</b></span><br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Our Lady of Mercy College</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">...then another exciting school visit at Our Lady of Mercy in Heidelberg!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Saturday 29 August</b></span><br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Davitt Awards</b></span><br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Thornbury Theatre</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Now this is the one I'm hanging out for: the night of nights, the big knees-up bash to see who will win the One Ring to Rule Them All... I mean, which books will win the <a href="http://www.sistersincrime.org.au/content/shortlist-sisters-crime%E2%80%99s-15th-davitt-awards-announced" target="_blank">Sisters in Crime Davitt Awards</a> for the best writing by Australian female crime novelists in 2015, yay! I'm excited because, well, <span style="color: magenta;"><b><i>Every Word</i> has been shortlisted for the Best YA category</b></span>, which is exciting. <i>Holy crap</i>. I have asked my partner to come with me and hold my sweaty hand, and barring hiccups with the junior football finals, he should be able to come. MY FINGERS AND TOES ARE CROSSED.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Now sorry, but that's truly all I have time to write today, because I'm packing for the week I've just outlined to you - yes, it's mega-week. Wish me luck, and good luck to you for Book Week - may the Book Fairies bring you something wonderful :)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">xxEllie</span><br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15185449419652732005noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4324345645727459546.post-72770456138414218012015-08-02T21:38:00.000-07:002015-08-02T21:38:20.730-07:00InsideADog links and event catch-up<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Hi all! This is a quick catch-up post, to give you all the InsideADog residence posts!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So here they are, in order of appearance (my introductory first post was included in my last update): </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="https://insideadog.com.au/blog/hot-characters-ya" target="_blank">Hot Characters of YA</a> - in which I talk about, yes, hot characters, and how, when a character makes you love them, you're obliged to follow wherever they lead...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="https://insideadog.com.au/blog/how-make-book" target="_blank">How to Make a Book</a> - which is the post I where get my sillies on, and give a brief bullet-point list explaining the process of bringing a book into being;</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="https://insideadog.com.au/blog/how-lead-life-crime" target="_blank">How To Lead A Life of Crime</a> - a basic primer on crime fiction and the crime books I love, as well as the kinds of whacky research you have to do to make it all sound real;</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="https://insideadog.com.au/blog/fannish-author-love" target="_blank">Fannish Author Love</a> - is the post where BOB MORLEY TWEETED ME, holy crap, and all the ways there are to express some fan love (legally);</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="https://insideadog.com.au/blog/i-open-close" target="_blank">I Open At the Close</a> - and you see what I did there, huh? Showing off my HP-nerd cred? Well, I really hope that some of what JK Rowling has will rub off on me, because this is the post where I talk about writing endings and why it's so damn hard;</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">and the final post in the residency series -</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="https://insideadog.com.au/blog/farewell-my-lovelies-and-loveozya" target="_blank">Farewell my lovelies, and #LoveOzYA</a> - which was my grand finale, where I answered all the thorny questions I forgot to answer previously, and talked about how #LoveOzYA is awesome.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And that was it! I had a wonderful time on InsideADog, and I hope you get a chance to go check the site out sometime, especially in the lead up to the Inky Awards (where ACTUAL TEENAGERS get to vote for the best YA books in the country).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I haven't written a post telling you about all the cool things I got up to at Reading Matters 2015, because that will soon be covered in a post on the Centre for Youth Lit site (I'll let you know when it goes up). BUT...something else really cool happened since then, and it was this:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8_wd3tluy4JCwp6DNq8YYQcVng2neg6vzCRS-nAuZy_-brYx7rB6Y3NuUX37z5pfgSzimjlYFotEVAukiCjA42Mx9_f2hk_9YYHYyS-eWW42xzgLZfZAtsEAp1XVPiBHIuImcRB36O0qC/s1600/EveryWord+NorthAm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8_wd3tluy4JCwp6DNq8YYQcVng2neg6vzCRS-nAuZy_-brYx7rB6Y3NuUX37z5pfgSzimjlYFotEVAukiCjA42Mx9_f2hk_9YYHYyS-eWW42xzgLZfZAtsEAp1XVPiBHIuImcRB36O0qC/s400/EveryWord+NorthAm.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">IT'S SO SHINY!!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">and actually it's not shiny, more of a matte finish, but you'll understand that by this I mean IT'S BEAUTIFUL, cos it is beautiful. And I can't believe <i>Every Word</i> will be out in North America so soon! September! Eep!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I'll also be doing a few things this month of August...well, I'll be doing more than a few things, I'l be doing lots of things, but here's the ones coming up fast:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;"><b>Wednesday 5 and Thursday 6 August</b></span> - <span style="color: magenta;">Scotch College Literary festival</span>, I'll be giving crime fiction workshops here for students</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: red;">Thursday 6 August</span></b> - <i><span style="color: #38761d;">Green Valentine</span></i> by Lili Wilkinson, launching at Readings, Lygon St Carlton at 6pm (I'll defs be there, cos I'm launching the book)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: red;">Saturday 8 August</span></b> - <span style="color: magenta;">Bendigo Writers Festival</span>, I'll be appearing on a panel with Geraldine Wooller and Peter Timms, and hosted by John Charambalous, where we'll all be talking about plotting.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I'll post up a few more dates and events soon. August is a busy time for writers in Victoria, because the Melbourne Writers Festival is on (I've already booked two panels!), as well as Book Week (hi schools!), the Davitt Awards (in which <i>Every Word</i> has been awesomely shortlisted), the Inky Awards (who will win??), the Romance Writers of Australia conference (I'm giving a workshop), a bunch of excellent book launches (yaass), and the Ned Kelly Awards shortlist announcement. If I'm not on top of the blog updates, please forgive me!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Hope you're well, I'll update again next week, and stay wordy!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">xxEllie</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15185449419652732005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4324345645727459546.post-77540658541417144982015-06-03T19:12:00.001-07:002015-06-03T19:12:11.875-07:00Stirring the crazy on InsideADog<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">My very first blog post as writer in residence at InsideADog! Hope you like it :)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<a href="http://www.insideadog.com.au/blog/%E2%80%98ya-crime-writer-stirs-crazy-insideadog-run-your-life%E2%80%99" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">YA Crime Writer stirs the crazy on InsideADog!! Run for your life!!</span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">xx Ellie</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15185449419652732005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4324345645727459546.post-53856691588569595252015-05-27T18:00:00.001-07:002015-05-27T18:00:39.786-07:00Can you feel the #LoveOzYA tonight?<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Something exciting happened.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Every Breath</i> was
listed as one of Australia’s most-borrowed YA library books. YAY! I’m
incredibly honoured to be included on <a href="https://www.alia.org.au/media-releases/australia%E2%80%99s-favourite-library-books" target="_blank">the ALIA list</a> – thank you to everyone who
borrowed <i>Every Breath</i>, you’re all
awesome!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">One thing that stood out, though, was that <i>Every Breath</i> and <i>The Book Thief</i> (by Markus Zusak) were the only two YA titles in the
Top Ten list. The other eight spots were
taken by blockbuster American titles, almost all of them with movie tie-ins.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">My first question is: wow, what made my book so attractive
to readers, and how can I duplicate it?? Because I would totally bottle that,
in a heartbeat. I mean, I just write the books mainly to entertain myself (or
my 15 year old self, anyway) – the kind of books I would love to curl up with
in a hammock at the beach, or on a couch by the fire on a rainy holiday
afternoon, the kind of books that transport me into something exciting and
moving, full of thrills and feels and adventure. I guess it seems that other people like those
books as well, so…yay!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">My second question is: why are there so few Aussie authors
on the list? To answer this question, I
did what I often do – I asked the hive-mind (mainly other authors and booksellers,
and library and publishing peeps). And
the answers that I agreed with were things like – a) because the market here is
smaller, we don’t have the budget to push local voices as much as they deserve;
b) the North American market is bigger, in every way, including budgets – that means
that overseas books have a larger market/distribution/promotion capacity, which
impacts on us Aussies a lot; c) when the market is saturated – so when a book
is promoted online, on screens, in films, in print ads and bookstores and toy stores
and fast-food outlets and etc etc etc ad infinitum – it’s kinda hard to ignore,
and more people buy it.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Here’s another important point – if you want to see local
content, you need to invest in local cultural capital. The Australian government has just ripped
$100 million bucks out of the Australia Council, which <i>directly</i> supports local artists and art producers (including
authors) to create new work. A lot of
those arts grants go towards supporting and developing small individual writers
– me included. I mean, I was gonna apply
for a grant in June, to support myself while I wrote a new book – but in the
wake of the budget cuts, that funding round has been cancelled.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So how exactly can you publish and promote local authors if
they haven’t been given the opportunity to write new books and get signed by
publishers? Good question. Maybe we
should be thinking a bit more about investing in our cultural and arts sector,
in the same way we invest in the business and mining sectors.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghElR85xv9YhkWrihtuUw46oMiCe4-k5SyW1Vrr4injnpND0mVMkhaD3Fxcnjg6pjbRbtYp-lzhZbuvHD5F4NYagkGemsOlSJua70WeBFXdn1_hiSnfokOe8GAxwQrNqUW25WY2yBN7xjm/s1600/AusYA_tomato+sauce.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghElR85xv9YhkWrihtuUw46oMiCe4-k5SyW1Vrr4injnpND0mVMkhaD3Fxcnjg6pjbRbtYp-lzhZbuvHD5F4NYagkGemsOlSJua70WeBFXdn1_hiSnfokOe8GAxwQrNqUW25WY2yBN7xjm/s320/AusYA_tomato+sauce.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Anyway, in the light of the lack of Aussie YA on the lists,
and in the interests of promoting AusYA, a new hashtag has been born! To show support and help spread the love for
Australian YA, I encourage you to use the <b>#LoveOzYA</b>
tag in your tweets, FB updates, Instagram and other social media posts about
Aussie YA books – and if you follow the tag, it’ll lead you down a wonderful
rabbit hole filled with awesome OzYA recs.
A lot of folks out there are already doing it, so I urge you to go for
it! </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVfMJkUfW59EEdew_wkBRI3HKxGKxmIH1ILk2b1G_4S2aJ0jgSQyZ8wgGYCDGvjeyXSB20DI95W3p6JZo0SoDh7WS_O8bszX6wEXNPKFygVvoQRabU6P39XuRxFvbtDof2V9q2HT5DcMU0/s1600/AusYA_banana.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVfMJkUfW59EEdew_wkBRI3HKxGKxmIH1ILk2b1G_4S2aJ0jgSQyZ8wgGYCDGvjeyXSB20DI95W3p6JZo0SoDh7WS_O8bszX6wEXNPKFygVvoQRabU6P39XuRxFvbtDof2V9q2HT5DcMU0/s320/AusYA_banana.jpg" width="240" /></a></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And this weekend in particular is a great weekend for
following #LoveOzYA – because <b>it’s
Reading Matters weekend!!</b> If you
love YA, and you happen to be in Melbourne, this AMAZING conference is being
run by the State Library and the Centre for Youth Lit, right in the heart of
town at the Arts Centre. <a href="http://www.slv.vic.gov.au/live-learn/courses-librarians-and-teachers/reading-matters" target="_blank">Here’s the link</a>
– go check it out. I will most
definitely be there from Friday to Saturday, not as a panellist but in the
audience (which is just as good, because I can dress <s>daggy</s> down and
drink wine at lunchtime). Use the <b>#YAMatters</b> tag to follow along. And if you’re a reader, a teacher, a
librarian, a bookseller, a publishing friend, a friendly author, or you’re just
around the traps at Reading Matters and you spy me from across a crowded room, <i>please</i> come and say hi :)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Some other good news - <b>I’m
going to be the InsideADog writer-in-residence blogger for the month of June</b>,
which is awesome! So if you’re a regular
lurker at <a href="http://www.insideadog.com.au/" target="_blank">InsideADog</a> (the Centre for Youth Lit book blog), or even if you’re a
regular reader/commenter, please make sure you give me a wave and say hi next
month.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">On top of that, I’m going to be visiting a bunch of
libraries soon, and <b>my first visit will
be at Ashburton Library on Monday 1 June at 7pm</b>. If that’s your local and you’re free, come on
down and listen to me ramble on, and grab me for some questions or to have a
chat afterwards. <a href="http://www.eventbrite.com.au/o/boroondara-library-service-3074435448" target="_blank">Here's the link</a>!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And I have some exciting news about <b><a href="http://continuum.org.au/c11/" target="_blank">Continuum </a></b>soon
too…so keep your ears to the ground about that.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Okay, I’m not going to write much more, because June will be
a mega-blog period at InsideADog – my blog updates will be posted there,
although I’ll still check back in here if anything noteworthy comes up, or
there’s an event on. Hope you’re going
well, a quick shout-out to the girls from Presentation College, who did a
workshop with me last week (Hi girls!
You were awesome!) and catch you again soon!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Xx Ellie </span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15185449419652732005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4324345645727459546.post-71657245612907340232015-04-21T18:05:00.000-07:002015-04-21T18:05:22.793-07:00Falling over the edge<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We’re well into autumn here, and the fire is crackling over
at our place almost every night. It’s
getting cold, working outside in the study, but I don’t mind – I’m really
picking up speed with this new book, and everything seems golden.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">But it isn’t always like that. I was kind of inspired to write this post
after reading another writer’s question recently, asking ‘what’s your hump
point?’, and also because I’ve read a few articles lately about writer’s
block. To my mind, the two things are
linked (and remember, folks, this is just <i>my
mind</i> we’re talking about here –those of you who know me, you’ll recall that
my mind is sometimes an odd and contrary place to be. I just don’t want to generalise here about All
Writers, cos, hey, for a few golden years there my kids thought I was some kind
of super-being, but I ain’t <i>that</i>
super).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">First, the author’s question about ‘hump points’ might need
some clarification. The author was
asking what’s the hardest point in your writing process with a book – do you
struggle with beginnings? Or maybe it’s
middles or endings which you find hard.
Or is the whole thing just a slog from start to finish, like pulling
teeth? How do you combat that?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Writer’s block is a regular topic of conversation in the
writing community – in fact, if you Googled ‘overcoming writer’s block’ you’d
probably get thousands of hits for articles and queries about it. I have a peculiar relationship with writer’s
block, which is that I don’t really believe in it. It’s not that I don’t think writers get
blocked – I know they do, and I’ve experienced blockage myself – but I don’t
call my periods of drought ‘writer’s block’, because to me that sounds like
some sort of inescapable disease, and I don’t want to label it like that
because I think that gives it power. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This post isn't really about writers block, but I do struggle with hump points in a manuscript draft. I had one with <i>Every Move</i>, and I just got through one with the new book, so I may
as well throw in my fifty cents worth on the subject (actually fifty cents
sounds expensive – let’s just call it two cents). </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So here’s the situation: you’re drafting a new project, and
it’s all flowing well. You’re excited,
cos it’s new, and you’ve got lots of initial ideas, and the writing is really
moving. A few weeks in, and it’s all
looking good. Then one day, you wake up
and pull out your pen and paper/keyboard/charcoal and crayons, and you look at
it there, and…you’re drawing a blank.
Your ideas are kind of turning around in circles chasing their
tails. You don’t know what’s gonna
happen in the next scene, or the writing feels flavourless and dull. Everything feels foggy, and suddenly you’re
just hitting keys (in my case) hoping and praying that your mojo will return.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">You’ve hit your hump point.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">For some people, it comes early in the process – getting the
crank started is really really hard. For
others (and I think this might be more common), you hit a point at about the
middle of the book, when everything you’re writing seems like crap, and you
can’t figure out what to do next. For
yet others, it’s tying everything together at the end – oh my god, you’ve
written yourself into a corner, now how the hell do you get <i>out</i> of it?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Other (way better and more experienced) writers have shared
their wisdom on this issue, so let me summarise their suggestions: take some
exercise, get some sleep, take a break and interact with friends and family
(remember them?), get some fresh input (films, tv, music, art, nature, other
people’s books), make sure your health is ok, try to reduce or wait out
external stress, put the manuscript away for a week or more and go back to it
for better perspective, go back to a point where the writing was flowing and
see if you made the characters do something OOC, stop writing and do some
plotting-out, or even stop writing and let the characters live in your head for
a bit to find out where they <i>want</i> to
go, change your work routine, do some research, work on something else for a
while… There are plenty of potential
solutions. Some authors I know have even
opted to scrap the entire draft and write it again from scratch (*cue wailing
and gnashing of teeth*), or put it aside and resolve that this manuscript is
not yet sufficiently ‘baked’ in their head for them to complete it (again,
weeping, but for some folks, they have a sense that this is the right course of
action).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">My own attitude is a bit of an amalgam of all these things
(and yes, I have dumped a project at the 40,000 word point – never a whole
book, though, that’s gutsy). It’s also
complicated by the fact that each book is different, and often your process
varies (I like to say ‘matures’, heh) every time. Which, as Lili Wilkinson once pointed out, is what it <i>should</i>
be – feeling locked into a certain way of doing things, a certain way of
working, can make your life kinda difficult if the project requires a change of
attitude or approach.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">With <i>Every Move</i>, I
was on deadline, so I was under external pressure. I’d also written a crazy-arse number of plot
threads that needed tying up, and I felt overwhelmed. That required some pleading with my editors
(actually not too much pleading, cos they’re awesome like that) for a little
more time, and some plain old sitting down and mapping out what had to happen
(see ‘plotting-out’, above). But my
struggle with that manuscript was really about making a personal realisation: I
didn’t want the story to end. I loved
the world, I loved the characters, and I was having a hard time letting
go. It wasn’t until another author
friend (thanks again, Simmone!) kindly pointed this out to me that I had a
little lightbulb moment, and after that, tackling the ending of the book was
considerably easier.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">With this new book, <i>No
Limits</i> (working title), it was different.
I got stuck about a third of the way in.
But it felt familiar, and I realised that it was a bit like the way I’d
felt when I was writing my first book, <i>Every
Breath</i>. That’s when I figured out
something. Again, this is a personal
experience, so it won’t apply to everybody, but what I figured out was this:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">By the time I’ve written about a third of the book, I feel a
great reluctance to go on. I can’t sit
in front of my screen for more than a few minutes at a time without wanting to
just jump up and do something else.
Turning on the internet to get on social media seems <i>hugely</i> attractive – in fact, doing the
washing or sweeping the house seem hugely attractive at this point. Or reading a book. Or watching tv. Anything but sitting down in front of that
goddamn manuscript. I’m not doing any
work, but I’m thinking about the manuscript <i>all
the frickin’ time</i>. I get a
horrendous amount of doubt – doubt about the characters I’ve made, doubt about
the plot I’ve set up, doubt in my own ability to pull it off. I become a tetchy, dissatisfied, all-round
horrible person to live with, and then I feel guilty that my family has to put
up with me (sorry, honey!). </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This is usually what writers mean when they say they’re
stuck – they’ve hit the wall (in running terminology), and every word they put
down at this point starts to sound terrible.
It’s like getting a cramp. And
because writers live in their heads so much, getting a brain cramp is really
painful and frustrating (and sometimes, cos writers can be a bit insecure like
that and doubt+insecurity is a bad combo, it can be really debilitating).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So here I am at my hump point. I’ve invented all these threads, created this
whole world with the characters, y’know?
But I’m stuck. I do as many of
the things on the ‘writer’s block solution list’ as I can – I talk to people, I
get more sleep, I watch tv and read books, get some exercise, do research, yada
yada – and some of them even help a little.
Although I’m still assailed by this awful feeling like I’m teetering on
the precipice. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">But that, I figured out, is a <i>good</i> thing. It means that
I’m coming to terms, within myself, with the idea of completing this thing I
started. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">My tetchiness and dissatisfaction have a genuine cause - I’m
about to fall over the edge, into the unknown.
I’m scared. I’m working without a
safety net. Anything could happen. I could fail.
I could write a really sucky book.
I don’t know if I’ve got the goods to make it work. I don’t know if I’ve got anything meaningful
to say, that people will want to listen to.
I’m at a crossroads moment.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I said I spend a lot of time with my characters inside my
head at this point – that is actually really <i>necessary</i>. I’m fleshing out
their existence as people, and I’m churning over alternative ideas about what
will happen. I’m rolling it all over in
my head. Although I often scribble down
notes in an exercise book when these points hit me, it’s a very mental process. And it’s a kind of ‘dragging up your courage’
moment. I have to come around to the
idea that I’m capable.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So finally, after I’ve tetched and churned and agsted about as
much as I can stand (which is about the time my family wants me to leave home
and go live in a monastery or something), I finally throw up my hands (y’know, my
mental hands) and say, okay, bring it on.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Do I really want to write this book? Um, actually – <i>yes</i>. Yes, I really do.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So now I’ve done it.
After this point, I’m committed.
I’ve <i>got</i> to go on, I’ve <i>got</i> to see it through to the end, no
matter how difficult or frustrating or nerve-wracking it might be, or how
doubtful I might feel about my own ability to make this story work. Soon after that, most commonly, I’ll sit down
with the manuscript and…it’s back. I’m
back. The system has rebooted, my mojo
has returned, the flame is burning again.
Interestingly enough, after I get past this point of decision, this
point of mental commitment, I’m utterly invested – the ideas are coming again,
and fast. I’m eager to get back to the
writing, I can’t wait to be in front of the keyboard. I’m impatient for writing days to come round
(which leads to its own brand of tetchiness, when I’m denied writing time by
Real Life, but that’s another story).
This is the time when – like I did with my first novel – I actually jump
out of bed at some ridiculous sparrow-fart time of the morning, feeling <i>excited</i>, because I’m getting the chance
to dive back into it.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So to me – and excuse me if it sounds like I’m thrilled
about re-inventing the wheel here, but personally, this was a recent revelation
– it’s about making the mental commitment to continue with the work. That’s my hump point. And now I know, I can give myself a swift
kick when it comes around again (or at least, y’know, not stress out so much
about it) and remember that it’s normal.
What got me through, on this occasion, was a quote from multi-award
winning, multi-book writing romance author Valerie Parv, in response to the
question <i>“How do you know when you start
writing that you can do it?”</i>.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Her reply? <i>“The answer is that you start writing to
find out if you <u>can</u> do it.”</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I hope your own writing is going well. I hope you haven’t hit the wall, or gotten
stuck, or blocked, or arrived at a hump point.
But if you have, I hope this helps, somehow.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And I guess that’s my two cents on the matter.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Xx Ellie</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">PS – you know how I had a massive giveaway here on the blog
for the <i>Every Move</i> release? Well, I had
it, and it’s over, and there was only one problem – one of the winners didn’t
get in touch with me. And it’s been,
like, two weeks now, and I really want to send this parcel to somebody!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">If you are <span style="color: red;">Elizabeth Gordon</span>, can you please contact me in
the next 48 hours?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">If you’re not, and you entered, you’re still in the
running. If Elizabeth doesn’t get in
touch, then I’m gonna have a re-draw from the existing pool of entrants (I
still know who you are, so don’t stress).
I’ll pick a new winner, let people know on Facebook, Twitter and
Instagram. If I don’t hear from the new
winner within 48 hours, I’ll choose a new name, and so on, until we get this
parcel won!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">That’s it. Have a
good week :)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Xe</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15185449419652732005noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4324345645727459546.post-77401227831246665832015-04-02T18:27:00.000-07:002015-04-02T18:27:47.136-07:00What we call the end is the beginning<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">This
is the first week I’ve had off in a looong time. The past few months have rocketed along, and
the busy-life stuff was a bit wearing, but I am absolutely not complaining – I still
can’t believe I get to do this book business as a job. But yeah – it’s been busy!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">First
of all, <span style="color: red;"><b>we had the book launch for EVERY MOVE</b></span>.
Thank you all so much for coming along, or lending support, it really was
an amazing night – I don’t think we even had so many people at the launch for
EVERY BREATH – and Readings Carlton did a super job. I got to meet a bunch of bloggers, vloggers
and fans! They are all so gorgeous! A blogger from North America actually sent
her uncle to the launch, to get an early copy of EVERY MOVE (hi, Yash!), which
was pretty incredible, and I think I was signing for about an hour and a half,
wow. Adele Walsh was THE BEST – she made
a wonderful speech for the launch, which you can find <a href="http://www.persnicketysnark.com/2015/03/every-word-launch-melbourne.html" target="_blank">here</a>, and because it was
her first launch, she was about as nervous as me!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKZzWr9Z51VgpmVmgxl0ZmNmeyn56g5_f6w2PjqdVzHZFSg7v19UBNtlGMDrZ59dnTlHFICxaLIFjycy6nFnp0P7nyERbd6rCB3y-EZHZW9Smb7VSyXZ0hZx0833EeCor4RI3C7PT2q02F/s1600/Me+and+Adele2_EM+Launch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKZzWr9Z51VgpmVmgxl0ZmNmeyn56g5_f6w2PjqdVzHZFSg7v19UBNtlGMDrZ59dnTlHFICxaLIFjycy6nFnp0P7nyERbd6rCB3y-EZHZW9Smb7VSyXZ0hZx0833EeCor4RI3C7PT2q02F/s1600/Me+and+Adele2_EM+Launch.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">I didn’t
get to say hi to everyone, which is pretty normal, but I always feel bad about
it – if I didn’t get to grab you on the night, please know that I would’ve
liked to, and I appreciate you took the time to come along. And if you’d like to relive the glory of the
night, it’s right here in two vids – one is from Miranda at Books101, and one
is from Rachel and Annette at Tome Travellers (thanks, ladies!):<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/llPtVeXl2PM/0.jpg" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/llPtVeXl2PM?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/AshXNofWj40/0.jpg" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/AshXNofWj40?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">I also
have to announce that the <b><span style="color: #38761d;">EVERY MOVE book launch giveaway</span></b> was rolled up by me
and my son (he picked the names), and we have winners! <span style="color: red;">Elizabeth Gordon</span>, <span style="color: red;">@SnugglyOranges</span>, and <span style="color: red;">Alyssa
Hamilton</span>, please send me your contacts via DM (or you can email
elliemarney[at]gmail[dot]com), and I’ll be sending out your parcels early next
week (after Easter is over and the post office is back in business). If I don’t hear from you by next week, I’ll
draw another winner from the hat.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">There
were also two winners from over 800 entries on the GoodReads giveaway (see
right), and I’ll be sending those at the same time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">On
Tuesday, straight after the book launch, I jumped on a plane and flew up to the
Gold Coast, where I attended<b> </b><span style="color: red;"><b><a href="http://www.somerset.qld.edu.au/celebration-of-literature/" target="_blank">Somerset Celebration of Literature</a></b></span>, a week-long
extravaganza for students, parents, teachers and authors. <i>What a
festival</i> – my god, I had no idea before I arrived that the celebration
would be of such an incredible magnitude.
There were fireworks and Dippin’ Dots, a photo booth, a book shop, a
Writers Wall, performances, amazing food, students dressed as literary
characters, signings, author talks, karaoke, poetry and novella competitions, bus-loads
of kids from schools all over the country…
It kind of blew my mind. The
parents and teachers were incredible – so much of it was organised and carried
out by people who had taken time off work to support the festival. And the students were wonderful! So engaged and diverse, and with such
fantastic questions!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">As
well as all that gorgeousness, there was the company of other authors. I don’t know if you’ve gathered this already,
from my other blog posts, but I live way way out in the country – about two
hours away from Melbourne – and while there are quite a few writers up around
here, we all come from different areas, and rarely get together and hang out. So I don’t really get the chance to just sit
around and chat with other authors that much, maybe just a couple of times a
year.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Somerset,
on the other hand, was like a giant sleepover party with just about every cool
author I’ve ever wanted to meet. We saw
each other’s talks, bumped into each other at the hotel, joined each other for
dinners, went and had drinks together, and gasbagged the whole time. I felt like I was in Wonderland,
honestly. I had a long chat with Richard
Newsome (<i>The Billionaire’s Curse</i>)
about writing a book a year (we agreed that it’s hard), discussed writing kissing
scenes with Melissa Keil (<i>Life In Outer
Space</i>) and Clare Atkins (<i>Nona &
Me</i>), talked about feminist writing practice with Melissa and Nova Weetman (<i>The</i> <i>Haunting
of Lily Frost</i>) and Sarah Ayoub (<i>Hate
Is Such A Strong Word</i>), reunited with Adele Walsh (who had some interesting
things to say about fruit…), argued about the best Dr Who episodes with George
Ivanoff (<i>Gamers</i> series), and was given excellent social media advice by Alison Tait (<i>The MapMaker</i> <i>Chronicles</i>). I even talked
about pearls with Tara Moss! (<i>The
Fictional Woman</i>) I made a lot of new
friends (hi, Christine Bongers – Keith Austin – Rachel Spratt – Michael Gerard
Bauer!) and met some of my heroes (Kari Gislason rocks). Overall, I had an AMAZING time, and even
though I missed my family at home and don’t usually love living out of a
suitcase, I didn’t really want to leave.
Everyone who would like an annual Australian Kid’s Authors Gossip and
Catch-Up Camp, raise your hands now </span><span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">I
guess I’d better sign off – we have to chop wood for the upcoming winter today,
so I’ll be getting out my chainsaw and slinging on my boots. I’ve had a lovely week-long break now, so I’ve
got no excuses not to work! I’m getting
back into writing again (how I’ve longed for some solid writing time!), and the
manuscript for NO LIMITS is shaping up pretty well – it needs a lot more done
to it, but I’m happy with it so far (and I’m gonna shut up about it now, so I
don’t put the moz on it).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Thank
you all, for supporting the EVERY series, and for sharing the excitement of
launching the final book – I couldn’t have done it without you. Take care of yourselves, have a happy and
peaceful holiday season, if it’s your time to celebrate, and see you next time!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Xx Ellie<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15185449419652732005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4324345645727459546.post-65475822177041807122015-03-09T17:25:00.000-07:002015-03-09T17:25:43.659-07:00That song in your ear - Every Move playlist<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Music –
do I use it to write? The answer is <b>yes</b>, when I need some inspiration, or
to get back into the groove of something I’m writing. Then I’ll hit my playlist of songs that bring
back the atmosphere of whatever I’m working on (usually while I’m driving). The answer is also <b>no</b>, because when I’m actually <i>writing</i>
I just can’t seem to tolerate lyrics in my ear.
Sometimes when I’m concentrating hard on getting words together, even
instrumental music can change the tone in my head. So I don’t listen while I’m writing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">But I <i>do</i> have a playlist for every book I’ve
written – it seems to be a good way of sustaining the mood of a piece,
especially over a long period of time (months or years). Here’s a few of the songs that I used to
sustain me for <i>Every Move</i>. Some are character or scene specific. Others just seemed to be a good fit for the
book. I’ve listened to all these songs
dozens of times, and by the time the book was written, I felt like I’d milked
all the goodness out of them and could barely stand to listen to them! Now, after the book’s release, I can finally
add them to my playlist again </span><span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WN-vYp8aeSc" target="_blank">Wolf </a>– Pyramid<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Definitely
scene specific: it’s the getaway scene, when Rachel and Mycroft and Harris
escape to Five Mile. Mentioned by name
on p223.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkk2H3Ztrfk" target="_blank">White Noise</a> – Disclosure<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">‘A new
song by Disclosure comes on over the tinny PA system…’ – yep, it’s the chaos of
Harris and Mycroft’s punch-up at the school dance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><a href="http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x871fd_mike-oldfield-moonlight-shadow_music" target="_blank">Carried Away by a Moonlight Shadow</a> – Mike Oldfield<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">On
p231, Rachel is hearing Harris’s story while ‘Through the car speakers, a woman
sings plaintively of being carried away by a moonlight shadow’. This is a
really old song, but it’s odd and weird, and a strangely good fit for this
scene.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFk0mw_U3co" target="_blank">Nanganator </a>– Drunk Mums<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">You
know Mycroft has to have a song for every book, right? Well, in this book he kind of had <i>two</i> songs – this one for his anarchic
moments at the start…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rqnw5IfbZOU" target="_blank">What I Like About You</a> – The Romantics<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">…and
this one, for his lighter, more funny moments with Rachel.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqmXc60xVcw" target="_blank">Jessie’s Girl</a> – Rick Springfield<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Folks,
if you haven’t worked out that this is totally Harris’s song for this book,
then…well, I mention it specifically on p251. (NB: This video is from <i>Glee</i>, and I think it's pretty much a perfect version by Cory Monteith - miss you, Cory)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><a href="https://vimeo.com/67981571" target="_blank">Riptide </a>– Vance Joy<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Rachel
‘exercises [her] wooden fingers on a Vance Joy tune’ when she finally starts to
recover her mojo after self-defence training.
Actually, this song was <i>everywhere</i>
while I was writing <i>Every Move</i>, and I
started to think it was the book’s theme song.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-IWRmpefzE" target="_blank">Bonfire </a>– Knife Party<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">In Mai’s
room, ‘Some Knife Party song is playing, the electronic effects groaning out
like a continuous belch.’ This song has
a nice, ominous tone which I liked.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5u4MYHE_cIk" target="_blank">Strong (High Contrast remix)</a> –
London Grammar<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">This
is a sad song, but this remix is high energy, and the soaring feeling of it was
a good fit for Rachel in her recovery period, and closer to the end of the book.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Hope
you like ‘em!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">And
wow, the launch is next week! I’m
actually not excited yet, more flabbergasted that it’s all happened so
quickly. Right now I’m thinking about
food, and drinks, and door prizes, and trying not to say anything too
sentimental at the launch (because then I will start getting all weepy – I’m a
bit pathetic like that). If you haven’t
RSVPed to <b>Readings Carlton</b>, and you’d like to come along, please do - then the
lovely Readings folks will know what they’re in for! <b><span style="color: red;">The Every Move launch is on Monday 16 March from 6-8pm</span></b>,
and you can call 9347 6633 to come along (it’s free), or <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/1557462337874154/" target="_blank">sign up at the event page on Facebook</a>. If you’re dropping by,
please make sure you grab me and say hi – I will be a bit frantic, but I do want
to make sure I get to say hello to everybody. The next day I get on a plane to present workshops and hang out at <a href="http://www.somerset.qld.edu.au/celebration-of-literature/programme/" target="_blank">Somerset Celebration of Literature</a>, so if you're in Queensland, I'll be with you soon.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Thank
you to everyone involved in the blog tour – huzzah! It’s been a great week, and if you’re keen to
see what people are saying about the book, go check out some of the reviews:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><a href="http://yamidnightreads.com/2015/03/blog-tour-every-move/" target="_blank">YA Midnight Reads</a>: has a review and a giveaway happening...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><a href="http://delicateeternity.com/2015/every-move-by-ellie-marney/" target="_blank">Delicate Eternity</a>: also has a review and a giveaway...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><a href="http://www.novelsontherun.blogspot.com.au/" target="_blank">Novels on the Run</a>: had a fun time trying to keep Mycroft 'on task' during a character interview with Rachel (and a great review)...</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><a href="http://rachybee-the-rest-is-still-unwritten.blogspot.com.au/2015/03/blog-tour-every-move-by-ellie-marney.html" target="_blank">The Rest is Still Unwritten</a>: has a review and giveaway going as well</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Also,
<b><span style="color: red;">Birdee Magazine are running an Instagram competition for Every Move</span></b> – <a href="http://ink361.com/app/users/ig-508599515/birdeemag/photos/ig-936637906058383751_508599515" target="_blank">go here to their post</a>, and enter for a chance of winning $300 worth of books! I think that’s a prize I could happily live
with </span><span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Have a
good week, and I’ll update again soon.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Xx Ellie<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15185449419652732005noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4324345645727459546.post-22901998195202008212015-03-04T18:25:00.000-08:002015-03-04T18:25:21.229-08:00Release<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">This
is the week of <i>Every Move</i>’s release. Wow
– there were times when I didn’t think this book would even happen. Again and again I’m reminded: writing is
hard. We wouldn’t keep doing it if we
didn’t love it. It’s work – deeply
satisfying work.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">My son
has reached that age when he’s making decisions about the things he wants to do
and be. I don’t mean he’s consciously
making those decisions – I mean, he’s following his gut instincts towards the
things he likes, gravitating towards the things he enjoys, and slowing dropping
out of the things he finds a bit ‘meh’. We
all reach that stage. Sometimes it takes
us longer, so the things we really like and enjoy get sidelined for a few
years, to focus on the things we <i>need </i>to do. But they simmer away there inside you, those
things you are drawn to, the pastimes you love, or the hobbies you wish you had
more time for. If you’re really lucky,
and you have good circumstances and the right encouragement, you find a way to
utilise those talents early. But for
many of us, me included, it sometimes takes years of trial and error before you
figure out just what exactly you’re hankering for, what it is that really fires
your passions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">I have
worked many jobs, and I have liked quite a few of them. But there has always been something else
there, bubbling in the background. I remember writing stories on sheets
of foolscap paper in a special folder that I kept in my bag especially for the
long trips to and from school on the bus.
I did it all through primary and high school, and I used to hang out in
libraries a lot. I read everything I
could lay my hands on during this time, and used to hound the school librarians
for the next books when they arrived on order.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">By the
end of high school I knew that saying I wanted to be a writer was a like saying
I wanted to be an astronaut – one of those things that little kids say, not
realising how far out of reach a goal like that could be. So I looked at law and journalism and education and
other things, all those stupid pamphlets they used to give you in high school
when you’re trying to figure out your direction after Year Twelve, while
surreptitiously sneaking the ones about writing and publishing into my bag.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">But in
the end it came down to two things: determination and patience. By the time I had my first child, I was thirty, and knew that somehow I wanted to keep writing. And then when I’d been patient a long time,
and had developed a dogged level of persistence, I figured it was now or never.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Ultimately,
if you want to follow the thing that inspires you, you have to be
determined. You will not be given the
chance to pursue your dream or talent or whatever because some Fairy Godmother
gave you a wish, or put an opportunity in your lap. You will have to work for it. You will have to be determined, and just
stick with it, despite tedium and bad luck and frustration. You will have to become a bit of a bloodhound
about it. Because nobody owes you anything, nobody will give you anything for
free. So you will just have to suck it
up and do it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Fortunately,
if you’re following the dream of your heart, the thing that inspires you, your
passion, you will not find working at it a chore. You will keep going because you love it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">So
here’s some of the new reviews for the thing I created out of love </span><span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Here at <a href="https://theunfinishedbookshelf.wordpress.com/2015/03/01/blog-tour-every-move-by-ellie-marney/" target="_blank">UnfinishedBookshelf</a></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">A full series review at <a href="http://www.behind-the-pages.com/2015/03/aussie-blog-tour-every-move.html" target="_blank">Behind the Pages</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Here at <a href="https://writtenwordworlds.wordpress.com/2015/02/24/every-move-book-review/" target="_blank">Written Word Worlds</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">At <a href="http://www.fictionalthoughts.com/2015/03/every-move-ellie-marney/" target="_blank">Fictional Thoughts</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">And at <a href="http://daringdamsels.net/review-every-move-ellie-marney/" target="_blank">DaringDamsels</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I've also had some amazing reviews at <a href="http://alphareader.blogspot.com.au/2015/02/every-move-every-3-by-ellie-marney.html" target="_blank">ALPHAreader's blog</a> and at <a href="http://www.kids-bookreview.com/2015/02/review-every-move.html" target="_blank">Kid's Book Review</a>. There will be more reviews coming in as the blog tour continues, and also in print media like Dolly and Birdee. If you'd like to join in the giveaway, you can click on the link to GoodReads at right, or go back to <a href="http://elliemarney.blogspot.com.au/2015/02/the-big-one-every-move-release-giveaway.html" target="_blank">my previous post</a>, which tells you how to enter.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Tonight,
I know lots of people are going to see Roxane Gay speak at the Wheeler Centre –
I so wish I could be there! She’s
amazing! But if you can’t make it to
Roxane’s talk, and you’re around Castlemaine tonight, <span style="color: magenta;"><b>please feel free to come
along to the Castlemaine Library, where me and three other female crime writers
(Sandi Wallace, Kathryn Ledson and Sue Williams) will be having a lounge-room
chat for the <u>Killer Queens</u> event</b>.</span> It’s
free, it starts at 6pm, there’ll be a door prize and refreshments, so please
feel welcome!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">I’m
also gearing up for my visit to Queensland as part of the <a href="http://www.somerset.qld.edu.au/celebration-of-literature/programme/" target="_blank">Somerset Celebration of Literature</a> on the Gold Coast – I’m flying out the day after the launch party
for Every Move. It’s gonna be a massive
week, and I hope to see you there.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">And
finally, for those of you who don’t know, it is also the week of <b><span style="color: red;">International
Women’s Day</span></b>. IWD is actually on 8 March
(which is the day my littlest son was born </span><span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"> Happy
Birthday Ned!). IWD exists because we still live in
a world where the pay gap between women and men is huge, and where here in
Australia, the Minister for Women is a man (our illustrious Prime Minister, He
Who Shall Not Be Named), who happens to have scheduled an <a href="http://thenewdaily.com.au/news/2015/03/04/mens-club-host-womens-day-lunch/" target="_blank">IWD lunch at a men’s-only club</a> (really. I mean, <i>really</i>. I hope Roxane says something about this
tonight, I really do), and where women all over the world still live in fear
and inequality. With that in mind, I’d
like to do a quick roll call of all the women writers who’ve influenced me in my
lifetime. And here they are, and many
more besides, in no particular order:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Joanna
Russ<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Anna
Livy<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Sally
M. Gearhart<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Simone
de Beauvoir<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Sheri
S Tepper<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Margaret
Atwood<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">bell hooks<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Mary
Fallon<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Germaine
Greer<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Helen
Garner<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Kate
Millet<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Monique
Wittig<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Ngaio Marsh</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Marie Lu</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Helene
Cixous<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Alice
Walker<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Amy Tan</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Lucy
Sussex<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Honey
Brown<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Kerry Greenwood</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Kat Zhang</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Diana Gabaldon</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Katherine Mansfield</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Angela
Savage<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Kendare Blake</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Julie Kagawa</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Patricia
Cornwell<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Judith
Wright<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Phillipa (PD) Martin</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Maggie
Stiefvater<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Janet Frame</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Margo
Lanagan<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Veronica
Roth<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Stephenie
Meyer<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Geraldine
Brooks<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Donna
Tartt<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Laurie
R. King<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Rebecca
James<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Leanne
Hall<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Laura
Buzo<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Cate
Kennedy<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Malinda Lo</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Rebecca
Stead<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Madelaine
L’Engle<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Ursula
Le Guin<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Fiona
Wood<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Cath
Crowley<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Kim
Kane<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Kirsty
Eager<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Melina
Marchetta<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Emily
Rodda<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Lili
Wilkinson<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Carole
Wilkinson<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Catherine
Jinks<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Angela
Carter<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Jeanette
Winterson<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Finola
Moorehead<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Joanne
(JK) Rowling<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Sheila
Rowbotham<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Sheila
Kitzinger<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Val
McDermid<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Suzanne
Collins<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Melissa
Keil<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Gabrielle
Williams<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Simmone
Howell<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Ruby
Langford<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Jane
Austen<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Charlotte
Bronte<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Toni
Morrison<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Elizabeth
Barrett Browning<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Emily
Bronte<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Nicole Hayes</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Lee Kofman</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Pamela Allen</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Jackie French</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Ruth Park</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Miles Franklin</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Nansi Kunze</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Fleur Ferris</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Claire
Zorn<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Zuzanna
Budapest<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Naomi
Klein<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Amie
Kaufman<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Sally
Morgan<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Amrita Pritam</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Susie
(SE) Hinton<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Cassandra
Clare<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Suzanne
Collins<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Sandi Wallace</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Sue Williams</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Liz Filleul</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Ella West</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Kirsten Krauth</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Lauren Beukes</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Lisa McMann</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Anne Buist</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Alice Pung</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Jenny Valentish</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Valerie Parv</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Felicity Castagna</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Kathryn Ledson</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Emily
Dickinson<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Maxine
Beneba Clarke<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Isobelle Carmody</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Roxane
Gay<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Brigid
Kemmerer<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Maureen
Johnson<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Christina
Rossetti<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Holly
Black<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">and
all the women I’ve accidentally left out,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">and most
especially, poet and high school English teacher, Lorna Ferguson.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">With all my love -</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">xx Ellie</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15185449419652732005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4324345645727459546.post-90646163502780314352015-02-23T17:24:00.000-08:002015-02-23T17:24:53.432-08:00THE BIG ONE – EVERY MOVE RELEASE GIVEAWAY<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Yes,
that time is upon us! That special time,
when I start running around in a frenzy like my dog when she’s caught a rabbit
(or spots a kangaroo in the distance, or sees…basically anything with
wheels. She’s really into things with wheels. We don’t know why. She’s a dog, we’ve never asked her).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Yes,
<i>it’s release time!</i> (duh-duh-DUH!!!)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><i>Every
Move</i> IS ABOUT TO ARRIVE AT SHOPS, holy crap.
Soon it will be on shelves - in bookstores, at libraries, in schools –
and in peoples’ hot little hands. People
will be <i>reading</i> it, my god (I mean,
people are reading it <i>now</i>, for
review, which is a-mazing, but by the end of the month other people – anybody,
in fact – will be reading it. Eep!)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">And I
am right in the middle of it all. I’m
prepping packages of be-ewdiful posters and book cover proofs and media release
and stickers and badges and swaggy things, to be sent out to schools and
libraries and bookstores (I’m sending them this week, if you’ve been
waiting). I’m doing interviews and guest
posts and articles for the upcoming blog tour.
I am spending a <i>lot</i> of time on
my phone. And I’m getting really excited
about the release, and the Killer Queens gig I’m doing with three other crime
authors at Castlemaine Library on 5 March, and the chance to talk to students
at Somerset Literature Festival in mid-March, and the <i>party</i>! Omg, yes, the launch party!
(<b>it’s on 16 March</b> – see my prev post.
My thoughts about it are currently running along the lines of <i>What food will I buy? How much booze will we need?</i> And – most importantly - <i>which flannie will I
wear??</i>)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">So
right now, even if you can’t make the launch, and you can’t join in the fun elsewhere,
you still get a chance to celebrate with me– cos I’m giving stuff away.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><span style="color: red;"><b>I HAVE
TWO SIGNED COPIES OF <i>EVERY MOVE</i> AVAILABLE TO WIN ON GOODREADS</b></span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Wanna
try your luck on Goodreads? Click the
linky-link (see over on the right) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><span style="color: red;"><b>I ALSO
HAVE THREE <i>EVERY MOVE</i> GIVEAWAY PACKS TO OFF-LOAD</b></span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">These
are, I have to say, pretty spesh. Each
pack consists of:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><span style="color: magenta;">*A
full set of the Every series: <i>Every Breath</i>, <i>Every Word</i> and <i>Every Move</i><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><span style="color: magenta;">*A set
of three posters (one for each book)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><span style="color: magenta;">*Three
Every Move badges<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><span style="color: magenta;">*Three
lovely Every Move postcards<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><span style="color: magenta;">*Six
Every Move stickers, for your stickery enjoyment<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><span style="color: magenta;">*All
these things come wrapped inside a totally sweet Every Move library bag</span> (or it could
be an anything bag. I say it’s a library
bag, cos I use mine at the library, but really – <i>go nuts</i>)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6WGw-jghvjT2imYrWA0BeorqfG1wM-u0P9huFQWqrsboncVbXT9kcG0ZjiDru7ikjKItHWNHjNA9mIMW_MyDXtg4h6skswM5oFVxO2t00KuJ9EvMtqbXFZY5IQonrbIfF5LhDt15j28Nd/s1600/IMG_7632.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6WGw-jghvjT2imYrWA0BeorqfG1wM-u0P9huFQWqrsboncVbXT9kcG0ZjiDru7ikjKItHWNHjNA9mIMW_MyDXtg4h6skswM5oFVxO2t00KuJ9EvMtqbXFZY5IQonrbIfF5LhDt15j28Nd/s1600/IMG_7632.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Wanna
have a go at winning a giveaway pack?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><b><span style="color: red;">You
can do ONE of these things to enter:</span></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">1)<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><b><span style="color: red;">Tweet </span>– gimme a mention on
Twitter, <u>using the name of the book</u>, and I will put your name in the hat<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">2)<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><b><span style="color: red;">Comment </span>– here on the the blog
<u>below this post</u></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">3)<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> <b> </b></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><b><span style="color: red;">Facebook </span>– share the link to
this post on FB, and <u>let me know in a comment </u></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Remember,
<i><b>you only have to do ONE of these ONCE</b></i> (but hey, if you wanna tweet/comment /post
and generally squee about the launch, please feel free! I will be doing a lot of squeeing over here,
in the corner…)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><b>At the end of March</b></span></i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">, I will compile all the names
from tweets/comments/posts into one big ginormicon-type list, and ask my kids
to randomly select a name from the hat (trust me, there will be no
cheating. Those little buggers cheat
like crazy at Uno and Scrabble and blackjack, but they take giveaway draws <i>very</i> seriously).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><b>THIS
GIVEAWAY IS INTERNATIONAL</b>. Yes, that’s
right. So you can enter from anywhere in
the world.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><b>I am not including Instagram in
this giveaway</b></span></i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"> –
the main reason for this is cos <span style="color: magenta;">there will be another giveaway comp via Instagram</span> (I will update you on that very soon), and I don’t
want people to get all confused. But
hey, if you’d like to tell people about the giveaway on Instagram, be my guest!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">And
that’s it!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Oh,
before I go, I should say I had the most
incredible time on writing retreat.
Three whole days of <i>just writing</i>
– no ‘fitting the writing around other stuff’, just writing. Pure bloody magic. When I got home, I discovered that the house
had blown up…no, that’s not true. But my
partner got sick, the kids had multitudinous sporting engagements and were all running
around like chooks, my parents were visiting, and the dog had (temporarily)
gone missing, so I literally hit the ground running. My partner also helped pull a guy out of a
burning car by the side of the road in my absence (!!! And also ??? – yes, really.
I’ll tell that story another time). But
hey, we’re all mostly back to normal now!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Anyway,
I hope your week is not quite so eventful, and that you’re keeping well. North American friends – stay warm! Australian friends – stay cool! (well, you’re
always cool, heh) And see you next time </span><span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Xx Ellie<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15185449419652732005noreply@blogger.com50tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4324345645727459546.post-79393029515034602282015-02-17T23:06:00.003-08:002015-02-22T11:05:56.548-08:00This is hungry work<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">That’s a line from a Hozier song (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYSVMgRr6pw" target="_blank">yes, the one everyone has been listening to</a>). Writing work feeds
into itself, to some extent, but the material that nurtures it comes from
everywhere. Writing work is hungry work,
always seeking out new morsels.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I’ve started printing out the lyrics to some of my current
favourite songs, and tacking them up on the walls of my office (using the term ‘office’
here in its broadest sense), so I can see the way words work in different
combinations and contexts. Poems go up
too – although I’ve always thought that lyrics qualify as contemporary poetry –
and sentences or phrases from books, photos, scribbled scraps of overheard
conversations, pics of artwork, postcards, pamphlets, notes, business cards,
newspaper clippings, drawings (usually done by my kids), jokes, Post-its, and
other ephemera like feathers, leaves, and on my desk, random stones and
mementos, including two conkers from a tree in Hyde Park.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I like the bower bird approach. I’m not a tidy person by nature – tidiness is
something that has instead been drummed into me by over a decade of householding
for a large family. When you have four
kids, you maintain organisation or you flounder in a sea of chaos. So I am tidy, but if you look around my work
space, you can see that tidiness is an imposed state of being.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I collect things – knick knacks, oddsy-sodsy things…memories,
I guess. Do they help me work? I don’t know.
I think so. They remind me that
for all the structured thinking necessary for daily routine - the mental order
I apply to keep to diary dates and planned events, the discipline and compartmentalisation
required to sort out work and parenting and weekly grocery lists and everything
else - the part of me that writes needs randomness, and flow, and a certain
looseness. The mind has to be allowed to
roam and wander and free-range if it wants to create. It’s something I’ve discovered, or rather I’m
discovering as I go along, that way of keeping ‘loose’ in my mind during the
course of the day.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Lately, amidst all the bustle of book launching, I’ve been
feeding myself with music, and with some great books – I just read <i>Station Eleven</i> by Emily St John Mandel,
and it was <u>beautiful</u>, full of poignant desperation and starlight. It reminded me strongly of <i>On the Beach</i> by Nevil Shute, not just
for its themes (which are similar to Shute’s, although not as grim) but for its
evocation of human fallibility and longing and nostalgia. I was gifted my copy of <i>Station Eleven</i> by Kirsty Eagar – a gorgeous gift, thank you! – and now
I’m thinking deeply about a book I’d like to gift to her (we seem to have
started our own little book club). I’m
going to be doing a longer post on workspace and working habits for <a href="http://www.kirstyeagar.com/blog/" target="_blank">Kirsty’s blog</a> in a few weeks – when it goes up, I’ll let you all know.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>First review</b>: I
was given a heads-up (thank you, Sera!) about the <a href="http://www.kids-bookreview.com/2015/02/review-every-move.html" target="_blank">first review of Every Move, which I’m thrilled to say was glowingly positive, in Kid’s Book Review</a>.
What a relief it was to find out that people are enjoying the book! After all my nerves and anxiety, I’m starting
to relax a little – it’s a great weight off my shoulders. Thank you to everyone who has
tweeted/texted/pinged me to say that you’re loving <i>Every Move</i>! There’s nothing
more satisfying than finding out that the work you’ve put in has been worth it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Blog tour details</b>:
Ahh, okay, now this is still being finalised, but I can reveal some of the blog
tour stops now. More fine-tuning will be
reported on soon, but here’s the schedule so far - </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1 March: <a href="https://theunfinishedbookshelf.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">The Unfinished Bookshelf</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">2 March: <a href="http://www.behind-the-pages.com/" target="_blank">Behind the Pages</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">3 March: <a href="http://www.fictionalthoughts.com/" target="_blank">Fictional Thoughts</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">4 March: <a href="http://www.speconspecfic.com/" target="_blank">Speculating on Specfic</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">5 March: <a href="http://genie-inabook.blogspot.com.au/" target="_blank">Genie in a Book</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">6 March: <a href="http://yamidnightreads.com/" target="_blank">YA Midnight Reads</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">7 March: <a href="http://delicateeternity.com/about/" target="_blank">Delicate Eternity</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">8 March: <a href="http://novelsontherun.blogspot.com.au/" target="_blank">Novels on the Run</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">9 March: <a href="http://rachybee-the-rest-is-still-unwritten.blogspot.com.au/" target="_blank">The Rest is Still Unwritten</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">10 March: <a href="http://www.loonyliterate.com/" target="_blank">The Loony Teen Writer</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Please do drop in at the tour stops and say hi (or, y’know,
read the articles and reviews) – I know most bloggers enjoy it when people
leave a comment or two! Some of the tour
stops will involve giveaways as well, so if you’d like a chance to win a copy
of the book, keep a lookout. I’ll be
doing a giveaway of the book here, as well, sometime in the next few weeks.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And you’re coming to the Every Move launch party,
right? I hope you are, if you live in
Melbourne (or especially if you’re coming from afar), because me and Adele Walsh
would love to see you – remember, <b>it’s
at Readings Carlton in Lygon St, on Monday 16 March from 6-8pm</b>. I’m trying to think up some nice food to give
people who have gone to the trouble to come, because I don’t reckon corn chips
and strawberries will cut it this year…should I go the kabana and cheese
platter? I know some folks who would
like cake too (*cough* Allen and Unwin team *cough*), so I’m gonna aim for
variety J</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Anyway, I hope you’re having a good week, and if you have
any catering suggestions, please leave a comment below! Take care –</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Xx Ellie</span></div>
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