Perth Words… exploring possibilities.

Norman Jorgensen was born in Broome, the eldest of four brothers, and has lived in several country towns since. At a young age he developed a love of books, especially historical novels like Treasure Island, and old movies. At age thirteen Norman learned to sail. These days he loves travelling and researching exotic places for his books. His latest book is The Smuggler’s Curse.

His books also include The Last Viking and The Last Viking Returns. The Last Viking won the 2012 Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators’ Crystal Kite Award, the 2012 WA Young Readers’ Hoffman Award and a 2012 Children’s Book Council of Australia Junior Judges Award. Jorgensen won CBCA picture book of the year for In Flanders Fields.

Monique: Your latest novel for children is The Smuggler’s Curse. Tell me a bit about it.  

Norman: The story is set in 1896 and tells of…

“Today Mary Richards and her DNA can be found in nearly every major female character in primetime.”
Tina Fey on the character Mary Tyler Moore played in the TV show that lead to Moore winning four of her seven Primetime Emmy Awards

The day after I won a Regional Emmy for this blog in 2008 I drove the the Starbucks in Crystal, Minnesota where Diablo Cody wrote much of Juno, and I then drove to downtown Minneapolis and took this photo of the Mary Tyler Moore statue on the Nicollet Mall.

I’ve read the because of construction in that area the statue is temporarily “housed inside the Minneapolis Visitor Information Center at 505 Nicollet Mall, Suite 100.” And because of her death today flowers are being placed on the statue.  Here’s the opening of The Mary Tyler Moore Showthat ended with the famous hat toss of a happy Mary Richards.

Just to let everyone know, I’m busy taking my e-books off Kindle but leaving a couple of print versions of poetry books available on Amazon.

Soon after they were published on Amazon/Kindle, I found the mss available for free download (elsewhere) on the net.    I reported it to Amazon who said they had been copied illegally…  (?)  Not happy, Jan!

I want to try another publishing vehicle to see what their service is like and will let you know as soon as I have set it up.

#FrancesMForde  #E-BOOK:E-males  #E-BOOK:MeetingMrX  #E-BOOK:LoveYouMum  #E-BOOK:Overtime

Mark’s top tip for authors: To write well is an ongoing process. Strive to learn and improve. Don’t be easily discouraged. Read with a writer’s eye. If you write about history, learn to balance reading for pleasure with research.

Mark Greenwood’s award-winning books examining history, myths and legends have been published and honoured internationally.

Simpson and His Donkey was a CBCA Honour Book and a USBBY Outstanding International Book. Jandamarra, illustrated by Terry Denton, was shortlisted for the CBCA Eve Pownall Award, the NSW Premier’s Literary Awards Patricia Wrightson Prize for Children’s Literature and the West Australian Young Readers’ Book Awards.

Mark often teams with his wife, illustrator Frané Lessac, to produce books that promote an understanding of multicultural issues, such as Drummer Boy of John John, Magic Boomerang, Outback Adventure, and Our Big Island. Their recent titles include The Mayflower and Midnight –…

Ozflix, a new video-on-demand service dedicated to streaming every Australian film ever made, is set to launch at 6:00pm on Australia Day, 26th January, 2017.

Acclaimed by Australia’s most influential directors, producers and actors, Ozflix will begin streaming with around 250 Australian films and three free original content shows, with more free content to be announced.