Perth Words… exploring possibilities.

Warner Bros. is obviously where Ben Affleck is happiest.

The Accountant looks to be a solid thriller with an interesting premise.

My thoughts on the trailer:

Lots of people can write. Lots of people can (and do!) query their writing. But what does that group of people who get published do differently? Other than persistence, here are my FIVE SECRETS to set you apart from the pack–and join your peers getting published!

1. NETWORK

Notice I didn’t say “develop a platform” which is a plus, but isn’t going to score you a book deal by itself. By network I mean:

• Join a critique group
• Join a writing association (ITW, RWA, WFWA etc.)
• Spend time on one social media site that suits your interests and personality (choose one! you don’t have to do it all) and build a community
• Engage with other writers who have agents and if you become friends and have similar writing style ask for a referral to their agent

2. KNOW YOUR BRAND, HAVE A PLAN

I get it, I do; you writers are creative people…

A few months ago I was invited by Cafe Dissensus to guest edit a special issue on Female Genital Mutilation in India. A topic close to my heart, for reasons that will become evident when you read the editorial here and the other stories in this issue. The extraordinary transformative power of grief in the shared narratives of over a dozen women from all walks of life and all corners of the world, stunned me. Naturally stories like these cannot be told without a backlash. The Facebook page dedicated to ending the practice of mutilating young girls has been attacked by those who perceive their control is slipping. Men and women whose only recourse seems to be heckling, post daily diatribes against the women who have taken on legal and religious establishments in India in a bid to end this horrendous practice. Australia, U.K, Canada and the U.S.A have legislation…

I’m really looking forward to participating in this year’s  Margaret River Readers and Writers Festival  on the long weekend in June. I’ll be in 2 events on Friday and 1 on Saturday, as well as being involved in the Write Advice Curtin Writing and Publishing Flash Mob, also on the Saturday.

On Friday morning I’ll be talking with Chinese poet, essayist and translator, Huiyi Bao, about her book of essays on Irish culture as well as her research into religious poetry. She’ll read some of her poems, talk about her translations of the work of Margaret Attwood and Elizabeth Bishop, and how her book has become a best-seller in mainland China.

Later that day I’ll be talking with Rosemary Sayer about my book In Love and War: Nursing Heroes. Rosemary and I were part of a really enjoyable conversation at the Perth Writers Festival and I’m looking forward…

“Upon discovering the history of Ben Hall, John Gilbert and Frank Gardiner, it sent me into a frenzy of research and writing. It’s become somewhat of an obsession that has hung on for almost 10 years.”

by Matthew Eeles

Australian filmmaker, Matthew Holmes has announced two prequels to his highly anticipated The Legend of Ben Hall – an epic, enthralling outlaw tale based on the life of the infamous Australian bushranger.

According to Holmes, work is already underway on two companion films to form The Bushranger Anthology, the first of it’s kind ever produced in Australia.

“Australia has never made a trilogy of Bushranger Westerns,” Holmes told Cinema Australia, “This will be the first.”

The two follow-ups will be companion pieces to Ben Hall, and will tell the stories of Hall’s mentor, Frank Gardiner and John Vane, a 21-year-old bush delinquent recruited into the Gilbert-Hall gang in 1863.

This week…

… and it isn’t even out yet!

Thank you Joy Lawn for the wonderful early review in Australian Bookseller + Publisher:

‘The Shark Caller breaks new ground in junior YA fiction. [I]ssues of conservation and identity, as told from Izzy’s dual-cultural perspective, with a scattering of creole Tok Pisin words, will intrigue readers aged 11 and up.’ Joy Lawn, Australian Bookseller + Publisher

Here is a link to their website with the full review.

And, my very first uncorrected proof copy arrived this week.

As I read through it for the multi-hundredth time, I couldn’t help getting out a pencil and making just a few more changes. How did I miss 2x ‘massive’ on pg 80 ? And why didn’t I delete ‘suddenly’ on pg 208?

Too late for this edition, but fingers crossed for a second print run. In the meantime, I think I need to channel Elsa…

Last week, I was invited to read My Silly Mum to sixty school children aged four to five years old. I’m no stranger to reading to children, having run a weekly storytime session at my current workplace for a couple of years, as well as running playgroups for several years (once upon a time).

Here are my tips for reading to young school children:

1. Rent a laughing child: If your book is funny, you need that one child who kicks off the giggles. It doesn’t matter if it’s as soon as you open the book, or after the first word – trust me, it’s affirming because that kid gets it. I had one of those children at the book launch also, and his “her-her-her-her” certainly revved up the crowd.

2. Dare the kids: Kids love a challenge. Do I have the silliest mum in the world? Or do they?

3. Pause…