This post and the last gives a quick context to this blog, so you know the whys, ifs, buts and so who the hell cares of its existence. And to say the same thing about my existence.
Character breakdown of a children’s author
I’m Sydney born and raised, and am 26 years old for only the next two months.
“I’m also a n/s and s/d, and like quiet walks on the beach.”
The History of Nearly Everything
I’ve always wanted to be a writer. Besides the last sentence from above, I’m sure that’s the most clichéd sentence you’ve ever read. Since Year 4, I gave writing a more serious thought than just wishing to be the next Francine Pascal. (If you thought, “Sweet Valley Twins? How embarrassing!” you’d be correct on both counts). I gave playwriting and directing a shot at age 10 (“Who stole Mrs Reed’s vase”); mysteries were a favourite. My writing skill was quite limited then: the bad guy always wore a black and white striped shirt and tiptoed while holding a bag with a dollar sign on it.
Kids are the darndest things
Writing in any form was a large presence in my life, but funnily enough, so were kids. So not so strange they melded together to form children’s writing as a career for me. During my Media/Law degree and various magazine internships, I was a nanny for two children and a kids’ party host at a toy store. How I lasted so long is beyond me:
- Dressing up as a fairy, mermaid or Hi Five for themed parties is all well and good if you have the costume on hand. Adult sized costumes that is. There are more occasions than I care to admit that I had to wear costumes made for children. That were sold at the store. At one pirate party, I looked like a homeless Where’s Wally who tramped into a Pirates of Penzance ensemble with the short culotte-type pants and hand-me-down-looking red stripy tee I was so gracefully sporting. And Bob the Builder’s hard hat was quite innovative: a fluoro yellow Stack Hat helmet. Let me tell you: those things work. It covered my entire head so well I couldn’t hear a thing. I only knew the music started playing again in Musical Statues because the kids began moving.
- I love babies. But you can’t have a party which involves comprehension of games, such as pass the parcel, musical chairs, red light, singing happy birthday, when communication is a problem. I hosted a one year old’s party. And the birthday boy was the oldest child there. The rest were under 6 months old. Luckily, his 8 year old cousin arrived. This was a lovely family, recent migrants from Russia. But unfortunately, the 8 year old cousin didn’t understand a word I said. So I let the kids face paint me to while the time away. For 90 minutes.
- Nannying. Let me just say, I got everything but the justification that they were mine.
For the love of it
You know that saying, “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know?” The chance to write my books just fell in my lap. Well, in my inbox. I knew someone who worked with someone who was commissioning authors to write books for Macmillan Publishing. It’s much easier to say: networks do just that. They work.
Thinking over tiramisu
Why the book tour? Why this blog? The power of marscapone and coffee liqueur-soaked sponge is a definite recipe for success. Even if you just get tiramisu. After dinner at my place, my three closest friends, Kelly, Nat and Dave, were brainstorming ideas on how Kelly (a high school teacher) and I could join forces, combining my writing with her education insight to write a book catered to the school curriculum. It was then decided over bowls of sweetness that we had a foot in the door with my Halycrus books. Then that I should ask primary school libraries to stock my books. Then to write another book. Then to stick with what I have already and promote the Halycrus books through the book tour, website, Facebook, Twitter, this blog, to gain the publicity to write my new book. And my and Kelly’s new book. So here we are.
…over to you…
“A good novel tells us the truth about its hero; but a bad novel tells us the truth about its author.” ~GK Chesterton.
I think the opposite of the last sentence is true for blogs. I’m not going to list my favourite food, my vital stats*, what school I went to, my alcoholic beverage of choice, top five movies, the book I read to make me happy. Rather than profile myself in a Lava Life-esque manner, I’d rather you know who I am through my rambling posts rather than ticking boxes.
One thing I will do, just to add a certain quirk of consistency to my posts, is list what I’m eating, drinking and listening to at the time I’m posting.
Eating: I’m chewing on my right thumb nail.
Drinking: lemon tea
Listening: to Season 1, Episode 4, Seinfeld.
Bye bye baby bye bye
*Psst… I’m 5’3″.
