Norman Bilbrough to assess my book

Norman Bilbrough has been chosen by NZ Authors to assess my junior fiction novel. 

Here's the book council's round up of Norman's many skills: NZ Book Council Norman Bilbrough in brief. 

Will be really interesting to hear his feedback but I have to wait until September to receive it.

My novel is called Brave and True.  It's a 60,000 word fantasy adventure story for 9-12 year olds, about a boy named Brave and a girl called True.  Here's the short trial version of my synopsis, or perhaps it's a back cover blurb:

Brave and True

Ever wondered what an earth your Mum is talking about?  It’s like she’s from a totally different planet, right?

Brave’s Mum is always going on about Brussels sprouts, balance and connections to nature.  He’d be happy with a reliable connection to the internet. 

Besides, he’s got more important things to worry about like his arch enemy, mega-bully Riley.

But when Brave’s bad mood sets off a thunderstorm, his Mum's hand shoots out green light and a mystery Uncle turns up with a strange warning, Brave knows something weird is going on.

Things turn freaky fast when a spooky, swirling vortex swallows his Mum whole and Brave takes an unexpected journey – to another world!

Brave arrives in Arvalonia just as the false queen Mallevia destroys the last magic school established to resist her.   In a world where power belongs to those who connect magically to the natural elements of the land, Mallevia is a threat to the balance of life.  And Brave is her next target...

With the help of True, Brave flees the false queen on a desperate quest to find his mum, a castle called Kingsfort and his own magical abilities.

Will Brave find help before the false queen finds him?

Can Brave learn to use Arvalonian magic?

Will True stop being an annoying pain in the butt?

Brave and True adventure across searing desert sands, down the muddy Sugarcane River and into their enemy’s territory.  They face a month without a bath, nipping stinkbuggies, Mallevia’s ruthless green guards and eventually, the false queen herself.

Publishing and Donkeys

Last weekend I went to a publishing seminar run by Jill Marshall of Pear Jam Books.  The day was chocka-block full of information about mainstream publishing, eBook publishing, audio books, printing and illustration.  Jill was honest about the ups and downs of the process she'd gone through with mainstream publishers and her personal experience of eBook publishing. 

The right gang will smooth the road
 to publishing success

Publishing a book is no easy journey, no matter what method you choose.  It's a bumpy ride on a stubborn donkey, round corners and up hills and sometimes you just have to get off and throw a wobbly or two.

But if you surround yourself with other travellers, who've taken the road before, who will cheer you on and give the donkey a good whack on the backside every now and again, maybe you won't fall off.

At the end of the course someone asked Jill what she thought about writing groups.  She said, if you choose the right one, they can be a great.

Definitely!  I belong to three!  I'm not even that much of a social butterfly and relish a good six hour stretch of writing all by myself as much as the next aspiring author, but these groups offer a sanity check.  There's personal experience, expert knowledge and industry know how to be had over a cuppa and bickies.  Get amongst it!

Tim Wilson speaks

Had an entertaining afternoon at a Friends of the Library event today, listening to Tim Wilson talk about his life and times.  He's an interesting man.  One part self-effacing, two parts super-confident.  Perhaps the last part summed up best by his Mum in the audience - he always lands on his feet.  Nine lives?

I liked the way he explained much of his success as a series of random events.  Because so often life is like that.  If I hadn't been in this place, at that time, nothing would have happened...

He's written a book and a collection of short stories.  'Their Faces Were Shining' interests me. I've spent the last year reading dystopian YA novels, so it will be great to read a grown up version.

Especially after listening to the author's account of chasing news stories across the USA.  Hurricane Katrina, mass murders... real experiences with the look and feel of the end times.