Hi Last week was Australian Children's Book Week. At one of the schools I visited, Westminster, I received a wonderful packet of handwritten cards with fabulous artwork from the year four students.
They had read 'Jamil's Shadow' as part of their preparation and here are some of their comments:
I think you are an enthusiastic author.
Your books have an interesting and descriptive language which is rare in a book, particularly a short novel like ‘Jamil’s Shadow’.
I have read a lot of your books and think all of them are magnificently excellent. I think that you are fabulous and very capable of explaining stuff like emotions and objects.
The funny bit was when the cyclists were wearing undies.
I like when the boy was taking care of the dog. ‘Jamil’s Shadow’ is a wonderful story about friendship between a boy and a dog.
Your book ‘Jamil’s Shadow’ has lots of big words and excellent descriptions and lots of detail.
I love all your books even though I’ve only read one ... you never really know what’s going to happen next.
I was amazed at how many books you’ve written.
If you would like to know more about the background to the writing of the story and see some photographs, click here.
The year fours also had some questions, which I've answered: Is being an author hard? Most of it is fun, but sometimes it’s hard. Some days when the sun is shining, I don’t want to sit inside the house and work so I take my laptop computer outside and write there. I love doing that. Also, when I get stuck, I’ve learned ways to overcome that. Check out these two links with my tips for when you are stuck with your writing. My Amazon Connect Blog My Audrey of the Outback Blog
I know you’ve written lots of books, but are you going to write another? Yes, I have two manuscripts with publishers now. They are thinking about them and whether they suit their list. Next year I will have an Audrey picture book published. Ann James is now doing the illustrations. And I have just begun a girl’s mystery series for 9-12 year olds. What is your favourite book you have written? I don't have a favourite. Truly. It's too hard to decide. All the fifty books that I've written are stories that I could feel enthusiastic about. Otherwise, I wouldn't bother writing them. And favourite books depend on a person's mood. Sometimes you might select a funny book but other times you want to read something scary. I have characters that I am especially fond of, and Audrey from the Outback series is one of those.
What are Jamil’s parents’ names and how did they die? I don’t say much about his parents because the story focuses on Jamil, not his parents. They never appear in the story and are mentioned to explain his lonely circumstances.
How old is Jamil? I usually don’t give ages of my characters, partly so that people can identify with the person, not the age. Each reader often thinks the character is their age and as one young reader told me, ‘It keeps the magic going’.
If you were making another book what would it be called? ‘The Storyteller Puzzle’ is my last book, but sometimes the titles change before publication.
How come the Turkish didn’t have televisions when cyclists were riding in bike pants? By focusing on the people’s lives and not including things like televisions, it makes the story timeless. Also, these people were poor and lived high in the mountains in a small village. They wouldn’t all have televisions. And the people who said this were the old men who might be a little more ‘in the past’ with their ideas.
For more Frequently asked author questions, and their answers, click here.
Below is a photo I took looking out of Westminster Library, through one of the fabulous reading pods. This pod has a bookweek display.
Want to hear some advice on getting and keeping a girlfriend? Check out this cute but sensible video of a young author discussing his book and 'secret' girl-catching methods.
Here is more advice from 8-11 year olds on kissing, taken from writing workshops.
‘Clean your teeth.’
Tim, 8
‘When she walks past and you are sitting down at your desk, put your leg out so she trips over and then pretend to fall over yourself. ‘
P.J., 10
‘If you’re too nervous, don’t do it. You can make sure your breath is fresh by eating mints and spit a lot before you try to kiss her.’
Pham, 11
‘Don’t have any gum because she could choke.’
Skye, 9
‘Hold the person in your arms, then kiss them. If you’re desperate, just kiss them.’
Bianca, 9
‘Pretend to drown at a swimming pool and the lady lifeguard will give you mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Then pull her down on to you.’
Jake, 10
‘Don’t act silly when she is around.’
Damask, 11
‘Take a girl to the movies. When you get back hint for a good night kiss. Eventually she might give it to you.’
Roscoe, 11
‘As the movie started, I would pretend to knock the popcorn out of her hand. As I bent down to pick up the popcorn in the dark, I’d quickly give her a kiss on the lips.’
Christopher, 11
‘Stick out your tongue and bring your heads together.’
Jarrad, 8
‘Open doors for her and put on sweet and low music.’
Caitlin, 10
‘He has to be clean. He can’t drool. He should kiss you under one minute. He shouldn’t have a cold. He has to ask you out, not get his friends to ask. He should be on time and not have loose teeth.’
I’ve always loved books. As a child I escaped into other worlds via the written page and pretended I was a character in the story. I still do this, but now I write down my own versions of what that character does.
My goal is to make people laugh, cry or gasp when they read my stories. Or when they hear me tell stories. After an especially exciting talk in Alice Springs, in Central Australia, a seven year-old rushed up to me and said, ‘Are you going to be a comedian when you grow up?’ Then he put one hand to his mouth and said, ‘Oh, you are grown up, aren’t you?’ Perhaps that is the key to why I write for younger readers. Part of me is their age.
Truly, I wrote my first book up a tree. Okay, I was only nine years old. But it was a really big tree. That book was never published, but it was one of my most exciting. Not only was I up a tree, I was being rescued by a surprisingly hairless Tarzan.
One of my favourite sayings about books is a Chinese proverb, ‘A book is like a garden carried in the pocket.’
