Yikes – I can’t believe the end of July has arrived so quickly. There are loads more things I wanted to say but July has turned out to be a lot busier than I anticipated. I am hard at work on rewriting a novel which I am hoping will be published next year. It is a big project and has taken me longer than I first expected. Sometimes stories come out almost perfect first time but sometimes they are like a sculpture inside a block of stone and it takes many hours of chipping and chiselling and sanding before the beautiful figure lying beneath can be revealed. Sometimes when you can see the shape of the body you think you are done but there are still many hours of work ahead to make it smooth and shiny. I am also a university student at Canterbury University (by long distance study) studying children’s literature so I can better understand books as a reader as well as a writer. So just like many of you I get to do homework as well (luckily this year some of my homework means I have to read The Hunger Games).
But I am also getting ready for the Storylines Festival which will be happening in August. I am involved in a number of activities, giving a workshop in Auckland on the 25th and appearing at the Auckland family day on August 26th. But this year I get to do something very special (and which I am VERY excited about) – I get to come down to Christchurch and will be at the Christchurch Storylines Family Day at Catholic Cathedral College on August 19th from 10am till 3pm. I am part of a nationwide organisation for NZ children’s writers and illustrators, Kiwiwrite4kidz and will be at the Family Day on their behalf. If you would like to come and meet me and say hello I will be there all day. I would love to talk books and writing with you and answer any questions you might have. I am looking forward to meeting you there
On Sunday 19 August, from 10am-3pm at Catholic Cathedral College, you can come along to the Christchurch Storylines Free Family Day. It’s your chance to meet your literary heroes – authors, illustrators, storytellers and book characters and it’s absolutely FREE!
As well as meeting some of our best authors and illustrators you can get your face painted and have a go at some of the fun activities, including pen a poem or design a book cover.
Do you like Dinosaurs? Do you like to be grossed-out by all sorts of disgusting things? If you answered yes to both of these questions then I’ve got the perfect book for you – T-Wreck-Asaurus, the first book in the hilarious new Dinosaur Rescue series by Kyle Mewburn and Donovan Bixley.
Arg is a caveboy with a really big brain. He doesn’t really fit in with the rest of his tribe who are really, really stupid. Arg doesn’t know why he was born with a bigger brain than anybody else, and sometimes it can be quite lonely being this smart. Thankfully, he has his pet microceratops, Krrk-Krrk to keep him company and join him on his adventures. When an angry T-rex starts destroying his village it’s up to Arg to come up with a plan to stop him.
T-Wreck-Asaurus is a gross, hilarious book and it’s perfect for fans of Andy Griffiths, Captain Underpants, and anyone who likes stories with dinosaur farts and Brontosaurus poo. The story and the illustrations had me laughing out loud. There are lots of little added extras throughout the book, including notes about Arg’s clothing, interesting facts about Brontosaurus poo and a diagram of Arg’s family cave. You may want to hold your nose as you read, because the stench from these dinosaurs is deadly! Look out for book two in the series, Stego-Snottysaurus.
You could get your favourite author’s autograph, listen to them talk about their books and read some of them, or enter the Storylines competition. It’s totally FREE, so come along with your family and join the fun. Go to the Storylines website to view the programme or grab one from your library.
The Storylines Free Family Day in Christchurch on Sunday 21 August is only 1 week away. There are lots of amazing author and illustrators coming, including the very cool, Kyle Mewburn and Donovan Bixley. Kyle and Donovan have created a hilarious and disgusting new series called Dinosaur Rescue. You can read our review of the series and watch the disgusting book trailer here on the blog. To celebrate the release of the first two books in the series and their appearance at the Christchurch Storylines Family Day, we have 5 sets of the first two books to give away, which include:
To go into the draw to win one of these books, all you have to do is answer this question – What is your favourite dinosaur and why? Add a comment on this post with your answer, your name, and email address (so we can contact you if you win). Entries close Friday 19 August at 5pm.
The Storylines Free Family Day in Christchurch on Sunday 21 August is only 2 weeks away. There are lots of amazing author and illustrators coming, including the author of the Zac Power series and Phoenix Files series, Chris Morphew. Thanks to Hardie Grant Egmont we are giving away two of Chris Morphew’s books:
To go into the draw to win one of these books, all you have to do is answer this question – What gadget would you use to help you save the world? It could be one of Zac Power’s gadgets or any gadget that you can think of. Add a comment on this post with your answer, your name, email address (so we can contact you if you win) and the title of the book that you would like to win. Entries close Friday 12 August at 5pm.
I had lots of fun walking around and talking to the all the authors and illustrators. There were lots of kids who were dressed up in costumes. My favourite costume that I saw was a girl who was Pippi Longstocking. There were also a few Harry Potters and a Willy Wonka. I like getting my books signed because I think it’s really special, especially when an author or illustrating writes something nice.
Did you go to the Storylines Family Day? If you did, what was your favourite part of the day?
If you’re looking for something to do this weekend, why don’t you come along to the Storylines Free Family Day at the Christchurch Town Hall from 10am-3pm. It’s a chance for you to meet some fantastic New Zealand authors and illustrators, including:
You could get your favourite author’s autograph, listen to them talk about their books and read some of them, make a cool mask or bookmark, or learn about the world around you in the Factopia Zone.
Who’s your favourite New Zealand author? What question would you ask them if you got the chance to meet them?
This week’s writing tip comes from one of New Zealand’s greatest writers, Margaret Mahy, who will be appearing at the Storylines Free Family Day in Christchurch on Sunday 15 August. Margaret Mahy has written so many books that it’s impossible to name them all. She writes picture books, like Down the Back of the Chair, as well as novels, like Kaitangata Twitch, Maddigan’s Fantasia, Memory, and Portable Ghosts. We’ll be posting some other great writing tips from Margaret Mahy over the next couple of weeks in the lead-up to Storylines. This week, she talks about the story ideas that come to her.
“My ideas mostly come from things that happen to me, but of course they are changed a great deal by the time the story is finished. The ideas begin with real things but I invent all sorts of things to add to them, or I change them in some way before the story is finished.”
You can find all sorts of interesting things down the back of a chair. It’s the best place to find loose change because it always falls out of people’s pockets and seems to roll there. Sometimes you find old bits of food that have gone all crusty or have been mushed into the chair cushions. Have you ever fallen down the back of the chair? Some chairs are so soft and spongy that you can almost disappear into them.
There is a special writing and illustrating competition that you can enter if you go to the Storylines Free Family Day at the Christchurch Town Hall on Sunday 15 August. All you have to do is write a one page story about what you might find down the back of a chair, or you could design a book cover for Margaret Mahy’s book, Down the Back of the Chair. You can write it on the day or write it beforehand and bring it along. There are prizes for the best writing and illustrations in each age group: Age 4-8 and 9-12 years and winning entries will be posted on the Storylines website.
Get writing or illustrating and you might win a cool prize.
On Sunday 15 August from 10am-3pm some of New Zealand’s best children’s authors and illustrators will be heading to the Christchurch Town Hall for the Storylines Free Family Day. The whole day is FREE and it’s a chance for you to come and meet some of your favourite authors and illustrators, including Margaret Mahy, Joy Cowley, Gavin Bishop, and the creators of the Wonky Donkey book, Craig Smith and Katz Cowley.
As well as meeting all these cool people and maybe even getting your books signed, there are heaps of fun things for you to do, including face painting, creating your own bookmark or mask, and learning about the world around you in the Factopia zone. Come dressed as your favourite book character and you might even score a spot prize.
To find out more about what’s happening on the day you can grab a programme from your local library or visit the Storylines website.
Yikes – I can’t believe the end of July has arrived so quickly. There are loads more things I wanted to say but July has turned out to be a lot busier than I anticipated. I am hard at work on rewriting a novel which I am hoping will be published next year. It is a big project and has taken me longer than I first expected. Sometimes stories come out almost perfect first time but sometimes they are like a sculpture inside a block of stone and it takes many hours of chipping and chiselling and sanding before the beautiful figure lying beneath can be revealed. Sometimes when you can see the shape of the body you think you are done but there are still many hours of work ahead to make it smooth and shiny. I am also a university student at Canterbury University (by long distance study) studying children’s literature so I can better understand books as a reader as well as a writer. So just like many of you I get to do homework as well (luckily this year some of my homework means I have to read The Hunger Games).
