Carole at Shearers in Sydney

News | Posted by Carole on Monday 1 September 2008

This week I will be in Sydney. Shearers Bookshop in Leichhardt is hosting an after-school event where I will be speaking.

If anyone in Sydney would like to come and listen to me talk about my books—old and new—I’d love to see you there.

Time: 4pm

Date: Wed 3 Sep

Place: 99 Norton St, Leichhardt

For more information visit the Shearers website. Apparently there will be milkshakes!

It’s free but you must book. Call 9572 7766.

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The Night We Made the Flag

News | Posted by Carole on Tuesday 26 August 2008

I have a new book out. It is my very first picture book.

It tells the story of how the Eureka Flag was made. The Eureka Flag is an important symbol in Australian history. It was the flag flown by Ballarat gold diggers in 1854 when they were rebelling against the government. It has become a symbol of democracy and free speech.

It is a fictional story. The makers of the flag have not been recorded, however there are legends within three families that certain women made it. I have written a story about how they might have done it. The book has lovely illustrations by Sebastian Ciaffaglione. You can see some of the pictures here. Click where it says Look Inside.

There are some facts that we know from the flag itself:

• It is huge (or at least it was, a lot of it has been cut off for souvenirs).
• It is sewn by hand.
• The white stars are made from lawn, which was what women made their petticoats from in those days.
• There is a pin sewn into one of the seams.
• There is a small M or W written on the flag near one of the stars.

I used these facts to make up a story about how the flag might have been made.

The flag is displayed at the Ballarat Fine Art Gallery. You can see a picture of the flag at the Gallery website. You can also read about the history of the rebellion and the flag. There is an entry in Wikipedia too.

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Dragon Moon Wins CBCA Award

Dragonkeeper Trilogy, News | Posted by Carole on Friday 15 August 2008

Today the Children’s Book Council of Australia announced the winners of their annual awards. And I am delighted to say that Dragon Moon was the winner of the CBCA Book of the Year for Younger Readers Award.

I was absolutely thrilled as you can imagine. Often sequels get overlooked by reviewers and judges, so I was very pleased that it won. I know how much kids like to read a series of books, so it is fantastic that the CBCA have selected Dragon Moon.

Congratulations to the other winners.

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Two New Books

News | Posted by Carole on Tuesday 8 July 2008

I have two new books out this month. They are both non-fiction.

The first isn’t completely new, it’s a new edition of my book on the Olympic Games. It has a new cover, a new title — The Games: The extraordinary history of the modern Olympics — and it’s been completely updated. It’s full of the dramas, the scandals, the trivia of the Olympic Games. It’s not just about sport.

The Games is part of The Drum series by black dog books. There are ten books in the series so far, all on fascinating historical topics.

The second book is called Hatshepsut: Lost Pharaoh of Egypt. It’s about the female Pharaoh Hatshepsut who was wiped out of history for 3000 years. Hers is an amazing story of intrigue and mystery that lasts from 1500 BCE right up to last year (which was when they finally found her mummy). Those of you who have read my Ramose series will recognise her name — she was Ramose’s sister. This is her true story. You can look inside the book here.

Hatshepsut is one of the first two books in a new series for younger readers called The Beat. The other book is by Craig Scutt and is about Captain Cook.

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Brisbane Workshop

News | Posted by Carole on Monday 23 June 2008

I will be in Brisbane next Wednesday taking a writers’ workshop at the Queensland Writers Centre.

It will be an all-day Young Writers’ Masterclass for students from Grades 10 — 12. I will be helping young writers learn how to get ideas and build stories. It costs $70 and there are still a few places left.

Date: Wednesday 2 July

Time: 10am to 4 pm

Place: Queensland Writers Centre

Level 2, 109 Edward Street, Brisbane

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Storylines Festival

News, Ramose | Posted by Carole on Wednesday 18 June 2008

I have just returned home after a hectic week or so in New Zealand at the Storylines Festival. I appeared at free Family Days in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, along with well-known UK author and illustrator Babette Cole and many NZ authors and illustrators including Margaret Mahy, Joy Cowley, Gavin Bishop and Kyle Mewburn.

The Family Days had a full program of authors talking about their books, book readings, illustrators creating. There were activities for kids to take part in, and theatre performances by some school groups, based on visiting authors’ books. Students from Auckland Normal Intermediate and Heaton Intermediate School did terrific performances from my book Ramose: Prince in Exile.

Here are some photos I took.

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Short

News | Posted by Carole on Thursday 8 May 2008

I’ve just received my author copies of a new black dog books book called Short: a collection of interesting short stories and other stuff from some surprising and intelligent people. I have a short story in it. As well as stories it contains poems, pictures and things that don’t fit into any regular categories.

All royalties go to Big Brothers, Big Sisters, an organisation which provides mentors for young people in need of support and friendship. Contributors include Andy Griffiths, Micheal Panckridge, Michael Gerard Bauer, Karen Tayleur, Scot Gardner, Alicia Sometimes, Michael Pryor and Sue Lawson and many others. And it was expertly edited by my daughter, Lili Wilkinson. You can read more about it here.

My story is a sort of ancient Egyptian ghost story.

It’s a lot of fun and for a good cause. Look for it at your local bookshop or you could buy it online at the black dog books shop.

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Dragon Moon Shortlisting

Dragon Companion, News | Posted by Carole on Thursday 17 April 2008

The shortlist for this year’s NSW Premier’s Literary Awards have just been announced, and…Dragon Moon has been nominated for the Patricia Wrightson Award. I’m delighted, of course. That’s two shortlistings for the book. The winners will be announced on 19 May.

You can see all the other shortlisted books here. It’s a tough field, with Li Cunxin and Emily Rodda among the shortlistees.

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Medieval Faire

Dragon Companion, News | Posted by Carole on Thursday 17 April 2008

The State Library of Victoria is holding a Medieval Faire this Saturday (20 April) from 10-4. There are lots of interesting-looking events and activities including opportunities to learn how to sword fight, try drawing dragons and dress up in Medieval clothes. There are story-telling sessions and performances of Medieval music. It’s all to accompany The Medieval Imagination, a terrific exhibition of Medieval illuminated manuscripts (which I’ve already been to twice). The exhibition and the Faire are all free.

The reason I mention this, apart from it being a great event, is that I will be there speaking about Medieval dragons in my book Dragon Companion. This will be from 1.30-2.15 in the Theatrette (Entry 3, LaTrobe St). So I hope to see some of my Melbourne readers there. Remember it’s free!

The State Library is on the corner of Swanston St and LaTrobe St in Melbourne.

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Sydney Visit in May

News | Posted by Carole on Friday 11 April 2008

I will be visiting Sydney next month as a guest of the Sydney Writer’s Festival. I’ll be doing two school sessions on a panel with Terry Denton, Richard Glover, Doug MacLeod, Emily Rodda and Deborah Abela. But those sessions have both sold out.

I will also be doing a session which is open to the general public on Thurs 22 May 10.30-11.30. The session is called Poking Around in Libraries and Michael White and I will be talking about research. This event is free and is at the Sydney Dance Company’s Studio 4 which is at Pier 4/5, Hickson Road, Walsh Bay. So come along if you can.

Also I will be at the Children’s Bookshop in Beecroft on 19 May 5-7 pm. I will be speaking with teen author Kate McCaffrey. This is really an event for teachers and librarians, but proprietor Paul Macdonald says older (high-school age) kids would also be welcome. The themes of Kate’s books might not be suitable for younger kids though.

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