I just got a certificate in the post telling me that Garden of the Purple Dragon won the 2009 KROC Award for Best Fiction for Older Readers, which is terrific. (The KROCs are the Children’s Choice Awards in the Northern Territory). So thanks to all those readers who voted for the book, and I’m sorry I wasn’t there to help eat the crocodile ice-cream cake which must have been yummy.
On Tuesday I went up to Sydney for two award ceremonies. The first was the KOALA Awards (the NSW children’s choice awards) which were held at the Parramatta Town Hall. I’m very pleased to say that Garden of the Purple Dragon won the award for older readers! Honour books were Give Peas a Chance by Morris Gleitzman and the Ranger’s Apprentice Series by John Flanagan. You can see the winners of the other categories here.
(Above) This is Alyssa Brugman and I at the Awards. (Below) My KOALA winner’s mug.
The second awards ceremony was the NSW Premier’s History Awards. My book The Night We Made the Flag was shortlisted. I didn’t win that one, the winner was Anthony Hill for his book Captain Cook’s Apprentice.
Congratulations to all the winners.
I’m pleased to tell you that my picture book The Night We Made the Flag: A Eureka Story, illustrated by Sebastian Ciaffaglione, has been shortlisted for the 2009 NSW Premier’s Young People’s History Prize. The judges said it was “very powerful” and that it highlights the importance of women in Australian history, which is very pleasing. They also said that Sebastian’s illustrations “magically convey the journey from dusk through the long tiring night to a mulitcoloured dawn”.
The other shortlisted books are:
The winner of the prize will be announced on Tues 27th October.
You can read all the Judges’ Reports here.
Next Saturday I will be at the Angus & Robertson bookshop in Melbourne as part of the Kids’ Fun Day to celebrate the launch of the new Angus & Robertson Kids’ Top 50 list. I’ll be doing a reading and signing books. If any one has books they’d like me to sign or if you just want to say hello, I’d love to see you there. They want kids to come dressed as their favourite characters from books. It’s an all-day event, but here are the details of when I’ll be there:
Date: Saturday 3 October
Time: 12.30
Place: 360 Bourke Street, that’s on the corner of Bourke and Elizabeth Streets
For more info: phone 03 9670 8861 or go to the Angus & Robertson website
Tomorrow I am off to Brisbane, where I am speaking at the Brisbane Writers Festival, word play 2009 for young readers, writers and illustrators.
I have three sessions speaking to students in the flesh and one online session. I’m looking forward to it. I hope to see some of my Queensland-based readers there.
It has been a loooong time since I wrote a blog. This is because I have been overseas for a month and then suffering from horrible jetlag.
I went to UK to do some research for a new novel. I went with my daughter Lili and she is blogging about some of the things we did. I am just going to post a few pictures.
My Ramose series, set in ancient Egypt, is being released in a new format in Australia. The first book in the series and the second book are together in a new edition called The Valley of the Tombs. Here is the new cover.
I think it looks terrific. Next year the second volume will be published which will contain the third and the fourth books of the series.
For those who aren’t familiar with this series, it is about Prince Ramose who was a real person in ancient Egypt. He was the son of Pharaoh Tuthmosis I and the brother of Queen Hatshepsut. Historians haven’t found any information about Ramose, so I have made up a story of what I imagine his life was like.
Similar editions of Ramose have also been published in the UK, but with different covers and different titles. Over there, the first edition containing the first two books is called Fury of the Gods.
This is the UK cover. Also a great cover. I am always amazed at how different the covers are in different countries.
I’m pleased to announce that the UK edition of Dragon Dawn will be released on 4 June. Here is the UK cover.
Pretty cool isn’t it?
Just to remind you, Dragon Dawn is a prequel to the Dragon Keeper Trilogy. It is set 100 years before Dragon Keeper when Danzi was younger and more sprightly, and Ping wasn’t even born.
UK readers will get a bonus with this book. Also included is an A-Z of Chinese Dragons. I’m looking forward to getting my copies of the book. I haven’t seen it yet.
Yesterday we had a photo shoot in the lounge room. My daughter Lili and I both needed new author shots. When authors get invited to speak at festivals etc, the organisers usually like you to send them a photo for their brochure. You have to have a reasonably recent photo, otherwise when you arrive they say, “Oh, are you Carole Wilkinson? I was expecting someone younger!”
Anyway, my husband, John, has endless patience and took lots of photos of Lili, but was then a bit bored by the whole thing when it got to my turn. It should have been the other way around, as she is very photogenic and I’m not.
Here are my favourites.
I had a good time at the Perth Writers Festival. Lots of people came to my sessions, which was great.
One session was with Leigh Hobbs who writes the Old Tom books (among other things). It was interesting for me to hear how he writes his books and illustrates them.
I’ll be back in Perth again in a couple of weeks for the All Saints Literature Festival.
Here is a photo of Leigh and I at the Festival.
Writing Process #6: The Final Stages
Writing Process #5: Third Draft
Writing Process #4: Second Draft
BibliOdyssey
Fabulous blog of historical illustrations
Centre for Youth Literature: Writer in Residence Blog
A different writer blogs each month
the thinkings of a lili
My daughter’s blog
Andrew’s Black Dog Blog
My publisher’s blog
Yarra Climate Action Now
My local climate action group (of which I am a member)
