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Posted by Justine at 20:40, December 31st, 2005 under Bloggery, Last Day of the Year, Magic or Madness trilogy, Praising, Reading, Scott's books, Sydney/Australia, Vainglory, Writing goals & milestones |
And of all places it's in Australian Family Circle (December 2005 issue). A lifestyle magazine filled with recipes and stuff on quilting etc. (or at least that's what it looks like from the cover) with a circulation of more than 300,000. In a country of only 20 million that's pretty good going. Here's what they said:
Reason Cansino has spent all her life in the outback with her mother, trying to hide from her grandmother---a witch. But when her mother falls ill, Reason has live with her grandmother and discovers all is not as she thought. While this is technically a fantasy novel, the very real world that's created will enchant anyone who reads it.
Not bad, eh? And while some genre ...
Posted by Justine at 15:04, December 31st, 2005 under Magic or Madness trilogy, Vainglory |
Posted by Justine at 13:22, December 30th, 2005 under Magic or Madness trilogy, Publishing business, Travelling, Writing life |
Best oz bowling figures in the first innings: 3/50 which
he then follows up with an insanely entertaining 72. Six sixes? Maaaaaaate! Not to mention continuing his genius fielding ways. No way can they drop him now! Nyer nyer nyer nyer nyer, da!
Posted by Justine at 14:58, December 29th, 2005 under Cricket, Sport, Sydney/Australia |
I mentioned
a while ago that both
Scott and me had made SLJ's best books of the year list. That issue is
now available. I was very pleased by their description of
Magic or Madness:
In this Australian page-turner, a resourceful teen tries to sort out her contentious family's secrets and is astonishingly transported to New York City via a portal in her grandmother's house. A potent mix of mystery and magic with a thoughtful exploration of personal-identity issues and familial relationships.
It also turns out that Scott has not one, but two books on the list:
Peeps and
Uglies. I'm dead proud. It's one thing to be prolific, it's another to be prolific and ...
Posted by Justine at 11:18, December 29th, 2005 under Magic or Madness trilogy, Scott's books, Vainglory |
©
Niki Bern
Nothing says
author photo like exploding hair . . .
And, no, I didn't know it was being taken. My sister's sneaky that way.
Posted by Justine at 13:32, December 27th, 2005 under Frippery, Viewing |
I hope everyone who celebrates today or any of the cluster of days around it---or who's just enjoying the days off work or school---has a most excellent end of the year. I plan to.
I'd like to adopt the USian custom of giving thanks (yeah, yeah, I know they do it on a different day---whatever!). Here's what I'm thankful for:
That I'm home in Sydney living in the best place ever:
Flying foxes at dusk! Huge decks! Huge bath tub!
Views! Amazing
pubs,
cafes &
restaurants within spitting distance! Southerly breezes!
That I'm home in the land of continuous cricket coverage! Of beautiful beaches! And the best avocadoes (yes,
Mely, you need to move here, not smelly ...
Posted by Justine at 10:57, December 25th, 2005 under Cricket, Food, Liquids, Listening, Praising, Sport, Sydney/Australia |
We really are going to the
Bologna Children's Book Fair---the biggest event in the children's publishing calendar. We have tickets. We're all booked. We practically have accommodation. I am very excited and hoping to meet my Taiwanese, Thai,
French and German publishers. I'm also looking forward to eating lots of amazing Bolognese food. Can't wait!
Posted by Justine at 18:53, December 24th, 2005 under Cons & Other Gatherings, Travelling, Young Adult literature |
1. Why the exact same brand toothpaste has radically different packaging in different countries.
2. Why everyone thinks King Kong is the best movie ever.
3. Why no one told me that Lost is excellent genre TV.
4. Why whenever you buy chips in an Oz pub they always come served in a plastic fake-wood bowl.
5. Why cricket isn't the dominant sport in every country in the world.
6. How anyone could wear gold sandals and not be ironic.
Posted by Justine at 21:33, December 23rd, 2005 under Bloggery, Cricket, Fashion, Frippery, Sport, State of the World |
Just back from Byron and it turns out that there are, in fact, five books on the shortlist for the Aurealis Award for best Young Adult book of the year. (Thanks for
the heads up,
Mr Ben Payne.) The missing title was Isobel Carmody's Alyzon Whitestar. Can't wait to read both Alyzon and Anthony Eaton's Nightpeople.
Byron Bay was beautamous and excellent. More when not knackered.
Posted by Justine at 21:27, December 22nd, 2005 under Travelling, Young Adult literature |
Sorry about the not blogging of late, especially with you lot being all interesting in the comments (I've finally gone through and responded, bless you all). I was kept from it by boring, boring non-internets stuff and the looming deadline. Or rather, panic about the looming deadline.
Corey asked of my deadline how soon "scary soon" is: 2 January, which is 17 days away, and I'm about 15-20 thou words short of the end. Also, I'd like to, you know, revise and rewrite before I send it off.
Ordinarily I leave myself a month or more for that, and while I'm revising I send it out to my first readers for comments. There won't be none of that this time, ...
Posted by Justine at 8:46, December 16th, 2005 under Bloggery, Magic or Madness trilogy, Travelling, Vainglory, Viewing, Whingeing |
Posted by Justine at 20:51, December 10th, 2005 under Bloggery, Cricket, Magic or Madness trilogy, Reading, Sport, Sydney/Australia |
All this talk of fashion and clothes and why some of us love 'em compelled me to head to Lisa Stack's shop, Helix (conveniently located in Surry Hills where me and Scott now live). The shop is on Bourke St in what once would have been a corner shop dispensing lollies and milk and newspapers. Now it is filled with gorgeous dresses, skirts, trousers, tops in the most fabulous colours, with luscious prints. No vile pastels or lollipop colours, none of the hippy dippy crap that's filling most of the shops hereabouts. I wound up buying two of Lisa's tops and a pair of her silk japanese fisherman's pants (so very very comfortable---I don't think I'll ever take them off ...
Posted by Justine at 21:49, December 9th, 2005 under Fashion, Praising, State of the World |
Posted by Justine at 23:10, December 8th, 2005 under Battle of the Sexes in Science Fiction, Praising, Ranting, State of the World |
One of the best onedayers I've seen in ages. Last over: Black Caps had one wicket left, one run a ball needed, and then two runouts in the last over. I was thinking NZ were absolutely no chance! But they got so very close. What a match!
Is it just me or have ODIs gotten a lot more interesting in the last couple of years? And how about the Brett Lee reversal of fortune? 3/5 in the last match; 1 for a million in this one. How about that Symmo? And Vincent? And Cairns? And Vettori? And Clarke? And Lewis?
And how happy am I that I can watch the baggy greens v the black caps in NZ; Pakistan v England ...
Posted by Justine at 20:13, December 7th, 2005 under Cricket, Sport |
Lauren McLaughlin in praise of fashion. Sing it, Lauren!
Regarding fashion being shallow. This is a prejudice I find maddeningly overrepresented in the spec fic community. Fashion is an art form and the wearing of fashion is something everyone does every day (unless you're a nudist). Even people who think they don't care about fashion make choices about what they wear. Fashionistas (a term often used derogatorily) are merely people who take pleasure in the clothing choices that others skim over, much as foodies take a greater interest in what they eat.
This reminds me of a friend of mine being (verbally) attacked by an earnest young man (e.y.m.) at a party. She was (and is) gorgeous and has always enjoyed ...
Posted by Justine at 13:11, December 7th, 2005 under Bloggery, Fashion, Praising, Ranting, State of the World |
Posted by Justine at 15:12, December 6th, 2005 under Bloggery, Frippery, State of the World |
The newly-minted organisation
ASIF! (Authors Supporting Intellectual Freedom) has just gotten
coverage in the source of all publishing news ,
Publishers Weekly.
We also now have our mission statement:
AS IF! champions those who stand against censorship, especially of books for and about teens.
I've never had a mission statement before. I feel very superhero-y all of a sudden. Yay us! Maybe we need capes?
Posted by Justine at 9:02, December 6th, 2005 under Bloggery, Book challenges, New York City/USA, State of the World, Young Adult literature |
A few things:
1) I got my intramanet back!! In my very own home. My excitement is beyond words: email! dictionaries! blogs! posts! The whole world at my fingertips!
2) Magic or Madness made its third best books of the year list, the
Tayshas reading list put together by the Young Adult Round Table of the Texas Library Association. I'm particularly chuffed about this one on account of I got family in Texas---that's where my in-laws hail from and my uncle-in-law is the principal of a high school in Houston. Also there are many very cool books on the list. Not just Scott's Uglies, but the work of at least two other Aussies: Fiona McIntosh's Myrren's Gift and Marcus Zusak's I ...
Posted by Justine at 18:55, December 5th, 2005 under Bloggery, Magic or Madness trilogy, Scott's books, Sydney/Australia, Vainglory, Viewing, Young Adult literature |
AAAAAaaaaaaaarrrrrrrgggggggghhhhhhh!!!!!!!
Posted by Justine at 18:02, December 4th, 2005 under Bloggery, Sydney/Australia, Whingeing |
