A Writer’s Week

Last week I totally forgot about writing a blog post so this week I’ll need to make up for it.

Like everyone, I seem to be terribly busy right now and at times I feel like I’m a white mouse running in circles on a little pink wheel. Don’t think I’m complaining because I like being busy and most of it is good ‘book busy.’

Monday last week I attended the Carlton Primary Schools Lit Festival with some wonderful fellow authors and illustrators. We had a great day sharing our words and artwork with the children. For me, two things stand out in my mind:

At the end of one session, after I’d made only a brief mention of my book ‘Hey Baby!’ explaining to the students that it is a love letter from a mother to her baby, telling them how much they are loved, a little girl came up to show me the illustration she’d drawn telling me that it was her and her mum. The she said ‘When I get home I’m going to write I Love You Mum, and give it to her.’  Those moments are so precious.

There was also an extended conversation with a grade 6 boy who asked me how I knew it was ‘boys’ who threw a ball into the mouth of a hippo at the Melbourne zoo in the 1930s.

I explained to him that, although I wasn’t actually there to see it, I was once at a school where the librarian told me it was her father and his friends who committed the crime! (That stopped the questions!)

On Saturday I was at a book signing of my books at Dymocks Bookstore in Rundle Mall in Adelaide. I spoke to some lovely customers and gorgeous children but one tiny tot floored me. When I handed him a postcard of the cover of Hey Baby! he promptly hurled it back at me screaming ‘I don’t want it.’  Yes, as children’s authors our work is certainly varied.

 I was primarily in Adelaide to run a pilot gathering for Scbwi SA where I met some great Adelaide children’s authors and illustrators and others involved with children and books such as librarians, teachers and representatives of other organisations. I also met briefly with an elderly gentleman who has been an enormous help with research information for a social history picture book I have coming out next year, which is partly set in Adelaide.

Sunday I attended the Children’s Book Festival and the State Library of Victoria and met some great kids at the Children’s Book Council of Australia stand and helped with the never-ending story.

On Monday I spoke to the Year 3 and 4 students at St. Joseph’s Primary School in Chelsea and I can promise that nothing was hurled at me there. They were the most delightful groups of students who I hope enjoyed my visit as much as I enjoyed visiting them.

And today I presented at Jacksons School in suburban St Albans where I had the honour of being a Books in Homes role model and presented bundles of books to some very special students.

It’s been a big week (or two) so I am more than ready to put my feet up a bit for Easter.

Happy Easter to all.

Corinne