Meet My Book: Spark

It’s a pleasure to welcome Rachel Craw who is here today to tell us about her new book, Spark. Welcome Rachel.

1. Give us the details – title, publisher, illustrator, release date.
Spark, Walker Books Australia, July 1st 2014

2. Why did you write the book?
It was an idea that grabbed me by the shoulders, shook me and slapped my face. I couldn’t ignore it or get away from it so I let the obsession take me. I wanted to explore the idea of free-will and push it to an extreme, a sort of cellular-predestination, forcing the protagonist to discover who they are within fairly taxing limitations.

3. How long from idea to publication?
Five and half years

4. What was the hardest thing about writing it?
Learning to write. I desperately wanted to be good at it. I wanted to be good more than I wanted to be published. So I went after the best advice I could find, assessments, mentoring.
5. Coolest thing about your book?
Aside from the gorgeous cover, designed by the brilliant Amy Daoud at WBA, I think the coolest thing about SPARK is Evie, the central character. For me she is real, angsty, funny, loyal, tortured, vulnerable, tough, flawed. I wish I had been as cool as her at seventeen.
6. Something you learnt through writing the book?
I learnt how to receive criticism, to look at my work soberly but not take myself so seriously. It taught me to know my own mind and to have faith in the process. Even the most difficult and seemingly impossible plot/character/thematic problems have solutions.
7. What did you do celebrate the release?
I will be having a BIG launch party in Christchurch on July 1st celebrating with friends, whanau, known associates and unknowns dragged from the streets, and a smaller soiree in Nelson on July 9th.
8. And how will you promote the book?
I will make the most of the opportunities and avenues opened to me by WBA, answering interviews, blog-tours, visiting schools that will have me, etc. I have a website and I love social media, so I’ll be spreading the good word on Twitter and FB but I enjoy those forums mostly for engaging with other writers and responding to readers.
9. What are you working on next?
I am currently working on ‘Stray’ which is the second book in the Spark trilogy.

10. Where we can find out more about you and your book?
www.rachaelcraw.com
https://www.facebook.com/rachaelcraw01
https://twitter.com/RachaelCraw
http://www.walkerbooks.com.au/Books/Spark-9781922179623

Thanks for visiting Rachael.

If you want to learn more about the book, you can follow Rachael’s tour.

Tuesday, June 24 Diva Booknerd
Wednesday, June 25 The Tales Compendium
Thursday, June 26 Kids’ Book Review & Happy Indulgence
Friday, June 27 Fictional Thoughts
Saturday, June 28 Inside My Worlds: R.L.Sharpe & Aussie Reviews
Sunday, June 29 Striking Keys & Thoughts by J
Monday, June 30 Books for a Delicate Eternity & Fiction in Fiction in Fiction
Tuesday, July 1 The Loony Teen Writer & Kkatie Reads

@RachaelCraw | RachaelCraw.com

Dark Emu Black Seeds: Agriculture of Accident? by Bruce Pascoe

If we look at the evidence presented to us by the explorers and explain to our children that Aboriginal people did build houses, did build dams, did sow, irrigate and till the land, did alter the course of rivers, did sew their clothes and did construct a system of pan-continental government that generated peace and prosperity, then it is likely we will admire and love our land all the more.

For too long Australian children and adults have been told that Aboriginal people were hunter-gatherers who collected food by chance and lived nomadic lifestyles. If this is the case, then why is there so much evidence of organised agriculture, dams, houses, towns? And what can we learn from this past that will help modern Australia with challenges including those faced in contemporary food production?

Dark Emu: Black Seeds provides an in-depth insight into the agricultural and social practices of Aboriginal people prior to European settlement, and the impact which that settlement had on those practices. With evidence including historical documents, photographs and anecdote, as well as discussion of its implication, this is an intriguing read, which uses accessible language which the lay person can understand, though will also be of interest to scholars.

 

Dark Emu – Black Seeds: Agriculture or Accident?, by Bruce Pascoe
Magabala Books, 2014
ISBN 978192214243

Available from good bookstores or online.

Going Bush With Grandpa, by Sally Morgan and Ezekiel Kwaymullina, illustrated by Craig Smith

I jump in the front. ‘Bye, Mum!’ I yell as we pull out of the drive. ‘I’ll bring you back a shiny gold nugget!’
‘Make it a big one!’ she laughs. ‘Then we can all go on a holiday!’

Pete is off on a bush camping trip with his Grandpa, whose name is also Pete. Both of them are excited about the prospect of finding a gold nugget with Grandpa’s super duper new metal detector. But as well as looking for gold, the pair are spending time together – they play jokes, they sing songs, and Grandpa cooks his speciality – curry.

Going Bush with Grandpa is a lovely story of the friendship and connection between two generations of a family. Pete and Grandpa share a special bond and the reader is given the sense that the real nugget here is that connection – though they’ll also hope, along with Pete, for a gold nugget to be found.

With text by Sally Morgan and her son Ezekiel Kwaymullina, and illustrations by Craig Smith on every spread, the story is accessible to readers in early primary years.

 

Going Bush with Grandpa

Going Bush with Grandpa, by Sally Morgan and Ezekiel Kwaymullina, illustrated by Craig Smith
Omnibus, 2014
ISBN 9781742990262

Available from good bookstores and Sally Morgan and online.

Midnight Burial by Pauline Deeves

Diary of Miss Florence Adelaide Williamson, 16 July 1868

This is the last page of my diary and after I have written this, I will hide it. I don’t want to remember this day ever again. My big sister Lizzie died tonight. They say it was from fever so my papa and some of the men ar burying her right now, even though it is dark and cold.

I heard Papa tell the men to dig the grave extra deep and tomorrow they will cover it with piles of rocks. They save fever is catching so we cannot even wait for a doctor to come, or have a minister to hold a proper funeral service. It was so quick. Lizzie was perfectly well this morning.

Diary of Miss Florence Adelaide Williamson, 16 July 1868

This is the last page of my diary and after I have written this, I will hide it. I don’t want to remember this day ever again. My big sister Lizzie died tonight. They say it was from fever so my papa and some of the men ar burying her right now, even though it is dark and cold.

I heard Papa tell the men to dig the grave extra deep and tomorrow they will cover it with piles of rocks. They save fever is catching so we cannot even wait for a doctor to come, or have a minister to hold a proper funeral service. It was so quick. Lizzie was perfectly well this morning.

Florence’s sister Lizzie has died suddenly and is buried without ceremony and with haste. There is not time for a funeral apparently, no time for anything. Florence is not sure what is going on but she knows it’s bad. Susannah is Lizzie’s best friend hears of her death and is immediately sceptical that fever is the cause of her friend’s death. These alternate viewpoints tell the story of the ripples from this unexpected and tragic death. When Susannah takes on the role of governess to the precocious Florence, the pair work to unravel the mystery of Lizzie’s death. Photos of the main characters accompany their entries/letters.

Midnight Burial is told in diary entries letters by Florence and via letters from Susannah and other characters. Reading between the lines of the diary entries, the reader discovers some of the challenges for girls born in early Australia. These challenges are made perhaps more intense by the remoteness of their sheep station home, and the expectations that come with wealth and education. Notes at the end of ‘Midnight Burial’ tell how a factual story in the National Library inspired this fiction. Extra photos and notes provide information about sheep stations, convicts and more. They also reveal the real identities of the girls whose photos appear. History is a huge cumbersome and confusing beast. Stories like Midnight Burial offer a way in to history for young readers. They allow the reader to step inside, feel, smell and understand a life so different from their own. Recommended for mid-primary readers.

 

Midnight Burial, Pauline Deeves NLA 2014 ISBN: 9780642278500

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s author and bookseller

www.clairesaxby.com

Lisa Absolutely Loves Art by Sophie Norsa

Lisa and her cat Picasso watched from the café

as artists created their paintings.

One day the gallery hung all its paintings.

Their colours were like a rainbow on the wall.

Lisa took Picasso to see the pictures,

but when her back was turned

he ran away.

Lisa and her cat Picasso watched from the café

as artists created their paintings.

One day the gallery hung all its paintings.

Their colours were like a rainbow on the wall.

Lisa took Picasso to see the pictures,

but when her back was turned

he ran away.

Lisa and her cat, Picasso, watch artists at work outside the Art Gallery every day. When finally the art is framed and hung in the gallery, Lisa takes Picasso to have a closer look. But Picasso vanishes. So begins an imaginary adventure. Lisa searches through the gallery experiencing the worlds of great artists. Though she cannot see him, Picasso is present in each opening. So too is a small tortoise. Lisa walks through the work of Rousseau and Monet, van Gogh and Seurat. And finally, Lisa finds Picasso, back at the café for another treat. And then it’s time to create her own art, inspired by what she’s experienced. Illustrations fill the spreads and threaten to spill out.

Lisa Absolutely Loves Art offers young readers and artists a closer look at famous paintings. Lisa immerses herself in each page, almost accidentally in her search for her cat. She experiences the paintings with all senses, being drenched in rain, joining dancers for rehearsal in a wooden-floored hall. Even if young readers are not familiar with the paintings depicted (and there’s a list of them with images in the final pages) they will enjoy the romp through the pages. Teachers and parents may use this book as an introduction to art and artists, and young artists may be inspired to create their own masterpieces. Recommended for pre- and early-schoolers.

 

Lisa Absolutely Loves Art, Sophie Norsa New Frontier Publishing 2014 ISBN: 9781925059045

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s author and bookseller

www.clairesaxby.com

Meet My Book: Marble Bar, by Robert Schofield

It’s always nice to welcome an author to chat in the Meet My Book feature. Today we welcome Robert Schofield – here on the release day of his new book, which makes his visit extra special. Welcome Robert!Robert Schofield (2)

1. Give us the details – title, publisher, illustrator, release date.

Title: Marble Bar
ISBN: 9781743316849
Publication Date: June 26 2014
Publisher: Allen & Unwin

2. Why did you write the book?

Marble Bar is the sequel to my first novel: Heist. It was part of a two-book deal with my publishers, who were adamant that they wanted a sequel, set in Western Australia, with the same protagonists. Who was I to argue?

3. How long from idea to publication?

When I was negotiating the two-book contract, my publisher asked how long I had taken to write my first book. Wanting to sound nonchalant, I told them I had knocked it out in 18 months. This was a mistake, because it was a loaded question. They then assumed that I could write the second one in the same period, and wrote a delivery date into the contract. I’d never written to a deadline before, and it was difficult with that weight on my shoulders, but I delivered. It was another six months between delivering the manuscript and publication, so two years in total.

marble-bar-cover-900x600

4. What was the hardest thing about writing it?

It was the Difficult Second Novel. As well as the deadline hanging over me, I had to prove that the first novel was not a fluke. If you’ve poured everything into your first novel, what can be left for the second? It’s only natural that on the second visit to the well, you might find that it’s gone dry. This of course is why publishers offer two-book deals. They understand that it is the second book that separates the professional from the dilettante.

5. Coolest thing about your book?

My book isn’t cool, it’s smoking hot. It’s set in the hottest town in Australia, and the cover says ‘Welcome to Hell’. With my first book, I had no input into the choice of title and the design of the cover, but with Marble Bar my publisher kept my title and used my photographs on the cover, so I guess that’s pretty cool.

6. Something you learnt through writing the book?

I wrote my first book in complete freedom, with no expectation of publication. It was just something to keep a restless mind occupied. The second one had a whole lot more riding on it, and I had to learn a different approach. It taught me discipline.

7. What will you do to celebrate the release?

We will be celebrating the publication at Planet Books, Beaufort Street, Mount Lawley on Friday 27th June from 7:00pm.
My friends Malcolm Dix and Sean Gorman will be officiating and entertaining.

8. And how will you promote the book?

Promotion of the book is in the hands of the lovely Lara, who is my publicist at Allen & Unwin. She will present me with a list of media interviews after the launch.

I have a series of events planned at libraries around Perth, generously supported by Dymocks Bookshops:

Gosnells Knowledge Centre: Sat July 5th 10:30am

Fremantle Library: Thurs July 10th 6:30pm

Karrinyup Library: Weds July 16th 6:30pm

9. What are you working on next?

I’m currently working on a sequel, the final part of the trilogy, which I am doing as part of a Doctorate in Creative Writing at Curtin University. As if I hadn’t got enough on my plate working full time and wrangling three kids, I thought I’d set myself another challenge.

10. Where we can find out more about you and your book?

My website is: robertschofieldauthor.com

My publisher’s site is:

https://www.allenandunwin.com/minisites/crime-city/books/9781743316849/

Thanks for dropping in Robert – and congratulations on the book!

Looking for Alibrandi, by Melina Marchetta

I’m beginning to realise that things don’t turn out the way you want them to. And sometimes when they don’t, they can turn out just a little bit better.

Josephine Alibrandi is in her final year of highschool, and it’s going to be a good one. She’s going to stay out of trouble, work hard and get into law at uni.  But her determination doesn’t last long – she’s in trouble on the first day  in religous education class. And this is just the start of a tumultuous year where Josephine (Josie) falls in love, gets her first job, fights with her mother and nonna, and meets her father for the first time. Along the way she has to confront who she really is, and who she wants to be.

Looking for Alibrandi is a classic coming of age story. First published over twenty years ago, it has been re-released as part the Penguin Australian Children’s Classics series in a delightful hardcover edition. Teens will love getting to know this sassy main character and adults will enjoy the chance to become reacquainted with her. The writing is still fresh and appealing with themes and issues which are still relevant to today’s readers.

 

Looking for Alibrandi , by Melina Marchetta
Penguin, 2014
ISBN 9780670077786

Available from good bookstores or online.

Alexander Altmann A10567 by Suzy Zail

Alexander Altmann stood in the dusty grey square, sweating. He looked up at the sun and guessed it was midday. His stomach growled. If he was home, his mother would be calling him to come in for lunch.

He felt his eyes start to well. “Stop it,” he said under his breath. “Stop feeling sorry for yourself.” He wiped his nose on his sleeve and waited for his number to be called. He didn’t need to look down at his arm at the number tattooed onto his skin. He knew it by heart. A10567.

The last time he’d heard his name was five weeks ago, maybe six. He hadn’t recognised his mother when she’d called out to him. Her head had been shaved and she wore mismatched shoes and a tattered dress that gaped at the neck and, for the first time since he’d stepped off the train, Alexander realised what he must look like.

 

Alexander Altmann stood in the dusty grey square, sweating. He looked up at the sun and guessed it was midday. His stomach growled. If he was home, his mother would be calling him to come in for lunch.

He felt his eyes start to well. “Stop it,” he said under his breath. “Stop feeling sorry for yourself.” He wiped his nose on his sleeve and waited for his number to be called. He didn’t need to look down at his arm at the number tattooed onto his skin. He knew it by heart. A10567.

The last time he’d heard his name was five weeks ago, maybe six. He hadn’t recognised his mother when she’d called out to him. Her head had been shaved and she wore mismatched shoes and a tattered dress that gaped at the neck and, for the first time since he’d stepped off the train, Alexander realised what he must look like.

Alexander Altmann is a fourteen-year-old boy and he’s in Buchenwald concentration camp. Every certainty, every connection he ever relied on has been stripped away. Even his name has been replaced by the number tattooed on his forearm. All that remains is memories and the need to survive. He cannot – will not – rely on anyone. He has to toughen up and forget his parents, his little sister Lili, his farm, his life, his beloved horses. To trust no one but himself. Not even Isidor who seems determined to be his friend, despite Alexander’s rejections. A job in the stables gives him a chance to work with horses, but it’s still a very dangerous place where a wrong word or action can mean beatings or death. The stakes intensify when Alexander is charged with breaking in the Commander’s wild new horse. Failure will mean death for them both.

Alexander Altmann’s life was comfortable and happy until Hitler began stripping Jews of all their rights and possessions. Their farm is given to others, his horses seized by the Nazis, his father taken away. All his notions of fairness, equity and justice are stripped away as he and fellow prisoners are dehumanised, starved and executed. Survival is an individual experience, even in a crowded prison camp. Alexander Altmann A10567 explores themes of loss, trust, survival, friendship and more. Alexander’s work with the scared horse he calls Midnight, reveals as much about Alexander and those around him as it does about horses. Alexander Altmann A10567 is a moving story about survival and integrity in the most brutal of circumstances. Recommended for upper-primary readers.

 


Alexander Altmann A10567, Suzy Zail Black Dog Books 2014 ISBN: 9781922179999

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s author and bookseller

www.clairesaxby.com

Two Selkie Stories from Scotland by Kate Forsyth, ill Fiona McDonald

A long time ago, on Midsummer’s Eve, as the sun was setting over the wild ocean waves, a young Scottish laird named Dougal McPhee was riding home to his stern grey castle. A faint haunting song reached his ears, blowing on the wind over the cliffs from the shore below.

Peering over the edge he saw a dozen people with wild hair and dark eyes, men, women and children, all with wreaths of seaweed upon their heads, dancing and laughing and playing on the sand.

A long time ago, on Midsummer’s Eve, as the sun was setting over the wild ocean waves, a young Scottish laird named Dougal McPhee was riding home to his stern grey castle. A faint haunting song reached his ears, blowing on the wind over the cliffs from the shore below.

Peering over the edge he saw a dozen people with wild hair and dark eyes, men, women and children, all with wreaths of seaweed upon their heads, dancing and laughing and playing on the sand.

‘Two Selkie Stories from Scotland’ retells two ancient tales. The first, ‘The Selkie Bride’ tells the story of the love of a laird for a Selkie woman and his efforts to make her happy away from her ocean home. The second, ‘In the Kingdom of the Seals’  recounts the tale of a seal-hunter trying to make a living and a Selkie who shows him the world beneath the waves. Each story is illustrated in colour with Celtic design header and footer. This is a sturdy paperback in large format, ideal for sharing with young children at bedtime.

Traditional tales are part entertainment, part life-lesson. Selkie stories are common around the beaches and islands where seals come ashore. They are magical stories imagining humans able to live both on land and at sea. What a wonderful imagining! They teach young readers about respecting animals and appreciating that each creature has its place in the world. But primarily they are great tales, to be shared and preserved for all readers. This offering from new publisher Christmas Press is the first in a planned series of traditional tale pairs from around the world. Recommended for young readers, and anyone with a love of traditional stories.

 

cover in a4

Two Selkie Stories from Scotland, Kate Forsyth ill Fiona McDonald Christmas Press 2014 ISBN: 9780992283827

Pirouette by Robyn Bavati

Simone Stark flung open the door to the nearest cubicle and dropped to her knees, head poised over the toilet bowl. Afraid she’d throw up again, she tried to focus on her breathing – in for two counts, out for four – but it was hard to get an even rhythm when her whole body was trembling.

The bathroom door crashed open and Simone held her breath.

‘Simone! Are you in here?’ That was Jess, Simone’s best friend.

Simone heaved herself up and opened the toilet door.

Jess was already in costume and fully made up. ‘You missed your call,’ she said. ‘Mr Dixon is fuming. Hey, are you okay?’

Simone Stark flung open the door to the nearest cubicle and dropped to her knees, head poised over the toilet bowl. Afraid she’d throw up again, she tried to focus on her breathing – in for two counts, out for four – but it was hard to get an even rhythm when her whole body was trembling.

The bathroom door crashed open and Simone held her breath.

‘Simone! Are you in here?’ That was Jess, Simone’s best friend.

Simone heaved herself up and opened the toilet door.

Jess was already in costume and fully made up. ‘You missed your call,’ she said. ‘Mr Dixon is fuming. Hey, are you okay?’

Simone attends an elite dance school full time and has come to hate it. Hannah dances three times a week and dreams of dancing full time. When Simone and Hannah meet up at Candance, a summer dance school, they realise they are twins. They’ve both always know they were adopted, but neither had realised they had a twin sister. They have an instant bond, and almost immediately realise that they may have found a way to live the lives they dream of. They decide to swap lives. Hannah will be able to live her dreams of dancing full time, Simone can explore aspects of life other than dance. Of course life is never that simple and the girls discover just how complex life can be when you are pretending to be other than you are.

Dance classes are full of dancers who dream of a career doing what they love. And there are many people who sometimes dream of living someone else’s life. In ‘Pirouette’ twin girls, separated soon after birth, have the chance to experience the life of the other, the life that looks more perfect than their own. But having lived only one life, there are differences they could never have imagined. Cue close shaves and compounding misunderstandings. Throughout literature, twins have swapped lives, with funny and profound consequences. Add dance and you have the perfect adventure for performance-mad dancers. There are themes of honesty, family, nature vs nurture, ambition. Dancers will love the dance terms and classes, early secondary readers will love the switch and hold their breath as their ‘perfect solution’ slowly disintegrates. Recommended for upper-primary and early-secondary readers.

Pirouette

Pirouette, Robyn Bavati Penguin Books 2014 ISBN: 9780143569374