Monthly Archives: May 2010
And this week's totally warranted squeeeee …
… comes courtesy of the very talented L.L. Hannett.
This is mock-up of the cover for my collection with the awesome Ticonderoga Publications, The Girl With No Hands & Other Tales.
Made of win. *Snoopy dance*
Worlds Next Door – Teaching Materials
FableCroft’s upcoming anthology, Worlds Next Door, comes with access to teaching materials – which makes sense seeing as it’s an anthology for school-age children. Details are here: http://worldsnextdoor.wordpress.com/
A brilliant new collection of speculative fiction stories for 9-13 year olds. Worlds Next Door has its own website containing lesson plans and ideas,
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A Writer's Bio
I was interested to see this post over at Twelfth Planet Press http://twelfthplanet.livejournal.com/12338.html on author bios (via Bibliophile Stalker).
Last week I was teaching this in my class, trying to emphasise the importance of having a few standard bios handy – because, trust me, you will be asked for one. Newbie authors say “Oh, but I haven’t had anything published/accepted –
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Highly Useful Courses
The Queen herself, Kim Wilkins, is teaching for QWC again. All hail!
There’s the Express Year of the Novel, the Year of the Edit and the Year of the Novel Online (YONline 3). The first two are members only courses, but the third can be done by anyone, anywhere, with access to t’internet.
Go here for a look-see http://www.qwc.asn.au/Shop/List/1.aspx
Highly Useful Post on Time Management …
… by Maggie Stiefvater (via Tansy Rayner Roberts). I like this post because it’s sensible and it puts responsibility for the writing, or lack thereof, squarely where it belongs – with the writer. Even if you don’t have kids, you can still find ways to waste time and make excuses for
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A loud and completely warranted 'squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee' …
I am so proud to be able to show this off – this will be the cover illustration for Sourdough & Other Stories. Rosalie and Ray from Tartarus Press approached Stephen Clark (http://www.thesinginggarden.co.uk/) about doing this and I’m pleased to say that I am both delighted and completely creeped out by the result:
Passed around at this morning's staff meeting …
… or, as we call it, cupcake o’clock, was a Kobo … 
And yes, it’s pretty. It’s cute. It’s slim and attractive. I might even be tempted to take it out for a drink if it could hold forth intelligently on matters of re-loading fairytales and shoe purchasing.
But, as I whispered
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It's just that sort of day …
… when only the LOLcats can express what’s really happening inside of me:
QWC – Hachette Manuscript Development Program
QWC and Hachette Australia are once again running the famed manuscript development program. It won’t get you a publishing contract with Hachette but it will get you a manuscript that’s been looked at and critiqued by professionals – one that can sent on to other publishers and agents in a better shape than it started out in. That
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The Freelance Editor – Here’s One We Prepared Earlier
In the interests of providing information that is both useful as well as facetious, I sent delightful freelance editor, Abigail Nathan, a list of questions to answer. She didn’t wanna. So I sent a couple of enforcers around (two out-of-work actors dressed up as Star Wars Storm Troopers) … to save
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