But it turns out they really were meant for me. So, yep – this summer has been busy. I’ve been glued to the keyboard while others played and languished – but it all paid off and I couldn’t be happier.

Latish last year I had  two commissions offered for the new Springboard Sprints series at Macmillan. And because they’re such fun – I offered a few more titles to see if they also fitted the bill. And they did! All six of them. Picture me doing the VERY happy dance!

(BTW if you have kids at school you should really get them to check them out in their school libraries. They’re a hoot!) And given that I have the sense of humour of an annoying ten-year old, they’re kind of right up my alley.   

So, look out for the new covers and titles – I’ll share them as soon as they become available.

It was a nice start to the year and I want to thank the incredible team at Macmillan for being brilliant and my amazing family for letting me work, and even more for letting me bounce a trillion ideas off them. I’m sure some of them were so horrid that they really hurt when they hit them.   Bandaids anyone?

 Um – and just so I’m really clear… Are we really all on the same page about the football playing cockroach? So, that’s a definite ‘no’?

(The cover piccies here are of my titles released  in the last Sprints series, June, July & August 2011)

Don’t forget the prize on offer! I gotta say, that Boxing Glove is very cute and I’m fighting to keep it for you! Everyone who walks into my house wants it!  To be in the draw, you just have to leave a comment!

News over at Kaz is that I’m headed straight for a padded cell and I have the pics to prove it! Days till Dead, Actually is released? 27!!!

Latest release: “Welcome to My Life of Doom”. Pearson, January, 2012.

Happy 2012!  In a bizarre twist of thought it seems like no time since I was here – and yet it seems like forever.

In fact it has been forever, and for that I apologise  – again!

Last year ended up crazy busy and this month has been no different. In all that business has been some great news though, (more on that next post), which has given me a great mental boost to shoot me into 2012. 

So far, I’m really happy with 2012.  I feel determined and strong and focussed. I have great SMART goals in place and I also have monthly, weekly and daily goals that are keeping me on track. If it sounds very structured, then I guess maybe it is – but as I examine my processes and my needs more closely, I realise I need structure. I’m someone who works well to deadlines, for example. I work well to lists. They become a challenge and I always need to meet a challenge.

I KNOW I’ll get to the end end of this year and say, ‘where has this year gone?‘ But for once, when I ask myself if I accomplished everything I wanted to in that year, I want to be able to say ‘yes’. Or at least be happy that I accomplished MOST of it.

 On that note, I’m saying here quite publicly, that for me, this is the Year of Organisation. For the Chinese it’s the Year of the Dragon – for me – it’s organisation.

Of course, that will ensure that I am sensible about my goals; hopefully having some that will both challenge me, but yet be attainable if I work hard. (And if everything else in my life doesn’t turn upside down!!!)

I’ll be literally keeping you posted as the year continues, but for now please help me celebrate a surprise I came across just yesterday, that has added even more glitter to my lovely January. And that is the relase of my latest book, Welcome to My Life of Doom.

 I have to say this is one my fave kids books, but as yet, I haven’t even seen a copy! I actually found this on the net by accident and the listed release date of January 9th, which also happens to be a special family birthday. 

It’s a silly romp, of course -LOL –  and I hope the kids who read it will have as much fun as I did writing it. And as bizarre as it sounds, even though I didn’t realise it had already been released, just the day before I was shopping, and found something (again by accident) that I just had to buy to celebrate the release of this book!

There’s a funny scene in the book that refers to the Tuff’n'Up Boxing Studio, and when I saw this plastic boxing glove filled with marshmallows – I knew I had to have it.

Well, let me clarify by saying I knew I had to have it for one of you!

It’s the giveaway that accompanies the release, and anyone who drops by to comment in the next few weeks will go in the draw!

So, whether you just stop by to say ‘hi’ or whether you want to share how you feel about the upcoming year, I’d still love for you to drop in. And don’t forget, you get to go in the draw for this rather Kookie prize of a boxing glove filled with marshmallows! I love it – I hope you do as well!

Till then, have a Happy Australia Day, and happy Writing!

I warned you last time I blogged that it was beginning to look a lot like Christmas! And if I was a truly horrible person I’d also warn you how many shopping days there are left till Christmas. Yes, I suppose there is a possibility that, to do that, might be construed as  a Public Service Announcement – but honestly? I’m not that noble.

Why? I sooo don’t need that stress…

But – stress aside, it IS my fave time of the year. I love the music, the spirituality, the smells, the shops, the traditions – and yes the food. Each year we have traditional fare that we always bake or make.

We usually have a tree trimming party – and scattered in with everything else that may change from year to year – there are always my mini sausage rolls, prawns wrapped in bacon, onion tarts and arrancini.    After there’d be the yummy moist fruitcake that my mother and grandmother have also been making for probably a hundred years.  (Don’t try to do the math – I’m very bad at it. Just take my word and we’ll all be happy. Okay?) And of course yummy sweets and fruit and nuts.  

On Christmas Day, we usually have seafood followed by a traditional roast pork, turkey and chicken hot lunch with masses of roast vegies. Afterward we always have my mum’s mini Christmas puds with custard and cream, pavlova and  great, ice-cream and lolly Christmas pudd for those who don’t like traditional pudding.

My November giveaway is all about that time of getting ready for Christmas – creating edible gifts, and creating treats for your family and friends. There is a box of 30 Illustrated Christmas Recipe Cards  filled wth fun ideas – and a very cute 6-cavity, silicone cake-mould shaped like Chrstmas trees! I’d also use these for chocolate treats – or coconut ice or  fudge as well. What would you use them for?

It’s easy to win – actually super, super easy this month as we only have two weeks left of the month!!! All you have to do to go in the draw is to leave a comment on any blog this month. To make it easy and fun this particular blog – I’d love to know about any tradition/s you have  – and I’d especially love to know which Christmas food is your fave? What food or tradition is your absolute fave? 

Everyone is welcome to join in the fun. If you have young people in your life or house who’d like to offer their fave things, I’d love to hear from the as well.

Days till release of Dead, Actually: 119 (Kaz Delaney: Allen & Unwin, March 1st 2012)

Wow – my first competition! And it was such fun!

So without ado – or with ado – whatever you prefer, it is my pleasure to to announce that :-

                                             LORRAINE MARWOOD

                                              is the October winner!

Is it steak knives? Is it choccies? Is it world trip? NO!

It’s girlie stuff! To keep or to share – whatever works best for you.

Enjoy, Lorraine and if you contact me with your addy, I can post this out to you.

And I’m very happy to announce a second prize of some Aleesah Darlison puzzle sheets and postcards – plus a Find A Word book goes to:

                                                            Emma!

Again, if you contact me on kerrilane@hunterlink.net.au, I can send out your prize.  

Thank you both for supporting this blog. It is very much appreciated.

Stay tuned for the November prize announcement. Hint: “It’s beginning to look a bit like Christmas… “ Tra la la. (And no, it’s not a CD of me singing Christmas Carols – so you can all heave a big sigh of relief.)

 Kerri: Hi Aleesah and congratulations! You’ve achieved an enormous amount in a short time, however things are rarely as easy as they seem. How long did it take you make your first sale? Would you like to share something of that journey?

Aleesah: I was writing for children for three years before I had my first picture book manuscript accepted for publication. Sometimes I thought I’d never get published, but grim determination made me hang in there. I’m glad I did. In the last 16 months I’ve released 9 books and have been contracted for 7 more.

Kerri: Wow! That’s an amazing succes rate! So, of those, you’ve sold picture books and series for young readers?

Aleesah: My picture books tend to focus on Australian animals. Puggle’s Problem (Wombat Books) is about a baby echidna and Warambi (Working Title Press) is about a Little Bent-wing bat. I simply LOVE writing picture books and having them illustrated by talented artists/illustrators, it’s a real joy. My series are Totally Twins (New Frontier) and Unicorn Riders (Walker Books). It’s been great fun writing both those series. Totally Twins is written in diary format by the main character, Persephone Pinchgut. She’s a real sweetheart, but a bit of a worrier. She tries so hard to be perfect! Unicorn Riders is a fantasy adventure series. The books are written from four different main character viewpoints. They’re all strong female leads, loyal friends and soooo courageous.

 Kerri: That’s a huge output. Do you write daily? What would a typical writing day entail?

Aleesah: I do try to write every day, but lately I’ve been so busy promoting my new releases, I haven’t always got there. I’m refocusing this month to find more time to write. Once I get the kids off to preschool and school, I come home, sit down at my desk and work pretty much flat out until 3pm when I have to rejoin the world. Some days I get so lost in my stories I almost miss pick-up time! After dinner and a play, the kids go off to bed at night and I usually write for a few more hours. There never seems to be enough time to in the day…

 Kerri: Oh, Amen to that!  The person who invents the 40 hour day will be my forever hero. Aleesah, what’s your favourite thing about being an author?

Aleesah: Having people read and enjoy my stories.

 Kerri: And your least fave thing?

Aleesah: Admin associated with the ‘business’ of being an author. I’d love a PA, but I think that’s just a pipe-dream!

Kerri: What are you working on right now?

Aleesah: I’m editing Book 5 of Unicorn Riders, Quinn’s Truth, and currently planning Book 6, Willow’s Chase, which I will start writing in the next few days.

 Kerri: Hey Snap! The heroine of my latest book is named Willow!  Good choice! But Book 6! Really? That’s amazing and you must be so excited! Again, huge kudos to you. So, the unicorn series has recently been released. How many books do you envisage in this series and are they being released together? Or as staggered individual releases?

Aleesah: So far, there are six books earmarked for the series. Four books were released in one hit on 1 October: Quinn’s Riddles, Willow’s Challenge, Krystal’s Choice and Ellabeth’s Test. I’m writing two more books that will be released in July 2012 and hopefully – fingers and toes crossed that readers like the series – there will be more books to come.

 Kerri: I’ve had a sneak peek and I can tell you that all my fingers and toes are crossed. Painfully! Brilliant. You’ve earned bragging rights, so would you like to tell us about this series? Targeted reader? Your inspiration for the series?

Aleesah: The series is perfect for girls aged seven and over. They’re fun, feisty fantasy adventure stories that are ideal for young girls starting their reading journey and also for older reluctant girl readers. The books are beautifully illustrated throughout by Jill Brailsford, which adds that extra visual impact. They look stunning and are the perfect ‘collectible’. I always wanted the girl characters to be strong and empowered role models. I don’t write down to my readers or pander to them. These books are for smart, savvy, modern girls. Oh, and there are some gorgeous unicorns in Unicorn Riders – of course! – each with their own special magical abilities. There are lots of cliff-hangers and twists and turns. I’m hoping to keep my readers enthralled from start to finish.

 Kerri:  These releases are perfectly timed for Christmas and long, lazy summer holiday reading, so let me put you on the spot for a shameless plug.  It’s a totally selfish question – I mean, I can think of several on my list who are going to find Unicorn Riders under the tree on Christmas morning. So, where can readers get hold of their copies?

 Aleesah: Unicorn Riders can be found at all good bookstores, including independent  booksellers, Myer, David Jones, Dymocks, K-Mart and Newslink.

Kerri: Fabulous – I’ll be there! Aleesah, thank you for being my guest! I’ve loved  chatting with you. And again, congratulations and I hope the series sells zillions.

If you have any questions for Aleesah, please post them here. And don’t forget the October draw! Everyone who posts on any of my blogs during October goes in the draw. Great prizes and we’ll also see if we can find something extra for a lucky commenter on this particular blog!

Thank you so much for dropping by!

While there I attended several sessions – and one of those was entitled “Breaking Into Picture Books” with Aleesah Darlison who is defying odds with an amazing run of successes over a very short time. Here’s a point by point rundown on what she had to say. However just before diving in, I just want to remind everyone that Aleesah will be here being interviewed on Friday offering some insights into that success, as well as talking about her new series The Unicorn Riders - and also a reminder that I have some great prizes for October, so anyone who drops by to comment will go into the draw! For now though – enjoy Aleesah’s wisdom!

For someone who has only been published for sixteen months, Aleesah Darlinson is quite literally awesome. Not only has she sold three picture books, two chapter but she has also sold two series, for slightly older readers with a third on the way.

Some of those books are: The Totally Twins Series, The (aforementioned) Unicorn Riders Series, Puggle’s Problem (PB), Warambi (PB) and Bearly There (PB to be released).

 Her advice was specific, supported by lots of personal experience,  and on target for anyone wanting to break into the picture book market, which she described as competitive and hard to crack

Why competitive and hard to crack?

Because Picture Books (PBs)  are very expensive to produce. All publishers gamble on works that they hope to make money on; with picture books that risk is even higher simply because of that initial production outlay  – which is often around $40,000. 

Therefore, one of the first things you must consider when thinking about PB texts, is to ensure you have a strong commercial product to bring to the table.  A product, in other words, that the publishers feel will make them money.

The Puggle Experience: Why did it work?

Some PB Facts:

• Most PBs are 32 pages
• Board books are 8-16 pages
• Some PBs are wordless
• Word count suggestion: 500 – for 5-7 year olds
•                                        -200-300  for 3 year olds
• Some are hardcover; some soft. Hardcover more expensive and less common
• Usually smaller print runs as compared to novels, chapter books etc (1500-2000)
• Text begins Page 3       
• Title page  – page 1
• Imprint page – page 2
• 14 double page spreads

Advice in a nutshell:

• Find your niche – hers is animals and nature
• You do not have to be an illustrator to create the text for a PB
• If you can link it also to the schools curriculum – even better.
• Consider making your animal character a male so as not to halve your reading market. Little girls will read about boy animals – little boys not so keen to read about girl animals   
• Whoever your character is, ensure he or she is unique
• Characters can be human or animal
• Animal characters are great as they cross all cultural borders and are all inclusive.
• Character names are crucial – they tell a lot about the character; choose carefully
• Every main character must have a problem or issue. It must be:

-          Real

-          Cause tension, drama or humour  

• Study themes
• Write something that’s quirky and different so as to attract the attention of the jaded editor.

Possible Themes/Issues  – 5-7 year old 

• Friends
• Family
• School
• Bullying 
• Acceptance
• Pets
• Moving House
• Facing Fears

Final Tips

• Join relevant associations (SCWBI)
• Attend conferences and festivals
• Listen to experts
• Submit works
• Attend Pitching Sessions

Good information. It was a great session! Don’t forget to pop in and say hi to Aleesah who’s dropping by on her blog tour this Friday. And thank you for hanging around! Good luck with the prizes on offer to celebrate October! You don’t have to anything but leave a comment and you’re in the draw! There’s over $70 value!

So, therefore I’m going to do something I’ve wanted to do for ages – and that’s include a connundrum and riddle page! And it’s going to be on Fridays! Spread the word!

The first connundrum is one that I had loads of fun experimenting with – and it’s so easy. And so amazing!

So, Question: Besides looks, how could you tell the difference between an apple and a pear?

I’m not going to give you the answer right here – you’ll have to scroll down past the riddle.  It’s more fun if you think about it for  few minutes. Isn’t it? LOL!

Riddle: Where do British Kings and Queens usually get crowned?

       A: On the head.

Riddle: How can you tell a happy motorcyclist?

       A: By the number of bugs caught in his teeth.

Connundrum answer: if you put the both into pitchers of water, the pear will float and the apple will sink.

I’ve tried it and it works! BUT – you MUST make sure you have a RIPE pear. I tried with with a greenish pear and an apple and the pear sank. Then I tried a ripe pair and a ripe apple. And just as predicted, the pear floated and the apple sank.

Who knew?

Have a great weekend.

However, here, I’m tackling a little problem that seems to plague me every now and then – and that’s my two separate identities. I suppose the first question to answer is why I have them? It’s not a difficult or complicated answer.  

Basically,  it’s simply that I write for two different age-groups. For many years I’ve written primary focused works – over 50 of them in fact –and I’m very grateful for the  following of beautiful young people who enjoy those works.

Then there’s the older YA stuff that incorporates topics and cultural references that are beyond those younger people, and I always felt I needed to keep those two audiences separate to some degree – and for the obvious reasons. These I write as Kaz Delaney.

So, history lesson over -  now to the dilemma: juggling  two identities and maintaining two blogs and two websites  – which means double the stress for ideas, double the comps, double the prizes.

There’s also the problem of crossover readers – those who will eventually grow up and read up. How does one take the junior readers over to the Kaz side – aka the dark side?  Mmwwhahahah…

Nah, it’s not the dark side. Just older. And I guess the most obvious is the references to each blog on the other.

But that’s only part of the problem. Like, who am I at writer or professional functions? Sometimes I need to be both! I’ve been Kaz for many years – and am comfortable with that other persona, but she was far better known in the U.S. than here in Oz. But now Kaz is making a bigger splash in Australia, that means more of a physical presence – and for the first time I’m discovering conflicts that I, naively, hadn’t expected to encounter.

So, help! Do you have two identities? (Those under the Witness Protection Program need not reply. Also exempt are those whose other names include, ‘Chopper’, ‘Slicer’ or any other form of kitchen or mutilating appliance. These are  not the dual identites to which I refer…)

But everyone else? Anyone else? How do you find the experience? Problems? Upsides?  Do you have any hints to share? Any advice?

I can’t wait to hear! And don’t forget the prize draw! I’m having so much fun with this!

Anyway, to celebrate and to thank you for being so patient with me, I’m offering some great prizes.

 How do you get said prizes, and what are they? Good questions.

 How? Easy. Any person who leaves a comment on any blog of mine during the month of October will go in the draw! If you leave comments on more than one blog that month, you get more chances! Cool? There’ll be two lots of prizes – so blogs on this site as well as the Kaz site will put you in the running. There’s one set of prizes for each site. Twice as many chances. I have to say, for me, this is one of the most exciting parts of being a writer; getting to source great gifts and give them away to my friends! Too much fun!

2. What? It’s a Kaz party so we have to do it in Kaz Style. So, the giveaway is the cutest little woven shoulder purse – and it’s jam packed with the essentials. Lip gloss, a sparkly mirror to make sure you’re looking fab, some mints so that you’re hot-guy ready, the cutest little mini eye makeup set, some nail polish in the hottest new summer colour, and a mini hand cream to keep your hands silky smooth and soft.

And, if you’re girl after Kaz’s heart – you’ve got to rock the right perfume? Yes? And I found the most gorgeous writer perfumes ever. Okay, so it won’t fit into your bag, but you can squirt before you leave and it’ll last because it’s designer Italian perfume. Check it out! It’s shaped like a pencil! How cool is that! They’re part of the WORDS, inspirational themed perfumes by Dese Venezia and the one’s I’ve chosen for you are entitled: Thought.

What’s more the whole bundle is worth more than a hundred bucks – each one – and I want to express my sincere gratitude to those who donated some of these amazing gifts to help me celebrate. What a lovely surprise – and I’m so delighted I can share!

And if it’s not your style, I hope there’s someone in your life who would love it. So go ahead! Make my day! Comment! LOL!

Oh – and on Wednesday, you might be able to help me out with my identity crisis. Look forward to chatting with you.

But just like the time the dog ate my homework – honestly, would I lie to you? – I have plausible excuses. Both are over at Kaz though, because otherwise it gets a little bit repetitive

Anyway, after you’ve read that blog (hint, hint), you’ll know that the revisions for my YA novel Dead, Actually (Allen & Unwin, March 2012, Kaz Delaney), were accepted yesterday and we can now head into production.

As with the completion of any project though, I analysed what I’d learned from this process. As I’ve said in the other blogs, this project really challenged me for many reasons, and which is ironic because the mantra I adopted some time last year is: Obstacles are only put in front of us to test how badly we want something.

So, what did I learn?

1) Overall I learned that I am probably more resilient than I give myself credit for.  I also think we all have inner reserves we can draw on  – they’re there for us to use. We just have to suck it up and dig deeper.  Note to self…

2) I had reinforced again that it’s vital not to lose focus – literally. There were many times when curling up in the foetal position with a Jim Beam sippy bottle was all too tempting. But panicking leads to inaction (see aforementioned JB sippy bottle). Focus though, is all empowering. While on the other hand banging one’s head against the brick wall chanting ‘I can’t do this’, is not.  And it hurts. A lot.

3) And the most important lesson of all: I need to change my mantra! Talk about tempting the Gods! This was waaaaay too much fun for them…

Over it…