Tatto For You

I thought it would be simplest to show you the very beginning of Lamplighter . I will make some comment on each version but will let them speak for themselves - my hope is that when you click on an image it will show it at a better, more readable size. Please, ask any questions you like. As you can see my initial beginning was markedly different from what we now have in the book. My first thought was to start the very next day from where Foundling left off. I am glad that I did not. The where to begin a story is one of the big challenges in writing. Apart from this, other problems clear to me (now, at least) are a/ that Grindrod is unrealistically harsh & b/ the excessive use of capitals for his voice. Next is the proper beginning to the story; it is bloated and clumsy - but that is the nature of my first drafts for you... The comments on it are made by the fair hand of my publisher, Dyan Blacklock. The change from first to second draft is hard work but seeing the better, tighter ...

Hello, hello, long time no post... Here is some happy news to put up - I just learnt today that Monster-blood Tattoo 2, Lamplighter has been shortlisted in the 2008 Aurealis Awards in the Best Young Adult Long Fiction category AND to add to that the fantasy series, The Sorcerer’s Tower (being Thorn Castle , Giant’s Lair , Black Crypt & Wizardry Crag ) written by the eminent Ian Irvine and illustrated by yours truly, has also been shortlisted in the Best Children’s (8-12 years) Illustrated Work/Picture Book category. Thank you very much the goodly folks and Aurealis! ... and to all of you too!

(Following to be read with some strange accent in mind - I have no idea why, just cause...) Please being 'Hello!' to my good friend, the Handsome Grackle . (Cease with accent, please.) He is what is called nadderer - a sea-nicker, a water-dwelling monster - with neither head nor tail, but both at once, being able to walk on either end when he/she/it ventures on land. A very very robust creature, it recovers quickly from hurts, so much so that he has been swallowed more than once by much larger sea-beasts, travelled the length of their alimentary canals before being "poo-ed" (if I may use that word...) out again, relatively unharmed to get about his/her/its business. Oh what fun... There have been many excellent questions put to me here over the last couple of posts. Unfortunately I do not have time right now to address many of them - but I hope a couple of answers might suffice for the mo...? P ortals was wondering, "I have questions about lahzars' weapons....

And I am back! Thank you for your patience - I shall say more on my time in Sydney-town soon: it was certainly a good as well as stretching time. Met some most excellet souls, fellow creatives seeking their own yet similar path in this great maze of life (hmm... deep) . Today, however, I am wanting to let all Adelaide folks know of the launch party next Tuesday night, where we shall officially send Lamplighter off into the wide blue. Details are as follows: LAMPLIGHTER LAUNCH 3rd June ~ 7 pm for 7:30 start St Peters Library 101 Payneham Road, St Peters RSVP 8334 0200 I would love to meet folks so come along - though I warn you that I am very ordinary (just in case you were expecting to meet some monstrous genius with an amazing pulsating brain ;) See you there... and don't forget to rsvp!

ONE DAY TO GO!!!

I have been aware of this review of Monster-Blood Tattoo: Foundling by Elizabeth Bird for a little while now and, happy to find it as the Review of the Day over at Fuse 8 on the School Library Journal site, thought some might like to head on over and see. She has also posted a review of Lamplighter for those who are interested. They are both astounding in its breadth and the level to which Ms Bird understands and appreciates the whole Half-Continent thing, and also very helpful to encourage me as I wrestle with some tough bits in Book 3. Thank you, EB! Speaking of Book 3 , I received this email from Conner Ernst : "A few people at my school have read book two and they like Numps and I am trying to convince you to have Numps in the third book and make Europe have more hatred." Hmmm , very pertinent notions, Conner, and things I am tackling with even as I blog to procrastinate. What do other people think? What to do with Numps ? Should Europe be meaner? more of an invidi...

This is high- falutin ' Half-Continent speak for two weeks to go! - well a little over two weeks, but close enough for the call! "To go till what?" I hear you not actually ask, because this is a blog and I am in my wife's study typing it, all on my own, just me and the terror of the blank page. But I shall answer anyway, because conducting pretend conversations is professional risk; it is just a little over TWO WEEKS until Lamplighter officially hits the shelves in Australia, New Zealand, the UK and US. Very excited, though it must be said that it is a rather small deal in light of Tibet and China and that blasted torch-thingy - where I do not believe sport can some how be mysteriously separated from politics as if one part of human existence could be hermetically seal away from another, or the infuriating egomania of Mugabe and all the misery he inflicts - watching such transparent deception and manipulation is so infuriating it makes me want to roar. Anyway, welc...