Adventures in KidLitLand: Episode 5: 2023

As I am starting this news, the sun is shining, cruise ship’s horns are booming and tugs are chug, chug, chugging across Sydney harbour, heralding the start of summer and Christmas coming! Glasses are clinking at parties and gifts are being exchanged. I’ve had a few sparkly-melt-your-heart Christmas gifts this week…

Firstly, a gorgeous ceramic Tug arrived in the post all the way from WA from legendary author, Sean E Avery. It’s the perfect Christmas ornament! His mum is a ceramicist and she makes adorable book characters and Sean sends them off to the creators. How generous is that?? Check out Naidina_avery_art on Instagram. You also must be following Seaneavery, the uber-talented and uber-generous author of hilarious and acclaimed Frank’s Red Hat, amongst many other fabulous books. His author, illustrator, and plain old life advice, is gold!

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Another super-generous author, Michelle Worthington has posted some great snippets of tips on Instagram (and maybe tick tock too?) on what makes a great bookshop book signing. Any author who’s sat, dejected, behind a table at a bookshop will want to hear what she has to say. I also need to get me a t-shirt as worn by Kristy Nita Brown on Instagram – that might help too! Check Kristy and  her t-shirt out at Kristynitabrownbooks.

But I digress! Back to the second (and third) Christmas present.  Anchored was mentioned on Your Kid’s Next Read Podcast as one of Allison Tait’s favourite books of the year. Not only that, but it came with a heartwarming anecdote about how my little Tug book helped a family dealing with separation anxiety issues. A two-for-one gift! As an author, my job is done! Check out the review on episode 133 here. PLUS Anchored made it onto The Children’s Bookshop top selling books for 2023! So thrilled to know Anchored is getting into the hands of readers!!

Me, Nicola Nelson and Lisa Berryman

​Following on from these precious gifts, here’s a tip for inexpensive yet meaningful gifts for any author/book creator: if you love a book, shout about it to your friends, post on social media (it doesn’t need to be a fancy review, it can be as simple as ‘I/we/my child loved this book – a bit like food posts) and tag the creators, or leave a longer review on sites like Goodreads and amazon. Requesting the book at your local school or public library is a bankable gift, as we get paid lending rights.

I’m sure your time is limited right now, just days before Christmas, so the next bit will be in hyper-drive:

* I’ve signed off all the illustrations, internals and cover for my picture book due out next year with HarperCollins!!!! It has been so exciting watching this book come together and I can’t wait to share it with you mid next year!! I also had the joy of meeting my publishers, Lisa Berryman and Nicola Nelson at their author day recently.

​* I forgot to mention last time that Katrina Roe and I took over Dani Vee’s Words And Nerds Podcast in August: Episode 618. We talk about our picture books, disability representation in literature, living in regional Australia and hints to promote your books to the media, from Katrina’s journalism background. And news just to hand: BIG congratulations to Dani for her podcast reaching 1 MILLION views!!! She is such an incredible support for authors!

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Illawarra Literary Lunch with Berkley Public School

* Talking about Katrina Roe, she has recently published an immersive audio book for children based on her father’s wartime experiences: When I was Twelve: A Wartime Childhood. She launched it in Wagga Wagga on Remembrance Day. You can find out more here.

* Amelia McInerny and I were judges of the picture book section of the Just Write For Kids Pitch It competition! There were some outstanding pitches and we were sorry we couldn’t award more prizes!! I hope to see many of these stories in print in the years to come.
* Speaking of Just Write For Kids, have you seen the new picture book anthology Romi has produced, called Our Australian HeART? It’s a tribute to the many different facets of Australia, by Australian artists and illustrators. You can find out more here. I've pre-ordered my copy, and for each sale a donation is made to the Indigenous Literacy Foundation.

*I was a guest author at the CBCA NSW Illawarra Sub-branch Literary Lunch and had the pleasure of sitting with Berkley Public School students, whose imaginations were firing furiously as we wrote a story together. And as a prize for the Northern Suburbs Sub-branch writing competition, I had a wonderful visit with year five girls at Pittwater house.

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With Cristin and Shannon

* I loved bumping into instagrammers Shannon @ohcreativeday and Cristin @artsplorers_au  and kid’s author Heidi Walkinshaw (you must follow them on Insta) at a literary event at Stanton Library in North Sydney – we were in the audience to hear adult author Trent Dalton talk about his latest book, Lola in the Mirror (which I have finished and loved). I adored his last book, Love Stories, and mention it often in relation to Anchored and the power of love. 

​​* The year is ending with lots of celebrations! Here’s a photo snapshot of some other events and Christmas gatherings: CBCA NSW Aspire and Celebrate with Craig Silvey and Chemutai Glasheen; The School Magazine contributors Lunch, Barefoot bowls with SCBWI Sydney; CBCA NSW Northern Sydney Sub-branch at Terrey Hills Tavern.​

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Craig Silvey in conversation with Kathryn Eyre from CBCA NSW Branch

SCBWI bowls with Carla Fitzgerald, Ashling Kwok and Marissa Pletz

Car buddies Catherine Pelosi and Ramona Daviey

CBCA Northern Sydney dinner with Leasley Gibbes, Kim de Haan &Seetha Dodd

With School Mag staffer Claire Catacouzinos & writing buddies Angie Schiavone & Marian McGuinness

With Jane Jolley, Janeen Brian and Sharon Dalgleish

CBCA Northern Sydney dinner with Ramona Davey, Aura Parker and Danielle Cerin

With poet extraordinaire, Jenny Erlanger

 Where you can find me over the holidays?

I’ll mostly be relaxing with a (hopefully) good book, around Sydney, Canberra and a trip to Hobart. 

But I will be running a Storytime at Penrith library on the 20th January, so if you’re in the area, book in!

And keep a look out for Storyhound Archie who's starting to post his kids book reviews a bit more lately. 
 
That’s it from me for the year,

Wishing you a joy and love filled Christmas with lots of books and relaxing time to read them!

Leaving you with a photo of the cutest crocheted gingerbread folk by Crochetables by Mandy who crocheted my gorgeous Tug (seen in previous news).

Until next year,

​Debra ​