Kids and YA Festival at the NSW Writer's Centre

It was great to see Wombat Books so well represented at this festival on the weekend. It was a great day hearing from and speaking with lots of wonderful accomplished and successful as well as talented and aspiring authors and illustrators.

Boori Monty Pryor talked about his visits to schools, and how it's not so much about what you do in the school, but what you leave - you want to leave the students and teachers with something that will stay with them for more that 10 minutes after you're gone. The most amazing and heartwarming feedback for him was the comment "You started to heal that school"

It was captivating to hear from author/illustrator collaborators about the magic of making picture books. Illustrator Sarah Davis spoke  about the beautifully evocative manuscript for 'Sounds Spooky' and yet the difficulty she had conceptualizing it until she turned the narrative idea upside down and hit story gold! (The initial thought was a child in bed hearing spooky 'ghost' noises, Sarah imagined a ghost in a mansion hearing spooky 'child' noises).  Mark Carthew told how he had never envisaged his manuscript for The Moose is Loose to involve a love story, but illustrator Matt Stanton embedded this pictorial narrative as a result of imagining why the moose would get loose! Great lessons in authors trusting illustrators.

To top off the day, my fellow Wombat author, Katrina Rowe entered a competition to 'pitch' her picture book idea to several publishers in front of the audience - and she won the competition!

Thanks to the NSW Writers Centre, and to Aleesah Darlison for directing this event.

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