Tottie and Dot Blog Blast!

The Firebird Mystery

The Firebird Mystery by Darrell Pitt (Text Publishing)

PB RRP $16.99

ISBN  978-192214775-2

Reviewed by Wendy Fitzgerald

Text Publishers have put a red sticker on this book-

LOVE IT or your money back

Melbourne author, Darrell Pitt first published this story in a digital version. He called it The Steampunk Detective and as an eBook it attracted 48,000 downloads. Editors at Text noticed this and offered Pitt an 8 book deal with them. So, The Steampunk Detective was renamed as The Firebird Mystery and has been published as number one in a series.

In conjunction with this series Text Publishing are currently running a ‘How I Saved the World’ writing competition where you can win $1000 worth of books for your school and $100 worth of books for yourself (entries open 1^st July 2014 and close 1^st August 2014).

Melbourne author, Pitt has set The Firebird Mystery in a magical world of steam punk Victorian London amidst airships, space steamers, a 200 mile high metro tower, lots of crazy machines and intriguing gadgets. 

The main character, 14 year old Jack Mason grew up in a circus family. After a tragic accident Jack is orphaned and is sent to live in Sunnyside Orphanage in London. This orphanage is anything but ‘sunny’ and Jack is relieved but wary when he is offered an apprenticeship with a very eccentric famous detective called Ignatius Doyle.  Enter 15 year old fiery red headed clever young ‘suffragette’ Scarlet Bell. She comes to ask Ignatius Doyle’s help to find her father.

Add to the plot a criminal mastermind called ‘Professor M’ who is intent on destroying the world, an atomic bomb, the secret Phoenix Society, a missing painting, a cast of feisty characters and you have an exciting story. Can Jack, Scarlet and Ignatius Doyle work together to defeat Professor M and save the world from the atomic bomb? You will need to read this book to find out.

I was swept along by the fast-paced plot, captivated by the characters and surprised at a major twist at the end. I do recommend this book for readers 9 years and over who like action, mystery and adventure. At the end of Book 1 there is the first chapter of book 2 to whet your appetite for more Jack Mason adventures.

The second book in the series, The Secret Abyss will be launched on 25^th June 2014 and the third book, The Broken Sun will be launched in November 2014.  

Blog Tour: Meet Marmalade!

A New Friend for Marmalade by Alison Reynolds and Heath McKenzie, The Five Mile Press 

Drum roll, please! Here he is, Marmalade, the loveable cat featuring in his second book, A New Friend for Marmalade (The Five Mile Press). Welcome to Buzz Words Books Marmalade and thank you for disturbing your nap time to answer Seven Purry Questions:

1. Favourite Movie?

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

2. Favourite Book?

Cat in a Hat

3. Favourite TV show?

Purrfect Match.

4. What is your typical day?

Read fan emails. Take a nap. Eat sardines. Take a nap. Do public appearances up and down the street. Take a nap. Practise my cat walk twirl, in case I’m offered my own fashion label. Take a nap. Play with Ella, Maddy and Toby. Take a nap. International feline stars need plenty of beauty sleep.

5. Has fame changed you since your starring role in A New Friend for Marmalade and A Year with Marmalade?

I can’t go out in public anymore. Dogs always chase me for autographs. I spend forever grooming myself in case the purrparrazzi snap my photo. But I do get upgraded when I stay at the boutique cattery, so it’s not all fur balls.

6. There is a Beyonce doll, a Jennifer Lopez doll and now a plush toy, Marmalade. How did you feel about the likeness?

My legs are longer in real life, but apart from that it’s purrfect.

7. Do you have a personal mantra?

No matter how famous I become, I’ll always keep my four paws on the ground. Especially if Toby, Ella and Maddy aren’t around to rescue me.

Please don't forget to enter the competitions below to WIN books, manuscript assessments or even a chance to jump the slush pile and land on an editor's desk!

Pet contest for all ages!
Marmalade the cat is full of personality. Do you have a pet with personality? Win a piece of artwork by Heath McKenzie. Send along a photo of your personality-plus pet to www.alisonreynolds.com.au, alrey@msn.com.au or upload to https://www.facebook.com/alison.reynolds.524

Random book giveaways!
Just leave a comment on one of the posts in the blog tour, comment on facebook, or even email Alison letting her know you want to enter the competition to win A New Friend for Marmalade.

Jump the Slush Pile!
Option 1 - Win a free pass to a Children’s editor’s desk
Just comment on this blog post or any other blog during the A New Friend for Marmalade blog tour and add the initials CB. The more you comment, the more chances you have to win the draw.

Option 2 - Win a free pass to a Non-fiction commissioning editor’s desk
Just comment on this blog post or any other blog during the A New Friend for Marmalade blog tour and add the initials NF. The more you comment, the more chances you have to win the draw.

Win a Manuscript Assessment!
Option 1 - Win an assessment of Chapter One of a chapter book with Dee White
A wonderful opportunity to have an assessment by the fabulous mentor extraordinaire, Dee White.
Just comment on this blog post or any other blog during the A New Friend for Marmalade blog tour and add the initials DW. The more you comment, the more chances you have to win the draw.

Option 2 - Win a free picture book assessment by Alison!
Just comment on this blog post or any other blog during the A New Friend for Marmalade blog tour and add the initials PB. The more you comment, the more chances you have to win the draw.

A New Friend for Marmalade is available now in Australia at all leading bookstores and online. Published in Australia by The Five Mile Press. Released March 2014. Published in the USA by Little Simon. Released July 2014.

Blog Tour: Kevin Burgemeestre and Kate

Buzz Words chats to Kevin Burgemeestre about his debut YA book Kate (Morris Publishing Australia). Kevin is no stranger to readers with over 60 published books that contain his illustrations. Kate contains five illustrations which were exhibited at the Stonnington Literature Alive exhibition earlier in 2013. He has recently turned his hand to writing. Kate was completed as part of a Copyright Agency residency at the University of New England in 2012. It is a story of growth and mistakes, danger and excitement, loss and discovery.

Comment on this post to be in the draw to win a copy of Kate.

1. Welcome Kevin. Please describe your new novel in five words or less.

Teenage mistakes not the end!

2. How did the ideas for your book come to you?

I am shocked how quickly we are willing to write young people off. Young people are meant to make mistakes. I made a ton of them.

I was aware that teenagers in our circle from happy families were making unexpected decisions. They were going off the map. They were getting into creepy stuff. I wondered if our teenage judgement is a little impaired. I also reflected on the importance of friendships in those years. I got Kate to collide into someone she may not even have given a second glance. Mum and Dad, who survived a war, told me that when the duck fat hits the fan it was often the people they least expected that stood up and did the right thing.

3. Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

I remembered what good companions our dogs were when I was going through my lumpy and bumpy teenage years. On a really bad day, ten minutes with one of our dogs would totally bring me out of myself. If you want a dog get a mutt from the pound, its got a harpoon pointed at its head. Full breed dogs will always find a home.

Be the friend to your friends. Be to them what you are looking for in a mate. Forgive a true mate even if they've hurt you. Find adventure, and I don't mean crazy danger, but try some things that take you a little out of your comfort zone. You will be surprised what you are capable of.

4. Why did you choose to write in this genre?

As an adult, I often reflect on my formative years. I was so lucky, and yet I saw what was happening to children from my neighbourhood, what they were going through. Not all of them survived, yet they were people just like me. How does that happen?

I also like teenagers, I have respect for the challenges they face. I like to listen to their stories and hear their opinions. I'm not sure adults often ask them what they think. I feel blessed that I came from simpler times, we had less, but the pressures were far less.

As part of the blog tour, we will give away a copy of Kate. To be in the draw, simply comment on the post and send an email of your comment to submissions@morrispublishingaustralia.com with the subject "Kate competition". Competition closes midnight EDST 17 December.

Kate by Kevin Burgemeestre  (Morris Publishing Australia)
PB RRP $22 (eBook coming soon)
ISBN 978-0-9875434-4-8

Kate is struggling to deal with her best friend leaving, a school bully and with the death of her mother. She believes that life is hard. Then a chance encounter with a battered, heroic hound she rescues from the streets, and Mal, a troubled young man with a dark past, leads Kate into more danger and excitement than she could have wished for.

She wonders about her unusual friendship with this damaged young man, but when things go really wrong, they’ll need each other ... and they’ll have to run!

To see more of Kevin's blog tour go to:

Tuesday 3rd Dec - 10  writing tips http://deescribewriting.wordpress.com

Wednesday 4th Dec - Interview http://www.buzzwordsmagazine.com

Thursday 5th Dec - Interview http://www.alisonreynolds.com.au

Friday 6th - article http://sherylgwyther.wordpress.com

Saturday 7th Interview http://bookmusterdownunder.blogspot.com.au

Sunday 8th Dec www.jackiehoskingpio.wordpress.com

Monday 9th Interview  http://www.kidsbookreview.com

Monday 9th Interview http://UncommonYA.com

Tuesday 10th Review http://www.melissawray.blogspot.com.au

Wednesday 11th Review www.karentyrrell.com

Thursday 12th Interview http://aussiereviews.com/reviews/blog/

Friday 13th Interview http://lorrainemarwoodwordsintowriting.blogspot.com

Saturday 14th Article http://clancytucker.blogspot.com.au

Sunday 15th Dec Interview http://www.morrispublishingaustralia.com/news-update-blog.html

Monday 16th Dec Interview http://diannedibates.blogspot.com.au

Tuesday 17th Dec Interview http://elaineoustonauthor.com.au

WIN a $150 book pack

Buzz Words and Bookworld have combined to offer readers the chance to WIN a $150 book pack of children's and YA titles. And it's perfect timing with Christmas just around the corner. 

Included in the pack is the dystopian YA novel Allegiant, the conclusion to Veronica Roth's New York Times bestselling DIVERGENT trilogy. Divergent is also set to be released as a movie in March 2014 and starring Kate Winslett.

Allegiant takes Tris on new challenges and having to face impossible choices. She questions everything and everyone, including herself. Told from the dual perspectives of Tris and Four, all the secrets of this dystopian world will be revealed.

The remainder of the books in the pack will be a Christmas surprise, but rest assured that they will all be children's and YA titles.

For a chance to win this fantastic prize all you need to do is comment on this post by 5pm EDST 10 December 2013. Tell us your favourite book. You don't have to let us in on why but we'd still love to know! Join the conversation and be in with a chance to WIN this great selection.

Open to Australian residents only.

Meet Maia Blog Tour and Giveaway

Image: Magda Bojes                                                                     

Today is the last stop on the Meet Maia Blog Tour and Buzz Words is thrilled to welcome Greet Pauwelijn, founder and publisher of New Zealand children's book publisher Book Island. Anastasia Gonis chats with Greet about Book Island and Maia and What Matters. This is an edited version of the full interview with Greet featured in the 1 November 2013 issue of Buzz Words.

There is also the opportunity to WIN a copy of this outstanding book by answering a simple question at the end of this interview.

Welcome to Buzz Words, Greet. Book Island is a fantastic name. Where did it originate?

It refers to the place where I am when I read an extraordinary book. When I'm on my little island, I don't hear, see or smell anything any more (which has proven to be quite dangerous at times). I'm hoping that reading our books will have the same effect on our readers.

How long have you been in publishing, and where and how did you begin?

I've been in publishing for only a year and a half. I'm originally from Belgium where I used to translate Polish literature into Dutch. We moved from Belgium to New Zealand in 2009 and in February 2012 I decided to become a children's publisher. There was a slight difficulty: I wanted to publish in Dutch, while I was living in New Zealand, and as if that wasn't challenging enough, I decided to publish both in English and Dutch translation. The first book I chose was Mr Miniscule and the Whale, a Polish children's classic from 1939, but while working on this one I've published 6 other children's books! It's been a long but extremely interesting journey.

From which languages are your children’s books translated?

All our English titles so far were originally published in Dutch by Flemish publishing houses, while I've published a French and Polish book in Dutch translation. I've also published our first Book Island title, Azizi and the Little Blue Bird about the Tunisian revolution, written in Dutch by Belgian-Tunisian author Laila Koubaa. The illustrator, Mattias De Leeuw, is one of Belgium's rising stars, releasing about 4-5 titles a year. 

Your latest book Maia and What Matters is a deeply moving book about loss, hope, and coming to terms with ageing, all interwoven within the relationship between a child and her grandparents. It’s different to anything you’ve previously published. How did the book come to you?

Maia and What Matters is a book that is well-known in Europe, because of its remarkable story and stunning illustrations. It belongs to the category of children's books that are rather sophisticated in illustration and story. These are the kind of books that my heart goes out to. The illustrations are so beautiful, that you just can't forget them. 

I'd ultimately like to focus on publishing children's literature of this quality and level. I realise that there is only a limited audience for such titles, and therefore I can only allow myself to publish one of these every now and then. When I started off with Book Island I knew I had to wait before I could pull out this treasure.

My kids and I talk a lot about their grandfather and great-grandparents who have passed away and what that means. I believe we shouldn't shelter our children from reality but try to prepare them for inevitable losses and challenges that will come their way. Adults often underestimate what children can handle. During the talks that I give at primary schools I'm always surprised at how mature the children of today are and how well they cope with topics we consider too difficult for them. With titles like Maia and What Matters I'm hoping to make a difference.

The text portrays the deep bond that exists between Grandmother and Maia. They don’t need words to communicate. The illustrations are exquisite and delicate, similar to the relationship between them. Please tell us something about the writer Tine Mortier, and illustrator, Kaatje Vermeire.

Tine Mortier is one of those versatile people who seems to be good at everything she does: she's is a writer, playwright, teacher, book reviewer and editor with a wonderful imagination. She writes for children and adults and her books have been translated into multiple languages.

I deeply admire illustrator, Kaatje Vermeire, whose artwork could just as easily sit in a gallery as well as in the pages of a book. Kaatje's techniques are so labour intensive that she can only illustrate one book a year. She definitely belongs to the group of Flemish illustrators that have taken picture book illustrations to a higher level. Her workshops and master classes at this year's Beijing Book Fair were very popular.

Australian David Colmer translated Maia and What Matters. How did this choice come about?

When I had acquired the rights for Maia, the next step was to find a translator for the book. I initially asked Laura Watkinson, the English translator of our first two books. Unfortunately Laura declined the job, because she was still dealing with some personal losses in her life and didn't feel ready to translate Maia. This shows how much a translator can get involved with the book he or she is translating.

Thanks to an Australian-Dutch colleague of mine, I knew that some of the books written by Annie M.G. Schmidt who's regarded as the Astrid Lindgren of the Netherlands, had recently been translated by David Colmer, an Australian living in Amsterdam. I decided to contact David and soon after we had a long chat on Skype. I didn't realise how famous he was until I started following him on Facebook, where I could see him winning award after award. It was a real honour to work with him. 

Book Island is more than a publishing house to you. Tell us about the extra dimension to your children’s books and what is the hoped for outcome with the inclusion of activities that expand on reading.

With Book Island I also organise events based on our books. For the launch of our first 3 titles in New Zealand last year we built a 5 metre tall skyscraper sandwich made out of recyclable items. I'm always looking for partners who could bring our books to life, no matter how small scaled their projects are.  Inspired by the beautiful dresses Maia is wearing in Maia and What Matters one of the local crafters, Joke Gossey, who's also from Belgium, will add a 'Maia' dress to her Hikkepik children's collection. Next year a Belgian performer and two Polish musicians will tour Belgium and the Netherlands with a performance based on the Dutch version of Mr Miniscule and the Whale. I just love how people get inspired by our titles and create something new.

Do you have long term plans for Book Island and can you share them with us?

My plan is to gradually publish more books each year, from the 6 titles I did in the first year to maybe 12 a year by 2016, and build up an exciting backlist. We started distributing our titles in Australia in November 2012, which is the same time as the launch in New Zealand, but as I didn’t have time to invest in marketing, we're not very well known across the Tasman Sea yet. We’re now working with a new distributor, Dennis Jones, who’s managed to sell more copies of Maia and What Matters in ten days then our sales reps in the UK in one month. Seeing these sales figures I’ve got a huge confidence in our new Australian sales and distribution team.

With this interview Book Island wraps up their highly successful Meet Maia Blog Tour. The response has been absolutely overwhelming. Thanks to the fifteen blogs involved Maia is now known across the English-speaking world. Click here to read the other blog posts. Thank you for travelling with us to Book Island!

Read Buzz Word's review of Maia and What Matters in the post below. For a chance to win a copy of this outstanding picture book answer this question in 25 words or fewer: What did you share with your grandparent/s?

Responses must be sent to vicki  {at} stanton {dot} id {dot} au and received by 5pm ADST on 22 November 2013.

An Aussie Year – Sneak Peek at July

Sneak Peek and Win! A year’s subscription to Buzz Words Industry Magazine.

We’re celebrating the release of An Aussie Year, with a fantastic prize—a year’s subscription (or extension) to Buzz Words, valued at $48! To win, just leave a comment on this post, 40 words or less, telling us your favourite month as a child, and why.

July is a delicious time of the year for Aussie Kids. Most states have school holidays and it’s a great time to head to the snow. Kids unable to get to the ski fields in New South Wales and Victoria, might enjoy heading to a local skate rink for some wintry fun.

There aren’t as many events or festivals happening in July, but an important one does take centre stage—it’s NAIDOC week—a time celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and their cultures.

Netball season begins in July which is the perfect time, because those netball-vital orange segments are at their juiciest this time of year.

Sometimes, people celebrate Christmas in July with traditional meals, crackers and gifts. Australians come from all over the world—many from countries where Christmas is celebrated during winter with hot meals and lots of snow. Christmas in July is a way to honour traditions and festivities from the ‘home country’.

July is also a great time to snuggle indoors or … escape to warmer places like the Great Barrier Reef!

Read what Buzz Words thinks about An Aussie Year in our review and follow the An Aussie Year Virtual Tour and join Ned, Zoe, Lily, Kirra and Matilda on this journey around the webosphere, from 21 October to 21 November. There will be reviews, sneak peeks, guest posts and lots of fabulous giveaways including some publishing opps!

Visit the An Aussie Year website (www.anaussieyear.com.au) to meet all the characters from the book, see updates and behind-the-scenes work. There’s also some Fun Activities for kids.

About the Creators:

Tania McCartney is a book-obsessed author, editor, reviewer, photographer, traveller, mum of two and wife of one. She simply adores words and paper—and would ingest them if she could (though she’ll settle for a good coffee). She frequently flits around cyberspace but can also be seen visiting schools and libraries, running workshops, reading to kids or pushing tomes onto unsuspecting shoppers in bookshops. Tania lives in Canberra, but would like to live inside a book. www.taniamccartney.com




Tina Snerling is a designer, illustrator, artist, web designer, seamstress and mum. She adores Paris, fabric, design and paper. She lives a very illustrated life—one day she’s creating children's books, the next she’s creating websites (in between the washing and school lunches!). She’s the type who has a notebook by her bed because most good ideas happen when you’re supposed to be sleeping. She lives in Brisbane with her two gorgeous poppets and one gorgeous husband.


WIN! A year’s subscription (or extension) to Buzz Words valued at $48! To win, just leave a comment on this post, 40 words or less, telling us your favourite month as a child, and why. Competition closes 5pm 21 November 2013.

An Aussie Year – Sneak Peek at July and Win a copy of Buzz Words

Buzz Words is thrilled to be celebrating the upcoming release of An Aussie Year, with a fantastic prize—a year’s subscription to Buzz Words, valued at $48. To win, just leave a comment on the Buzz Words' post on 13 November. Posts must be 40 words or less, telling us your favourite month as a child, and why. Competition closes 21 November.