Did you know that as well as this daily children's book review blog, Buzz Words has a twice monthly magazine for those in the Australian children's book industry?
Buzz
Words online magazine is full of up-to-the-minute news, opportunities, markets
(Australian and overseas), competitions, interviews, book reviews, publisher
profiles, industry people profiles, courses, conferences and much more for
those in the children’s book industry. It’s a fabulous way of promoting your
latest book or book launch, too.
If you want to be informed and helped, you
can’t afford not to pay $48 for 24 issues p.a. For a obligation-free copy,
contact the editor, Dianne (Di) Bates dibates@outlook.com
Showing posts with label writing competitions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label writing competitions. Show all posts
Friday, 1 January 2016
Tuesday, 1 July 2014
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 1st
July 2014 and close 1st 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 25th June 2014 and the third book, The Broken Sun will be launched in
November 2014.
Monday, 27 May 2013
Sutherland Shire Picture Book Writing and Illustration Competition
But now illustrators can get in on the action with an Illustration Competition as well. Entry is only $10 ($12 for postal entries) and the final judges are some of Australia's best editors and agents.
For your chance to get your work in front of heather Curdie, Brian Cook or Paul Collins check out the competition details at www.shirewritersfestival.weebly.com.
Competition closes 5 July.
The Sutherland Shire Writers' Festival is now over a whole weekend! Over 16-17 November you can hear the best of Australia's writers for kids, young adults and adults plus workshops and publishing consultations.
Tuesday, 7 August 2012
Writing Competition: TheReadingRoom.com/WriteOnCon Kidlit Writing Contest
Submit your first 450 words HERE to be judged by a panel of experts including literary agent Catherine Drayton. Entries close SUNDAY August 12.
Report to www.writeoncon.com on
Wednesday, August 15 to
check out the top 5 entries and vote for your favourite.
The page with the most votes wins $1,000
and their own author profile page. Voting will close September 5 at midnight EST and
the winner will be announced on September
6, 2012.
Tuesday, 15 May 2012
Blog Tour and Giveaway: DC’s Amazing Life!
Welcome to DC Green's Grat Siege Blog Blitz Tour. Today, Buzz Words interviews DC Green on his Amazing Life! and whoever likes the ‘DC Green Author’ page in the month of May and sends a message to DC saying ‘Buzz Words’ will be go into the draw for a free copy of his new release Erasmus James and the Grat Siege.
BW: Have you
always wanted to be a writer?
DC: When I was
a boy I dreamed of growing up to become a writer, a professional surfer, an
astronaut or a jelly wrestler. I was only ever an average surfer, Australia had no
space program and I couldn’t afford a swimming pool full of Aeroplane jelly, so
I focused on writing. Many grown-ups told me I was a fool and that I would never
make a living out of writing. But the only fools are those who are too scared to
follow their dreams!
As with any
sport or activity, the more you practise something, the better you become. I
wrote so much, I won an award from the Victorian government for one of my short
stories and had my first article published in Tracks surfing magazine – both
when I was still in high school. When I received a cheque for $60 from Tracks, I
felt like the richest boy in Ulladulla!
BW: You
recently did well in a few writing contests?
DC:
Yes! In the
last month, my unpublished children's novel 'City of Monsters' has won
first place in the Adult Category of the Writing Classes for Kids and Adults
Fantasy Writing Competition and runner-up in the 8th Kathleen Julia Bates
Memorial Writing Competition. Any discerning publishers reading this are welcome
to jump in now, while I’m polishing the final draft until it
glistens!
BW: And your
latest book is being launched this month?
DC:
Right now,
I’m on a nation-wide ten-blog tour, launching Erasmus James and the Grat Siege
(for details, see below). The official galaxy-wide book launch will be at
Ulladulla Library on Saturday, June 2, from 12-1
pm. There will
be great prizes, including signed books and posters, ripping yarns, lots of
laughs and the chance to ask me just about anything and/or have me sign a book
or three.
BW: You
worked for surf magazines for many years?
DC: Many, many
years! Apart from the abysmal pay, it was a dream job in many ways. I was able
to combine the three great loves of my life: writing, surfing and travelling –
the latter on someone else’s coin! I roamed the coastlines of multiple
continents, usually with a photographer and an ever-changing crew of pro
surfers. I was fortunate to have a succession of wonderful editors from
magazines around the world who let me be in turn experimental, investigative,
tangential, satirical, irreverent, demagogic, demented, gonzo, naughty and
frequently the star of my own stories.
BW: Humour
seems to be an important element of your stories.
DC: Indeed!
I’ve always loved making people laugh. As a grommet (also known as a kid), I was
always in trouble for calling out funny comments in class. The teacher would
frown my way and shout, ‘Green… detention!’
I
interrupted the teacher with so many feeble jokes, I think I set a new world
record for being on detention! I suffered chalk dust poisoning and Vitamin D
deficiency from being indoors every lunch-time!! I decided there surely had to
be another way to make people laugh that didn’t involve me writing, ‘I must not
be a goose’ 200 times on a blackboard before I was allowed to eat my sandwich.
So I snuck into my big brother’s room and tore pages out of his school books. I
cut these up and turned them into… mini-comics!
Four amazing
things happened. I discovered that writing and drawing comics was a fantastic
way to spend a rainy afternoon. My friends at school dug my comics so much they
wanted to buy them. And my big brother had a temper tantrum because pages kept
falling out of his school books! So I was having fun, making money, annoying my
family and not being put on detention every day! Woo-hoo! Double
quinella!!
BW: You
often refer to your guard cats.
DC: Yes, I
can’t afford guard dogs, so instead my life is in the paws of three bold if
usually comatose guard cats: Ninja the Ginger, Frankie Hollywood Junior and
Boofhead. I’ve even written a chapter book mystery story featuring the cats,
which I hope a clever publisher will want to publish one decade!
BW: I
understand you do a lot of school shows?
DC: Definitely
the best part of my job is touring schools. In the last six years, I’ve
performed over 700 school shows in every Australian state and territory. Instead
of being put on detention, I now get PAID to make silly comments and jokes in
classrooms! I love hearing windows shake
because the audience (including the teachers) are laughing so hard – even if
just because they’ve never seen a big bald man rap so badly before! I’m always
stoked when teachers tell me their students were so inspired by my show they all
wanted to rush back to class to write their own amazing yarns. Sure beats being
on detention!
BW: Tell us
about your current publisher, Barrel Books.
DC: Barrel
Books has been a fantastic publisher, very supportive and open to new ideas. For
example, they agreed to share the cost of ten per cent of all sales of my
picture book, Three Little Surfer Pigs, going to CanTeen Australia, the
organisation that supports young Australians living with cancer and their
families. Neither Barrel Books or myself made much money out of that endeavour;
but the feeling of doing something for others was wonderful. I wish more famous
and wealthy and authors would follow suit!
Unfortunately,
the company that distributed Barrel Books’ books, Scribo, went out of business
last year, so my five books are now only available through a limited range of
bookstores, at my school shows and other public appearances or through www.barrelbooks.com in dead tree, audio
or ebook formats.
BW: I
understand you’ve already received some good reviews for your new book, Eramsus
James and the Grat Siege?
DC:
I have! Here
are some selected quotes!
‘Hilarious
and action packed… an unforgettable book of beasts, battles and bizarre bodily
functions.’ – Dee White,
Kids’ Book Capers.
‘Grat Siege
is full of page turning terror, amazing creatures and amusing one-liners that
will appeal especially to boys, holding their attention until the very last full
stop.’
– Sally
Hall, Needtoreadthis.com
‘Nothing can
compare to this… It’s impossible to predict just what will happen next. It’s
crazy fun wrapped up in mindgames… Extraordinarily punny, (it) will spin you
around until you lose all sense of who you are and what you’re doing there. In a
good way. You’ll get dizzy in this whirlwind universe.’ –
Claire
Saxby, Aussiereviews.com
‘It’s funny,
sad, scary and the BEST Erasmus novel! I’ll read it 100 times!’
– Jack,
12-years-old.
‘It’s funny,
exciting and written by a genius!’
–
DC
Green.
BW: Thanks
for dropping by Buzz Words, DC!
DC:
Thanks for
inviting me, Vicki!
The DC Green
Grat Siege Blog Blitz Tour Itinerary
Topic 1:
Blog Tour Mania!
DC Green,
Saturday May 12
Topic 2:
Inspiration and Ideas
Ian Irvine,
Sunday May 13
Topic
3: Book Giveaway
Kids Book
Review, Tania McCartney - Monday 14 - Sunday 20
Topic 4: DC
Green’s Books
PIO - Monday
May 14
Topic 5:
DC’s Amazing Life
Buzz Words,
Tuesday May 15
Topic 6:
Writing Great Characters
Robyn Opie,
Wednesday May 16
Topic 7:
Plotting and Planning!
Jill Smith,
Thursday May 17
Topic 8:
Surf Journalism
Chad Kolcze,
Friday May 18
Topic 9:
Random Questions
Helen Nolan,
Saturday May 19
Topic 10:
Sneak Peeks
Jackie
Hosking, Sunday May 20
DC would be
stoked if you could like his ‘DC Green Author’ page on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/DC-Green-Author/184192614968404
Like DC's page in the month of May and send the message 'Buzz Words' to DC and you'll go into the draw to win a free copy of his new release, Erasmus James and the Grat Siege.
Like DC's page in the month of May and send the message 'Buzz Words' to DC and you'll go into the draw to win a free copy of his new release, Erasmus James and the Grat Siege.
DC’s books
can be purchased online here: www.barrelbooks.com
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