In which I have a book cover ...

This is the cover of my book.

In the words of the great Chandler Bing, could I BE any more excited?

Just wanted to say a big thank you to Jodie and Eva and their astonishingly talented designy people at Allen and Unwin for somehow distilling the essence of my story into such a beautiful picture. 

It's really special and I am so honoured and humbled that someone put in all that time to create something so beautiful for something I wrote.

I hope you will all read about Daisy (and Paulina), and love them as much as I have come to.

In which I have a story that WILL NOT GO AWAY!

  

Am not meant to be writing at the moment.

Am not meant to be writing at the moment.

Am not meant to be writing at the moment.

Am not meant to be writing at the moment.

This was my mantra all weekend. I pictured myself as Bart Simpson, writing this in chalk along the blackboard of my mind (I don't look very good yellow, by the way).

See, the thing is, I am, technically, "between projects". One round of edits in; another forthcoming; my "in-between-projects" project completed ...

Husband Bear said I should take a break. "Don't start anything new," he said. "You will be very busy again soon."

So I, Sensible Wife Bunny, said, "Yeah, you're probably right. I'll take a break. I'll just ... like ... read lots?"

And so, on Friday night, I said to myself: No Writing This Weekend. Instead, I planned to do lots of gymming, friend-meeting, cat-hugging, reading and maybe watch W, which I have been meaning to watch for yonkers.

It started off pretty well. Saturday morning I got up early as usualy but instead of writing I finished reading Timecatcher by Marie Louise Fitzpatrick (which was kind of made of awesome). Then I went to yolates. 

Then I had a couple of hours to kill before meeting some friends.

This is the bit where I must make a confession.

I kind of, sort of, maybe almost a little bit took my laptop out with me. Maybe.

Okay, so I did. And I was there, in the coffee shop, with a peppermint tea in front of me and two hours to kill and ... a story came.

It just popped into my mind! Unbidden! Honest!

Actually, if I am being TOTALLY honest, it was not a whole story but, rather, a character. 

Her name is Clementine. She is sixteen, in her first year of college, and has enrolled in a philosophy class with an unconventional teacher who instructs the class that, for the whole term, they will spend their time writing whatever comes into their heads. At first, Clementine feels nervous and uncomfortable about this seemingly pointless exercise and the complete freedom it affords her, when she is used to being "taught things" that "fill up her mind".

Clementine is slightly overweight, but wears it well. It's her friends that worry about her weight, not her. They are pretty and popular and they want Clementine to fit in. 

Clem isn't sure she wants to fit in.

Clem has a perfect big sister, Sophie, and a brother who never comes out of his room. Her friends are moving on to a cooler crowd. She has a big crush on Hayden Justice, college rock star. Her friends are trying to set her up with Brett, who is friends with their new boyfriends. And then there is Frederick Paul, who is in her philosophy class, too. He's a geek who wears old-fashioned clothes and hangs out by himself at lunch time. He isn't exciting, like Hayden. So why can't Clem stop thinking about him?

So, this is my story. Can you see why I couldn't get it out of my head? Do you blame me, now, for being very weak yesterday and writing 5,000 words?

I just couldn't stop.

Don't tell the Husband Bear!

Has this ever happened to you? Have you ever got a book-worm?

In which ... stuff starts happening!

I started writing - for real, not just scribbles in the many journals my Dad bought me - about two and a half years ago. I was enrolled in my Masters in Arts (Literary Studies). I enrolled thinking it would be a good string to my bow in my career as a librarian. I was working in a high school at the time and so I enrolled in a unit in YA literature. The unit was half theory/half creative, and for the creative portion we had to write a short story.

It was during this unit that I discovered I cannot write short stories.

I got to the end of my word limit and realised that my "short story" was actually a first chapter - the first chapter of my first ever novel, Dear Sally Sunshine.

 Dear Sally Sunshine was a simple story about a secret admirer who helps a geeky girl find her strength. It was also the book that found me my amazing agent, and helped me to meet the incredible team at Allen and Unwin, who will, in October, publish my first published novel, Three Things About Daisy Blue.

Three Things About Daisy Blue has been the making of me as a writer. It taught me to plan, draft, edit, redraft, work to deadlines, take and use editorial guidance. It also taught me this is what I want to do, as a job, for the rest of my life.

Three Things About Daisy Blue doesn't come out until October (and between now and then I will experience another big milestone - my first European trip), but the process has begun. In the past week I have seen a book jacket, found myself on the "Title Page" book database we use for work, and heard from a friend that Three Things About Daisy Blue was presented as a "highlight" at the Allen and Unwin conference. 

It feels real now.

I know I will get a chance to thank people inside the book jacket (squee), but I really want to do it right now as well.

So! My eternal gratitude goes to my precious Mum, Dad and brother Richard, and my fabulous in-laws; to Nan, Jodie and Eva; to my best friend, Julia, and her best man, Ryan; to my North Westie mates; to my colleagues at the bookynook; to my Nan and Auntie Shirley; to my Twitter peeps who are a constant support; to Mephistopheles Danger Gordon, my writing companion; to beloved Dolly; to my Mures Writing Group; and finally, to the Husband Bear, without whom my heart would not beat. 

Enough of that! Getting teary!

I know this week is just another step on an amazing journey, but it feels momentous and I feel so privileged.

In which I started an exciting new project!

Ever since I read Joel and Cat Set the Story Straight, by the stupendous Nick Earls and the super-wonderful Rebecca Sparrow, I have been dying to cowrite a novel. And when I say "cowrite", I actually had very specific ideas about HOW I wanted to cowrite. I didn't want to cowrite in the same way Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl cowrote Beautiful Creatures (much as I loved that book). I wanted, specifically, to cowrite a book the way Nick and Rebecca did; the way Penni Russon and Kate Constable did with the glorious Dear Swoosie. 

I wanted my own character. I wanted the other author to have their own character. I wanted a chapter each, back to back. I wanted a conversation between characters and authors. Oh! And I thought it might be fun if the book was (what I call), straight fantasy (i.e. wizards, dragons, faeries, but no vampires, werewolves or fallen angels).

Too much to ask?

Apparently not!

After all this time (Joel and Cat came out a whole thirteen years ago), I have finally received my wish. I have begun work on a tandem cowritten novel with a very, very, very super-dooper awesome fantasy writer. 

AND I AM HAVING SUCH FUN!

It's like how going to see a fabulous movie is SO much better when you see it with a great friend. Youcan talk about it afterwards; dissect it; reminisce about favourite scenes and spunkiest actors. 

I love my character - a princess forced into hiding amongst a troop of footsoldiers. I love my cowriter's (SQUEE! Love saying that) character just as much. I love that she (my cowriter) insists on manticores, and I am really keen for a bit of human-faery lovin'. I think it is going to an awesome book and great fun ta boot.

Writing is such a solitary profession. It is also (in my opinion) the most fun profession OF ALL TIME, but it is SO much more fun when you do it with a friend!