Sunday, May 1, 2011

Oh say, it's May!

Sorry for coming off all Enid Blyton-ish in the title.  But here in Perth it is a glorious May Day, which makes one want to write in rhyming couplets (or is that just me?) of jolly things.  I'll try to restrain myself.

Some random things, writing and otherwise:

1.  May is for moderation.  I'm not very good at being moderate in anything really, but I'm going to give it a burl this month.  In some areas, at least.  I'll let you* know how I go.

2.  Chess Nuts was a Notable book in the Children's Book Council Awards.  Although it's been selling well, I thought it had entirely disappeared off everyone's radar, so it was a delightful surprise for it to get a wee gong.  It is a good year for Western Australians: there are two on the younger readers' shortlist, Meg McKinlay and Sally Murphy.  Fabulous and well deserved.

As always I am surprised not so much about what's in the Older Readers Notables and Shortlist as what's not, and there were some corkers that didn't get a look in.  I think about the heartbreak and angst such things generate, and feel for those who produced great work that missed out.  It bites, but there's nothing to be done about it.  Just try not to become embittered and/or drink too much.  (Or else come over to my house and we can be embittered drunks together.  Just not in May.  See 1.)

3. I haven't been doing any writing, but I have been ruminating about the Next Thing.  Due to some stuff going on in my personal life I'm not sure how this will get done in the foreseeable future, but one of the good things about being at this stage of my writing career is that there is no particular rush.  Except that I Want To

4.  I have planted lettuce, coriander (I don't even know if this is the right time for it, but there were seedlings there and I'm a coriander fiend), spinach and broccoli, all in massive pots. 

5.  Does Kate Middleton seem to have no personality, or what?  Is this a deliberate ploy, or is she just missing something?  I remember watching the Diana wedding in primary school, and already she was known and loved.  This latest wedding made me go meh.  Is it just me?

6.  The Virginity Novel has a title and a new editor.  It's called Losing It and will be out in April 2012.  I can't wait.

7.  I love pelicans, especially ones that are nearly as tall as me.  Check out these two mighty birds (note however the way nobody is standing underneath):


* my one reader

10 comments:

  1. Yes, I was another who didn't care about THE wedding. I watched a DVD instead. Admittedly it was The Kings Speech.
    Love the title of your new book and congratulations on Chess Nuts being named a Notable! Yay.

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  2. Congrats on the wee gong! I know what you meean - seems like it's been out ages ago, a bit like The Piper's Son in the Older Readers category. I was surprised to see it there as I read it so long ago.

    Good luck with your new book. And good luck with being Moderate. For me May is shaping up to stand for Mayhem.

    Tanya

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  3. * me four?
    A-hah! So it makes sense why the upcoming novel is called "Losing It". Duh, what on earth did I think it was about? An Easter egg hunt gone awry? Look forward to it! I'm just about to get stuck into "Bye, Beautiful" :D

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  4. 1. Moderation? G'luck!
    2. Congrats ;)
    3. I love ruminating ...
    4. Coriander? Maybe?
    5. Meh
    6. I'm looking forward to losing it ;)
    7. One of the last 'stories' I remember before leaving Perth
    http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/mr-percival-dips-his-wings-at-33/story-e6frg6p6-1225769330455

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  5. I posted and then lost it, Julia. The Internet is a mystery ... never mind, here we go again.
    Congrats on the Notable for Chess Nuts. I think Losing It is a great title.
    Thanks for the tip re: rhyming couplets. You helped me out with a problem I was wrestling with this afternoon.
    I'm coming back as a pelican in my next life, am so looking forward to soaring in the thermals!

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  6. No, I'm pretty sure I'm the reader!!!

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  7. Hey Julia - congratulations and congratulations! Very excited to see Losing It has both title (great!) and ETA (yay!) How can it be May? Where does the time go? I feel like I'm in some kind of slipstream.

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  8. No, I am your One Reader. All those other people posting comments are phantoms.

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  9. Julia, just finished The Push again. What a great book. Seems like the period you were writing about was centuries ago rather than last century. We are so lucky not to be living in a time when wearing 'slacks' means you're a certain kind of girl, yet in some ways I feel like the cause for women hasn't got very far at all...

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