All through October, Alphabet Soup is celebrating turning three. We have heaps of writers and illustrators stopping by to answer THREE QUICK QUESTIONS and today’s visitor is Dee White, author of Hope for Hanna, and YA novel Letters to Leonardo. Dee also runs theWriting Classes for Kidsblog.
1. Where do you like to write?
My favourite place to write is my study or my lounge room, which have amazing views (here’s a pic).
All through October, Alphabet Soup is celebrating turning three. We have heaps of writers and illustrators stopping by to answer THREE QUICK QUESTIONS and today’s visitor is Kathryn Apel, author of Fencing With Fear, and This is the Mud.
1. Where do you like to write?
Sometimes my brain likes to write by itself and I have to stop what I’m doing and dash for paper/pencil, computer—anything! —just to catch the words. My brain likes to write when I’m;
driving (alone)
walking (with the dog)
chopping vegetables
in the shower.
I like to write at the computer, because I can organize my ideas neatly and I don’t have to worry about my handwriting, which gets messier and messier the faster I write. (And even messier still when I change my mind and start scratching things out.) Sometimes I decide; It’s time. I will write. I sit at the computer … walk to the fridge … sit at the computer … walk outside … sit at the computer … go on Twitter … check my blog … go to the fridge … sit at the computer … and FINALLY … the ideas and the words come. Yay and hurray, I say!
2. Can you name a book you’d recommend to our readers?
I really enjoyed the unexpectedness of the picture book Fred Stays With Me by Nancy Coffelt and illustrated by Tricia Tusa. I think it’s cleverly done. I even gave a bark of laughter—which is appropriate, because Fred is a dog.
Kathryn Apel recommends Fred Stays With Me
3. Can you offer a word or phrase that kids could use for inspiration if they have writer’s block?
All through October, Alphabet Soup is celebrating turning three. We have heaps of writers and illustrators stopping by to answer THREE QUICK QUESTIONS and today’s visitor is Claire Saxby, author of Sheep, Goat and the Creaking Gate, There was an Old Sailor, The Carrum Sailing Club, and many more fiction and nonfiction books.
1. Where do you like to write?
My favourite place to write was in the library, until they knocked it down to build another one. I can’t wait until the new one is opened in September NEXT year. I also like writing in cafes. Somehow the noise at a cafe isn’t at all distracting whereas the silence and call of all the housework is very distracting at home.
2. Can you name a book you’d recommend to our readers?
Surface Tension by Meg McKinlay was a great read about a girl who was born the day they flooded her town. Everyone else talks about ‘before’ and ‘after’ and she feels like the only one with no knowledge of ‘before’. After years of drought, the old town is becoming visible and bringing with it secrets. This is a wonderful story about friendship, and finding where you belong.
Claire Saxby recommends Surface Tension by Meg McKinlay
3. Can you offer a word or phrase that kids could use for inspiration if they have writer’s block?
All through October, Alphabet Soup is celebrating turning three. We have heaps of writers and illustrators stopping by to answer THREE QUICK QUESTIONS and today’s visitor is Norman Jorgensen, author of The Last Viking and In Flanders Fields (and many other books, too!)
1. Where do you like to write?
Down in my back garden, beyond where the pirates, kid-eating dinosaurs, scary monsters and teenage vampires all lurk, I have a studio surrounded by huge trees. The walls are painted bright red and on the wall behind my computer I have prints of old square-riggedsailing ships. I also have a model of a WW I fighter hanging from the ceiling, and piles and piles of books. It’s a bit of a Boy’s Own paradise, I’m afraid. It is not as tidy as a ten-year old’s bedroom, but at least a million times worse.
2. Can you name a book you’d recommend to our readers?
I remember him as if it were yesterday, as he came plodding to the inn door, his sea-chest following behind him in a hand-barrow–a tall, strong, heavy, nut-brown man, his tarry pigtail falling over the shoulder of his soiled blue coat, his hands ragged and scarred, with black, broken nails, and the sabre cut across one cheek, a dirty, livid white. I remember him looking round the cover and whistling to himself as he did so, and then breaking out in that old sea-song that he sang so often afterwards: “Fifteen men on the dead man’s chest—Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!” in the high, old tottering voice that seemed to have been tuned and broken at the capstan bars.
It starts like this and just gets better and better. It is Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson, of course, first published in 1883, and I re-read it every few years, mostly to remind myself why I want to be a writer. All pirate books and movies, including Pirates of the Caribbean, have been inspired by this one book, and it is the perfect read for a dark and stormy story night while huddled up under the covers with a torch.
Norman Jorgensen recommends Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
3. Can you offer a word or phrase that kids could use for inspiration if they have writer’s block?
Because we’re turning three we’ve been giving away notebooks and pens to celebrate—one writer’s notebook and pen to giveaway each day for three days (today is the last day but check out Monday’s and Tuesday’s posts because you still have until Friday to enter.).
Here’s today’s notebook and pen giveaway. One spiral bound notebook and a blue pen.
A spiral-bound notebook with elastic attached to hold it closed. Plus blue pen.
If you’d like to enter today’s notebook-and-pen-giveaway, there is one step.
1) Leave a comment at this post letting us know the best children’s book you have read this year. (Or that your child/student has read if you are a parent/teacher entering on a child’s behalf.)
Note: this is a random draw and we will put all the entrants’ names in a hat and draw out the winner.
Some fine print:
We are only able to post the prize to Australian addresses. You are welcome to enter if you live overseas but you will need to nominate a lucky friend or relative in Australia to receive the prize.
Competition opens at 3am on Wednesday 19 October 2011 and ends on Friday 21 October at 11.59pm. (Times as per Perth, Western Australia)
We will announce the winner on the blog on Saturday 22 October. We will ask that the winner emails us an address where we can post the prize. If we do not hear back from the winner by 28 October, we will award the notebook to the runner-up of the competition.
Notebooks and pens were purchased by Alphabet Soup’s editor. We have no affiliation with the brands or stockists and have received no incentives from these companies. (Our editor just went out and bought notebooks with inviting-looking covers.)
No correspondence will be entered into regarding the winner. Our decision is final.
It’s always fun to unwrap a few presents at a birthday party—and since we’re turning three we’ve decided to give away some notebooks and pens to celebrate. All writers need a notebook for jotting down interesting words, snippets of conversation or ideas for the next story or poem. We have one writer’s notebook and pen to giveaway each day for three days (starting yesterday!).
Here’s today’s notebook and pen giveaway. One hardcover notebook and a blue pen. (And don’t forget you still have time to enter yesterday’s giveaway—entries for all three notebooks close on Friday 21 October. See the fine print for details!)
This STRIPED notebook is perfect for scribbling down story ideas
Note: this notebook is a hardback. It’s great for story ideas and thoughts and newspaper snippets but you probably wouldn’t want to write a novel in it from beginning to end because it doesn’t lie flat.
If you’d like to enter today’s notebook-and-pen-giveaway, there is one step.
1) Leave a comment on this post, letting us know what you’d like to see more of on this blog. (e.g. book reviews, author/illustrator interviews, poetry, writing tips etc … or you might like it just as it is.)
Another note: this is a random draw and we will put all the entrants’ names in a hat and draw out the winner.
Some fine print:
We are only able to post the prize to Australian addresses. You are welcome to enter if you live overseas but you will need to nominate a lucky friend or relative in Australia to receive the prize.
Competition opens at 3am on Tuesday 18 October 2011 and ends on Friday 21 October at 11.59pm. (Times as per Perth, Western Australia)
We will announce the winner on the blog on Friday. If an email address has been provided with your comment, we will also email the winner asking for an address where we can post the prize. If we do not hear back from the winner by 28 October, we will award the notebook to the runner-up of the competition.
Notebooks and pens were purchased by Alphabet Soup’s editor. We have no affiliation with the brands or stockists and have received no incentives from these companies. (Our editor just went out and bought notebooks with inviting-looking covers.)
No correspondence will be entered into regarding the winner. Our decision is final.
Thanks to Charmaine, who made Number Three biscuits for our writers to take home - in honour of our 3rd birthday.
On Friday we met an enthusiastic group of young writers at the City of Vincent Library in Leederville (WA). The afternoon was off to a festive start with door prizes to celebrate our third birthday—Riley and the Dancing Lion, a set of the complete Jake series (so far!), a writer’s notebook-and-pen, and Pearlie in Paris. Annette Flexman—one of the magazine’s illustrators—drew a pirate ship for everyone to collage and colour, and also assisted with the folding of origami sailboats (sailing is the theme of our spring issue!). Photos to come!
We had a great time. A big thank you to all our young writers who attended and wrote such brilliant poems and book reviews. (We’ll be sharing some of their book reviews on the blog later this week, so stay tuned.)
All through October, Alphabet Soup is celebrating turning three. We have heaps of writers and illustrators stopping by to answer THREE QUICK QUESTIONS and today’s visitor is Katrina Germein, author of Big Rain Coming and My Dad Thinks He’s Funny.
1. Where do you like to write?
I’m not picky. I’ll draft anywhere—on a bus, in a park, beside the sea. I love notebooks with fancy covers and keep a store in my car and my handbag for when I find a few minutes to scribble ideas. When it comes to sustained writing and editing I like to work at a desk with my computer. It doesn’t need to be my desk and it doesn’t need to be very big but it needs to be in a quiet place. I’m not one of those authors who can work with music playing.
2. Can you name a book you’d recommend to our readers?
George and Ghost by Catriona Hoy and Cassia Thomas. It’s beautiful. I love all of Catriona Hoy’s picture books. I’d love to have written them myself!
Katrina recommends George and Ghost by Catriona Hoy, ill. Cassia Thomas
3. Can you offer a word or phrase that kids could use for inspiration if they have writer’s block?
All through October, Alphabet Soup is celebrating turning three. We have heaps of writers and illustrators stopping by to answer THREE QUICK QUESTIONS and today’s visitor is Aleesah Darlison, author of many books including the Totally Twins series and new series, Unicorn Riders.
1. Where do you like to write?
I usually write in my study where it’s quiet and cosy and where I can display photos, posters and props, etc about what I’m writing about.
2. Can you name a book you’d recommend to our readers?
A book I read recently—The 13-Storey Treehouse by Andy Griffiths. Very funny.
Aleesah recommends The 13-Storey Treehouse by Andy Griffiths
3. Can you offer a word or phrase that kids could use for inspiration if they have writer’s block?
Magic.
Find out more about Aleesah Darlison and her books—visit her website.
alphabetsoup.net.au 