Hey ya!
Wow, has it really been almost two months since my last post? I guess I was busy writing posts as part of my blog tour for The Other Christy (check it out haha) but it’s also because I’ve been in deadline mode, trying to finish off my latest manuscript, Super Con-nerd. I spent the last six weeks, thinking and breathing like Con-nerd, and I’m hoping that the world will get to see a sequel to one of my favourite books 🙂
In the middle of my Deadline Bling (duaduadua), I went to Mackay for the WhitSunday Voices Festival. Now in it’s 13th year, the festival is a beacon of literature for those who live in North Queensland. The festival managed to squeeze close to 5000 kids over 2 days, and it was another wild time with new (and old) cHEwY gum gums. I always tend to get a little carried away at these talks, but it was such a loose and crazy atmosphere where you could get away with all kinds of stuff. I remembered going there 5 years ago, and I had fond memories. I had a blast, meeting old friends like George Ivanoff and Sandy Fussell. Plus I met some new faces like Amie Kuffman and Jay Kristoff are a legendary pair that are going to take over the world with their cool books. I also briefly met one of my favourite authors, John Marsden! Gotcha! Yes, Pokemon Go just came out during that week, so Poke-fever was in the air hehe.
The best thing about festivals like these is that you get to chat to the other authors and illustrators and trade stories about the creative life. It all ended with a fantastic dinner, where Richard Fidler was the guest speaker. I can’t complain, I got to be a kid rockstar for 2 days and even had my own DJ on stage for a few talks (kinda haha). You can never take these things for granted and I’m thankful that I got a chance to reach out to so many kids, especially those kids who traveled 5 hours or more, kids from schools where they can all fit into a car. Seriously. It was the perfect start to term 3, or as some authors and illustrators call it, book week season, because we all know it isn’t just a week, but a whole term where books are in the spotlight. And that’s okay with me 🙂
O.W
