Hello hello!

I had a lovely meeting with Heather, over tea and cake at Penguin HQ. We chatted about Thai-riffic! and what I thought about her notes. I had prepared my pages of feedback, set out like an essay *NERD ALERT* I know, but through those pages, I laid out a blueprint for Thai-riffic! It’s a bold new plan for Lengy, who grows up. Don’t worry, he’ll still be a cheeky Thai kid, he’ll just have a bigger shoe size…and age. Lengy’s starting high school, which means Mr Winfree is no longer a primary school teacher-he’s an English/History teacher.

Lengy’s growth spurt has been on the back of my mind for awhile. He has a snappy attiude, which is better suited for a slightly older boy. As for Mr Winfree, well he’ll still be wacky as Lengy’s teacher, maybe even crazier!

I’m so glad that Heather and I are on the same page-we both see Thai-riffic! as a LOL story with soul. I won’t be killing off jokes, rather I’m trading them for better ones. So I’m looking forward to the challenge that lies ahead. I have a month to inject changes into my manuscript. Today, I started writing a new beginning for a story-and I had a blast, making new funny lines. And if you’re laughing at yourself, it’s probably a good sign…that you’re insane. Um, neways, I realise that this process will be the last time I delve into Lengy’s world. So I’ll be cherishing these personal times with my beloved characters.

I also met my cover designer, Evi. That was a surprise! I don’t know why, but I always thought authors didn’t have too much say with the covers. While I won’t be having much input either, it’s so nice to be a part of the design process too. Plus the visuals are gonna match the story’s energy and buzz…I better start carrying some smelling salts with me, cos when I see what Evi cooks up, I’ll faint with shock and awe!

It’s all so much to take in, seeing my book laid out in a timeline, only hammered in the feeling that I’ll be a real author with a really real book very soon. Bring on June 2010! Forget the Soccer World Cup. Don’t worry about Iron Man 2. Get ready for Thai-riffic!

And go the Socceroos!

O.W