The other week I attended my first national CBCA conference. Not only was it attended by some of the children’s literary world royalty such as Leigh Hobbs, Morris Gleitzman, Susanne Gervay, Bruce Pascoe and so many more but there were librarians, teachers, authors, illustrators, publishers, agents and anyone who has a stake in Australian children’s […]
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Mothers’ Day – A Gift
This Mother’s Day I was in Canberra. It was a perfect autumnal weekend. The trees changing colour and the chameleon array of their canopies add a special beauty to the capital city. Being the capital there’s always a lot to do my priorities were watching an ANU med review and spending time with my family. […]
Sydney Writer Festival 2019
Wow! What a week! From lectures to conversations, to fire alarms and deluges of rain and much much more. This year’s theme ‘Lie to Me’ brought fascinating angles to light and raised as many questions as it answered. By last night I found myself agreeing with a fellow writer who confessed to being exhausted with […]
A Celebratory Star-Studded Afternoon with the CBCA
As its website states: ‘The Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) is a not for profit, volunteer-run organisation which aims to engage the community with literature for young Australians. The CBCA presents annual awards to books of literary merit, for outstanding contribution to Australian children’s literature.’ For me and many other children’s book creators, CBCA […]
SCWBI Bi-Annual Conference
The other week I attended the bi-annual SCWBI conference here in Sydney. It was an action-packed few days of pre-conference launches, master classes, plenary sessions and networking with other creators. I heard famous authors speak, watched talented illustrators compete in a live auction ‘draw-off’ and witnessed the euphoria and tension during public pitching sessions. When […]
Writing about the Unthinkable
I was in New Zealand at the weekend when tragedy struck Christchurch on such a scale that the world is still reeling. No amount of words or flower tributes or tears can reflect the sorrow and pain that the victims, the families and the wider communities are experiencing. As a writer and as someone who […]
Writing The Forever Kid
The Forever Kid is an important picture book narrative that deals with the issues of grief and remembrance. I got the idea for this book when I was thinking about my uncle who I never met. He died when he was a teenager before I was born. My father often spoke about him and described […]
Bologna Children’s Book Fair 2018
Che Bella! As an new independent publisher I am always looking to develop my knowledge in the industry and to engage with others in the publishing to share and exchange ideas. So having my application to be part of the Australian Publishers Collectives at the 2018 Bologna Children’s Book Fair was a significant and exciting […]
Bullying
Research by Guest Blogger Daniel MacDonald In the last few months Johanna Roberts and I have embarked on a new and challenging project investigating bullying, the acceptance of the individual and self acceptance. With Johanna travelling in the Americas and me travelling through Asia we had plenty of material for the visuals and the sense of place we […]
Getting Boys to Read
It is wonderful to have our first ever guest blog and it comes from local Sydney reader and writer; Daniel McDonald. Daniel is a recent graduate from The University of Sydney and he currently works as an author’s assistant and editor here at EC Services. Following a conversation with some of our readers about how to get […]
Hooray It’s Children Book Week – Escape to EVERYWHERE!
Book – week 2017 – It’s here and we are all celebrating! We are so lucky that the Marvellous Children’s Book Council of Australia organise this wonderful week when schools, libraries, booksellers, authors, illustrators and children celebrate Australian children’s literature. Do check out what’s going on through the CBCA NSW website Or if you are further […]
To The Bone
There has been a great deal of comment in the media recently regarding the Netflix film, To The Bone. This film tells the story of 20 year old Ellen and her journey to recovery from anorexia nervosa. Whilst I am a strong advocator of conversation starters and the need for reduction of stigma surrounding family […]