Interview with Author Geoffrey McSkimming

Welcome, Geoffrey McSkimming to Books for Little Hands.

Thank you so much for having me here.

When did you first know that you wanted to be an author?

I was always into writing, from early primary school. It was something I enjoyed doing and felt good doing. It was me, I guess. But I didn't originally intend to be a writer. I wanted to be a magician, a ventriloquist, a puppeteer when I was in primary school. Then when I was in high school I wanted to be an actor and I went to Uni and after that I worked for five years as an actor--a long time ago. I was a very bad actor (once during a performance of Macbeth in Brisbane I fell off the stage into a tuba and got stuck for several hours!). I stopped being an actor, got a "normal" job and went to Egypt for a holiday. I got sunstroke in the Valley of the Kings, got better, came back to Australia and wrote the first Cairo Jim story. And from there I knew that I was meant to keep writing stories.

What's your background?

Acting and travelling have formed my background…I've visited many wonderful countries to research the Cairo Jim chronicles and to smell the sweet dust of History :-)

What was your road to publication like?

Honestly, after getting sunstroke in the Valley of the Kings, it wasn't difficult. I wrote the first novel in five months, sent it to a publisher (I didn't have an agent in those days), and it was accepted two weeks later. It was so quick, I almost fell over. I was, I think, in the right place at the right time, writing the right story at the right time. It was meant to happen; I've always felt that.

Congratulations on your new mystery series, 

Phillis Wong. What inspired her character?

Thank you; I love writing the Phyllis Wong stories. She is inspired by my love of magic…a few years ago I wrote a performance piece which I occasionally do for schools and other places, called The Startling Tale of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. It's a verse retelling of Hamlet (with additional dialogue by William Shakespeare) and is presented with magic tricks along the way. As I researched the magic for this, and as I bought the props and tricks I wanted to perform with, I began getting back into the world of conjuring. And then, a few years ago, I had a marvellous chance meeting with Australia's leading lady of magic, Sue-Anne Webster. I started publishing her tricks in a children's magazine I write for, and she presented more of this wonderful world to me. As I came to know her more, the character of Phyllis Wong, the girl magician with a brilliant mind and a clever way of seeing things, began to emerge.

Tell us about your popular book series, Cairo Jim.

I've travelled the world, researching the 19 books that make up the Cairo Jim chronicles. They were great fun to do and are still very popular in all sorts of countries … 

http://www.cairojim.com

What did you like reading when you were growing up?

I liked funny books (and I like writing funny books now), and some science fiction. I read books like Ray Bradbury's The Illustrated Man and I enjoyed mystery stories, like the Three Investigators series presented by Alfred Hitchcock. And I remember very well The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and some of Ivan Southall's stories. They've stayed with me.

Tell us about your public appearances. Can you give us a sneak peak?

Well, to promote Phyllis Wong and the forgotten secrets of Mr Okyto which comes out on August 1, we'll be presenting some special magic shows to tell everyone about the story. During August and September we'll be visiting bookshops and schools. I'll be reading from the story and Sue-Anne Webster will be performing magic, similar to the magic Phyllis herself performs in the book. It'll be fun, and there's a sneak peek on Youtube:  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5HuIj53jEU

…and details of the appearances can be found at  http://www.phylliswong.com/appearances

What advice would give aspiring children's authors?

Keep your imaginations open; feed them daily; read lots of things--short stories, novels, graphic novels. Go for long walks and look at everything you see. Keep a notebook and pen with you always, and always jot an idea down, even if it seems silly. You never know when it will blossom and grow into something amazing for your writing. Try and write a little bit every day, in a private place, away from any distractions. Above all, believe in yourself and your own story.

What's next?

I am writing the second Phyllis Wong story now, and it's shaping up to be a huge tale. It's taking the young magician on a journey that she could never have foreseen; a journey where the magic she knows will be nothing compared to what she'll encounter. I'm having the best time creating the world of Phyllis Wong … she's such a great character and full of surprises!

Interview with Author Diana Lawrenson

When did you first know you wanted to be an author?
 
I remember saying in grade 2 I’d like to write a book – but that was looking to the future and way before I had any understanding of all that would be involved. Something must have been there, though, because I always enjoyed writing letters.

What was your journey to publication like?
 

My first pieces were published when I was a child in the children’s page of one of Melbourne’s daily newspapers. When I was pregnant with my second child I attended writing classes with my two-year-old on my knee – to stop him from distracting everyone by screaming blue murder in the crèche across the hall. For a number of years I wrote travel pieces, profiles, general articles and features for various newspapers and magazines that are always hungry for material. My son and daughter had both left school before I turned to writing books for children.

 

Can you please tell us about where you got the idea for your picture book, Crocodile River?

In the years before crocodiles were protected, my uncle hunted them in Papua New Guinea, selling their skins to the fashion houses of Paris. When I was small he would come down on leave to Melbourne and tell exciting tales of his night hunts on the rivers, so from early on I became fascinated by crocodiles. 

Tell us about your other books.

The seed for Pickle the perfectly awful pig was sown when a friend told me how she’d had a pet piglet that squealed with delight when she came home from school. She used to rub its back with suncream to prevent sunburn and pork crackling before taking it for a walk through suburban streets on a dog’s lead. Similarly, when I saw how my sister’s children loved their chooks, the idea of Paraphernalia’s Present began. I like adding facts to the end of stories about animals because they provide extensions for discussion as well as being a quick reference for questions children might have.

Inside the Australian Ballet had its beginnings in a behind-the-scenes tour I was given at the Company, and Guide Dogs From Puppies to Partners was prompted because for ten years my family had a dog that had guided for four years and was retired early. When burning chops set off the smoke alarm in the kitchen, Felix would butt me away from the griller, so of course I wondered what and how he’d learned during his training.

The two It’s True! titles: It’s True! Your Hair Grows 15 Kilometres a Year and It’s True! Your Bones are Stronger than Concrete were both a lot of fun to write. Yes, it’s true! Serious subjects can be given corny slants that make you laugh while remaining factual. 


How do you develop your ideas?

 I do a lot of research to find out if there’s anything quirky that might be a surprise and therefore useful to include; I go for walks and ask myself ‘What if xyz happened?’ in various scenarios; and if any bright idea occurs to me in the middle of the night I have a pen with a built-in light plus a notepad by the bed to jot down the idea ‒ because if I don’t I know it will have flown for good by morning.
 
When and where are you most inspired to write?
 

Inspiration can happen anywhere at any time, so I always carry a pen and pad. But I also make time every day to sit down and write something.

Interview with Children's Author Bren MacDibble

I'd like to welcome children's author, Bren MacDibble to Books for Little Hands.

Thank you so much for inviting me, Renee.

When did you first decide you wanted to become an author?

I think I first decided at high school. I spent my childhood telling stories (and outrageous lies) but at high school when I made a teacher cry with one of my English assignments (and not in despair this time) I was thrilled. I wrote a few more stories in which animals died painful deaths but they just made her look at me oddly. Then I left school early and went to work in a legal office and 40 hours a week of typing cured me of any desire to write anything for around 15 years until my kids were small and I was inspired by the books I read to them. I signed up to do a night class with Rose Inserra on children's fiction writing. That was back in 1999. So I've only been in training for just over a decade. Practically a noob!

What was your journey to publication like?


I'm still on it. I think most writers are. The journey to publication is constant. I want to be like Margaret Mahy and look back on a fine body of work and movies, but even Margaret Mahy is still on her journey to publication because she's still writing and, presumably, still looking for publishers (though it may be easier for her than most). I suspect I may be on a journey to publication until I die.

My first publication came after I did the course with Rose and sent a couple of educational fiction submissions out to Nelson ITP and had them accepted. I did another course with Australian College of Journalism and sent out another fiction submission to Blake Ed and had that accepted too. I kept on writing and Blake Ed kept snaffling them up. I submitted to other publishers both educational and trade but none liked my sense of humour as much as Blake did. At the moment, we're up to nine books together.

Early on, I started writing short science fiction for magazines and had a few publications in that area as well. I really am a bit of a quiet plodder on my continuing publishing journey.

A lot of writers get a novel or picture book published early in their career and then find out they're only as good as their next book, then their next. There's a lot of pressure in trade to keep that brand name out there. So starting out slowly may not have been my initial plan but it's not a bad one, in terms of learning about writing and the marketplace.

Can you please tell us about your most recent book?

There's No Such Thing! Was published last year by Blake Ed. It's for children of 6 ½ plus to read alone. It's about a boy that finds a tiny alien in his backyard and tries to tell his mother, but she is busy, he can't make her look up from what she is doing to actually see the alien. He decides to keep it but his teenage neighbour counsels him against it. The neighbour points out the very obvious flaws in its anatomy, like the fact that it blasts things when it is frightened. Then he helps to put out the garden shed. I adore the book because it has full colour illustrations by Rita Voutila. The illustrations are just amazing. Rita made that book come alive!

You've written many school readers. What are the pros and cons to writing for this market?

I love writing for this market. Blake Ed have some wonderful humorous fiction series for all ages. In "Gigglers" especially, I can just go mad with imagination. Blake take my mad story, form it into bite-sized chapters, pick out the words that children might have problems with and add them to the shiny illustrated glossary at the back, pick out the themes for classroom work and create lessons, then employ fantastic illustrators to create beautiful books. In short, they take my mad slice of fun and turn it into a wonderful book. It's a kind of publisher magic.

Educational publishers have a concept and marketing strategy all planned out before they even find a writer so writers have less input into the process and there is no expectation to assist with the marketing. For people who don't like the style of a series, or who are trying to get exposure etc, these may be cons but for me, when it comes to Blake Ed Gigglers and Sparklers these are pros. The books look good, sell well and in multiple ways, and leave me free to pursue other things.

When and where do you find you're most inspired to write?

Writing is easy. Life is hard. It's constantly interrupting the story in my head!

I'm more inspired to write when creating something new: the initial creation of a work, exploring it, telling myself the story, entertaining myself, is great fun... but when I have to evaluate it critically it becomes work. Sadly it takes more writing time to do the editing and rewriting than anything else. 


Rewriting is okay when you know you're on the right path, but sometimes finding that path can be an excruciating process. I can write anywhere. I can balance a laptop on nearly anything and hammer away on it. If you ever go on a writing retreat with me, you'll often find me on the floor with my feet on the chair, still tapping away on the keyboard. Ergonomics are for writers who are not hopelessly trapped in "the zone".

Congratulations for being selected for The QWC/Allen & Unwin Manuscript Program. Can you tell us about this experience?

It was a little scary and a whole lot of fun. Editors at Allen & Unwin picked out eight children's chapter book manuscripts from the QWC-organised development program and the writers of those manuscripts got together at QWC offices, with QWC staff, Erica Wagner and Sarah Brenan from Allen & Unwin, and Sally Rippin and Pippa Mason, for a long weekend of getting to know each other, talking about writing, editing, the marketplace and publishing and getting individual feedback on our manuscripts. Of course a weekend is never long enough for writers to get together and talk about writing but we managed. Erica and Sarah really took the time, with Sally (who's been published by Allen & Unwin) and Pippa (agent), to make sure we all understood their processes and how Allen & Unwin work. It was a little bit of writer TLC and we all need that!

I'm very excited to have ordered your book, Become a Children's Writer. What are the most important things to keep in mind when writing for children? 

I think the most important thing is keeping a sense of fun and whimsy and surprising kids with twists or unusual situations. You also have to understand that kids are smart. Really smart. Write to entertain them, not to teach them morals, or because you think they're easier to write for than adults. That's just insincere and they'll sniff that out real quick.

What's next?

Well mostly that's up to the publishers. That's the name of the publishing game. My middle grade novel from the development program is back to Allen & Unwin for further consideration soon. I'm also putting together an ePicture book with my 17 year old niece who is a talented artist, we will probably self-ePublish that one as it is a little too odd to fit into mainstream publishing. And once that's done, I'm turning my attention back to some nearly finished YA and middle grade novels, and trying to get some more short stories out to SF magazines.


The Australian Script Centre
The Other 'Other' Tale Of The Three Little Pigs