Monthly Archives: May 2008

Actually/that/just/seems/kind of/a little

No, I didn’t forget to finish that sentence. Because it’s not a sentence. It’s a collection of words with which I am currently engaged in mortal combat.

Every writer has words like these, words they throw in all over the place which serve little purpose, words which can usually be cut to make the writing tighter. These are some of mine, and now that I’m in the final stages of my novel and I’ve done all the major cutting and rearranging and wailing and gnashing of teeth, it’s time for the small stuff. It’s time for these words to be hunted down and destroyed.

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Have You Been Struck Yet?

My new book, Going for Broke, is part of a new series called Lightning Strikes, which has just been launched by Walker Books.

There are six books in the initial launch, with more to follow later this year. Along with Going for Broke, the first release includes Queasy Rider (James Roy), The Black Baron (Robyn Opie), Jinxed (Jill McDougall), Sucked In (John Parker), and The Great Shave (Clare Saxby). It’s a crazy crew of fast-paced stories about everything from racing cockroaches, bloodthirsty eyeballs and bad hair days to, of course, amazingly amazing world record attempts.

Go on, check them out!

Launched

Today, I’m launching my new book, Going for Broke. Sadly, you are not invited. But don’t take it personally, because no-one is invited. This time around, I decided that a launch party was beyond me. That doesn’t mean that the book isn’t launched, though. In fact, I’m launching it right here, right now.

Imagine, if you will, some hardwood floors, some overstuffed couches, a balcony overlooking the street. Picture a room full of enthusiastic friends and some random people who just wandered in from the Fremantle night. Imagine some gourmet pizza, a bar in the corner, a ‘kids table’ left sadly unappreciated while my target audience instead heckle passers-by from the balcony.

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