It looks like the poetry planets are aligned for me at the moment. I just heard from a journal in Queensland that they’ve accepted one of my poems for their next issue, and from WritingWA that they’ve accepted my application for their ‘Writers in Libraries’ Programme, which means that at some point later this year I’ll be conducting poetry readings and talks at libraries in the Perth area.
Went to the launch of The World According to Warren at Westbooks last night and what should I see when I walk through the door but a whole stack of Annabel, Again, with a shelf-talker declaring it Book of the Month and nominating me as ‘the Australian Meg Cabot‘.
This is both lovely and alarming, considering how quickly the other Meg writes (can we call her ‘the other Meg’? Can I be the Meg to whom all other Megs will now be referential? What will Meg Rosoff have to say about this? Most likely she will be too busy counting her awards to notice me). The point being that if I’m going to be any kind of Meg Cabot at all, I must put poetry and other worldly distractions aside and knuckle back down to Izzie, which is going perfectly well now, thank you very much (repeat, look convinced).
Here’s the cover image I’ve chosen for my little book of poetry:
The artist is the marvellous Nevin Hirik. Her work is so richly evocative and I love the figurative interplay between the image and the title, Cleanskin. It was quite challenging coming up with a title, but when I sat down to look at the manuscript as a whole, I realised that many of the poems are about the body, identity, memory, the complex negotiations between the past and present. So when I came across the word ‘cleanskin’ buried in the middle of one of the pieces, it seemed apt.
I’ve just sent back what I think are the final revisions on my next junior novel. Going for Broke (one world record, 52 tiny bones) will be out with Walker Books Australia in May next year. In a curious twist, I have actually done an illustration for the text (although once my editor sees the extent of my artistic skill, she may well place a panicked last-minute call to an actual illustrator).
More book news! I have just been contacted by the good folk at The Westerly Centre and informed that my poetry submission for their ‘emerging poets’ project has been successful. The literary journal Westerly received funding from ArtsWA to publish a small collection by a Western Australian poet who hasn’t yet published a book of poetry, and they’ve chosen mine.
My volume, entitled Cleanskin, will be published with this year’s issue of Westerly, some time in November. It will also feature a CD of me reading and discussing some of the poems. I now have to scurry around trying to choose a cover image and think of ways to sound intelligent and thoughtful.
I should probably add that this is poetry for adults, rather than children, although I do use some of my own material as a basis for teaching poetry workshops into schools.
Made a simple structural change to Izzie which has put things back on track quite nicely. I’m still aiming to have the first draft completed by the end of September, as per my original plan for the ArtsWA Grant period. This will require some speedy writing over the next few weeks, but I can probably make it if I stay focused.
Meanwhile, Annabel has been turning up in some interesting places. She has been added to the booklist for the Victorian Premiers Reading Challenge and is featured in the latest Scholastic Bookclub catalogue. Scholastic tells us that Annabel is for ‘confident’ readers. I’d like to think she is also for thoughtful, quirky and all-round cool readers, but maybe that’s just me projecting.
Izzie continues to resist me. She wants to go this way, then that, then back the other way. Remember those old Choose Your Own Adventure Books (if you open the door, turn to page 18; if you turn around and go back to the hotel, turn to page 27, and so on). I was always very reluctant to commit to what might be unwise decisions, and would keep a finger in every page, so I could go back to key points and undo the choices that had led to my untimely death (I also used to make massive charts of which paths led where and all the complex ways in which they intersected, but that’s another book-geek story altogether).
Okay, it’s official. Or at least official enough to post here, I hope. The penguins are definitely coming, sometime in 2009. I’ve just accepted an offer for my first picture-book, The Truth About Penguins. I love picture books – they’re where I started writing for kids – and can’t wait to see what an illustrator does with my story. It’s going to be a bit of a wait for this one, but well worth it.
And (yes, there’s more!) – I’ve also just accepted an offer for another novel. This one is for boys and will be out around May next year. The working title is Going for Broke (one world record, 52 tiny bones). Anyone who knows boys can probably imagine the rest!
Both these books will be published by the fabulous Walker Books Australia, and I’m beyond thrilled.
Thanks to the fabulous ArtsWA who have just approved my application for a grant. This will enable me to scale back my other work for a while and focus on my next novel. It’s a marvellous luxury to have some dedicated writing time; now I just have to discipline myself to get this book written with a minimum of fuss. This one is also a novel for girls, and my working title is The Not-so-secret Life of Izzie, Known as Bella. It’s early days yet and I’m still trying to find the right shape for the story, but we’ll see what happens.
Annabel, Again was officially launched on Tuesday this week. Julia Lawrinson did a fabulous job of making me sound more impressive than I could ever hope to be (as a speechwriter by day, she’s all about the spin!). I spent most of the night with my head down signing books, but am told things went swimmingly outside my little corner of the room and that a good time was had by all.
Olivia and Anna were there on the night (or at least, their namesakes – hi girls!) and a marvellous crowd of friends, family, industry folk and random people who wandered up the stairs to see what all the fuss was about helped me celebrate Annabel in fine style.
Thanks again to all who made the trip out on a balmy ‘winter’ Fremantle evening. My task now is to try and get around to actually catch up with all those I didn’t get a chance to chat with on the night (everyone!).
Meg McKinlay 