Book Launch: The Wish Giver
1 Comment »18th October, 2008; Category: Authors, Books, Fiction, Picture Books, Reviews, Writers, Writing for Children, Young Readers
Yesterday I had the wonderful privilege of attending a book launch. Rosanne Hawke, one of my lecturers in my Master of Arts Creative Writing Course, is a writer of children’s books. This new book is her 15th book to be published, and her third picture book.
The Wish Giver
Written by Rosanne Hawke and her daughter Lenore Penner.
Illustrated by Michelle Mackintosh.
Published by Windy Hollow Books.
The Wish Giver is a delightful book for young children. The Wish Giver lives on “the biggest and brightest star.” His job is to make children’s wishes come true. Unfortunately he falls off the star and lands in Layla’s garden.
Layla has a problem. She has no friends and no-one will play with her at school. She wished she had some friends to play with. She helps the Wish Giver return to his star, and he in turn helps her to find some new friends to play with.
One of the privileges we had being in Rosanne’s class was getting a view of the printer’s proofs many weeks before publication. The book was launched by well known South Australian author Phil Cummings. One of the interesting aspects of this book was that Rosanne’s daughter Lenore was also credited as the joint author. The original story of the Wish Giver was written by Lenore as a high school assignment. It was this story that initially got Rosanne into writing. It was also very much a family event, with Rosanne’s grandchildren also present.
After leaving the launch my wife told me she had been taking notes on how to run a book launch. Rosanne, when signing our copy of the book, added: “It’ll be your turn next.”
Now it’s up to me to get some of my manuscripts off to publishers.
Good writing.
.
Writing a novel
I am writing a novel.
Let me clarify that. I am thinking about writing a novel.
For my Master of Arts in Creative Writing course I have to write a forty thousand word thesis. Because it is a creative writing course, the thesis has to be a novel. When I complete the three units of work I am currently undertaking, I will have but one unit plus the thesis to do. This will be done in 2009.
Several of the lecturers have advised me to start thinking about it this year. So that is what I have been doing. In fact, I’ve had the idea, a concept, for several years now. The idea has just been steadily fermenting away in my mind. (Sounds horrible – I knew my mind was a strange land – but ‘fermenting?’)
I alluded to the theme in my post about Daylight Saving yesterday. It has something to do with time, but I can’t say any more than that. I have given it the working title of ‘Time on his hands.’
One of the technical things I will have to decide on in the planning stage – and before even a word is written – is the point of view. I would like to attempt to write the story from the point of view of two main characters. I would alternate the point of view from one to the other throughout the story. Another aspect of point of view I will have to decide on is whether I use first person or third person. Or even an omniscient point of view with me as the narrator. Perhaps one character could be in first person and the other in the third person.
I can see that I have a great deal more thinking and planning to do before even one word is written. I will keep you posted on progress.
Good writing.