Category: Interviews - JUST KEEP REIDING

TTWCU: One week on

8/5/2018

So my book baby is out in the world! It's all a little surreal; I'm continuing my everyday life here with a demanding toddler and laundry to do and trying to write another book, but every now and again I'm reminded that right now total strangers might be reading something I wrote. I've got a launch party happening this Saturday (Sydney people! Come along!) and a few other events lined up, so I'm gradually settling in to the idea that yes, I am a published author now.

If you missed any of them so far, here are links to all the stops on the blog tour:
Bookish Kirra's review
An episode of Better Words podcast featuring me
The Literary Casanova's review
My interview on Genie in a Book
A Q&A on #LoveOzYA
My guest post (on the topic of consent) on The Adventures of Sacakat
Ely of Wonderland's review
My interview on Infinity Reads
My guest post (re: social media) on Musings & Wanderings

There's 2 more stops to go before it wraps up - nicely timed with the launch on Saturday. But if you've been inspired to buy a copy, leave a review on Goodreads, tweet me, tag me in your instagram pics, comment below, recommend to a friend... it all counts! I love the support and am eternally grateful to you, my readers.

Until next time,
just keep reading!

An interview with... an author/poet/teacher

19/2/2018

This is the final week of my interview series, and after having featured a debut author, and YA and MG writers both established in their careers, it seemed like the series would be incomplete without a successful self-published author too. I hope you've enjoyed hearing about many different aspects of Australian reading, writing and publishing.

Ashley Capes is a novelist and teacher based in Melbourne. After initially publishing his work via small US-based publisher Snapping Turtle, Ashley now self-publishes his speculative fiction novels and novellas, earning a consistent part-time income from his writing. He’s also a high school teacher of English, Media Studies and Music Production, and a published poet. Wearing all of those hats, Ashely caught up with me to share his wisdom.

Ten Quick Questions with a Book Blogger

12/2/2018

The final installment of my interview series is coming next week, with another successful novelist explaining what led to their choice to self-publish. But for today, let me share with you some quick questions and answers I had with Sofia, aka The Literary Casanova, an Aussie blogger and reviewer who I had the pleasure of meeting at last year’s Sydney Writers Festival.

An interview with... a professional book buyer

5/2/2018

Claire West has worked as a book buyer for a variety of stores across Sydney, a position she found her way into after working in retail, as a secondary school teacher, and as a tutor. Her most recent role was senior book buyer for Berkelouw Book Face, where she co-managed the purchases of new and existing titles for eleven stores. She relinquished the role at the end of 2017 to move to Melbourne, but prior to that I caught up with her to hear more about this important role in the retail side of the industry. Claire has long held an interest in books and continues to blog at https://clairewest.com.au

An interview with... an established YA author

29/1/2018

© Fleur Ferris

Fleur Ferris has published three Young Adult thrillers with Penguin Random House, with a fourth coming out later in 2018. She's lived in multiple states across Australia and built up a wealth of knowledge in industries ranging from emergency response to rice farming. Fleur's first book, Risk, won two Sisters in Crime Davitt Awards and an Australian Family Therapists' Award for Children's Literature. Fleur was kind enough to chat with me about how she got into writing for teens, how things have changed after a few years of success in the industry, and where to next.

An interview with... a Podcaster

22/1/2018

Kate Simpson is one third of the team behind One More Page, a kids’ book podcast launching next month. Based in Sydney, Kate and her co-hosts Nat and Liz are all kids’ book fanatics with experience in a variety of areas of the writing industry, and all write picture books. Their podcast will cover books for babies through to early YA. I caught up with Kate to find out what’s involved in creating a podcast, what inspired them, and a little more about what to expect from One More Page.

An interview with... an accounts assistant and bookseller

8/1/2018

Emily is a sales assistant in the accounts department of a major Australian publisher and works part-time in a Sydney bookshop. She is also an avid reader and blogs at www.emilythebookaddict.wordpress.com. Her opinions and experiences of the Australian book industry are wide and varied. I caught up with Emily to learn more about how these two key parts of the industry intersect.

An interview with... two book box curators

1/1/2018

Jordan and Melissa are tea-drinking book lovers who each have a Masters degree in Publishing. Together, they run Bookcase Australia, a quarterly book box which seeks to share new releases from great Australian writers and enhance the reading experience by sending related items from Australian small businesses and sole traders.

An interview with... an established MG author

25/12/2017

Allison is a bestselling middle-grade author from the south coast of NSW. She has published five books with Hachette in Australia, with another release due in March 2018. Her first book, Race To The End of The World, was named a notable book by the CBCA Book of the Year 2015, and shortlisted for several other awards. Allison also works as an online tutor for courses with the Australian Writer’s Centre.

An interview with... an international publisher

18/12/2017

Vanessa Williams is the Children’s International Associate Publisher at HarperCollins. HarperCollins is Australia’s oldest publisher, in operation for more than a hundred years, and has its Australian office in Sydney. Vanessa currently manages the Australian publication and sales of children's and YA books from international authors.