PM Moon Publishers Announce First Annual Writing Contest

Judge Robyn Opie - that is, judge of a writing contest for new authors. If you'd like to enter, please read the following press release.

PM Moon Publishers, a small, independent company established to publish good writing from new and not-so-new writers, announces our First Annual Writing Contest for new writers and new authors only.

Your entry must be completely original, written in English, unpublished, and not accepted by any other publisher at the time of submission. The contest is open to all new writers or new authors.

Who Is Eligible: Contest is open to any new author. A new author is defined as any new writer who has never received a publishing contract. or an author who has earned less than $500.00 in either advances or royalties.

What to Submit: Manuscripts can be submitted in the following categories: children's fiction, middle grade fiction, and young adult literature.

Children's fiction will be no less than 2400 words and no more 4800 words. It should be suitable for k-3.

Middle Grade Fiction will be no more than 40,000 words and suitable for grades 4 through 8.

Young Adult Fiction will be no less than 50,000 words and suitable for grades 9 through 12.

When to Submit: The contest period will be open from November 15th 2008 until February 15th 2009.

Evaluation of the submissions will be on-going from November 15, 2008 until 11:59 P.M. EST on February 15, 2009.

Final contest results will be announced on our Web site on or about March 31, 2009.

How to Submit: The entry fee for each manuscript submitted is twenty dollars US ($20.00). All entry fees are payable through Pay Pal: publisher ( @ ) pmmoonpublishers dot com

The Judges
Joyce A. Anthony (http://joyceanthony.tripod.com/index.html)
Joyce A. Anthony, the author of Storm, is a Pennsylvania-born writer who shares her home with a passion for writing, photography and life in general. She has written numerous articles on parenting and mental health issues. She has published one short story previous to Storm.

Martha Hite (http://www.savannahscastle.com/)
Martha Hite, the author of Savannah's Castle, lives in the mountains of Western Maryland with her husband, Walter and their son Sean. She is a voracious reader and an equally prolific writer. She has finished three novels and several short stories, in addition to Savannah's Castle.

Robyn Opie (http://www.robynopie.com/)
Robyn Opie is the author of more than 70 published children's books. She has been writing for children for 10 years; most of her books are sold around the world and many have been translated into foreign languages. She works full time writing for children and is now working with several producers on TV/Film projects.

Andrea Philhower
Andrea, better know as Tina, has a critical eye for detail which she uses often to critique authors' work.

Lois Szymanski (http://www.loisszymanski.com/)
Lois Szymanski, the author of sixteen books, teamed up with her high school friend and fellow author, Shelley Sykes, in the 1990's, to create a new series called The Gettysburg Ghost Gang. She was the regional director of SCBWI for Maryland, West Virginia and Delaware. She has written several other children's books, including the new Charming Ponies series from Harper Collins.

Best of luck with your entry. I'm looking forward to reading it.
Robyn Opie

Writing Children's Books with Robyn Opie Receives and Nominates Weblog Award

Thank you so much Jewel Sample from Jewel's Sand Box News for nominating me for this writer's award. Jewel's Sand Box News portrays a view of various elements of American family life to ponder, chat about and enjoy, much like sand displays a variety of colors, shapes, sizes and represents various compositions of its environment.

My instructions are to nominate other blogs worthy of this award. Talk about a hard decision! There are so many wonderful blogs around. It may take me a few days to complete this list.

Ready for it?

Rob Parnell's Easy Way to Write Blog

The official blog of the Easy Way to Write from Rob Parnell, updated weekly - sometimes more often! Rob Parnell has been helping writers improve their skills and chances of getting published on the Net since 2002 and now, through the Australian Writing Academy he's helping writers off line too. Read his blogs, subscribe to his free newsletter and writing lessons from www.easywaytowrite.com

Sally Murphy's Writing for Children Blog

Articles, interviews, advice and more from Sally Murphy and visiting bloggers.

Writer's First Aid: a Medicine Chest of Hope

Kristi Holl is the author of 35 books, both fiction and nonfiction, including WRITER'S FIRST AID, a blog to help alleviate the inevitable pains of the writing life, increase your writing energy, and help you make your writing dreams come true.

Cynsations with Cynthia Leitich Smith

Interviews, reading recommendations, publishing information, literacy advocacy, writer resources, news in children's and young adult literature. Celebrating 10 years of www.cynthialeitichsmith.com.

Rules for recipients of the Brillante Weblog Premio are as follows:

1. The award may be displayed on a winner's blog.

2. Add a link to the person you received the award from.

3. Nominate up to seven other blogs.

4. Add their links to your blog.

5. Add a message to each person that you have passed the award on in the comments section of their blog.

Review of The Pony Game by Fran Knight

My children's book The Pony Game draws from my childhood. It is based on my home, friends. pets and my personal experience of looking after a horse. I was pleased to find and read this review of The Pony Game. Just as I wanted to share a snippet of my children, I'd like to share this review with you.

If you'd like to purchase The Pony Game from Angus & Robertson's on-line bookstore click here

ReadPlus Review Blog - Jun 17 2008

The Pony Game by Robyn Opie

Lothian Children's Books, 2007 (Ages 7-10) The second in the Giggles Series from Lothian is absorbing.

Lucy wishes her dog, Beauty was a horse. Together they play the pony game, where she uses a tea towel on Beauty's back as a saddle and they frolic all over the back yard, imagining they are riding over the hills. When Lucy gets to look after a real horse for a week, she is too tired to play with Beauty and the dog feels neglected.

When the owner of the horse sees Lucy's dog she is just as jealous, because she cannot have a dog. Lucy realises that she has the best of both worlds.

Young readers will love this story and its illustrations and the ability to read it for themselves. The Giggles Series is sure to be a winner with the target audience.

Fran Knight
© Copyright Pledger Consulting 2007
http://fictionandfilm.com/blog_detail.php?id=239

Plotting and Developing a Story: Cyclone Santa

In 2001, my then publisher, Barrie Publishing, produced an Australian fiction series. They were looking for stories with an Australian historical background for a second series. It was at this time I wrote Caught in a Cyclone, set at Christmas 1974 during Cyclone Tracy.

Before I could submit my manuscript, Barrie Publishing decided not to pursue a second series.

Years later, I submitted Caught in a Cyclone to Era Publications. The editors’ reactions surprised me. I thought it was a good story but I wasn’t expecting seasoned editors to become so enthusiastic and emotional over it. Caught in a Cyclone was accepted and published in 2007.

My partner, Rob, and I live in a residential three bedroom home with a large games room out the back. In the games room are a pool table and a dart board. We like to play pool every night to relax but also to discuss writing and our various projects. We often use this recreational time to brainstorm, plot and plan. One night, we discussed Cyclone Tracy and how we thought this subject would make a great feature film.

At first, we attempted to gain interest from the film industry in my book Caught in a Cyclone. The responses were all much the same - the book was too slight and too static to become a feature film of approximately 120 minutes. We spoke to Bernadette O’Mahony from the Australian Children’s Television Foundation and she gave us some valuable advice and ideas. We met with a local producer and script editor, who had also gave us a couple of suggestions.

The advice, suggestions and ideas were helpful and we were grateful for the assistance. But, if we wanted to gain interest in a feature film based on Cyclone Tracy, we needed a plot or plots for our screen story. We were rather daunted and overwhelmed with the prospect of coming up with the entire contents of a movie. Where, oh, where to start?

The games room. We headed straight to our sanctuary and, while we played pool, we discussed the obvious - what we knew so far. We wanted to make a family movie set during Cyclone Tracy. So what did we have? Okay, a family movie set during Cyclone Tracy would obviously have Cyclone Tracy, a family and Christmas.

When I wrote the book Caught in a Cyclone, the publisher wouldn't allow me to mention Christmas for fear of offending those people who do not celebrate Christmas. I'm sure we're all aware of the need or apparent need for political correctness. But I always believed that Christmas should be an element of any Cyclone Tracy story. So Christmas would feature in our movie.

After speaking to Bernadette O'Mahony, we knew that we needed several - at least three - child characters. Caught in a Cyclone was focused on one girl. That wasn't enough. Our family in Cyclone Santa would have a girl and a boy. Plus we would find a way to add another child who wasn't connected to the family.

We also knew that we needed more than one setting. There is only one setting in Caught in a Cyclone and the book had been called 'too static'. In many ways, having people read the book helped us find out what we couldn't do in a feature film. When you think about a cyclone, an obvious choice of setting - to us, anyway - seemed to be the hospital.

We decided that our family in the movie would be separated during the cyclone, to add drama and tension. An automatic response would be to have the father at work and therefore separated from his family at a time of impending disaster. But automatic responses can be cliche. We turned this idea on its head and put the mother at work. Why not make her a nurse at the hospital? That way, the father can be at home looking after the children. We made the father an electrician who wasn’t able to find work due to the holiday season, though the family needed his income. Clearly, work would not be an issue after the cyclone.

Once we’d placed the mother, Toni, at the hospital as a nurse, we were able to develop the story around the hospital. Okay, we have a family - two parents and two children, separated at the time of Cyclone Tracy. We also had two settings - the family home and the hospital. It still wasn't enough. Now what?

Enter Ben and Jam.

Ben is a contractor for PMG (Australia Post), who flies a Tiger Moth to outback communities to deliver the mail. He is based on a real person. We imagined him being an Aussie version of Scrooge and therefore having a major dislike of Christmas. We wanted to see him transform by the end of the film. Our character needed to go on a hero's journey. That is, to change and grow by the end of the story.

In Outback Australia, Ben is forced to help Jam, an Aboriginal boy with diabetes who is seriously ill and needs urgent medical assistance. Ben has to fly his Tiger Moth into Darwin during Cyclone Tracy to take Jam to hospital.

During my research into Cyclone Tracy, I read a story about a man who flew a light aircraft into Darwin airport before it was closed as a result of the cyclone. We were amazed that someone could fly through a cyclone and imagined the drama of doing so. We had to include this element in our story.

Now, we had Toni, a nurse at the hospital, and Ben flying to the hospital. We realized we could use the hospital as a focal point at the end of the movie. Let's say that one of the children was injured and the father, Joe, could take the children to the hospital.

Writers are always told to raise the stakes, up the ante, make things harder for the characters. Wasn't a cyclone enough? No, we decided. There had to be conflict between the characters that is resolved at the end of the film, at the hospital perhaps.

At this point, we realised that we needed to connect Ben and Jam to Toni, Joe and the children. Okay, but how?

Why not make Ben related to Toni or Joe? Still, where's the conflict? Family members can be in conflict and often are, for whatever reasons. Right, then Ben is in conflict with his family and it explains why he dislikes Christmas. Family and Christmas go together. What if Ben has some issues from his childhood with his father?

Enter Eric Ayers, Ben's and Toni's father. Now, Eric needs to be at the hospital so that he can be, initially, in conflict with Ben and, later, in reconciliation.

Why would Ben and Eric reconcile after all these years? Maybe because of the relationship Ben has with Jam. Having to save the boy, albiet reluctantly, could change Ben enough to facilitate the reconciliation.

We were on a roll! And it was thanks to our characters.

The whole story became about Ben being forced to save Jam and therefore reconciling with his family. We were excited! And the disappointment over my book Caught in a Cyclone being 'too slight' and 'too static' was long forgotten as we created a new family, new problems, new solutions, and an entirely new plot.

Jam has a special place in our hearts and minds, mainly because he will always remind us of playing pool together. When one of us hits a lucky shot and the ball, no skill involved, ends up in a pocket, Rob sings out, ‘Jam’. We were discussing possible names for our character. After Rob made a fluky shot, I looked at him and said, ‘What about Jam?’

We have a friend who works in Aboriginal Communities. Every time we saw him, he told us stories about indigenous people and their beliefs. We were able to draw on some of this information as we plotted Cyclone Santa.

The first thing we did, after brainstorming, was write a treatment – a 20 page synopsis or outline of the film. Our evening in the games room had given us enough information to complete the treatment.

Initially, we were overwhelmed at how to create a 120 minute feature film, especially when we knew we couldn't use my book. But we knew that we had to try. So we just did it.

We started with the characters and the event Cyclone Tracy. Developing the characters helped us come up with a large, 120 minute plot (or thereabouts). Once we knew more about them, we knew how our story was going to unfold. After all, the story is about the characters – it’s their journeys, their stories. In a way, we let the characters define their destinies, with a little help from us.

© Copyright Robyn Opie. All Rights Reserved.

My You Tube Video

News

My partner Rob Parnell of http://www.easywaytowrite.com/ created a video of me. It's a short interview about writing children's books. Go here to view it http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qplau03KR2s


Bigger News

This month my novel "Black Baron" was released by Walker Books Australia. I've been waiting for this moment for a long time. Finally it's here and it's fantastic! For more information or to purchase "Black Baron" please visit the Walker Books website - http://www.walkerbooks.com.au/Books/Lightning-Strikes-Black-Baron-9781921150586-Black-Baron-9781921150586



More Fabulous News

My website http://www.robynopie.com/ has been included in the 2008 Writer's Digest 101 Best Websites. Thanks to everyone who voted for me. It's way cool!



Best wishes,
Robyn Opie

Robyn Opie's Blog Tour

Join me on a Book Blog Tour to find out all about my new book "The Pony Game" and lots of other things. The interviewers asked some interesting questions that got me thinking. To find out more please visit the following blogs/websites.


Day 1 - Monday 10 December - Tina Marie Clark's Blog - What is Happening in my Office?
http://web.mac.com/qmsa/Tina_Marie_Clark/e-Diary/e-Diary.html


Day 2 - Tuesday 11 December - Claire Saxby's Blog - Let's Have Words
http://www.letshavewords.blogspot.com/


Day 3 - Wednesday 12 December - Sally Odgers' Blog - Spinning Pearls
http://spinningpearls.blogspot.com/


Day 4 - Thursday 13 December - Jacqui Grantford's Website
http://www.jacquigrantford.com/page3.html


Day 5 - Friday 14 December - Sally Murphy's Blog - Scribblings
http://sallymurphy.blogspot.com/


Day 6 - Saturday 15 December - Bren MacDibble's Blog - Beast of Moogill
http://macdibble.livejournal.com/

Jacqui Grantford's Blog Tour

Day 3 of Jacqui Grantford's Blog Tour

Jacqui Grantford is a fabulous writer/illustrator from Victoria, Australia. She has 12 published books, 6 of them picture books.

Jacqui is the writer/illustrator of Various Faerious and Shoes News. Her illustrations have brought to life such books as Pemberthy Bear, Wishes for One More Day and A True Person. Her latest book is the delightful Squeezy Cuddle Dangle Legs written by Peter Whitfield.

To view or purchase the gorgeous Squeezy Cuddle Dangle Legs please visit the publisher's website http://www.newfrontier.com.au/home.htm or to read a review please visit the following link at Preschool Entertainment http://www.preschoolentertainment.com/html/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=792

For more information on Jacqui please visit her website http://www.jacquigrantford.com/


Welcome to my blog, Jacqui. And congratulations on the release of Squeezy Cuddle Dangle Legs. It's just gorgeous, a delight for readers of all ages. I loved it!

This is day three of your blog tour. I hope you're enjoying this new experience.

Having a ball!

1. I assume you've always been interested in drawing/illustrating. Is this true? What is your first memory of Jacqui Grantford, illustrator?

My first memory is at about the age of three. My mother was a violin teacher and used to teach these two gorgeous little old ladies. Whilst one was having her lesson the other would completely indulge me and ask me to draw pictures for her. And then vice versa when they swapped. I loved it and have been drawing ever since.

2. How long have you been illustrating children's books? Why and how did you get started? Did it take you long to get published?

I’ve been illustrating for the last five years. I originally studied music, but my son used to cry every time I played the violin, so I took the hint. I took a single illustration subject at Chisholm and was given an assignment to create a picture book. That was my first book, ’Various Faerious’.

3. You write too. Which do you prefer - illustrating your own books or illustrating other writer's books? When you illustrate other writer's books, do you meet the writer or work with he/she in any way?

Both have different advantages. The advantage of illustrating your own text is that you can modify it as you go and you have a complete vision. Illustrating someone else’s text, however, means that you often get to do something that you wouldn’t normally even think of. ‘Squeezy Cuddle’ is a classic example of this. It’s not the sort of thing I would write, but loved the opportunity to illustrate something different.

4. "Squeezy Cuddle Dangle Legs" is a beautiful book. Can you please tell us a little about your experiences in illustrating this lovely book?

When I first started the book I didn’t realize that Peter, the publisher, had written the text. That in itself made it a unique project.

I often use models for my characters and I took photos of Susan McClain (author of ‘Can I Pat That Dog’) and her son Jasper. The publishers thought Jasper was too old, so that was a little heart breaking for them. I hated telling them that they weren’t going to be in the book. It took quite a while to decide on models and after Peter sent some sample photos of Sophia and their daughter Grace, we realised that they’d be perfect. They flew down from Sydney especially to get photos taken.

It was a great book to draw and I had to focus quite a lot on keeping it simple with minimalist backgrounds. Sometimes that’s harder to do.

5.Some of our blog readers may be interested in getting published as a writer, illustrator or both. Can you please share the 3 most important things you've learnt about the world of publishing children's books to help these people?

‘Fall down seven times, stand up eight’. I heard this quote somewhere and it really sums up the publishing industry. You have to keep trying.

Talk to people in the industry and network. Often they can point you to the sorts of people who will like your work.

Always look for ways to improve or extend your work. Never stay in the comfort zone and constantly look for different angles, shades of colour and technique. (It also makes it more fun.)

Thanks for your time, Jacqui. It's been great being involved in your blog tour and having you stop by. We appreciate you sharing your experiences and knowledge. Hope you enjoy the rest of your tour.

All the best,
Robyn

To purchase the fabulous Squeezy Cuddle Dangle Legs please click on the following link http://shop.newfrontier.com.au/shop/products/detail.html?Product__product_id=139

Jacqui Grantford's Blog Tour

Day 1 Saturday 10 November - Bren MacDibble's Blog
http://macdibble.livejournal.com/

Day 2 Sunday 11 November - Sally Murphy's Blog
http://sallymurphy.blogspot.com/

Day 3 Monday 12 November - Robyn Opie's Blog
http://robynopie.blogspot.com/

Day 4 Tuesday 13 November - Pemberthy Bear's Blog
http://pemberthybear.blogspot.com

Day 5 Wednesday 14 November - Claire Saxby's Blog
http://www.letshavewords.blogspot.com/

Day 6 Thursday 15 November - Tina Marie Clark's Blog http://web.mac.com/qmsa/Tina_Marie_Clark/e-Diary/e-Diary.html

Day 7 - Fri day 16 November - Sally Odger's Blog
http://spinningpearls.blogspot.com/