Best Book Ever - A 5-Star Review From Vickianne Caswell

Best Book Ever written by Robyn Opie Parnell  

Synopsis: Sam hates to read. She hates books. Unfortunately for Sam, her family are bookworms, her mom writes children's books and her teacher thinks reading is important. Every day is a battle for Sam to avoid reading and to keep her secret. Life gets so bad, Sam is ready to move to Antarctica. Instead, Sam is about to have the most embarrassing experience of her life. Will she survive?  

Review: The story is about a girl who comes from a family of readers, though she is not one of them. Her mother is an author and while some children would be proud, she finds it embarrassing. The book helps show the reader that just because they have a disability, it doesn't mean they need to be embarrassed. The story is well-written, humorous in many spots and in the point of view of the teenage character. Her dog Hound is also a huge delight and does a great job supporting her as comic relief with his affliction. There were some parts in the story that I did not see coming and they were hilarious! My daughter could not stop laughing throughout the book and it was hard to put the book down. We look forward to reading more of the author's stories and hope they are just as much of a delight as this one was. 

5 Star Review

Please visit Vickianne's website to read the original review - http://vickianne-caswell.weebly.com/7/post/2013/11/best-book-ever-written-by-robyn-opie-parnell.html 

Best Book Ever can be purchased from Amazon Kindle - http://www.amazon.com/Best-Book-Ever-Robyn-Parnell-ebook/dp/B0071642I2

Thank you for the great review, Vickianne.

Interview with Goldie Alexander Part Two

Goldie Alexander has authored 75+ books for adult and young readers of all ages. This month, Goldie celebrates the release of her latest novels for readers aged 9 to 12 Neptunia and Cybertricks 2043, and the junior novel Gallipoli Medals. In part two of this interview, Goldie shares her experiences with the publishing industry.

 

Q. You write a weekly Blog for Emerging Creators (www.goldiealexander.com/blog). Your blog covers Board Books and goes right through to Young Adult and Non Fiction. How long has this blog been running, and what major points do you cover in your advice? Have you had positive feedback to your blog? 

Thankfully I have lots of feedback, or I wouldn’t bother keeping up. I also enjoy interviewing other creators. Some weeks turn into fortnights because I run out of time. I have taught creative writing in one form or other for 18 years and have mentored through the ASA, some excellent emerging authors. I love teaching almost as much as I adore writing and am happy to continue doing this until everyone gets tired of me. I also add comments on my blog about books I have recently read. Sometimes feedback comes in Chinese, or another language, and is badly computer translated. I do enjoy reading these. My blogs try to cover all the rules a writer should know before they throw them out the window. Right now I am running some fascinating interviews with other authors. 

Q. Often creators who use small publishers have little chance of winning literary prizes. How does an author continue a creative flow with this knowledge hovering in the background? 

Yes, it is discouraging as so much emphasis is also placed on the quality of the actual hard copy, the editing, paper, illustrations, the typeface, the thickness of the cover and whether the author and the company are well known.

Small companies have to invest a lot of cash and mostly this doesn’t come off. For example, a book may cost a small company anything up to $10 for each copy. To enter the CBCA awards, they must post 10 copies and a cheque for $99.00 – a further four copies and another $99.00 to enter the information award. Let’s say a company has put out half a dozen books. The costs become astronomical and the gamble akin to playing the pokies. Also, as committees must agree, it is always easier to pick a company and a name no one will disagree with, so the same people tend to pick up the same prizes. This is not meant as sour grapes, merely an observation.

The invention of the ebook has set the cat amongst the pigeons. Few awards so far permit ebooks to enter apart from perhaps the Aurealis Science Fiction. Their argument is that not every school has computers, but I think this is no longer valid. Perhaps judges find it hard to read online. Many adults do. Then how do you judge the presentation of a book when there’s nothing to hold apart from your iPad or Kindle?  

Q. How do you see the future of children’s books, and your own adaptability, in light of the current publishing climate? 

If I haven’t already created an army of enemies by my above comments, I think all books will gradually ease into ebooks as young readers continue to use computers. I come across toddlers reading and playing on their mothers’ iPads. Imagine what this generation will do when they are old enough? Hopefully, there will still be a place for beautifully presented literary and coffee table hard copies. However, there is surely room for both, certainly in the story picture book area which is undergoing a splendid revival. 

Q. Editors play a huge role in a writer’s success story. Have they played a specific role in your writing career? 

Some have and some haven’t. However, a good editor is worth his/her weight in gold. Too many have lost their jobs or are underpaid. Also, it seems the better known an author becomes, the more s/he refuses to accept criticism. I wish I could edit some of the books I come across. Can we introduce the pinch test? More is not always better, though I am talking more about adult rather than books for kids. Thank God the novella is returning. There is one lesson every children’s author knows - once your audience loses interest, they will never return. 

Q. You have covered many genres in your writing. What other areas of writing have you covered in your career? 

I have tried everything apart from film scripts, adult plays and graphic novels.  I co-wrote with Hazel Edwards numerous plays and non fictions including The Business of Writing for Young People. Lots of my adult short stories and non-fiction pieces have won prizes and appeared in print and on the web. Some of my adult work has been heard on radio and some recorded on CD’s. My monologues have been performed on stage. 

Q. Is there anything more you would like to add that I haven’t touched upon? 

Only in that I would love readers to look up my website and blog, both newly created by Jin Wang. And please write to me via my blog or email address which you will find on my website www.goldiealexander.com. If you are a teacher I would love to be invited to talk to your students. There are lots of potential topics and workshops on my website. If you know an adult club that might be interested, please do the same.

Gallipoli Medals: ADCC@anzacday.org.au

Neptunia www.fivesenseseducation.com.au

Cybertrix2043. www.fivesenseseducation.com.au

     Thank you for the interview, Goldie. All the best with your new books and future projects.

Interview with Goldie Alexander Part One

Goldie Alexander has authored 75+ books for adult and young readers of all ages. In the following interview, Goldie talks about her latest two novels for readers aged 9 to 12 Neptunia and Cybertricks 2043, and the junior novel Gallipoli Medals.

Q. You are in the unusual position of having three books out at the same time. How did this happen? 

It was just one of those extraordinary co-incidences. I had written the first drafts of Cybertricks 2043 and Neptunia some time ago. No publisher picked them up, possibly because at that time they were interested in reality fiction. In 2012 when Roger Furness of Five Senses Publications picked up The Youngest Cameleer and then eSide: A Journey through Cyberspace he also took my next two novels.

Gallipoli Medals is published by the Anzac Society. This junior novel was intended to come out three years ago, but the lady who looked after the publishing side of the company died and the project was put on hold. 

I think these stories should inspire anyone who has a text presently rejected not to lose heart. Of course, when I resubmitted, after such a stretch of time, I was able to edit and rework.

Q. How did these ideas form and grow? What inspires your stories?

Most of my ideas come from what I read, what is happening around me, movies and TV, conversations I listen to on trams and trains, my own grandchildren and what children suggest when I visit schools. I am a magpie who uses everything I come across as "grist for my mill". I try to write stories that I would have enjoyed reading when I was the same age.
 
Here is something about these latest books. 

Neptunia: Cassie Georgiana Odysseos has the potential to become an Olympic swimmer. However, after her parents separate, her training is interrupted when she and her little brother Timmy are sent to live with elderly Mike and Peg Calypso in Ithaca, a small country town without a training pool. Asked to deliver an important message to the underwater city of Neptunia, Cassie must use all her strength, strategy and spirit to survive a marathon swim. But can she overcome King Neptune’s terrifying obstacles?
 
Cybertrick 2043: It is 120,43 AD, and Pya, Zumie, Jafet and Trist live in tiny Cells cared for by tutor-holos only able to communicate via an avatar. Pya narrates how the giant computer ComCen sends their actual bodies back to the mid 21st Century where they meet Rio and Charlie. But if they manage to survive in an increasingly dangerous world, can they also achieve Independence and Cooperation?
 
Gallipoli Medals: Major Peter Romsey contacts Jaxson’s dad to ask if some medals he found in an op shop could possibly belong to the Donoghue family. Intrigued by the story of his great, great uncle being part of the Great War, and what happened to him after that, Jaxson reads about Gallipoli. As a result his close friendship with Abi wavers. Even if this conflict took place ninety odd years ago, Abi’s family are Turkish. Does this make Abi his enemy?

I am also interested in what I perceive as the two important issues for our times - climate warming and tyranny. I believe that food is children’s sex, and what my protagonists eat become symbols of the strange worlds they enter.

Q. Your characters are strong and resourceful. You always have girls in powerful, leading roles, regardless of age. Is the female protagonist a preference of yours? If so, why?
 
In The Youngest Cameleer I am writing as a 14 year old Muslim boy. Killer Virus and Other Stories has ten varied stories about boys, all aged 13. Space Footy and Other Stories has ten stories about boys aged 12. I use the gender that best suits a situation. However, my four Dolly Fictions, which is where I got started, demanded strong resourceful females, and I think that concept has stayed with me. However, Gallipoli Medals is all about boys. Cybertrix 2043 features the "Hatchlings" two girls and two boys: Pia, Zumie, Jafet and Trist.

Q. Your novels are character driven. How easy/difficult is it to create characters who carry the whole story?

Creating characters is the most important element of a story. Once a writer has established a character’s likes, dislikes, his or her settings, conflicts and needs, the plot is almost written for you. Can I give some examples from my own work?
 
In Neptunia, Cassie Georgina Odysseos aims to be an Olympic swimmer, and is thwarted by her circumstances. She has to undergo a number of physical and mental trials to be proved worthy of the task.

In Cybertrix 2043, the "Hatchlings" must undergo amazingly difficult adventures before they achieve the desired Independence and Cooperation.

In Gallipoli Medals, Jaxson has to understand what happened to Great Great Uncle Jack in WW1 and overcome his own misgivings about Abi before he can resume their friendship.

Q. Adventure, personal challenges, mystery and suspense fill your writing, while your themes are many and varied. How do you choose what you are going to write about?

I move between adult, young adult and books for younger readers, and I try to vary them so I won’t get bored. I choose themes that will involve a particular reading level. 

For example, my latest YA novel Dessi’s Romance (www.indra.com) concentrates on issues that interest 18 year old teenage girls. In my forthcoming verse novel In Hades, which will appear late next year from Celapene Books, the issues are perhaps more profound, as my hero and heroine are already dead. I suppose I am looking at "lives not so well lived", looking at remorse, love and redemption. This manuscript is based on Homer’s Odyssey which is also the basis of Neptunia. Though Cybertricks 2043 is set in a dismal future, the adventures my four youngsters go through are very scary. I get stuck on an idea and there’s no rest until I carry it through. I sometimes wonder what I would do if I didn’t write. The thought is too horrible to contemplate.

Part Two of this interview will be uploaded tomorrow. Please come back for more. See you soon.

Interviewing Robyn Opie Parnell

The following excerpt is taken from an interview conducted by Vickianne Caswell. Thank you, Vickianne, for interviewing me and allowing me to reprint this excerpt on my blog. Please CLICK HERE to read the original interview on Vickianne's website.

Today's interview is with children's author, Robyn Opie Parnell. Robyn also goes by the name Robyn Opie. Robyn has published many books. You will find a small list of them below as there are currently 90 books in publication. Robyn's writing career consists of writing children's books (both fiction and non-fiction) and family screenplays. Robyn currently lives in Adelaide, South Australia.

Vickianne: What inspired you to start writing?

Robyn: When I was fifteen, my English teacher gave me an A for every essay I wrote. One day, as he handed me back an essay, he said, “You should be a writer.” At the time, I hadn’t given any thought to people writing books. I only thought about the characters and the stories. Thanks to my English teacher I realized I, too, could write a book. So I did!

Vickianne: Tell me a little bit about you, in brief.

Robyn: I’m the author of 90 published books, most of which are children’s books. From 1994, I spent about five years reading every book I could find on writing children’s books. I also did two courses, one on picture books and the other on writing for children. My first three children’s books, Jen Stays Inside, People Need Trucks and My Bike were published in 1999 by Macmillan Education. Three of my homework assignments – three short chapter books – which I completed for the writing for children course were published by Macmillan Education in 2000. Nowadays, I have a strong interest in spiritualism. In 2010, I had my first experiences as a psychic medium. Yes, I can talk to dead people. I’m the Treasurer of the Spiritual Mission of Noarlunga Inc. On a personal note, I’m married to writer/composer/director Rob Parnell.

Vickianne: Tell me a bit about your latest book: 

Robyn: Technically, my latest book is The Easy Way To Write Picture Books That Sell. Hopefully the title says it all. My latest fiction book is Best Team Wins, a humorous story about who's best at cricket: the boys or the girls!

Ella stops to watch a group of boys play cricket. She asks if she can join in their game. They react as if she's a zombie asking to join the church choir! According to the boys, girls can't play cricket. Ella will ruin their game. The boys' comments make Ella so cross that she agrees to a boys versus girls cricket match. But there's a big problem. Ella doesn't have a cricket team. She has to find a team by the end of the week – a team good enough to beat the boys! Again Ella encounters a big problem. She can't find other girls who play cricket. She has to teach the girls and turn them into cricket stars in time to beat the boys. Ella faces another problem. Her team is one player short. Who will she get to fill the gap? Her friend Madison? Her Aunt Anna? Jessie the dog? Don't be silly, dogs can't play cricket! On the big day, the best team wins... Is it the boys' team? Is it the girls' team? Who is the secret weapon?

Vickianne: Tell me more about your love for animals and the pets that you have now.

Robyn: I have a dog named Wally and a cat named Ludo. They are both 14 months old. There are photos of Wally and Ludo on my Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/robyn.opieparnell.3. One of my passions is animals. I support several charities that help animals. People can help themselves but animals are helpless. Animals depend on us. We can destroy animals and their habitats, or we can protect animals and their habitats. Animals can’t speak for themselves. Animals can’t fight for their rights. It’s really up to us.

Vickianne: Tell me more about your love for sports and what brought on the interest for each of these?

Please CLICK HERE tor read the rest of the interview.

Interview With Award-Winning Author, Publisher And Martial Arts Expert Paul Collins

Paul Collins has written around 150 books and 140 short stories. He is best known for The Quentaris Chronicles (The Spell of Undoing is Book #1 in the new series), which he co-edits with Michael Pryor, The Jelindel Chronicles, The Earthborn Wars and The World of Grrym trilogy in collaboration with Danny Willis. Paul’s latest book is The Only Game in the Galaxy, book three in The Maximus Black Files. A trailer for the series can be viewed at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3S-eKDYqpEs 

The Beckoning is Paul’s first adult novel.

He is also the publisher at Ford Street Publishing.

Paul has been short-listed for many awards and won the Aurealis, William Atheling and the inaugural Peter McNamara awards. He recently received the A Bertram Chandler Award for lifetime achievement in Australian science fiction. He has had two Notable Books in the Children’s Book Council of Australia Awards.

He has black belts in both ju jitsu and taekwondo – this experience can be seen in many of his books.

And in his spare time, Paul fits in interesting interviews on blogs like this one. So over to the questions...

You’re currently promoting not one but two books. Can you tell us a bit about them?

The Only Game in the Galaxy is book #3 in The Maximus Black Files trilogy.  It’s both a print book and ebook: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FDJXF0K

Special Agent Maximus Black excels at everything he attempts. Recruited by the Regis Imperium Mentatis when he was just fifteen, he is the youngest cadet ever to become a RIM agent. Of course, being a certified sociopath helps. He rises quickly through the ranks, doing whatever it takes to gain promotion. This includes murdering the doctor who has certified him, as well as a RIM colonel who Black deems to be more useful dead than alive.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3S-eKDYqpEs

In the three years Maximus has been with RIM he has only met his match once: Anneke Longshadow, another RIM agent. Every bit his match, Anneke eludes the traps Black sets for her. Born on Normansk, a planet with 1.9 gravity, Anneke is more than capable of defending herself against Black’s hired help, the insectoid Envoy, his professional mercenary and hitman, Kilroy, and a plethora of other bad guys.

Maximus needs to find three sets of lost coordinates to rediscover an armada of powerful and unbeatable dreadnoughts, long since put into mothballs by the sentinels whose job it is to keep peace and harmony in the ever expanding universe.

Power-hungry, Black usurps the throne of Quesada, a powerful crime syndicate. His ultimate aim is to replace the Galaxy gatekeepers, RIM, with his own organization.

Matching him step by step, Anneke collects as her allies all those who Maximus has deposed in his march to becoming ruler of the universe.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4tTn_WXCiw

The Beckoning is a horror novel published by Damnation Books. It’s just been released via Amazon http://tinyurl.com/ny6urwy.  I wrote it about 30 years ago and sent it around major publishers. No one was interested in taking it on.

Over the years I typed it up again and saved in onto my first computer. It’s been on 3.5 discs, floppies, CDs, zip drives and USB sticks. I occasionally revised it and tried selling it to no avail. I was reading Buzz Words recently and saw that Damnation Books was open to submissions. With nothing to lose I submitted the first three chapters. They asked to read the entire MS and within two weeks had accepted it.

Unbeknown to the Brannigan family, a religious guru by the name of Brother Desmond has lured them to Warrnambool where he has set up headquarters. His Zarathustrans follow the principles espoused by Nietzsche.

Brother Desmond knows that the power within Briony Brannigan is the remaining key he needs to enter the next dimension. With her power in his control, he will have access to all that is presently denied him. He conjures a being that unleashes a cold snap and murders Matt’s wife. Luckily for Matt, he’s out that night, letting off steam with some friends.

He arrives home to find his daughter, Briony, collapsed at the bottom of the stairs, and his wife’s frozen body upstairs.

Briony is led into the sect by Brother Desmond’s disciples. She is easily manipulated, or so the Zarathustrans believe. Matt tries to drag her out of the headquarters with a Care and Protection Application. Unfortunately for him a precedent has already been set in Sydney and the law is unwilling to enter Modewood in fear of litigation.

Matt calls on Clarissa Pike, journalist and former psychic friend of his wife’s. Together they gain access to Modewood, only to find they’re in way over their heads.

Better prepared, with psychic shields and other protection devices, they enter Modewood under cover of darkness and there begins a fight to the death with Brother Desmond’s legion of the Undead.

What major changes to the publishing industry have you seen during your career?

The Digital Age has basically turned the book industry upside down. There are pluses and minuses. I see a minus in the fact that booksellers are closing their doors because people can get books quicker and cheaper via the internet; libraries that once bought books now can borrow from other systems – not only print but digital. So a cluster of libraries these days needs only one book to share, whereas once upon a time individually they would each purchase copies. Authors obviously miss out on royalties, publishers miss out on sales. Via the Internet people can self-publish virtually without financial outlay. Unfortunately, these books are generally unedited and poorly written. People purchase them for as little as $1 – often for free. This obviously takes away sales from writers whose careers rely on sales, it deducts from publishers and booksellers – it affects many, many more people.

Pluses include getting a wider distribution for titles. For example, Amazon that would not stock my Jelindel Chronicles now promotes them. Print-on-Demand is great in as much that many out-of-print books can now be purchased. The downside is for everyone purchasing an old book, a newer author is missing out on a potential sale. We’re seeing major companies swallow one another up, and lists shrink. Major publishers are trying to eliminate their B lists, which of course affects thousands of authors across the world, not to mention editors, sales reps, etc, who are now without authors and books to deal with. This is a huge topic, one that can’t be fully answered here.

Your books usually have humor, either black or otherwise. How important is this to your work?

Humor is a natural ingredient that authors either have or they don’t. I never deliberately set out to write comedy. I might think of a line that makes me laugh as I type it. Sometimes editors take these lines out, so perhaps they’re not funny to everyone. Humor is a very subjective thing.

Having said that, I did set out to write one humorous book, and that was The Slightly Skewed Life of Toby Chrysler (Celapene Press).

You’re both an author and a publisher. Do these occupations conflict? You also have Creative Net, a speakers’ agency. How do all these meld?

I generally have to prioritize. If there’s a publishing deadline and I’m behind in editing a book, all else has to be put aside. If I’m writing a series such as Lucy Lee and the editor reminds me I still owe two books, the publishing activities have to step aside. When librarians email me to book an author or illustrator for their school, I drop everything and get on to it immediately. So it’s a constant juggling act. Cross-subsidization is the only way forward in this industry, so far as I can see. All of these career paths aren’t hugely successful by themselves, but together they work very well. As an example, I don’t charge libraries a booking fee, which is a big saving to them. But by offering this service, librarians go to the Ford Street site and see the books I have on offer. On occasion, they offer work to authors and illustrators who I publish, so I’m helping promote both my authors/illustrators as well as sell their books via Creative Net.

What are you concentrating on now? And your plans for the future?

I’m writing the final Lucy Lee books for Macmillan’s Legends in Their Own Lunch Box series. There are six Lucy books, with maybe more to come if the series takes off.

I’d love to work from a proper office rather than my home. I think that’s the next big stage for me. I don’t really have any time to write books these days. Maybe I’ll write some Jelindel short stories – I have a novella sitting on my desktop glaring at me to finish it.

http://fordstreetpublishing.com/ford/index.php/ford-street-titles/books/111-dragonlinks

I also have a series called Broken Magic. This is on submission right now. I have one or two novels lying about that I think are publishable, but that’s all I have. As mentioned, maybe I’ll write some more Lucy Lee books if the series is a hit – they’re not much longer than short stories and are fun to write.

http://www.macmillan.com.au/primary31/site/libraries/Search+results?open&template=domPrimary&query=Paul%20Collins

Ford Street Publishing: www.fordstreetpublishing.com
Paul Collins: www.paulcollins.com.au
The Quentaris Chronicles: www.quentaris.com
facebook: http://www.facebook.com/fordstreet
twitter: http://twitter.com/fordstreet

Thank you to Paul Collins for this fascinating interview. It's interesting to read about Paul's different roles as author, publisher and speaker's agent.

All the best Paul. We wish you every success!

Monster School Blog Tour - Read On If You Dare

Writing a Twenty-first Century Lord of the Rings 
By DC Green

When I was a boy, I was a huge fan of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. I loved the way Tolkien bestowed fairy-tale creatures and monsters with their own cultures and characteristics. Dwarves were gruff, bearded, hard-toiling working class fellows who loved wielding battle-axes and digging for gold deep underground. Elves were flaxen-haired Scandinavian types with pointy ears, long lives, speedy reflexes, enigmatic personalities, melodic language and a love of forests and archery. It was easy to tell that orcs and goblins were evil because they preferred dark places, were handsomely-challenged and swarmed in massive numbers. Even their language bristled with harsh, guttural sounds. 

Unfortunately, and here I risk the equivalent of a literary lynching, I believe Tolkien’s tales reveal their age. Powerful females are noticeably thin on the Middle Earth ground. The different races contain a range of easily-scratched racist stereotypes and a lack of shading in all but the major characters. As for style, Tolkien wrote more like an author from the middle of the Nineteenth Century than the Twentieth. Despite my fatherly reading zeal, my own Twenty-first Century children tended to sneak from the room before the story progressed beyond Tolkien’s traditional leisurely openings and invariably obtuse prose.

More unfortunate is the massive shadow that Tolkien has cast over the genre of fantasy. From Dungeons and Dragons to Eragon and beyond, so many fantasy stories follow the Tolkien blue-print. The setting is always Medieval, with lots of swords, bows and battle-axes. The same species and archetypes recur – not just goblins, elves and dwarves, but also human rangers, at one with nature; gold (and maiden) loving dragons; bearded and robed magicians, and behind all the badness, a powerful and utterly corrupted dark lord. If you read enough fantasy, this formula can grow boring and predictable with celerity. 

I used to wonder: was it possible to write fresh fantasy, to create truly modern stories about goblins, trolls and dragons? Of course the answer is a resounding “Yes!” On the best-seller front, the Harry Potter and Artemis Fowl series both do so brilliantly, while the Disc World series magnificently mocks so many stale fantasy conventions.

Hunting for my own unique angle, I decided to change the backdrop, to make the world that Tolkien created totally unfamiliar and, in the process, hopefully challenge old archetypes in new ways. Tolkien established a fantasy medieval world in which cities and even towns were relatively rare. Much of Middle Earth was wild or rural. I decided the best opposite to the Middle Ages was not the present, but the future (though not necessarily a hi-tech future). Hmmm...

The opposite of rural was, of course, urban. Gradually I began to envisage a futuristic city where all different monster types lived together. Such a scenario would definitely generate conflict, the life-blood of all fiction. But why would goblins, for example, voluntarily live next door to a monster type they hated or feared, such as a ravenous ogre? That made no sense…

Unless I gave them no choice. That’s where imagination comes in – to not only make a story idea feasible, but even better, remarkable.

I considered a range of options. Finally I came up with what I thought was the best way to force a bunch of species to live in a single area, while also commenting on the world we live in: flooding. So, global warming caused my ocean levels to rise until only a single plateau remained. Sure, there’s no such plateau on Earth, but this is the future and/or a parallel but not exactly the same Earth or… well, the story just wouldn’t work with half the cast clinging to a frosty rock atop Mount Everest.

But where did the monsters come from? The easy answer is: they were always here. They just kept a low profile while humans ruled the Earth. But when the flooding came, when humans fought each other and human rule crumbled, the monsters returned with a vengeance.

The hardest part of creating the City of Monsters was figuring out which monsters would receive major character status. There are many western monster classics that I didn’t want to leave out because they’re so recognisable and so much fun: besides all the classics from The Lord of the Rings, there are also ogres, vampires, mummies, and zombies. But I also wanted to make this story a global one, so my short list included monsters from every culture and part of the world: wokolos, super-powered children from Mali; azemans, skin-shedding lady vampires from Surinam; aniwyes (giant skunks) from the Great Lakes area of North America; and swamp-dwelling bunyips from Australia. Before I wrote a single word of my novel, I planned my world and city for two years.

I still have no idea if I succeeded in writing a Lord of the Rings for the new millennium; but at least I can’t be accused of lacking ambition!

About DC Green 
DC Green is an award-winning surf journalist and the author of six children’s books, including the Erasmus James fantasy series and Stinky Squad.  His new novel, Monster School, has won two pre-publication awards and been hailed as ‘a wild, wise-cracking ride’ by Ian Irvine, and ‘a monster mash of hilariously epic proportions’ by Sue Warren.

 

DC & Monster links 
DC’s blog, with all the latest Monster Blog Tour updates: http://dcgreenyarns.blogspot.com.au/ 
Ford Street Publishing (for Monster School orders): http://www.fordstreetpublishing.com 
Amazon.com (for a kindle Monsters): http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FDKBTVQ 
DC at Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4527538.D_C_Green 
DC’s facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/DCGreenAuthor

Thanks for visiting my blog, DC Green, and all the best with Monster School. I love this book. I can honestly say that this is one book I wish I'd written. It's fantastic! 

Best wishes,
Robyn Opie Parnell
http://www.robynopie.com

Monster Blog Tour Starring DC Green and Monster School

To celebrate the publication of DC Green's new novel, Monster School, he’ll be touring some wonderful author and writing blogs.

There will be tonnes of insights into the writing process with topics ranging from world building to creating monstrous characters. DC will happily answer any posted questions (such as, "What’s it like sitting at the desk next to a giant spider called Bruce?"). And yes, there will be laughter – and giveaways!

Below are the Monster Blog Tour dates and destinations, plus handy links for buying Monster School in kindle or paperback format. 

And if you have missed any of the blog stops to date, just click on the respective links.

Monster Blog Tour Dates

Tuesday, October 1. Buzz Words. Super sneaky peek! http://www.buzzwordsmagazine.com/ 

Wednesday, October 2. Dianne Bates. Wacky author interview. http://diannedibates.blogspot.com.au/ 

Thursday, October 3. Dee White. World building.
http://deescribewriting.wordpress.com/ 

Friday, October 4. Erin O’Hara. Zany question time.
http://erinmoiraohara.wordpress.com/ 

Saturday, October 5. Tania McCartney. Monstrous author interview.
http://www.kids-bookreview.com/ 

Sunday, October 6. Ian Irvine. Plotters versus Pantsers.
http://bloggingwithianirvine.blogspot.com.au/ 

Monday, October 7. Pass It On. Groovy reviews.
http://jackiehoskingpio.wordpress.com/ 

Tuesday, October 8. Michael Gerard Bauer. Writing the perfect first page.
http://michaelgerardbauer.wordpress.com/ 

Wednesday, October 9. Robyn Opie Parnell. Writing a 21st Century Lord of the Rings.
http://robynopie.blogspot.com.au/ 

Thursday, October 10. George Ivanoff. Writing monstrous characters.
http://blog.boomerangbooks.com.au/author/givanoff 

Friday, October 11. Helen Ross. Mixing words and art.
http://www.misshelenwrites.wordpress.com 

Saturday, October 12. Wrap party with prizes at my DC Green Author page!
http://www.facebook.com/DCGreenAuthor 

Other Monstrous Links 

Ford Street Publishing (for Monster orders): http://www.fordstreetpublishing.com 

Amazon.com (for a kindle Monsters): http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FDKBTVQ 

Monsters @ Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4527538.D_C_Green

Robyn Opie Parnell - An Article By Anastasia Gonis

The following article was written by Anastasia Gonis for the April 15 2013 edition of Buzz Words Issue 151. The article is reproduced on my blog with Anastasia's kind permission. Thank you, Anastasia.

ROBYN OPIE PARNELL
© Anastasia Gonis

Robyn Opie Parnell is an Australian children’s book author, screenplay writer, and a generous heart with a vision to becoming so much more. She has published 88 books since she began writing. 

“When I was fifteen, my English teacher gave me an A for every essay I wrote. One day, as he handed me back an essay, he said, ‘You should be a writer.’ At the time, I hadn’t given any thought to people writing books. I only thought about the characters and the stories.

Thanks to my English teacher I realized I, too, could write a book. So I did!

“Unfortunately, the first book I wrote at fifteen wasn’t suitable for publication. My main character was too similar to the super-sleuth Nancy Drew. I was a big fan of the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew when I was growing up. In my early twenties, I tried to get a story published but I had no idea that illustrated books of 2,500 words were difficult to get published. Picture books are usually less than 700 words. I knew nothing about the publishing industry and I had a lot to learn.
 
“From 1994, I spent about five years reading every book I could find on writing children’s books. I also did several courses, one on picture books and the other on writing for children. The writing for children course was through TAFE (Technical and Further Education) and Elizabeth Hutchins was my tutor. The feedback I received from Elizabeth helped me move forwards in leaps and bounds. Three of my homework assignments from the TAFE course with Elizabeth went on to be published by Macmillan Education. They were my chapter books The Mad Mower, Martian Milk and Mrs Twitch and the Small Black Box. I believe feedback from an experienced writer is vital.”
 
Robyn believes this course was the turning point for her. 

“I knew I was ready to submit to publishers, thanks to Elizabeth’s help and feedback. I also joined a writers’ group and formed one of my own. My first children’s books were published in 1999.
 

“I signed a contract with Barrie Publishing for my first three books, which were packaged and published by Macmillan Education. My next six books were also signed to Barrie Publishing but published by Macmillan Education. I had three chapter books published by Blake Education in 2002 and 2003. I had a lucky start, with many of my books published either by Macmillan Education or Blake Education.”
 
Robyn worked with Era Publications from 2001 to 2009 with her first books published by Era in 2002. In March 2011, she terminated her publishing agreements with Era after a dispute about the assignment of rights.
 
Robyn believes in exploring all avenues for her work. She has even submitted a story to Hollywood producer Wolfgang Petersen for consideration as a family movie, and a screenplay to an Australian producer. But it’s at children’s books that she excelled. She elaborates. 

“I wrote a story with my husband, Rob, that I believed would make a great Hollywood movie. Rob put together a proposal, which we then sent to Wolfgang Petersen. Why not? Wolfgang Petersen might be a famous movie producer but he’s also a businessman looking for good projects. And we believed we had a good project. 

“A week after we sent our proposal, I received an email from Wolfgang’s Creative Executive. We signed a release form so that Wolfgang could consider our proposal. Approximately four weeks later, we received a phone call. While everyone agreed that our project would make a great movie, Wolfgang had decided not to make three disaster movies in a row. Alas!

“Encouraged by the experience, Rob and I pitched a new, uniquely Australian idea, to Australian producers, which was accepted. However, as first time screenwriters, we were offered terms that were well below the Australian Writers' Guild recommendations, so we followed our instincts and rejected the offer. We submitted the screenplay to other producers. We're still awaiting their replies. Fingers crossed.”
 
How easy/difficult was it for Robyn and Rob to write a screenplay? 

“Rob and I co-wrote our family feature screenplay. We were surprised at how easy it was to work together and to write this particular screenplay. We simply adapted what we knew about writing books to this different medium of film. The first draft was completed in four weeks.” 

Things seemed to fall in place for Robyn once she began writing. Even submitting her work to mainstream publishers went without a hitch due to networking. 

“All of my books have been published one way or another as a result of networking. For example, I found out about Barrie Publishing’s call for submissions from another member of a writers’ group I attended. Once I had the publishing credits with Macmillan Education, other publishers were willing to accept my unsolicited submissions. 

“I wrote a story called The Pony Game, which was based on my childhood experiences. I researched the Giggles series and discovered that Lothian Books didn’t have a pony story in its Giggles series. When I attended the Children’s Book Council of Australia conference in Sydney, I approached Helen Chamberlin and asked if I could submit a story to Lothian Books, despite the fact that its website stated ‘no unsolicited submissions’. Helen was pleased to receive my submission. Three months later, The Pony Game was accepted.  

 
“I met Sue Whiting, from Walker Books, through an online writers’ group and then at the CBCA conference. Sue was happy to read my submissions, despite the fact that Walker Books’ website stated ‘submissions from agents only’. Walker Books published my novel Black Baron in Australia and the UK. While I was able to submit to mainstream publishers due to my publishing credits, my books were published as a result of networking.”

But mainstream publishing has definitely changed over time. Robyn tells us about these shifts in publishing.
 
“Publishers have changed the way they accept submissions. Some are now only accepting submissions via an email query or pitch. ABC Books request an appraisal from a reputable manuscript assessment agency. Penguin Australia will only look at one type of book each month. September is picture book month. A proportion of publishers only accept submissions sent via a literary agent. Overall, a writer’s ability to submit to publishers has been curtailed by the much tighter, more restrictive submission guidelines.
 
“The other difference is in publisher response time, which has obviously led to the tighter, restrictive submission guidelines. When I submitted Maya and the Crystal Skull, I waited 7 months for one publisher to respond and 12 months for two others to respond.

“Publishers receive thousands of submissions. The changes are obviously meant to allow publishers to continue to receive unsolicited submissions from writers but in a more manageable way.”

Robyn’s books now are mostly Self Published. She explains how and why she chose this path, considering the time-consuming tasks such as marketing and promotion which she has had to include in her work load.
 
“My husband, Rob, has been publishing books since about 2005. He has wanted to publish my books for a long time but I’ve resisted. I didn’t want to do the extra work I was used to publishers doing, such as proofing, design, distributing and marketing. After waiting 7 and 12 months to hear from publishers about my novel Maya and the Crystal Skull, I had a change of heart. I’m a psychic medium who communicates with spirit guides. (More on this in a moment) Through consultation with my spirit guides, I realized that self-publishing was my destiny.

“Marketing and promotion is always the difficult part when publishing one’s own books, for it is time-consuming work for an author when all they want to do is get on with their writing. Nowadays, it seems to be a necessary evil. The real-world stuff isn’t as much fun as my fiction.
 
“I have a distributor that sells to bookstores and a distributor that sells to libraries. I create order forms with special deals for libraries and schools. I’m always available for author appearances, workshops and school visits. I promote my books through my website and blog, as well as other people’s websites and blogs. I also use social media, such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Where possible, I look for opportunities to be interviewed in the media.”
 
In Backstage Betrayal, Robyn covers themes of envy and jealousy, and in Our Secret Place she explores the repercussions of one’s actions, loyalty and friendships. In Black Baron, published by Walker Books, Robyn builds an exciting adventure around a racing cockroach and a race to save his life. Eye of the Future is about a girl with the gift of second sight.

Robyn, too, has a special gift. I ask her if she would share the other side to Robyn Opie Parnell, the writer, with us. She is more than willing to oblige. 

“In 2005, I became interested in psychic mediums. I watched TV shows and read books to learn more about this amazing field. After a ‘chance’ recommendation, I also went to see a psychic medium for the first time. What a life-changing experience! My fascination with psychic mediums continued.

“In September 2010, after watching Tony Stockwell’s Psychic Academy on Foxtel, I bought a pendulum and began using it on a daily basis to communicate with my spirit guide. Around this time, I also began meditating every day. In November 2010, while having afternoon tea with a friend, I had my first experience as a medium. I saw the spirit of my friend’s deceased husband.

“Despite all my research through television and books, I doubted my first experience and didn’t want to mention it to anyone. My friend’s husband had other ideas. He wanted his spirit presence acknowledged – he jumped up and down, and waved his arms around in the air, until I acknowledged him. When I got home, my deceased nana said to me, ‘See! You can do it!’ Another life-changing experience! I’ve learned so much and had many wonderful experiences since November 2010. Living with spirit is now as important to me as being a writer.”

Robyn Opie Parnell’s most recent books are:
· STOP! Do Not Read This Book, which is the story of Sam who hates to read, but the reason for this is her well-kept secret; and
· You’re Amazing: the Law of Attraction for Young People, is a clear and easy to understand approach to the Law of Attraction that reinforces the laws of the universe, (a strong presence in Robyn’s informative and well-structured How to Write a GREAT Children’s Book) and
· Maya and the Crystal Skull, the superb first book in a fantastic series. It is a thrilling paranormal adventure, set around the Mayan civilization, its ancient laws and the spirit world. This has an interesting and diverse selection of themes and subjects. The sequel, Maya and the Daring Heist, will be available in May 2013.

“When I wrote Maya and the Crystal Skull I had to do a lot of research about psychic mediums and spirituality. By the time I wrote Maya and the Daring Heist I was writing from my own experience.”

The wonderful Maya series is riveting reading, full of intrigue, adventure, and betrayal. But are there additional books planned for the series? Readers certainly hope so! We are put at ease when Robyn confesses that she is forced to write a third book due to the open-ended winding up of Book Two, despite the preparation for the paperback production of her two e-books and so much more in the pipeline.

“Maya and the Daring Heist ends on a cliff-hanger, which puts me under pressure. I have to write a third book in the series, even though I have no idea what that story will entail at this point in time. I trust my spiritual guidance, so I took the plunge and left the story open for a third instalment.

“My novels Stop! Do Not Read This Book and Best Joke Ever have been published as kindle e-books but still need to be produced as paperbacks. I have two picture books Wiggle, Jiggle All Around and Jade’s Goals I’d like to see published. I also have a novel about a family dealing with a daughter’s O.C.D. called If Not Jannah, a novel about a boy looking for his dad called (surprisingly) Looking for Dad, and a novel about a boy who becomes a spy called Undercover K.I.D. Sheep Trouble all of which could be ready for submission or publication in 2013. I illustrated my novel Best Joke Ever – a first for me – and I’m considering illustrating If Not Jannah.” 

A writing life incorporates more than books for Robyn. She also runs writing classes based on her How to Write a GREAT Children’s Book. But what other services does she offer?

“I offer manuscript assessment and editing services. I don’t advertise these services on my website or blog because I don’t want too much work. I’m happy with the paid work I get without advertising. This work usually comes through students of my courses or via email queries. Obviously I need a balance between my work and other people’s work. If I spend too much time on other people’s work, I don’t have enough time for my own.”
 

Robyn is also a generous supporter of many charities through her websites. The environment, nature, animals and spiritual living are extremely important to her. She shares her vision with us.

“Besides writing, my passions include animals and nature. I believe it’s important for all of us to spend time in nature, so we can ground ourselves. One of my favorite experiences was going to the Singapore Zoo at night. Sitting with my husband watching the giraffes at eleven-thirty at night was one of the most peaceful and memorable experiences of my life. Our world is a beautiful place with so much breath-taking scenery and totally amazing animals.

“It’s been a dream of mine for a long time to be able to donate large sums of money to charities. I want to make a difference. Animals can’t speak out for themselves. They are at our mercy. One of the reasons I write and want to be successful is so I can donate money to charities. When I’m old and grey, sitting in my rocking chair on my front porch, I want to look back at my life and know that I made a positive impact on the world. 

“We should marvel over our environment, instead of abuse and destroy. Life should be revered for the miracle it is, instead of discounted and discarded.”

As always, I ask what advice Robyn would offer to anyone dreaming of a career in children’s books. 

“Run! Just kidding! In my early twenties, when I submitted my first manuscripts to publishers, I didn’t know about word counts, age groups, types of books or anything else to do with children’s books/publishing. My first manuscripts were rejected. My advice, based on my own experience, is to learn everything you can about writing, especially about your chosen genre. After all, you wouldn’t think of piloting a jumbo jet without first learning how to fly.

“If you’ve learnt about your chosen genre, then my advice is persistence. Professional
writers often say that the secret to their success is persistence. They never gave up.”

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Buzz Words is a fortnightly e-zine designed specifically to cater for the needs and interests of children’s writers, illustrators, librarians, teachers, editors and lovers of children’s books. It features interviews with editors, authors, illustrators, agents, booksellers and publicists as well as valuable information on the children’s book community in Australia and internationally including writing markets, opportunities, competitions, courses, conferences and book reviews. And it's delivered straight into your in-box. CLICK HERE for more information about Buzz Words.

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