As the silly season is upon us, I wanted to take a breath and catch you up on some happenings from October and November.
In October I attended the Historical Novel Society Australasia conference where I was an entrant in the At First Glance First Pages Pitch Competition. The competition called for a two-sentence elevator pitch and anonymous submission of the first 500 words of the manuscript. I won a prize of $250 sponsored by TCW and an Associate Membership of the Australian Society of Authors.
Judges for the contest were Meredith Curnow, Penguin Random House; Gaby Naher – literary agent, and Rochelle Fernandez, Alex Adsett Agency.
Here’s the elevator pitch (or premise) for Moon Child:
Can the love of an adoptive mother and compassion of an Indigenous stockman settle seven-year-old Fijian orphan, Vula, into his new life thousands of miles from his home? Or is the pull of his namesake, the moon, and the memory of his family killed by disease too strong?
I was overwhelmed by the judges comments regarding the evocative nature of the writing and also Gaby Naher’s comment that the premise of the novel was something that ‘… that is something really different that we don’t necessarily know in our literary culture.’
Rochelle Fernandez from Alex Adsett’s Agency said, ‘I as a rule do not love prologues, but this one felt sufficiently ominous that it drew me in … what does it all mean, what do the stars mean, what are these twins, where are they?’
Meredith Curnow admired the use of metaphor and imagery and commented that she was incredibly moved in the scene with ‘the child on its back and pulling the blankets up and the way of the turtle, just nearly broke my heart’.
At the conference I also pitched to an agent who requested the full manuscript. I am still awaiting a response … patience is the name of the game in publishing.
On Saturday 25 November I was thrilled to attend the launch of fourW thirty-four at the Wagga Wagga Art Gallery. There was a nod to my poem, Who Needs Paris? in Dr Tim Kurylowicz’s launch speech. ‘Clever turns of phrase that illuminate deeper truths, like Robyne Young’s talk of “D&M’s (and M&Ms)” in Who Needs Paris? – sounds like a perfect night in to me.’
Who Needs Paris?
You tell me
you’re not into PDAs
and
I know you’re not
talking about a
Personal Digital Assistant
(even though
I do like the way
you push my buttons).
It’s fine
I say,
because you are
okay
with D&Ms (and M&Ms)
and hand holding
as we listen to Nina Simone
and discuss Paris
and how you don’t get
its reputation
as the most
romantic city
in the world.
Because
sometimes structures
like the Eiffel Tower
and all they stand for
create unrealistic
expectations –
destinations
of heights of love
that rely on the agility
of Spiderman
to scale them. I’m not looking
for a red and blue clad superhero –
(that other S-man)
to whisk me up to the stars.
Your flights of fancy,
gentle dancing
fingertips
to the small of my back.
Your gestures of care.
Your response
to my private displays of affection;
those effortless
PDAs
that enfold us,
capture us
a long way from Paris.
You can read Tim’s full launch speech here
I had made a brief mention in my previous post of the inclusion of my short piece – The Dance of Puff and Little Jackie Paper in the next Australian Romanian Anthology, Dancing Dragons to be launched in Sydney in March.
Thank you to family and friends who continually support my writing endeavours. It’s quite a cheer squad I have, and I appreciate every one of you. It is my greatest wish that Moon Child will make its way into the world in the coming year.
If you haven’t caught up on my other activities from this year you can read about my time in the Creative Studio at Hyphen with Vernon Bartlett and our exhibition, Displacement, here
I am also planning writing workshops in 2024. Keep an eye out on the socials for news of these.
Credit: https://unsplash.com/@anniespratt
Wishing you all a safe and happy holiday season – however you celebrate it and here’s to 2024!
