Juliet Marillier - Author Interview Series

Juliet Marillier has written eleven historical fantasy novels for adults and two books for young adults. Her most recent publication is Seer of Sevenwaters (Pan Macmillan Australia and Roc US.)

What authors/books did you read as a child? When did you first discover your love of books?

My parents read to me and told me stories long before I learned to read, and I grew up in a home where books were valued, so my love of books is almost as old as I am. Some of the books I loved as a child were the Moomin books by Tove Jansson, the Narnia books by C S Lewis, and Andrew Lang’s collections of fairy tales. Other favourite authors were Noel Streatfeild, Lorna Hill, and Louisa May Alcott.

When did you first realise you were a writer? What do you hope your readers will take away with them from reading your books?

I’m not sure there was a moment of realisation! I did a lot of creative writing up till the time I started university, then I became more interested in music and worked in that field for years. I guess I really did know I was a writer at heart, but many years passed before I went back to doing it seriously. I hope my readers will be swept up in my storytelling – that’s the first level. On the next level, I hope they’ll find truth, learn something about themselves, be helped in some way, and/or discover a fresh passion for reading or writing. I love it when my readers tell me that’s happened for them as a result of reading my work.

Do you find it difficult to read purely for pleasure? Does everything you read come under your ‘writer’ microscope?

I’m far more aware of the craft of writing these days, so I don’t often manage to read without the writer microscope. I choose my recreational reading carefully. I go back to writers I know are consistently good. I try new writers on the basis of reviews (not always a reliable guide!) or on the recommendation of family and friends who know my tastes well. The very best books don’t come under the writer microscope because they draw the reader right into the story from the start. It’s only when you reach the end that you realise how well the book was written.

Do you have to avoid reading certain types of fiction while writing your own? Does what you read while writing have an effect on what you write? In what way?

I generally steer clear of any novel of similar genre to my own while writing, in case I unknowingly pick up the author’s style or ideas. In fact my recreational reading is almost always outside my own genre anyway, as I’m keen on mainstream fiction, women’s fiction and some literary fiction – I do like historical fiction but I read very little fantasy. I read a lot of non-fiction while I’m writing, some research related, some for my own enjoyment. And I read mythology, fairy tales, commentary on fairy tales etc. I believe my lifetime of reading traditional stories shows in my writing, making it richer.

Name five authors or books that have influenced or inspired your own writing in some way?

William Shakespeare: studying the plays at high school had a great impact on me. He was a master of shaping dramatic scenes and a powerful user of language.
Charlotte Bronte: Jane Eyre (the book that made me love romance)
Dorothy Dunnett: The Game of Kings and its sequels (her books are a master class in writing historical fiction)
Daphne du Maurier: Cornish novels (exciting romantic stories told with an elegant simplicity of style – she could create a scene or image with a few perfectly chosen words. I especially like Jamaica Inn with its feisty female protagonist and bad boy hero.)
Andrew Lang’s fairy books: The Red Fairy Book, the Blue Fairy Book etc had a lifelong impact on me, as they introduced me to the world of myth, legend and fairytale which has played a huge part in my development as a storyteller

If you were travelling and were told you could only take one book with you, what book would it be and why?

A big book of mythology, perhaps the Welsh Mabinogion. That would keep me going for a long time and it would provide lots of food for thought. I might need a porter to carry it.

What makes a book ‘too good to put down’?

For me, it’s the winning combination of great storytelling, excellent writerly craft and originality.

What makes you put down a book without finishing it?

Poor writing, gratuitous sex or violence, ‘head-hopping’ (changes of point of view within a scene), a story that’s overwhelmed by the author’s personal/political/religious tub-thumping, a story lacking any empathetic characters.

Do you have a favourite author? Who is it and what is it about their writing that draws you to them?

I can’t single out only one author. There are several authors whose new releases I always buy: David Mitchell, Iain Banks, Jodi Picoult, Neil Gaiman. They’re all quite different. What they share is that combination of great storytelling and excellent craft.

If you had to list them, what would be your ‘top ten’ reads of all time (excluding the classics) and why?

(In no particular order – I’ve left out children’s books)

The Crow Road by Iain Banks
The Business by Iain Banks
Little, Big by John Crowley
Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
The Game of Kings by Dorothy Dunnett
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
Women Who Run With The Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estes
The Gospel According to Jesus Christ by Jose Saramago
Riddley Walker by Russell Hoban
Selected Poems by George MacKay Brown

My ‘top ten’ covers a pretty broad range of style. I’ve included a book of poetry and a book about women’s roles in traditional stories (Clarissa Pinkola Estes). The rest are novels. My list favours the quirky and unusual. They’re all books I have on my ‘keeper’ shelf and will come back to over and over. Each of them has been memorable to me in its own way, and some of them have been life-changing.

If you asked me for a ‘top ten’ in the sense of great works of literature that everyone should read, it would have some different books on it. This list contains my personal favourites.

What was your 2010 ‘best read’? What was it that made it number one?

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer. This is an engaging, unusual novel written through letters. I was caught up in the story from page one and captivated all the way through. It combines comedy and tragedy with a deft, light touch. Fantastic storytelling. I was feeling rather low at the time and it made me happy.

What do you think of the non-traditional publishing methods – eBooks etc? Do you think the new technology will encourage more people to read? Do you think there’s a future for print books?

I don’t own an e-reader, but I understand how convenient e-books are for people who travel or commute and don’t want to lug print books around, and I can see big advantages of the e-format for textbooks or research material. I don’t think the availability of e-books on its own will encourage more people to read books. Lots of people read a significant amount of text online in blogs etc, but many of them won’t engage with something requiring as much time and concentration as a novel does. I think the same people who read now will read in the future, probably dividing their reading between e-books and print books. Many people, like me, vastly prefer to read off-screen and like the physicality of a print book. I don’t think that is entirely age-related. However, publishers of print books may find it increasingly hard to turn a profit, especially if e-book prices are significantly lower than print book prices. This will also have an impact on writers’ ability to earn a living from what they do. Lower book price, lower royalties.

Juliet Marillier was born and brought up in Dunedin, New Zealand, and now lives in Western Australia. She is a graduate of Otago University and worked as a teacher and public servant before becoming a full time writer. Her novels are published internationally and have won a number of awards. Juliet is a member of the druid order OBOD. When not writing she tends to a small pack of needy animals.

http://www.julietmarillier.com/ (website)
http://www.writerunboxed.com/ (award-winning genre writing blog; Juliet posts monthly)
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Juliet-Marillier-Official-Fan-Page/104020489628627?ref=mf (Official Facebook Fan Page)

Sherryl Clark - Author Interview Series

This is the first in my series of author interviews. You can expect 1 or 2 new interviews per month for the duration of 2011. If I get more authors willing to join in the fun then the series will be likely to run into next year... Enjoy!



Sherryl Clark is an Australian writer who writes mainly for young readers - her latest book Meet Rose (the 1st book in a new series Our Australian Girl published by Penguin) will be released on Jan 31st.


What authors/books did you read as a child? When did you first discover your love of books?

I basically read everything I could get my hands on! My country school got boxes of books from the School Library Service every three months, which was never enough for me. I joined the town library when I was about 11, I think, and went berserk. Favourite authors were Arthur Ransome, TH White, Malcolm Saville and, yes, Enid Blyton. But the big winner was the Narnia series – my sister gave me ‘The Magician’s Nephew’ first and I was hooked.

When did you first realise you were a writer? What do you hope your readers will take away with them from reading your books?

I didn’t start writing seriously until I was close to 30. That was also when I went back to school and did an arts degree at Deakin, with a major in Literary Studies (and writing). It took longer than that to feel like a writer, though. Publication helps! I hope that a reader will love the world and the characters I’ve created, and want more – more books, by anyone. If I can help a child to become a keen reader, I’m happy. With my adult fiction, I guess I want a reader to take away more than just what’s on the page, something to think about. A big challenge as a writer.

Do you find it difficult to read purely for pleasure? Does everything you read come under your ‘writer’ microscope?

I do read for pleasure all the time. I’m a reading addict. If I am somewhere where I have to wait and I have nothing to read, I get twitchy! I do read as a writer all the same, although I’ve been doing it for so many years that it’s like a computer program running in the background – it logs on when I read something I think I can use in class, or learn from.

Do you have to avoid reading certain types of fiction while writing your own? Does what you read while writing have an effect on what you write? In what way?

If I’m writing something historical (like my pirate novel) I avoid similar kinds of novels in that age group, but I’ll maybe read a Bernard Cornwell just to see how he manages the factual detail, and how he weaves it into the story. That feeds into what I’m writing on a craft level, but I think I read so much that no single book influences me. However, I have written the start of something a couple of times and then realised it’s too close to a book I’ve read, so I’ve had to throw it out.

Name five authors or books that have influenced or inspired your own writing in some way?

“The Bone People” by Keri Hulme was a book that changed the way I thought about books and how they could be structured.
Billy Collins’ poetry always inspires me. Sharon Creech’s verse novel “Love That Dog” was what led me to writing verse novels for kids myself, I think.
Michael Connelly – he’s a crime writer who talks about “the telling detail” in setting. I also like James Lee Burke for the same reason – great details and settings.

If you were travelling and were told you could only take one book with you, what book would it be and why?

To be honest, I couldn’t pick just one. I couldn’t stand having to slave over Proust or James Joyce because I felt I should! And once I’ve read a book, I rarely ever want to read it again. These days, I’d cheat and take an e-reader and a power source and about 1000 books on the one device.

What makes a book ‘too good to put down’?

Characters that intrigue me, that I care about, who have interesting things happen to them both outside and inside. Plot on its own is not enough, language and style is not enough. I think I like diving into other people’s (characters’) lives.

What makes you put down a book without finishing it?

Boring or unlikeable characters. My pet hate is the male character in his late 30s who has just discovered life sucks and can’t deal with it. I think I just dislike characters who are pathetic or apathetic in some way. I can’t wait 250 pages for them to get a grip!

Do you have a favourite author? Who is it and what is it about their writing that draws you to them?

At the moment, my favourite is Kate Atkinson. I’ve just read the four Jackson Brodie novels and loved both her style and voice. Also her range of characters and how she weaves their lives together. She always surprises you and yet everything works.

If you had to list them, what would be your ‘top ten’ reads of all time (excluding the classics) and why?

Goodness, that’s hard. Um…
“The Bone People” by Keri Hulme – because it’s different and resonates in so many ways.
“The God of Small Things” by Arundhati Roy – beautiful writing but a story, too.
“Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close” by Jonathan Safran Foer – a strange little boy but you really want to know what happened and why.
“Prodigal Summer” by Barbara Kingsolver – I know everyone always picks “The Poisonwood Bible” but I liked this one better – again because of characters and interweaving plot lines.
“Cold Mountain” by Charles Frazier – historical fiction that is so real you can almost touch it.
“The Dive From Clausen’s Pier” by Ann Packer – this tackles a scary subject of a disabled spouse and loyalty.
“Postcards” by Annie Proulx (most of hers, in fact)
“Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant” by Anne Tyler – again, her characters are amazing – I picked this because it was the first one I read and I loved it.
“The Secret Life of Bees” by Sue Monk Kidd – great character voice. Movie was horrible.
“Northern Lights” by Phillip Pullman (and the other two as well) – wonderful characters but also a story that has all those deep themes that really make you think – and imagine!

What was your 2010 ‘best read’? What was it that made it number one?

“Case Histories” by Kate Atkinson – it’s great when you discover a writer whose books you haven’t read before and you love their writing. And you know there are more to come! (See 9 above)

What do you think of the non-traditional publishing methods – eBooks etc? Do you think the new technology will encourage more people to read? Do you think there’s a future for print books?

I hope there’s still a future for print books! I hope we’ll continue to have print books for kids for a very long time, especially picture books. Books can be really precious possessions, things to hug and put under your pillow! But I’m moving to ebooks myself for several reasons – one is that books are just too expensive in Australia. $36 for a paperback! And a lot of them I no longer want to keep on a shelf as I have no room, so having them digitally will mean I think I’ll actually buy more, as long as the e-versions are cheaper. Also I’m the person who’s always over my luggage weight at the airport because of my books, so an ebook reader will be a bonus there, too.
But books I want to keep, I’ll buy in print. I’ve heard of people reading ebooks and then buying the print version to make sure they never lose them. Print books just feel more permanent and real to me.

Sherryl started writing poetry and adult fiction in the 1980s. Her first children’s book, The Too-Tight Tutu, was published in 1997, and she now has more than 40 books in print. Her verse novel Farm Kid won the 2005 NSW Premier’s Literary Award for children’s books, and her second verse novel, Sixth Grade Style Queen (Not!) was an Honour Book in the 2008 CBCA Awards. Other recent titles include Motormouth, One Perfect Pirouette and her picture book of poems, Now I Am Bigger. Her books have been published in Australia and overseas. Sherryl teaches in the Diploma of Arts – Professional Writing and Editing at Victoria University TAFE. Her website is at http://www.sherrylclark.com/

Writing Goals for 2011

Well I may as well put them out there, create a little accountability. I know from experience that without a goal/deadline I am prone to cronic procrastination - cronic to the point of being terminal, as far as my writing goes - that doing the washing or vacuuming the floor become tasks I want to spend my time doing, and as I now have an iPad, well...you can imagine how easy it will be to time-waste in '11.

So here they are, in no particular order... by this time next year I hope to have...

6 published poems, 3 published short stories, 2 blog posts per month (which shouldn't be all that hard seeing as I already have a couple of dozen writers signed up for my interview series) and one completed first draft of 'a' novel. I will have to chose which of the three to concentrate on in 2011 and stick to it - pushing through the hard times rather than switching projects as I tend to do.

I also want to participate in NaNoWriMo again and, depending on where I'm at with the goal novel come November, I'll either use it to push through to a completed draft or use it to work on novel 2 or 3.

I've recently formed a writing/critique group with some of the writers I was at TAFE with, so with monthly deadlines and face to face feed back, I'm looking forward to a productive and creative year of writing.

How about you? What are your writing goals for 2011?

2010 - the year that was...

Ok, so it's not quite over yet but to give me the chance to start fresh in 2011 (and to ensure I don't forget) I thought I'd get this one over with now...

When I look back on the past twelve months I could quite easily be disappointed with myself. I feel like I've made very little progress this year as a writer. I haven't sent out many pieces for publication. I'm still yet to complete a first draft of a novel (I say 'a' as opposed to 'my' because I now have three on the go - which could be part of the problem really), and I've failed (though not for want of trying) to have my short story collection Reflections reviewed...anywhere... There you go - failure with a big fat F!

However, when I looked to see what I've actually had published in 2010 (including blogs other than this one) I was surprised. For a year full of writerly-slacking-off I acheived more than I thought - 10 pieces published including 3 poems, 2 pieces in Victorian Writer, a guest review and a handful of interviews. Oh!! And oops, I forgot - a poem in the next Moving Galleries Exhibition...that's a big one, don't know how I forgot that! Not bad, considering the dismal effort I put in to getting anything published this year.

And of course there was NaNoWriMo - churning out just over 50,000 words in 24 days (6 days before deadline) was also a pretty mighty effort. Sure, many of those words wont deserve to ever see the light of day, but there's some good dialogue in there at least and enough 'story/plot/character' to build at the very least a longish short story...

And as usual I read & read & read - around 60 books in total but I won't be boring and list them. Thirteen of them were by Kate Forsyth. If you love fantasy and you haven't read anything by Kate - shame on you - she is an Aussie treasure. A few of my favourites for the year include Bereft by Chris Womersley, The Ghost's Child by Sonya Hartnett, Cormac McCarthy's The Road and Fall Girl by Toni Jordan.

As for 2011, as I said in the previous post I have a series of interviews lined up, so I hope you'll stay tuned for those. I hope to keep them coming all year. As for other 'writerly' goals for 2011, I'll save them for another post as this is already becoming a bit of a book...

Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays etc...

Coming in 2011...

...I have a star-studded line up of writers ready to be interviewed.

This is a project I've been thinking about for the last six months and I'm thrilled that it is about to happen.

So - watch this space!

What I will be reading in 2011

Working in a library has its many advantages, as the ever changing tower of fiction next to my bed throughout this year will attest, but these advantages can become disadvantages. I have realised that many wonderful books on my own shelves have been overlooked and let's face it - there are only so many books you can read in a lifetime.

With this in mind I have made a pledge with myself for 2011 that I will not borrow any fiction from the library no matter how interesting said fiction is. I will resist temptation.

Here are some of the titles from my own well-stocked shelves that I will be delving into in the coming year.

What will you be reading in 2011?

NaNoWriMo - It's a wrap...

NaNoWriMo finishes for me not with a roar but with a whimper. This is probably because I finished 6 days early, so there was no mad dash, no sprint to the finish line. This was my first attempt at NaNo and I'm glad I made the effort, glad I embraced the challenge. One of my tutors at TAFE instilled in me the following advice - "Don't get it right, get it written" or, in other words, give yourself permission to write badly, first drafts are meant to be rubbish. Nowhere and at no time is this more true than at the end of a hectic 'write or die' 30 days of NaNo maddness.

So, am I happy with what I've written? Yes & No. There are parts of it that I will salvage, either to be used in the rewriting of my NaNo novel, which at just under 51,000 words is by no means finished (whether or not I choose to continue on with it is yet to be decided), or to be used for other shorter pieces of writing - the dialogue alone is useful.

So, was NaNo worth it? Of course! Even if I were to never use a single word I wrote during November, even if I was to delete the file from my hard disk (I won't - I don't delete anything, you never know when that phrase or sentence of dialogue might come in useful) it would still have been worth the effort. I had gotten out of the habit of writing - this is something that has happened to me at different times over the years - so what NaNoWriMo did for me was get me writing again. It gave me the right kind of motivation to turn up at my desk every day, to keep my bum in the chair and my fingers on the keys.

What do I take away from this experience? 1. Give me a deadline and I'll hit it every time! I had already had an inkling this was true for me. I work well under pressure. If I can physically see on a calendar how long I have to complete and submit a piece of writing I find it much easier to get on with the work. I will be setting firm but realistic deadlines for myself for my future writing projects. 2. Write fast. Okay, so maybe 50,000 words in 30 days is a little extreme, but I see no reason why I can't aim to have a 100,000 - 120,000 word first draft finished in say 4 mths. This seems less of a struggle than chipping away at it for a year or maybe two, at which time one of two things would probably happen - either I'd be sick to death of the idea & still be without a completed draft, or I'd have invested so much time in the project that, if in another two years or more when I think it's finally ready to send to a publisher I receive a rejection, I'll be so depressed that I'll never write another word.

Will I participate in NaNoWriMo again? Probably... How about you?

RIP Saffy

Of all the times to be taking home a book about a cat...

Our beloved tortoiseshell cat Saffy (short for saffron - one of the many colours in her coat) was hit by a car on Sunday night and too badly injured to be saved. Today at work a book I'd put on hold came for me Making the Rounds with Oscar by David Dosa. It was my Aunt who had recommended the book to me when we'd met for coffee a couple of weeks ago. I've added the book to the ever-growing pile next to my bed but I certainly don't feel like reading it just yet.

Meanwhile, I keep seeing Saffy out of the corner of my eye in all the places my brain expects to see her; laying on top of the heating vents in the lounge room (her favourite spots to stretch out in the colder months), at the back door - wanting to come in and be part of the family (especially at dinner time), and in the laundry looking for a feed. Like me, Saffy loved her food, and like me, she was a bit overweight from the love of it. I didn't think I wanted a cat at first, but I had no choice. She was Rob's cat and "part of the package". We had a bumpy beginning, Saffy and I, as I learned to let go of my need for having a hair-free lounge suite. The arguments Rob and I had about that at the start inspired one of my earliest published stories Cat Hair.

Eventually she tamed me... and I'll miss her... stupid (lovable) cat.

An interview with the lovely Toni Jordan.

A month before the release of Toni Jordan’s second novel Fall Girl, her publishers have sold the film rights to her widely acclaimed debut novel Addition. I thought I’d ask her to come down from the clouds for a moment and talk to me about it.

First of all, congratulations! You must be super excited. Please tell me when and how you heard the news, and how you reacted.

It's been a long process. Addition was first published in February 2008, so I've had many meetings with talented, imaginative film-makers who had all kind of ideas for the book. In the end, Christina and Bruna seemed like a perfect fit.

Good news needs to be shared. Who did you tell first and how did they react?

It wasn't a 'OMG' moment, but rather something the rights team at Text have been working toward for almost 3 years. These things don't just happen without a great deal of strategy and hard work. I think the reaction from everyone was relief!

Were you involved in the process? Will you have any input before or during production?

Yes, I met with everyone who submitted a formal proposal and thought hard about who would be the best people to look after Addition. I knew nothing about either film-making or adaptations beforehand, so it's been fascinating. I don't know yet how much input the filmmakers want from me. I want to do whatever is necessary to help make the film a success, and that might be just getting out of the way and letting them do it!

If you could choose anyone you wanted to play Grace and Seamus who would you choose?

Oh I wish I was a visual kind of person! I can barely even picture what I look like. Sadly I have no idea.

Did you ever think about Addition becoming a film while you were writing it?

Never. In fact, when I was signing my original contract with my publisher, my husband Robbie and I had a small chuckle at the section marked 'film rights'. "Yeah, right," we said to each other.

How long do you think it will be before we see it on the big screen?

Ummm--no idea! These things can take years...

If there is one part of the book you’d hate to see them get wrong what is it? Why?

The only thing that really matters to me is that Grace is treated with respect. She is intelligent and sexy and funny, and I'd hate to see her become a twitching OCD stereotype. Her condition is just one part of her and by no means the most important part.

If there is one part you don’t want them to leave out what is it? Why?

Nothing really. Film making is a very distinct art form, and something that works perfectly on the page might not work on the screen. It's the spirit of the book, rather than the letter, that I want to see preserved.

I hear you’re thinking of asking for a cameo appearance in the film. Is that true?

It started off as a bit of a joke, but who knows?

Your new novel Fall Girl is due for release next month. Please tell me something about it.

I'm very excited about Fall Girl! I've tried to channel my love for screw-ball romantic comedies of the forties and fifities into a modern story--a novelistic 'Charade' or 'To catch a thief', something where you could imagine Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn as the protagonists. Except set in Melbourne. Those classic romantic comedies had it all: fascinating characters, intricate plots, witty dialogue and sexual tension to burn. I only hope I've done them justice.

The second novel can sometimes be daunting for a writer who’s had such success with the first. Was this true for you?

For a long time I could hardly write my own name. I was frozen, tight inside. Nothing worked, for over a year.

What was the most challenging part of writing Fall Girl?

The first draft was an absolute nightmare. Every day I forced myself to sit down and type out 1500 words of rubbish. Little beads of blood pooled on my forehead. It wasn't until the second draft that everything clicked and I was carried away by the fun of the story.

Grace is such an unforgettable character. How different from Grace is Della? What motivates her?

Della is very much a woman of our time--she is pulled in every direction. She feels the pressure of looking after her family, her career, her love life, all at once. Della has big issues to face. If she's not defined by her name, and she's not defined by her job, and she's not defined by her family or the house she lives--then who is she? I think many women today see themselves as a compilation of the roles they play. Della's search for her identity is what drives the whole book.

Which novel was harder to write? Why?

If I could just erase the pain of first draft of Fall Girl from my memory, they were both a joy.

Do you have any writing routines or rituals that help you with the process?

Yes--the secret to my success is Freedom for Mac. This fabulous fabulous program turns off your internet connection for a set period of time and won't turn it on again, even if you beg it. I'm evangelistic about it. Every writer should have it.

Have you begun work on novel number three?

Of course Lisa, you know how addictive writing is!

Melbourne Writers Festival Wrap Up!

Well the Melbourne Writers Festival is over for another year and what a great festival it was. This year I got to more sessions than I've ever managed before. I discovered for myself the truth of the saying "If you want something done ask a busy person".

The first session I attended was "Creating History" with Lisa Lang (Utopian Man), Peter Rose (The Rose Boys) and Michael Meehan (Below the Styx). This session was free through my work and I've blogged about it here. As I'm still keen to finish my historic novel I was interested to hear what other writers were doing with history. The most helpful advice from this session came from Michael Meehan, who said 'It's not so much what happened but how it felt'. He said 'People read for sensation and feeling not facts. Reality and truth is where you start but not where you finish'.

On the following Monday I attended a session with Kate Forsyth and Ben Chandler called "Worlds of our own creation". As you know, I interviewed Kate and her sister Belinda last month. This was my chance to meet Kate face to face and get her to sign a copy of her book The Puzzle Ring for my son. This session was also of interest to me given my on-again-off-again romance with my own fantasy novel in progress. Kate said she writes the kind of books she likes to read; puts into them everything she likes; leaves out everything she doesn't like. She makes it sound so easy! She likes to write about a world at a point of change. Ben writes what is most commonly referred to as "steampunk" (Quillblade). He said 'there used to be an either or' when it came to technology (sci-fi) and magic (fantasy), but that now 'they blend and interplay', which I think is a good thing.

The next session I attended was "The Lure of Ancient Magic". The session wasn't as lively as I thought it would be; it was a little disjointed, but I still enjoyed hearing from Carole Wilkinson about her Dragonkeeper series. One of the most interesting things Carole shared was that 'she didn't even think about writing until she was thirty-eight'. Karen Healey is a relative newcomer, but her debut novel Guardian of the Dead, which is steeped in Māori mythology, sounds superb and is now on my "must read" list. Carole and Karen both believe that the editing stage of writing is the best part of the process, and that getting the first draft written is the hardest.

On the final day of the festival Rob & I attended "The Long Road" with John & Jack Faine. Father and son shared some of the highlights of their inspiring road-trip, from Melbourne to London (From here to There), with some stunning slides as a back drop to the discussion. Lastly we listened to Steve Toltz (A Fracion of the Whole), Rebecca James (Beautiful Malice) and Angelo Loukakis (Houdini's Flight) in conversation with Louise Swinn. "Unravelling Secrets" wasn't exactly what I was expecting but I enjoyed it none the less.

So how about you? Did you check out the festival this year? What were the highlights for you?

Books bought (yay! books!)

The Puzzle Ring
Rocks in the Belly
Torpedo Greatest Hits
How a Moth becomes a Boat