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There is a school friend that I catch up with quite often. Let’s call her Eloise. One day we were having a meal together and I asked after another school friend. Let’s call her Georgina. Georgina and I were close at school, but after I moved away we lost touch (that is to say that she kind of deliberately lost touch with me despite my efforts to catch up). I have always been very fond of Georgina and so I ask after her anyway.
Can you smell that?
It smells like cuteness and kissing... or just Valentine's Day.
Valentine's Day is a day to give the person *cough* or dog *cough* you love many many bones... or schmackos. I am partial to the variety pack. It suits my every mood.
As this school year already promises to be long and arduous, I quickly find myself being sucked back into the miseries of homework, stressful SACs and the threat of exams looming over my life. Often I find myself wistfully thinking back to my reading marathon on the holidays. My remaining books look so small and abandoned on my desk, and when I’m doing homework I can hear them whispering to me - urging me - to read just one page. As much as I’d love to, I know if I give in to temptation… Well, let’s just say Lemony Snicket put it best:
“If you are a student you should always get a good night’s sleep unless you have come to the good part of your book, and then you should stay up all night and let your schoolwork fall by the wayside, a phrase which means 'flunk'.”
If you're not doing what you love you're wasting your time - Billy Joel
I would also add to that, if you have a talent and you are not fostering it, you're squandering it, and that's criminal!
But! And it's a big but...
5 reasons to read The Interrogation of Ashala Wolf by Ambelin Kwaymullina:
1. Super-powers! In a post-apocalyptic world.
2. ...Unfortunately the people with super-powers are not liked by the rest of society. Which does mean the book is full of tension, conflict, and action.
You might enjoy this little video in preparation for this post. Please be warned, there is some very strong language in this song, so if you're uncomfortable with swearing don't watch it! Or if you're a young person, ask an appropriate adult if this might not be for you.
My question today is this - who is allowed to tell whose story?
I've just completed an interview with an American Writing Blog "Apocalypsies" about my recent book "Alex as Well". I am cross posting it here (with their permission). The interviewer is Colleen Clayton, who is also a YA writer.
In case you are interested, the inspiration for the very fast clapping I talk about in this interview was this guy. When I saw it I laughed until it hurt. I don't know why, but it really tickled me.
We all know I love meeting new people, especially when those people love books! So I am very excited to introduce the first Voice of 2013 - Sara! (Seriously - I'm doing this right now.)...
Thanks for all of your replies on autographs! I'm definitely going to implement some of those.
This has been a tricky one for me, and I'd love some feedback on it.
Every few weeks I get an email that goes a bit like this:
Dear Ms Brugman,
We are reading your book for year nine English, and I was wondering how would you describe the main themes of the novel, and what strategies you used to show the development of the main character?
Thanks!
Student
(PS, I will need this by Thursday)
