I'm a children's author, wife and mum in no particular order. I perform these jobs simultaneously and I love them all!
Showing posts with label CBCA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label CBCA. Show all posts

Monday, 3 September 2018

Katapult - Edition 9 - September, 2018



Welcome to Katapult!

I am writing this today in between showers. I have a glorious sunbeam spraying across my desk. Everything outside is wet and shiny from a morning of glorious rain. I love waking up on wet days knowing I can hide in my studio and write all day. Hopefully some of this rain is reaching you too!

Rainy days + 6 month old puppy = mess!

So what’s been happening at my desk since the last time we had a chat? Book Week celebrations!

What’s Up?

1) CBCA Book Week Awards announced:

Here are this year’s winners of the CBCA Book Week Awards. They were officially announced on Friday, 17th August. I picked Rodney Loses It to win. This is a hilarious book. But honesty, all these books are beautiful. Go grab a copy!

2) Book Week School Visits:
I had a wonderful time dropping by some lovely schools this year for Book Week. Thanks for having me Lyn, Amy, Emily, and Maria! More detail of each visit was shared on my social media. Go have a look!

a) Holy Spirit Infants School, Abermain - K-2 author/illustration presentation 



b) Alphabet Cottage, Castle Hill - storytime with the toddlers and author   
            presentation with the preschoolers


c) Harry Hartog, Green Hills - storytime


d) New Lambton Public School - K-2 author/illustrator presentations and writing and illustration workshops



e) St Mary’s Primary School, Warners Bay - K-2 author presentation

Book Week reminds all creatives (authors, illustrators, book designers, editors, publishers) who work in isolation why we do it. So much inspiration!

My children were asked to dress up as pirates or explorers as part of their school Book Week presentations. Here we have Link (explorer) from the game Zelda, and Uma (pirate) from the movie Descendants 2. I know they aren't from books but they had fun anyway.


3) Movie Making Workshops at Apple:

I had a few lessons on how to improve my movie making skills at Apple earlier this month. I learnt more about editing sound. I also bought a professional microphone and a tripod for my phone. 

I made a ‘sneak peek’ video of our upcoming book, Up To Something for the kids we visited during Book Week. It included videos of Kirrili drawing and how she adds colour to sketches. I can’t make this one public yet - sorry! I had to ask the infants kids to make sure they left their phones in their pockets as no photography was allowed as I played it. They thought I was mad :)

I have grand plans of making more movies soon - trailers etc. I love being creative using technology and I love learning new things.

4) Puppy Update: 

Ivy had her half birthday on the 28th August and she is still a master of chewing things! My picture book manuscript about her has been sent to a professional editor now. Watch this space.



Upcoming Events

CBCA NSW Branch Inc Newcastle Sub-branch Annual Childrens' Event

Stories After Dark - Find your treasure! 

This Saturday 8 September 2018, 5pm - 7pm. 
BBQ Sausage Sizzle available from 4.30pm

This event is a magical fun-filled night with treasure, craft, music, stories & stars. Kids will be able to explore the Newcastle Region Library after dark and meet our special guest, award winning illustrator Liz Anelli. Other local authors and illustrators include Jess Black (Keeper of the Crystals), Lynn Jenkins (Lessons of a Lac), Gwynneth Jones (Don’t Think About Purple Elephants), Deb Kelly (Ruby Wishfingers), Kirrili Lonergan (Ollie’s Treasure), ME!!!! (Dandelions), Paul Russell (Grandma Forgets) and Ant Wood (Flaming Charli). 

Kids can come dressed in PJs or pirate costumes. This event is suitable for ages 3 - 7 years. Each child will leave with a ‘treasure’ thanks to our sponsor, Charlestown and Newcastle Toyota. Free but bookings are essential.

An article about it in last Saturday’s paper is here.


 Publishing Update

1) Kirrili has been working very hard on the illustrations for Up To Something. The illustrations are almost complete. YOU SHOULD SEE THEM! Such a joy to have been able to watch them progress from roughs to final artwork. The colours are magical! If you follow Kirrili on Instagram, you may have seen a few sneak peeks. OMG is all I can say!

2) Cheri has continued to work on the illustrations for No Baths Week too. I have seen all of the roughs now. Gosh I love this book! You should see our mud pie stack! OMG! She is so clever. I’m now making sure the text is still working with the illustrations. I plan to make a couple of minor edits as some words aren’t needed now it’s illustrated. I can’t wait to see these illustrations in colour! Offical release date coming soon.

Anything to Share?

SCBWI Conference is on in Sydney 24-26th Feb, 2019. Tickets are on sale here! Hurry!
I’ll be the MC for a panel called 'Let’s talk vision! Are your story elements all working together?' with some well known publishers. I can’t wait! 

Recent Book Purchase/s?

Funny Kid - Prank Wars by Matt Stanton
Pig the Pug by Aaron Blabey
Liars - The Truth App Book 1 by Jack Heath


Where can you find me on social media?

I’ve made it easy. Just click on the live links below and like or follow me.

Website and blog: www.katrinamckelvey.com

Feel free to leave a comment or drop me an email: author@katrinamckelvey.com

I’d love to hear from you!



It's very hard to get cranky at this bundle even after she's chewed computer cords, expensive reading glasses, Apple Watch bands, charger cords, joggers, Barbie dolls, furniture legs, some of my favourite brooches, rocks, sticks, grass runners, towels, and even parts of our house! 

You'd think we haven't bought her any approved chew toys after reading this list! 

Hmmm ...



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Tuesday, 7 August 2018

Katapult - Edition 8 - August, 2018



Welcome to Katapult!

This August weather has been glorious here! Warm, sunny days and cold, snuggly nights. We spent a few days in Port Stephens over the weekend for my birthday and the weather put on a show. It was the prefect weekend away - great food and accommodation, yummy high tea, lots of presents, very successful whale watching experience, and relaxation (except I forgot both pairs of reading glasses so no reading for me!).



So what’s been happening at my desk since the last time we had a chat? Bucketloads!

What’s Up?

1) Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton's visit to Newcastle:

The boys came, talked about their latest treehouse book, drew a few pictures, hit marshmallows at us with tennis rackets, and then signed our books and posed for photos. Too much fun! Kids and adults were highly entertained by their antics. 



2) Puppy Update: 

Ivy had her 5 month birthday on the 28th July and she is a master of chewing things! This has inspired me to write a picture book about a puppy who chews everything, especially boxes! Too much inspiration around here to ignore any longer. I asked my facebook friends to help me with some non-human puppy names for the puppy in my story. I got over 100 suggestions! Watch this space.



Upcoming Events

1) Book Week School Visits:

Kirrili and I will be visiting lots of local bookshops, preschools and primary schools in the coming weeks to help celebrate books, reading, and writing. We have made a video giving some lucky children a sneak peek inside our upcoming picture book, Up To Something, which will be released May, 2019. 

Good luck to all my creative friends who will be sharing their writing and illustrating talents across Australia!



2) Hunter Writers Centre - Writing for Children Workshop:

I'll be attending this workshop presented by Sue Whiting this Saturday and I can't wait. A few spots are still available if you're free and live near Newcastle. Click here for details.


Publishing Update

1) Kirrili has been working very hard on the illustrations for Up To Something. We can’t wait to share this one with the world! Wish I could show you some of the sketches :)

2) Cheri has continued to work on the illustrations for No Baths Week too. I haven't seen anything for a few weeks so she must be working very hard.

3) And now I can finally announce that my fifth picture book, Isla’s Family Tree will be illustrated by Prue Pittock (www.pruepittockillustrations.com) and published by EK Books in 2020. Prue’s work is beautiful and her style is perfect for this story. Her initial concept sketches were divine. Prue and I look forward to sharing more of Isla with you next year.


Anything to Share?

1) It’s Love Your Bookshop Day this Saturday, 11th August. Go and support you local independent bookseller and eat cake with them.


2) Good luck to all the publishers, authors and illustrators who have books shortlisted in the upcoming Book Week Awards. Winners will be announced Friday, 17th August.


Here's how you can get involved: https://www.cbca.org.au/cbca-book-week

Recent Book Purchase/s?

Barney by Catherine Jinks and Stephen Michael King
The 104-Storey Treehouse by Andy Griffiths & Terry Denton


Where can you find me on social media?

I’ve made it easy. Just click on the live links below and like or follow me.


Feel free to leave a comment or drop me an email: author@katrinamckelvey.com

I’d love to hear from you!




This is a photo of my studio. 
So how does Ivy entertain herself while I write? 
By chewing of course! 
Look at that mess.
She's supposed to be on the mat at the back :)
She chews that too - ha!


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Tuesday, 5 June 2018

Katapult - Edition 6 - June, 2018


Welcome to Katapult!

So May has flown by and Winter has certainly started here. It’s cold and rainy this week so that’s great for getting lots of computer work done. So what has been happening at my desk since the last time we had a chat? Oodles!

What’s Up?

CBCA NSW Branch Inc Newcastle Sub-branch Meeting: Our lastest local meeting featured two wonderful children’s authors: Susanne Gervay and Deb Abela. These ladies had us enthralled as we listened to inspirational stories of how their latest titles came to be. I could listen to both of them all day long.


Kitlitvic Conference in Melbourne: Kirrili and I attended this conference on Saturday, 19th May. This was the third time we’ve attended and we always come home refreshed and motivated to continue to create for kids. It’s such a wonderful opportunity to catch up with friends, talk to publishers, make new friends, and meet those we’re connected to on social media but haven’t met in person yet. The day flew - when we weren't soaking up advice, we were trying to catch everyone you can in the breaks before they disappeared after the conference. 

I had a wonderful manuscript assessment with a publisher while there. She has asked me to do a slight rewrite of both manuscripts I submitted to her, and then resend. This was wonderful news. I’ve completed one rewrite. I would have had both done by now but I've had computer issues since the conference. See below for my computer whinge.

We took our husbands with us (they went to the footy while the conference was on) as we have the previous conferences, so we could visit the most amazing restaurants together without the kids :) And then we did a little shopping on the Sunday before heading home. We felt the weekend was over in a flash, but it’s always so rewarding and fun. Can’t wait for next year!




 

St Philip’s Christian College, Cessnock School Visit: Kirrili and I visited the college on the 24th May as part of their annual Festival of Words celebrations. We spoke to and provided workshops for the Year 3 and 4 students. We were on the same day as Morris Gleitzman but alas, didn’t have time to have a cuppa with him. The kids we worked with had amazing ideas and contagious creativity. Its always rewarding when kids take a small idea and turn it into stories bursting with adventure, tension and chaos. We wrote about disastrous billy-cart stories following on from the storyline in our upcoming book, Up To Something. 


If you’d like us to come to your school, shoot me an email so we can organise one that is perfectly designed for your school’s needs. Preschools, Primary Schools and High Schools!

JWFK Blog Interview: I was interviewed for the Just Write For Kids blog by the lovely Debra Tidball. It was been broken into three parts as I talk too much and Deb couldn’t fit it in the usual two parts - oops! The third part was released last last week.

The first part is here.
The second part is here.
The third part is here.

Puppy Update: So, Ivy had her 3 month birthday on the 28th May, and we’ve had her for one month now. We’ve had some ups and downs I can tell you! She is so sweet and smart and I adore her puppy eyes. But we have been the most unlucky family when it comes to unlucky one-off health issues in the time. I asked my vet this morning if he has a frequent flyer scheme as I feel I’m there every second day. Ear infections, gastro bugs, possible food allergies, and abysses have kept us on our toes. Fingers crossed we avoid surgery over the next few days. Lucky we love her :)



Computer Issues: So my computer had a major breakdown! After I had one too, I called in an IT expert. After three visits from him, two visits to Apple, a visit from my electrician, a new screen and a complete rebuild of my computer at Apple (no computer for a whole week!), I am back up and running. It’s in times like these I realise how much I use and need my computer, how much I rely on it, and how grateful I am I had everything backed up! Back up people! Back up your computer now! (Then backup the backup!) Thank goodness of the iCloud!

Upcoming Events

1) I’m doing a monthly story time event at Harry Hartog, Kotara until the end of the year. My June visit is on Wednesday, 13th June at 10:30am.


2) Our next CBCA Newcastle meeting will feature Ed Wright talking to us about his business, The Creative Word Shop on Wednesday, 20th June. I'm looking forward to this.

3) This month is flooded with lots of lovely family and school celebrations. So I’m actually happy I have some breathing space to organise, attend, and relax and enjoy them.

Publishing Update

If you read the third part of my interview on the JWFK blog, you may already know I have been offered my fifth picture book contract. I'm so ecstatic! We won’t see this book until 2020 so this is where the waiting begins for you, but the fun behind-the-scenes stuff happens for me *though there is a lot of boring waiting for me at times too). I will share more information about this exciting news in the months to come. 

No Baths Week has been rescheduled for an early 2019 release (instead of Oct, 2018) so you’ll have to wait a few more months before this one hits the shelves. I know, it's a little disappointing, but it's for good business reasons. I won't bore you with the details.

Anything to Share?

Kids and YA festival: Saturday, 30th June: This festival is biannual and is always held at the NSW Writers Centre in Sydney. The program looks amazing and it’s another excuse to catchup with amazing people in the industry. Hope to see you there!

Recent Book Purchase/s?

Wolfie - An Unlikely Hero by Deb Abela and Connah Brecon
Elephants Have Wings by Susanne Gervay and Anna Pignataro
The Most Marvellous Spelling Bee Mystery by Deb Abela


Where can you find me on social media?

I’ve made it easy. Just click on the live links below and like or follow me.


Feel free to leave a comment or drop me an email: author@katrinamckelvey.com

I’d love to hear from you!




I took this photo a few weeks ago while at my daughter's soccer training. One of my contracted picture books is about rainbows. You'll see that one late in 2019.


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