Two good friends of mine have joined up for a giveaway!
Novelist Deena Shoemaker has a Sweet Evil promotion on her blog You're Absolutely Write at the moment.
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
A giveaway! That's Sweet!
Two good friends of mine have joined up for a giveaway!
Novelist Deena Shoemaker has a Sweet Evil promotion on her blog You're Absolutely Write at the moment.
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Give in to sweet temptation
My good friend and critique partner, Wendy Higgins, has her first book Sweet Evil coming out 1 May - Squee!
I will be doing a giveaway to celebrate next month, but for now feast your eyes on this trailer goodness.
I will be doing a giveaway to celebrate next month, but for now feast your eyes on this trailer goodness.
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
The axing of the Queensland Premier Literary Award saga continues
Over the past day and a bit, I've been reading a lot on the debate about the scrapping of the Queensland Premier's Literary Award.
I believe having these awards in some form is important. It's about celebrating outstanding Queensland Literature. It's the recognition of those writers' contribution to the culture of our state.
It's disappointing that the new government didn't make an effort to consult with stakeholders on this and look for a workable solution. I don't believe there would have been as much outrage if the awards stayed, but with private enterprise funding the categories - even if that meant the prize money dropped. Or if the awards continued minus the prize money at all.
That certainly is what appears to be what could be happening for starters with some dedicated people launching the Queensland Literary Awards.
Here are some of the quotes I've found most interesting that have come out of the debate:
Stuart Glover on ABC: What most of the awards are about are about signalling a valuing of literary activity and an encouragement of cultural and literary discourse. And what this signals, in the particular context of Queensland is that that isn't valued.
Tanya for TLC Books: Awards are important to writers as many many books get published every year and the awards and those books that are long and short listed get recognised as works worth reading, of being in a bookstore, or library, or a school text. The most prestigious awards not only give honours but lead to significantly increased sales. They are an important part of the business. (I really loved this whole article - a very well thought out and non-political piece).
Sue Abbey on ABC: It's such a unique award and opportunity in Australia. Out of it came writers such as Doris Pilkington, of course the author of Rabbit Proof Fence, which went on to become the film Rabbit Proof Fence and premiered all over the world.
Chad Parkhill on Meanjin: It’s hard to put a fiscal value on these benefits, but given that the breadth of Queensland’s awards was unparalleled amongst state literary awards—it gave prizes across 14 separate categories compared to NSW’s 13, Western Australia’s 10, South Australia’s eight, Victoria’s seven, and Tasmania’s three—it seems to have performed very well for a minimal investment. $244,475 is a strikingly small amount in a state budget that runs to $4.6 billion deficit. The cost in terms of Queensland’s cultural reputation is impossible to calculate, yet already inevitable comparisons between Newman and Joh Bjelke-Petersen been aired. In the meantime, writers are already seeking to rebuild. The Unaipon seems most likely to survive, as it previously existed independently of the other awards. Queensland authors Matt Condon and Krissy Kneen have announced their intention to run independent awards structured along much the same lines as the old awards, albeit without the state’s imprimatur. UQP’s general manager, Greg Bain, has pledged his support for the new awards and reaffirmed UQP’s commitment to publishing the recipients of the Unaipon and Emerging Queensland Writer awards. Just how successful these new awards will be in a hostile political climate and without access to the state’s resources remains to be seen.
For more blog posts, news and opinions check out the Queensland Writers Centre's Queensland Premier's Literary Award page.
I believe having these awards in some form is important. It's about celebrating outstanding Queensland Literature. It's the recognition of those writers' contribution to the culture of our state.
It's disappointing that the new government didn't make an effort to consult with stakeholders on this and look for a workable solution. I don't believe there would have been as much outrage if the awards stayed, but with private enterprise funding the categories - even if that meant the prize money dropped. Or if the awards continued minus the prize money at all.
That certainly is what appears to be what could be happening for starters with some dedicated people launching the Queensland Literary Awards.
Here are some of the quotes I've found most interesting that have come out of the debate:
Stuart Glover on ABC: What most of the awards are about are about signalling a valuing of literary activity and an encouragement of cultural and literary discourse. And what this signals, in the particular context of Queensland is that that isn't valued.
Tanya for TLC Books: Awards are important to writers as many many books get published every year and the awards and those books that are long and short listed get recognised as works worth reading, of being in a bookstore, or library, or a school text. The most prestigious awards not only give honours but lead to significantly increased sales. They are an important part of the business. (I really loved this whole article - a very well thought out and non-political piece).
Sue Abbey on ABC: It's such a unique award and opportunity in Australia. Out of it came writers such as Doris Pilkington, of course the author of Rabbit Proof Fence, which went on to become the film Rabbit Proof Fence and premiered all over the world.
Chad Parkhill on Meanjin: It’s hard to put a fiscal value on these benefits, but given that the breadth of Queensland’s awards was unparalleled amongst state literary awards—it gave prizes across 14 separate categories compared to NSW’s 13, Western Australia’s 10, South Australia’s eight, Victoria’s seven, and Tasmania’s three—it seems to have performed very well for a minimal investment. $244,475 is a strikingly small amount in a state budget that runs to $4.6 billion deficit. The cost in terms of Queensland’s cultural reputation is impossible to calculate, yet already inevitable comparisons between Newman and Joh Bjelke-Petersen been aired. In the meantime, writers are already seeking to rebuild. The Unaipon seems most likely to survive, as it previously existed independently of the other awards. Queensland authors Matt Condon and Krissy Kneen have announced their intention to run independent awards structured along much the same lines as the old awards, albeit without the state’s imprimatur. UQP’s general manager, Greg Bain, has pledged his support for the new awards and reaffirmed UQP’s commitment to publishing the recipients of the Unaipon and Emerging Queensland Writer awards. Just how successful these new awards will be in a hostile political climate and without access to the state’s resources remains to be seen.
For more blog posts, news and opinions check out the Queensland Writers Centre's Queensland Premier's Literary Award page.
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Newman won't recognise QLD writers
It's Australian Author Month and Premier Newman has shown how much he appreciates his state's author by scraping the Queensland Premier's Literary Awards.
In the month where we should be celebrating the achievements of our country's writers, we have instead been greeted with this.
It shows that he doesn't value the importance of having a strong local publishing industry so that children, teenagers and adults can read stories by Queensland writers. The awards give valueable recognition to a section of society that contributes greatly to our culture.
This also shows that Newman has little understanding about how hard it is to be a writer in Australia and how little most writers earn from their craft. Awards, such as the now defunct QLD ones, and scholarships provide writers with a way to supplement their income.
As an emerging Queensland writer I'm disappointed that Newman has made the Arts a target. The savings that are being made are very small in the overall picture of the budget. It's equivilent to the base pay of two local MPs, yet the prize money is shared amongst multiple authors.
I want a head of state who embraces the Arts and Literature and supports local writers. I want a head of state who acknowledges the importance of books with local content and by local writers. I want a head of state who doesn't cut a small amount of funding to an already underfunded part of the community.
I urge who loves books to make your views known.
Sign this petition to the Premier.
Vote in this poll (open until 5 April).
Email the Premier: thepremier@premiers.qld.gov.au
Write on his Facebook Wall.
You can also join in the comments and poll on the Courier Mail.
I hope the awards in other states and the Prime Minister's awards will be kept safety and not follow this poor example.
Feel free to vent with me in the comments.
In the month where we should be celebrating the achievements of our country's writers, we have instead been greeted with this.
It shows that he doesn't value the importance of having a strong local publishing industry so that children, teenagers and adults can read stories by Queensland writers. The awards give valueable recognition to a section of society that contributes greatly to our culture.
This also shows that Newman has little understanding about how hard it is to be a writer in Australia and how little most writers earn from their craft. Awards, such as the now defunct QLD ones, and scholarships provide writers with a way to supplement their income.
As an emerging Queensland writer I'm disappointed that Newman has made the Arts a target. The savings that are being made are very small in the overall picture of the budget. It's equivilent to the base pay of two local MPs, yet the prize money is shared amongst multiple authors.
I want a head of state who embraces the Arts and Literature and supports local writers. I want a head of state who acknowledges the importance of books with local content and by local writers. I want a head of state who doesn't cut a small amount of funding to an already underfunded part of the community.
I urge who loves books to make your views known.
Sign this petition to the Premier.
Vote in this poll (open until 5 April).
Email the Premier: thepremier@premiers.qld.gov.au
Write on his Facebook Wall.
You can also join in the comments and poll on the Courier Mail.
I hope the awards in other states and the Prime Minister's awards will be kept safety and not follow this poor example.
Feel free to vent with me in the comments.
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Aussie Author Month
I'm not shy about the fact that I'm a proud Australian and I'd love to see Aussies more prominent in the international literature scene. A vital step to get there is making sure that we support Australian authors locally through buying their books and spreading the word about their awesomeness. So in April I'm going to be discussing Aussie authors that I love and their works, Aussie authors that I'm hanging out to read and other aspects about the Aussie publishing industry that I've picked up along the way.
Question: What Aussie book are you going to buy or read next?
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