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When Sarah won the Scarlet Stiletto Award for the Best Young Writer in 2011, she was in Year 7 at Caulfield Grammar School. Though she had been passionate about writing since she was young, winning the award boosted her confidence and inspired her to pursue a career in the literary industry. Sarah has since hosted author events, run a successful YA book club, interned for the Melbourne Writers Festival, Writers Victoria, Hardie Grant Egmont and Penguin, and worked as a bookseller. Her story "A Little Overboard" was included in the anthology "This Fresh Hell", published by Clandestine Press last year. Sarah is currently working on a YA sci-fi novel set in Melbourne.CreditsConcept designer, co-producer, and narrator: Susanna LobezCo-producer: Carmel ShuteProductionManager: Tim CoyGraphic Designer: Caz BrownCopyright Sisters in Crime Australia
Stephanie Yeboah has been part of the fat acceptance and body positivity movement since 2014. She has since then written for multiple publications and her own blog about intersectionality in the body positivity movement, Beauty standards within the community and self-love. Today we are discussing her brilliant debut non-fiction memoir/self-help guide Fattily Ever After. Interview starts at 30 minutes. Mini TV club: The Crown (Season 4) Spoiler alert: we will be discussing some key components of Season 4 of The Crown. You've been warned! (More than, you know, the fact it's based on real events). If you enjoyed Season 4 of The Crown, you NEED to listen to You're Wrong About and their recent 5-part deep dive into Princess Diana's life, marriage, death, and legacy. In this interview, we talk about: How Stephanie discovered the body positivity movement and the emotional effect it had on her life The history of the body positivity movement, how it has been taken into the mainstream and where we go from here The lasting legacy of the original body positivity movement How Stephanie copes with online trolling and keeps showing up for herself online The importance of normalising all types of bodies How Stephanie got her book deal (including how she found an agent on Twitter) How Stephanie accidentally delivered the whole manuscript months ahead of schedule (despite a broken ankle) The design and structure of Fattily Ever After (because it's GORGEOUS) Books and other things mentioned: You're Wrong About (podcast) Rake (Australian TV show - not the US version!) Bob Hawke (https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-05-16/bob-hawke-seven-videos-that-capture-former-pm-in-full-flight/6563170 (7 videos that sum him up)) https://www.radiotimes.com/news/on-demand/2020-11-22/the-crown-michael-fagan-real-life/ (Michael Fagan episode of The Crown - what they get right and wrong) https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-54974425 (Black cabs in London during Covid) https://www.thecut.com/2020/11/the-crowns-prince-andrew-episode-hints-at-his-epstein-ties.html (Why Prince Andrew of The Crown is so shocking) The Queen (film) Maintenance Phase (podcast) Follow Stephanie on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/stephanieyeboah/ (@stephanieyeboah). Follow us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/betterwordspod/?hl=en (@betterwordspod) *Note: Michelle received a PR copy of Fattily Ever After from Hardie Grant Egmont.
Frances Chapman was born in Henley-On-Thames in England and she spent her childhood pinballed between continents before settling in Sydney. She worked as a journalist and social researcher for several years before she became a freelance writer in 2015. Her debut novel, Stars Like Us, was published by Hardie Grant Egmont in July 2020 after winning the Hardie Grant Egmont Ampersand Prize in 2018, and the Varuna-Black Inc Publisher Introduction Program in 2017. Interview starts at 22 minutes. Caitlin recommends It Only Happens in the Movies by Holly Bourne. Michelle recommends The Reckless Afterlife of Harriet Stoker by Lauren James Bonus: We discuss the amalgamation of our two music icons Sir Paul McCartney and Taylor Swift for the first Musicians on Musicians feature in Rolling Stone. https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/paul-mccartney-taylor-swift-musicians-on-musicians-1089058/ (Read the article here). In this interview, we chat about How Justin Bieber eating fried chicken in Sydney inspired Stars Like Us (https://cdn.newsapi.com.au/image/v1/7170f5d43472f6c9fe4a3b46af4c2f72 (see the image here)) The paparazzi and the impact on celebrities and famous figures The fact we've all got the capability to snap a smartphone image of any celeb we see Is fame really an attractive prospect? Why Frances wanted to explore fame in the context of a young adult novel Having diverse music tastes (and being teased for it) The character inspired by Harry Styles How Frances wrote song lyrics for the book Winning the Ampersand Prize for Stars Like Us and the road to publication To sum up everything we've talked about, enjoy this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eM_FR7I2Ttw (Harry Styles cover of The Chain) Books and other things mentioned: Downton Abbey movie 10 Things I Hate About You Miss Americana (Taylor Swift documentary) Giving You Everything (Spice Girls documentary. Pssst, there's actually ahttps://www.nme.com/news/music/channel-4-to-air-new-spice-girls-documentary-to-mark-25-years-of-wannabe-2706842 ( new documentary scheduled for 2021 to mark 25 years since Wannabe. )SAY WHAT?) The Beatles: The First U.S. Visit (documentary) The Eternal Sunshine of Harry Styles (Rolling Stone article. https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/harry-styles-cover-interview-album-871568/ (Read it here)) High Fidelity (TV adaptation) Follow Frances on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/franceschapmanwriter/ (@Franceschapmanwriter). Follow us on Instagram https://ww.instagram.com/betterwordspod (@betterwordspod) Caitlin received a copy of Stars Like Us from Hardie Grant Egmont.
Louise and Virginia have been diving into a stack of fantastic books for younger (and not so young) readers. These books are all so good that Virginia’s become a bit addicted to them. And Louise also has a confession about something she’s been diving into recently, an admission that makes Virginia laugh - a lot. Email hello@divinginpodcast.com Instagram @diving_in_podcast Virginia’s Instagram @virginia_reads Louise’s Instagram @louise_cooks_and_reads Song ‘Diving In’ – original music and lyrics written and performed by Laura Adeline – https://linkt.ree/llauraadeline Podcast sound production and editing by Andy Maher. Graphics by Orla Larkin - create@werkshop.com.au Books The Unadoptables by Hana Tooke. 2020, Puffin Books, Penguin Random House. The Secret Library of Hummingbird House by Julianne Negri. 2020 Affirm Press. The History of Mischief by Rebecca Higgie. 2020 Fremantle Press The Girl, the Dog and the Writer in Rome by Katrina Nannestad. 2017 HarperCollins. The Morbids by Ewa Ramsey. 2020 Allen and Unwin. The Underground Orchard by Mat Larkin. 2018 Hardie Grant Egmont. Film Emily in Paris. Netflix The Duchess. Netflix
Gillian Flint is a children's books illustrator, this hasn't always been the case though, Gill has been a successful illustrator for 17 years now but after 10, Gillian felt slightly, very almost, nearly ready, to reach out to book agents. We talk about this and what persistence and determination really look like for a mum of two. Her clients include CBeebies, Rodale Kids, Penguin Random House, Charlesbridge, Alfred A Knopf, Penguin Random House, Hardie Grant Egmont, Little Bee Books, Worthy Kids, Five Mile Press, Bonnier, Oxford University Press, Highlights Magazine, Highlights High Five, UK Greetings, Sainsbury’s, Asda, Tesco, Clintons, and many more. Gills takeaways 1.If you're freelancing for a come company you’ve got relationship with offer to go in and help if they aren’t too far away, those connects and relationships go along way! 2.If you’re wanting to get into another area of illustration like books, then trade shows are great way to connect with the right agents. Of course, Covid changed this but there is still linked in or twitter! 3.Make sure you plan in enough research time for big briefs 4.You don’t need a fancy studio to start, create a corner with a portable trolley with your materials in or hide away in your tv cabinet. Don’t wait for all the gear to start the thing 5.Getting up earlier each morning to work is far more productive than staying too late. You are giving yourself the freshest awake empty part of your new day rather than the tired end of the day part. 6.Having a side project helps with your creative flow when you have to be creative for your day work 7.Remember, this isn’t to sell or show just for your own joy 8.It doesn't have to be creative, a hobby could be learning a language, fishing, dissent matter what it helps feel. It can put Control if your life rather than work life and family juggles https://www.gillianflint.com/ https://thebrightagency.com/us/publishing/artists/gillian-flint?collection=black-white
Today on Middle Grade Mavens we chat with Leesa Lambert of The Little Bookroom Carlton Victoria and Marisa Pintado of Hardie Grant Egmont, about the changing face of the children's book selling and publishing industry during Covid 19. The Little Bookroom recommendation quiz link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeiSQ2stZ5U-iNwsjB1t2veU9o-dqAVetdiMHKnM41o6XDJOw/viewform Hardie Grant Egmont links: https://www.hardiegrant.com/au/egmont Ampersand Prize: https://www.hardiegrant.com/au/egmont/ampersand-prize Sally Rippin Holiday Program: https://www.sallyrippin.com/?fbclid=IwAR3ULFONSwvSIuNzJA931zwFBrlhJ4PY6g_cKYyDlcmiLt1UkimuPlofeoI Want to buy this book. Here's the information you will need Title: Billy B Brown: The Grumpy Neighbour Author: Sally Rippin ISBN: 9781760501907 Release Date: 1 April 2020 Title: Billy B Brown: The Hat Parade Author: Sally Rippin ISBN: 9781760504984 Release Date: 1 April 2020 Title: Billy B Brown: The Honey Bees Author: Sally Rippin ISBN: 9781760504991 Release Date: 1 April 2020 Title: Little Legends: Taking Sides Author: Nicole Hayes, Adrian Beck Illustrator: James Hart ISBN: 9781760505431 Release Date: 1 June 2020 Title: Little Legends: Ozzy Rules Author: Nicole Hayes, Adrian Beck Illustrated: James Hart ISBN: 9781760505424 Release Date: 1 April 2020 Title: When It Drops Author: Alex Dyson ISBN: 9781760505042 Release Date: 1 May 2020 Title: Real Pigeons: Peck Punches Author: Andrew McDonald Illustrator: Ben Wood ISBN: 9781760502911 Release Date: 1 May 2020 If you’ve been listening to our show in 2020, you’ll know we did an #MiddleGradeMavensAskTheEditor series, to prepare you for conferences like Kidlitvic and CYA. The good news is these conferences aren’t cancelled due to the outbreak of Corona Virus. Kidlitvic is merely postponed to November, and CYA is forging ahead in July going totally online. In the space of about a month, the world has dramatically changed. Terms like essential services are spoken about on a daily basis and the world has been asked to stay at home. We contemplated this long and hard when it comes to books, after all, we are all about books. The thing is, we consider books to be an essential services. Thankfully, we are pleased to discover many folks agree. We’ve opened our social media platform doors to authors and illustrators that have cancelled their book launches, offering to promote them the best way we know how, by showing you wonderful book covers and displaying fantastic book blurbs. Creators keep sending us those requests to mavens@middlegradepodcast.com We aren’t the only ones innovating obviously. Book shops are no longer open to the public but delivering door to door, and libraries are following suit by changing their services models to suit this terrifying and turbulent time. When talking about books however, we can’t forget about the book makers. We asked a bookseller and two publishers a few questions about how things are changing during Covid19 and guess what, they agreed. So sit back and have a listen to our bonus episode on how the kids book industry is changing world we live in.
Today on Middle Grade Mavens we're doing something different in our bonus, "Ask The Editor," series. Running over January - February 2020, each week we'll bring some insider information on what exactly is on some incredible Australian Children's book editor's wish list's. We hope this will be helpful for our author and illustrator listeners who might be attending some great children's literature conferences in 2020. The Mavens are avid supporters of KidLitVic, of which the tickets go on sale 10th February 2020. Today we welcome Marisa Pintado of Hardie Grant Egmont to the hot seat. She has some wonderful insights so we hope you enjoy. To check out more books by this publisher, head on over to Episode 4, for Peter Helliar's, Frankie Fish, https://anchor.fm/middlegrademavens/episodes/Episode-4-The-Mavens-review-Frankie-Fish--The-girl-with-the-broken-wing-e2osdd Episode 9, for Mat Larkin's, The Orchard Underground.: https://anchor.fm/middlegrademavens/episodes/Episode-9--The-Mavens-review-The-Orchard-Underground--Wundersmith--Mat-Larkin-Interview-e2vma5 To learn more about the Mavens, head on over to https://www.middlegradepodcast.com Or to find Julie online drop by https://www.julieannegrassobooks.com And for Pamela online find her at https://www.ueckerman.net Have a question or comment? Email us at mavens@middlegradepodcast.com To learn what books are in the pipeline, follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/middlegrademavens And we love blabbering about books over at Instagram https://www.instagram.com/middle_grade_mavens_podcast/ You can find us on Twitter https://twitter.com/GradeMiddle
Magic & Mayhem: Discover the secrets to creating magnificent books for kids and teens.
Meet Marisa Pintado, YA publisher for Hardie Grant Egmont in Melbourne. Marisa is also the author of award-winning middle grade and YA fiction and manages the Ampersand Prize for debut novelists. As a publisher, Marisa knows exactly what she wants from YA authors: a sense of fun, an understanding of the market, and a willingness to collaborate. This podcast is brought to you by the Australian Writers’ Centre. Find out more and get the free ebook at magicandmayhem.com.au.
Join Australian YA author Cally Black as she chats to Dani Vee about the extraordinary science fiction novel In The Dark Spaces. We have a relaxed and in depth chat about alien species, females ruling the alien world and he demise of humanity. A fun and unique read. Wonderful for readers who want something different, or reluctant readers looking for something new and original. Cally Black's first YA novel, a SF thriller, IN THE DARK SPACES, is about a girl living on the fringes of one society, who is kidnapped and forced to learn to survive in a completely alien society. She'll need to find her voice, her power, and her young cousin, before both societies tear each other apart. Hardie Grant Egmont describe it as "a genre-smashing hostage drama. This ground-breaking thriller is the latest young-adult novel to win the Ampersand Prize, a stand-out entry with a blindingly original voice: raw, strange and deeply sympathetic. With its vivid and immersive world-building, this electrifying debut is The Knife of Never Letting Go meets Homeland, for the next generation of sci-fi readers." In the Dark Spaces won the Ampersand Prize in 2015. Subsequent Awards: Shortlisted in the New Zealand Book Awards Highly Commended by the Victorian Premier's Literary Prize Winner of an Aurealis Award Shortlisted for a Ditmar Award Shortlisted by the Children's Book Council of Australia Shortlisted for the Ethel Turner Prize in the NSW Premiers Awards Listed in the Inky Awards.
So You Want To Be A Writer with Valerie Khoo and Allison Tait: Australian Writers' Centre podcast
Learn how to use a plotting chart in your redrafting process and why this teenager won’t read Young Adult novels. Discover how the ‘Creative Gap’ frustrates writers. Your chance to enter a short story competition and Harry Potter books up for grabs. Plus: meet Hardie Grant Egmont publisher Marisa Pintado, authors you should be following on Twitter and more! Read the show notes. Connect with Valerie, Allison and listeners in the podcast community on Facebook Visit WritersCentre.com.au | AllisonTait.com | ValerieKhoo.com