Burnt Snow, my first novel, was released in 2010 by Pan MacMillan Australia. White Rain, the sequel, is due soon. As part of a trilogy about witches, earth magic, curses, love and revenge, this blog archives my research into the world of the witches - as well as my own magical saga as a new author.

Monday, May 31, 2010

So, enough about Twilight. What do YOU think of Twilight?

Why, hello. Still in my bed, still trying to write my play.
I'm blogging to announce, with no small amount of happiness, that I've been chosen to appear at the Melbourne Writers' Festival this year. Whoo! I'm on a panel with some other writers, and editors and publishers. We will be discussing Stephenie Meyer's Twilight.

If you haven't read
Twilight, don't worry; 100 million other people have, including me.

It is a book which has enjoyed immense popularity but there are, of course, people who don't like. I mean, really, really don't like it.


The panel looks set to be controversial (the panel is called "Fading Twilight" - provocative in itself). The spiel for the panel is here:

August 31: Fading Twilight
Lili Wilkinson, Van Badham, Kate Forsyth, Bec Kavanagh, Nikki Anderson, Jeff Sparrow 
BMW Edge 1.45pm - 2.15pm, Tickets $6. 
The most compelling books for teenagers ever written... or brain-draining, sexist rubbish? Harmless, escapist fantasy that is inspiring more teens to read than ever before... or mind-numbing, badly plotted tripe?
Seventeen million copies later, the Twilight debate continues to rage. A panel of writers, booksellers, editors and publishers discuss the pros and cons of this best-selling series - pushed and probed by you, our Festival audience. Have your questions ready.
(By the way, you can buy tickets here)

Have you read it? What did you think? Which side of the panel would you be on? Looking forward to meaty and honest responses. Feel free to comment under a pseudonym if you fear being eaten by teenagers.

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

And, meanwhile, back in the Valley of Death...

As I've previously mentioned, I work at the Finborough Theatre in London. We are currently having a new writing festival, called Vibrant. We have programmed 30 playwrights to stage work over 30 days. My own show is part of the festival on June 10. It is called Swamplands. It is not actually about swamps.




I haven't slept since April. You can probably tell that from the video.

Simultaneously, the final proofs for my book have arrived - these are the typeset pages, as they'll actually look when book comes out. It would be really exciting if I didn't have to read them again.

My next book club for ABC 666 Canberra (that is never going to stop being funny) is on June 1. We'll be discussing Margaret Atwood's fantastic dystopian fantasy, The Handmaid's Tale - a wonderful, wonderful book.

There will be a proper blog post soon. It will be about writing and fairies and Glastonbury Tor and all the wonderful things in the world that you can remember if you actually get a whole night's sleep. Promise.