libraries | Cristy Burne - AUTHOR AND STEM CREATIVE

This last couple of weeks has been BLISS!

– We finally moved into our new place, which is fabulous (it feels like we’re on permanent beach holiday, even though the beach is miles away). We’re exploring the local area, which is flush with cafes and a local supermarket and has an awesome library within walking distance (woo hoo!)

A sculpture of the nureonna "Woman of the Wet" (the Takeshita Demons version is much prettier, I'm sure you will agree ;-))

– We started out with limited internet access, and I didn’t really miss it, hence the New Plan to have two computers: one with net access for playing, and one without for working. The system is on trial and I like it.

– We’ve started painting Fergus’ room and one wall is frog green (YAY!), and so is my right thigh, flashes of the sposed-to-still-be-white walls, the underside of both feet, bits of hair, and myriad Small Places Deep Inside My Fingernails. I know. Paint is truly a miracle.

– We’ve accepted an offer on our apartment (WOO through the new roof HOO!) so fingers crossed that doesn’t fall in a screaming heap and leave me weeping and tearing out my newly green hair.

– I spent HOURS DAYS WEEKS HOURS proofing the final pages of Takeshita Demons and found a few typos and one major consistency error (the Deputy Head magically changed names halfway through the book…she’s not a huge character in Book 1 but appears again in Book 2, so I’m glad we got it right!)

– The editorial/art team at Frances Lincoln HQ is whizzing around doing last minute printerly things. YE GAD! Apparently the sales team are keen as paint to get their hands of flashy all-shiny-new versions of the printed book, which has got to be good news 🙂

– And in the Wild Rumours category: Apparently a HUGE VERY WELL KNOWN film company wants to take a look at the TD manuscript. YAY! And although I’m not banking the massive film rights cheque just yet, it is flattering to think about. Just as winning Lotto is nice to think about. Or a world where nice things always happen to nice people is nice to think about. And that’s about enough time spent thinking wildly improbable thoughts. Cut. That’s a wrap people. (hee hee)

– So…ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! My first book is nearly at the printer. It’s a lovely feeling. I feel like a Proper Writer. Please queue here for a limited edition sample of green hair.

Although I can’t seem to pronounce “library” (apparently I say “lye-berry” and this is wrong?)(how did I get to this ripe old age and noone has ever told me that before??), I do love them.

This week I went to the State Library of Western Australia for the MEET THE TALENT session with a stack of awesome Youth Services Librarians (lye-berry-ens?), and guess what? I was the talent! Woo hoo. How much fun is that?

But the best bit was that I got to leave the house, alone, catch a train, alone, and meet a bunch of interesting adults and talk about books and writing (and not babies!). It’s not that I don’t enjoy talking about Fergus all day and all night (because I do: he’s really very Clever and Gifted and Good Looking), but HOOLEY DOOLEY it was great to forget all that for a couple of hours and be a writer again.

The session was designed to give librarians an idea of what kind of school visits West Australian authors and illustrators are available for, what kind of workshops, how many sessions, etc etc.

I said I was available most days to do most things, but of course my favourite thing is to run sessions that mix non-fiction with fiction, as I have done with TAKESHITA DEMONS (which features some Japanese mythology) and also ONE WEEKEND WITH KILLIECRANKIE (which features some gene engineering and biology). After all, nine-tenths of a good lie is the truth. Or a bit of fact makes for really great fiction.

Also this week I’ve been working on the finale to FORESTS AND FILTH LICKERS. Its thrilling to see everything coming together, and it’s hard work to sustain the pace.

And while all this has been going on, reviews of TAKESHITA DEMONS have been coming in…there are another two online. It’s very exciting…I even got Fan Mail this week (thanks!!). It’s still extremely nerve-wracking. Lucky I enjoy writing these stories so much! 🙂

Cheers to lye-berry-ens!

Cristy

And PS: Parents and kids in WA: check out the State Library’s fun zone for children, called The Place. It’s well worth a visit!