CROOKED PERFECT - Mokie and Bik

This is why I write books.
CROOKED PERFECT - Mokie and Bik

Nim the Girl Scout

Of all the honors Nim's received, I think this is the one that's excited me most: the Girl Scouts of Northeast New York now have a Nim's Island patch, and the first 75 girls are already working on it. They've also invited her to be an honorary girl scout. I am so thrilled about this - I think Nim would love to be a girl scout if she lived a bit closer to other kids. I was a brownie when I was little, and it meant a lot to me. I loved working towards and getting various badges, and it seems amazing that something I've created should become a badge for other kids to work on.

Connie Thaler, the project developer for the Girl Scouts of Northeastern New York, has given me this link to the project plan for the patch. It's an excellent, thorough project touching on all sorts of areas of skill and life - have a look.

www.gsneny.org/Images/File/program/GSNENY.Nim.Information.2.pdf

Rye School takes Nim to town

I went to visit the Rye Primary school Library Enhancement group last Friday; a great bunch of kids - and needless to say, they all share my passion for books and reading!

They presented me with a poster that will be hung in shop windows in Rye when people borrow a Nim's Island from the school - because they hope that all the families at the school have now had a chance to read Nim's Island together, and are 're now taking the book out to shops and places in town. (How great is it that the school's crest includes a seal?)

I couldn't scan it all in one, but the school's crest hangs down from the book poster.

First look: All is idyllic on 'Nim's Island' - USATODAY.com

First look: All is idyllic on 'Nim's Island' - USATODAY.com

no more of my little background snapshots - here are the first real pictures!

that lovely shiny new story feeling

I've got that lovely about-to-start-a-new-story feeling today. The story and characters have been mulling around for ages - part of it for years - and I can feel now that as soon as I'm confident that I've got the characters' names right, I can start writing. Probably not today, but with a bit of luck their names will be well enough settled that I can start next week; today I can keep the story in that beautiful shining glow that surrounds a new project before the concrete words have started pinning it into place.

I've got a couple of other projects going on too, but they concern other people as well so I'll wait a bit longer to talk about them. I'll just say I've got some fingers crossed...

And this afternoon I'm going back to Rye Primary School to visit the kids in the library enhancement group who've been running the What if Everyone in Rye read the Same book (Nim's Island) project. I've heard that it's going well, but I'll be very interested to hear exactly what they've been doing.

slightly strange pictures from the set

I'm guessing that not everyone is going to find the picture of the boxes as appealing as I do (but, hey, it's my blog!). It just gave me a thrill when I saw the box labelled Nim's Island, as if somehow all the other paraphernalia associated with a film shoot - the actors, the crew, the cameras and scenery - still hadn't proved to me that it really was true, Nim was being filmed. A bit like phoning the office and hearing them answer 'Nim's Island.' Gave me a huge thrill every time.

And the directors' chairs... I just loved seeing those little pavilions of chairs scattered through the forest. Sitting on them and watching was okay too...

OzKidz In Print

Welcome to OzKidz In Print

Remember I said I'd been to the Children's Charity Network Awards dinner? Well, if you're an Australian writing kid, this is the site you want to see. It's one of the few places for kids to get published, so have a good explore - and maybe you'll be going to the award ceremony one day too.

a good dog story

I really thought I was going to get started on my new book this week, probably not actually writing but the stage of getting down some detailed notes and choosing the characters' names, which are still eluding me.... but Monday our 15 1/2 year old border collie Bear became very ill and it seemed that we spent most of the week at the vet's.

But he had surgery Thursday; we were told he'd be in all weekend... but he was anxious to get started on all the things we'd promside him if he just got better, so he was ready Saturday morning. Our son James came home for the weekend too – so Sunday we kept one of the promises and all went to one of Bear's very favourite place: Tuck's Ridge Vineyard, where there's a lovely leash free walk down past the vines to the dam. Of course he had to skip the walk this time but was quite content to sit at the cafe and talk to all his favourite people.

Next week...