Research is one of the absolute delights of being a writer. I love having an excuse to ask questions – sometimes very random questions…

While GW and Jack were discussing the merits of using concentrated chicken stock in risotto, I was doing research with Hannah. I wish I’d had the same ‘take no prisoners’ attitude when I was eighteen! Our niece is fabulous – a very together, very smart but funny girl who’s in first year university in the south of England. She was happy to answer anything I asked!!

First there was shoe research.

Hannah proved she really can walk in things that I thought would give her nose bleeds. I tried them on expecting to fall flat on my face and voila, my legs grew three inches (that’s 7.62 centimetres for you Gen Xs and Ys!). Who knew it would be so painless to stop being vertically challenged They were so comfortable I was tempted to wear them out myself! But I could almost hear the ‘mutton dressed as lamb’ bleating GW would have been delivering…

Next were false eyelashes. They’ve never graced my make-up collection,(which consists of mascara, lipstick and sunscreen…), but I have to admit they made a dramatic difference to Hannah’s eyes when she oh so carefully secured them in place. I didn’t rush out and buy a pair as I had visions of me with eyelids stuck together trying to convince immigration officials to let me back into Australia…

But the most fascinating research was into young men (call me a cougar and I’ll growl back at you, ok?). I may not have been paying attention in Australia, but there seemed to be an inordinate number of young men walking around the streets of Manchester with waxed eyebrows, dyed and ironed hair, and wearing make-up. No offence intended, but I thought my gay friends were the only ones who took that much care with their appearances. Or road cyclist and swim stars! Apparently not…

Hannah assures me that the lads in the university college where she stays in Ipswich regularly come visiting so the girls can wax their chests and eyebrows for them. I couldn’t stop there… So Brazillians for men too? She looked a little grossed out – ‘Yes, but they do that themselves. We don’t!’

Ookaaay… So these buff young men work out in gyms, spend an hour and a half getting ready to go at night, borrow their girlfriends’ hair irons and products, have lovely smooth legs and chests, and look like they’ve stepped out of a GQ photo shoot.

So, this begs the question. Am I writing male characters who will only appeal to women over thirty-five? According to Hannah, a man with a hairy chest would be disgusting. Hmm, to me a dusting of crisp hair across a good pair of pecs followed by the obligatory sexy trail disappearing behind the press-stud of a worn pair of levis would make my pulse race. Not so Hannah, she’d be reaching for the wax strips to tidy him up!

Can I see my hero gazing thoughtfully at himself in the mirror while he’s straightening his hair? Normally he’d be sliding the razor through the shaving foam, taking away three days of dark growth on his square jaw and leaving his skin smooth and brown…

It was a huge reality check and I have to thank Hannah for all her wonderful advice!! I’ve since carried on my research with my First Officers. None of them are admitting to any of these habits, but they all have mates who do. In fact, one of them commented that on his last trip to Melbourne he’d noticed a lot of men with shaved legs and tiny shorts walking around the city. (It is the home of AFL, of course, so short shorts are obligatory there!) Changing times…

So, metrosexual heroes? Yay or nay?

Dave, congratulations on your recent win as well as your new release. You must be delighted on both counts. Being published in America is something of a coup for an Australian Bush Poet.

Yes, I like to think so. Many bush poets have had poems published in a few different American magazines especially the American Cowboy magazine, but I’m not sure how many other bush poets have had their books published in America.

Tell us about your latest book and what inspired it.

I met Steven at ASA Publishing Company in 2007 when I entered their poetry competition. We seemed to ‘hit it off’ together have since become very good friends. In mid 2008 he suggested I publish a compilation with ASA. It took me a while to ‘warm’ to the idea, but I’m glad I did. I’m so proud of ‘OUT OF AUSTRALIA’ – 200 plus pages, 100 of my poems, plus quite a number with ‘Aussie’ photos for the world to read and enjoy.

It looks beautiful, Dave. You should be very proud of it.

When did you start writing?

I didn’t put pen to paper until late 2007. I had some quiet ‘me’ time where I was working and my thoughts kept going back to the time when I was a long-distance truck-driver.  I particularly remembered a trip I did to western Queensland and thought I should jot it down. As I was writing the lines I subconsciously kept ending in rhyme. I had never written anything before except in primary school – the usual short essays. What makes my achievements more remarkable is the fact I had the schooling equivalent to about a 14 year old and when I did make it to grade 8, I stayed approximately 3 months then left to join the workforce. Because of that I do I have to ask someone to punctuate my writing for me  - I’m hopeless at it.  (Not bad for a bloke who only made it to Grade 8, Dave )

What made you choose Bush Poetry as your medium?

I believe bush poetry chose me. I have always enjoyed reading bush poetry, especially in my younger days. My Grandfather and Uncle had books and I would sneak away to read the likes of Banjo Paterson, Henry Lawson, Henry Kendall, Barcroft Henry Boake and many more great Aussie poets.

Some of my favourite Australian poets are on that list too! Tell us a bit about Australia Bush Poetry. What sets it apart from other forms of poetry? Are there rules that help define it?

I think Australian bush poetry has its own distinct way of weaving its way into Aussie hearts via the story behind the poem and the visions the poem creates. I don’t care how much someone says they don’t like bush poetry, I bet they could recite some lines from a famous bush poem. As far as rules go according to the Australian Bush Poetry Association -’Bush poems have consistent metre and are rhymed poetry about Australia, Australians and/or the Australian way of life.’

Are there particular topics that lend themselves to Bush Poetry?

Here is where some confusion lies. Some think bush poetry has to be about the bush or drovers and cattle or horses etc. But there are no particular topics. One can write about the Barrier reef or long white beaches, so long as it  is metred, rhyming poetry about Australia, Aussies or our great way of life.

That sounds easy, Dave but I suspect it’s not…

Have you ventured into other forms of poetry?

Oh yes, in my early days of writing I believed bush poetry was the ‘be all end all’ and other forms were not worth looking at but, since joining Tropical Writers in Cairns,  and with the assistance of Hazel Menehira, the poets at TW, and Poets Online, I have learnt to appreciate just what disciplines and structures are involved in other forms. I have now written award winning sonnets, free verse and traditional verse. I’ve also had wonderful compliments for my Haiku and Tanka poetry. Though in saying that, my first love will always be Australian bush poetry.

You’ve received a number of awards during your very busy 4 years of writing.

I have. Here’s the list.

Selected in the top ten award for ASA Publishing’s anthology 2007.

Primary short list/commended place, Tom Howard poetry competition 2008

2nd place in ASA Publishing poetry competition 2008.

Commended place in Scribligums ‘Gumblossoms’ competition 2008.

The ‘Double Tap’ award for war poetry presented by the International War Veterans Poetry Archives 22^nd November 2008.

Commended place in Scribligums ‘Gumblossoms’ competition 2010.

2nd place in Scribligums short story competition 2010.

Commended place in Scribligums short story competition 2010.

Commended place in the Cervantes bush poetry competition 2010.

1st place in the Reef Writers, Port Douglas Gazette poetry competition 2010.

Commended place in the Eastwood/Hills region of the Fellowship of Australian Writers

2011 literary competition, traditional section for my sonnet ‘Why’.

1st place in the Reef Writers, Port Douglas Gazette poetry competition 2011.

That’s very impressive!!

Do you have favourite topics to write about? If so, what are they?

No I don’t really have any particular favourite topics though obviously I do enjoy writing about the Aussie landscape and our war heroes.

How do you hope to differentiate yourself from other poets?

I’m not all that interested in distinguishing myself from other poets. I would rather be accepted by other poets, as a poet, and be known for what and how I write. I would also like to ignite the interests of school aged children and those not normally involved with poetry with my poems.

There are many readers who are not quite sure what poets are trying to say. I’m sure we all spent hours at school grappling with the hidden meaning in poems. Your writing is so clear. Did you deliberately set out to write poems that had no ambiguity, poems that say what they mean?

No..it was not my intention, it’s how I write. I think a lot of today’s poets and their poetry is too ‘sterile’ or ‘academic,’ using words, phrases or metaphors that average people do not understand. I believe this is one of the reasons poetry has lost some of its appeal. I try to keep my writing simple and clear so everyone can understand them.

You’ve succeeded there, Dave!

I know you also write short stories and have had many of those published.

Yes, I’m quite proud of my memoir/short story achievements, firstly there was the James Cook University where my ‘Tony the Wogs Mango tree’ was accepted by a panel of academics for publication in their journal LiNQ, I also had ‘Duffel bag of poetry receive 2nd place in Scribligums short story competition 2010 against submissions worldwide, as did ‘Encounter of a Different Kind’ receive a commended place in Scribligums short story competition 2010.

What’s next? What project are you working on at the moment?

I’m not actually working on any projects at the moment, though I am still writing the odd poem when the inspiration hits me, also I’m concentrating on promoting my new book and just ‘getting it out there’ and already thinking about my next book which will be a collection of new poems and short stories.

Dave, thanks for taking the time to visit us today. Your new book OUT OF AUSTRALIA is currently available from Amazon, Barnes Noble, online shops & soon will be available from Collins Bookseller Smithfield & the ABC shop in Cairns central.

You can contact Dave ata info@davidjdelaney.com for a signed copy.

Follow his blog  http://readeasypoetry.wordpress.com and find him on Face Book

David Delaney

I am a former Brisbane boy but now currently live and work in Cairns with my very patient, and darling wife, I sometimes wonder where I get the time to write but always seem to manage to pen something, also I am a member Tropical writers group Cairns, Arts nexus Cairns & Australian Bush Poets Association among other literary sites on the web.

Having had limited education including no formal education in writing and now in my late 50′s, I wanted to show that someone like myself without higher schooling could write and enjoy it. For me school, Rocklea State School, (when I was there) was a place to ‘hang out’ with my mates and I actually only completed 3 months of high school (Salisbury) before leaving at the age of 15.

After numerous jobs throughout my youth I eventually moved into Furniture Removals where I stayed for approximately 25 years. For 17 of these, my wife and I operated our own removal business, and was able to travel extensively throughout N.S.W and Queensland.

Since leaving the removal industry several years ago and having some ‘thinking’ time, my experiences, memories of driving the highways and tracks, the vast and beautiful outback, my wife, daughters, grand children and family, stories from mates, work colleagues and close war veterans have given me the inspiration for my writings.

Ever wondered how other writers see their characters? Do they have favourites? Just how do they balance narrative and dialogue? Is setting allowed to take on a life of its own?  At Authors Compare you’ll find interviews with authors on all these topics and more.

You can find my take on some of my favourite characters from Shattered Sky at Authors Compare http://www.authorscompare.net/2011/10/helene-young-author-interview.html

Enjoy fascinating interviews with authors as diverse as Sara Foster, Sophie Hannah, Karly Lane and Kate Forsyth.

Now, back to editing Burning Lies for me (and fingers crossed Operations don’t ring to call me into fly for the day…)

Three generations of family (minus the partners and assorted pets!)

My guest today is Australian author, Joanne Van Os, who currently lives in Darwin. Joanne has four books in print and a fifth underway. She’s covered the gambit from memoir to children/YA stories to adult fiction. Her latest book – THE SECRET OF THE LONELY ISLES – has recently been released. She’s also currently living my dream and resides on a boat with her husband!

Hi Joanne and welcome to my corner of the blogsphere. You’re my first guest YA author.

Thanks for the invitation Helene – it’s great to have a chat with another writer!

Your  first book is a powerful and moving biography, OUTBACK HEART. What prompted the switch to stories for younger readers? What age group do you write for? YA covers a multitude of ages…

My first published book was Outback Heart, but I’d actually written most of Brumby Plains, my first children’s novel, before I began the memoir. The inspiration came from watching my two sons growing up out bush, where they were driving vehicles and riding quad-runners from a very young age, helping load roadtrains with buffalo, and doing all kinds of exciting things kids in cities don’t usually have access to.

My books are often labelled YA, but I think it’s completely wrong! We need another category to cover that age group who’ve grown out of the large print, partly illustrated first novels (children’s books) but who aren’t ready for the sex, drugs and angst of the YA novel. The time when kids still have that delightful innocence but are capable of making sensible and difficult decisions, and taking on a lot more responsibility. They’re a very interesting age! I didn’t set out to write for this age group – it’s just where the first story situated itself.

Maybe ‘Young Teens’ would be a better category for this age group?

So I’ll think of them as ‘Tween’ stories from now on!  What are some of the complexities of writing stories for adolescents?

First and foremost you need to understand the age group you are writing for. The average 15 year old – even 14 probably – wouldn’t be swept away by my books, and the average 8-9 year old would find them a bit too hard, unless they were fairly sophisticated readers. Next, you have to keep the action flowing. Ideally there should be something happening on each page, whether major or minor – just action of some kind, so the story has to gallop along a bit. Long descriptive passages are a no-no, no matter how beautifully crafted. You’ll lose a ten year old very quickly. And don’t preach, or talk down to the reader. And NEVER refer to your lead characters as ‘the children’.

I seem to remember some of Enid Blyton’s stories using ‘the children’ but I guess it was a very different era… Are there unwritten rules such as what issues can or can’t be covered with younger readers? Are there inappropriate topics, language or emotions?

I’m sure there are, because I’ve never read any! Basic common sense dictates what is appropriate or not for the age group you’re writing for. For example you wouldn’t write about child abuse or serious violence in a book for 9 – 14 year olds, whereas you could for older readers. Indeed it seems to be mandatory in the YA arena. Language is an issue – I had one ‘bloody’ in an appropriate place in the first book, but it was quickly deleted by the editor. Even though kids that age might use all kinds of bad language, swearing really doesn’t have a place in books for younger teens. Emotions? I don’t think there are any that would be ruled out – children understand fear, hate, joy, grief, but again, you wouldn’t go to extremes in reproducing negative emotions. Except for terror – kids love being scared. Again – Stephen King is not the goal either!

I can’t read Stephen King now without looking over my shoulder so I can understand that scary has many levels.

Your first two stories, BRUMBY PLAINS and CASTAWAY, are set in outback Northern Territory and are loosely linked. Your latest book, THE SECRET OF THE LONELY ISLES, is a sailing adventure. They’re all action adventure stories with lessons for your characters to learn. Was that deliberate? Or did the lessons come as the stories and characters evolved?

I never start a story with a ‘lesson’ in mind. I’d give up tomorrow if I thought I did! I think all good stories leave the characters changed, so I guess that’s where the ‘lesson’ emerges. It’s not deliberate, but you do have to think about consequences.

Who were some of your favourite authors when you were a child and why?

It’s hard to pick a favourite – I read everything I could get my hands on, pretty much. Ruby Ferguson, E. Nesbit,  Elyne Mitchell, CS Lewis, Jack London, Lewis Carroll, Colin Thiele,

I loved CS Lewis and the Narnia books. I still have to resist the urge to check out the back of wardrobes just in case…

I know you have extensive blue-water sailing experience and live aboard your yacht.  How do you juggle writing and a yachtie’s life-style?

Juggling is definitely the operative word here! I’ve found sailing and writing not to be very compatible. I get sea-sick easily, especially in the first few weeks, and even reading is difficult so concentrating with my head down at a keyboard or notepad is impossible. I write when we’re at a quiet anchorage or on shore, but the reality with long distance cruising, is when you reach that anchorage, then you’re repairing things and doing maintenance, and maybe even exploring ashore once the work’s done. So there’s not a lot of that distance-gazing, silent, oblivious, creative time to be found. That’s why I’m writing like mad now that we’re stopped for a while.

You’re working on a contemporary adult fiction at the moment. How does the writing process differ between it and YA – if in fact it does?

I think the process is the same – you have to sit down and grind when the muse is off shopping or filing her nails. No use waiting for inspiration, just push start the car. I find I think about my characters and the plot all the time, in both genres, trying to see them more clearly, and understand their motives and why they would do what I’ve asked them to do. I go through the same ups and downs, feeling euphoric and on top of it all, and then wondering why I even bother.

I’ve found writing for adults to be a lot less restrictive than writing for adolescents. There are no ‘no-go’ areas: anything is permissible provided it’s well-written and relevant. The subject matter is limitless and imagination can really take off. Character development is perhaps more complex and gets more time to develop – although kids’ novels are getting longer and longer these days too!

Both genres require the same level of commitment, integrity, unobtrusive construction and a cracking good story to be told.

Do you plot?

No! Not to begin with anyway. I sometimes just see a character, or a scene, and that starts me writing, fiddling around to see where the idea might go. I don’t usually know how it will end until I’m at least halfway through. I’m in awe of writers who plot, draw up storyboards and flow charts and have total control. My characters tend to march onto the desk and take over… in BRUMBY PLAINS, Charles began as a fairly incidental player, a bit of local colour, and ended up centre stage and in TWO books. I just couldn’t shut him up.

Lol. I do love the way some character just move in a claim the page as their own. I had that battle with Lauren…

What’s your favourite form of procrastination?

My husband Lex would shout – THE INTERNET!  My advice to a budding writer is to turn it off once you start writing. When I find I’m not getting anywhere, I think “I should really check my emails, or my on line Scrabble games”, and you know where that goes…

Research is another great but at least productive form of procrastination. I love researching, and the hardest part is stopping. I have notes for books that I’ll need three lifetimes to write…

Oh I know that feeling, Joanne. I’ll be writing as long as my fingers cooperate. Thanks so much for joining us today on the blog. It’s been lovely to learn some more about you and your stories. And I look forward to reading your latest WIP.

Thanks Helene – it’s been a pleasure chatting to you!

You’ll find Joanne at http://www.joannevanos.com/.

Joanne with Ella

]]> http://www.heleneyoung.com/2011/04/joanne-van-os/feed/ 7 http://www.heleneyoung.com/2010/03/golden-flashes-of-sun/ http://www.heleneyoung.com/2010/03/golden-flashes-of-sun/#comments Fri, 26 Mar 2010 02:01:24 +0000 Helene http://www.heleneyoung.com/?p=1469 There’s something so joyous in an animated discussion between a pair of sunbirds that I have to smile. These tiny northern-dwelling honey-eaters are happiest nesting as close to humans as they can reasonably manage – including building their homes hanging off the centre piece of a wind-chime… How’s that for thrill seeking?

Like so many birds, the boys get the beautiful colours, but with that comes responsibility. They take turns not only building their ice cream cone shaped nests, but also sitting in them minding the eggs, and all being well, their chicks.

Sunbirds rate a special mention in Border Watch because of their unique personalities. In part it’s because they mate for life, because they defend their young so fiercely and because they are optimists. It’s possible you think I’m attributing human emotion to branch of the avian family in some sentimental madness (and you may be right…), but it’s more than just poetic licence.

For the last twelve years I’ve watched them, cheering as they defend their nests, their young, against the savage attacks of butcher birds and kookaburras.

I  hear them scold each other when the soft feathers brought by one to line the nest doesn’t live up to the designer expectations of their mate (nothing less than 1000 thread count egyptian cotton for theses guys!).

I laughed with them as they hang from my plants after the sprinklers have been on, washing their iridescent plummage, shrieking with delight. Then they stick around, their eyes bright, waiting hopefully for the shower to start again. When I give in and flick the tap, they fluff their wings and cheep with a high pitched squeal of joy that would do my nieces proud…

Even Zeus the wonder staffie knows that the backyard is to be shared with these little fellas and watches out for them with bullterrier like zeal!

Ned Kelly at Glaskins Gallery

And of course, while everyone can be a fan, someone has to wear the number 1

Her biggest fan

And we all love you too Helene. And Morgan and Rafe and all the rest of your progeny. May there be as many of them as there are Neds.

Brother Graham

Toni in Eleanor Dark's studio

I met Toni through the LongLines programme at Varuna. We spent a week living in Eleanor Dark’s house along with Meg Mooney, a poet from Alice Springs, Liana Christensen from Perth and David Wright from Tasmania by way of Africa. The week was facilitated and mentored by Peter Bishop – a living national treasure!  It was a wonderful opportunity to talk to other writers about their work and inspirations (and drink red wine, stoke the fire and contemplate life, of course!) Hopefully over the next few months I’ll introduce you to all of them in my blog. The question you need to answer to be in the running for a copy of Border Watch is at the end of the Toni’s post!

So welcome, Toni, it’s great to have you here. I had the privilege of hearing some of your stories when we had our nightly readings at Varuna. They are wonderful, colourful snapshots of your world, full of unforgettable characters. How did you come to be a writer? How did your childhood shape your writing?

I have always loved writing. It started with my days at boarding school when my Mum wrote me long letters from home and I wrote long ones back.  I think my letters were mainly about my boyfriends and asking for more money and not too much about school, but English and Art were my favourite subjects.   My Mum wrote long letters about what everyone was doing on the station – who came and went, who had babies and who won the Melbourne Cup Sweep.

I am the eldest of 10 children.  I was born in Alice Springs in 1955 and returned to Katherine when my mother left my father in 1960.  Very shortly after she met my step father Bill Tapp. My mother, younger brother Billy and sister Shing moved out to Killarney Station 270 kms south west of Katherine.  Bill Tapp had just bought Killarney and it was a pretty wild place, no fences, no housing, very little water.  My mother’s two younger brothers were working for him along with a few aboriginal stockmen. When we arrived at Killarney there was only a bough shed.  We camped out in swags at night and slept in an upturned water tank in the wet season.  We lived like this for about 2 or 3 years before moving to another location on the station. We built a better shed.

My lovely and sad step father rode the heights of richness and power, but died a sad lonely alcoholic at Killarney Station in 1993, with three cattle stations in receivership and 2 huge court cases with the NT Government and Elders GM – legacy for the family to sort out.  It has long been settled and I put it all down to good character building stuff!  I have six brothers and three sisters and 8 of us still live in NT. Some  have cattle stations and most of us girls are involved in the arts, though my husband and I managed cattle stations for many years in the Borroloola area and the VRD.  We all competed at Campdrafts and Rodeos.

My writing has centered around the people, the characters, and my life of growing up on a cattle station in the Northern Territory, as well as the characters and people I meet around town.  I had an amazing childhood growing up with traditional aboriginal people, being part of, observing and learning about their way of life.  I went hunting with the old ladies, they taught me about tracking, how to make fire, to corroboree and how to live off the land.  They also taught us respect, truth and integrity, as did my parents.

Wonderful, grounding wisdom, Toni. You now live in Katherine, which to many Australians is a town somewhere near Darwin, way up north where the crocs are huge and beer bottles even bigger. Tell us a bit about the town and how it influences your writing.

Katherine is the centre of the universe…LOL.    A town of 10,000 people, it is the hub centre for a region the size of Victoria which covers the area from the Queensland boarder in the gulf across to Kununnurra on the Western Australian border. The total population of the Katherine Region, outside the township, is 18,000 people.  (Which is why it is the centre of the universe…LOL.)

The main industries are tourism, Defence (RAAF Base Tindal), pastoral and mining. Hundreds of thousands of white Braham cattle are sent off to the live export boats to Indonesia, Philippines etc.

Jeez, I am getting off the track.  The people?…Katherine is a crazy town.  33% of the population identify as indigenous, we have the large Defence base personal and a strong Filipino community as well as a highly transient community where people come for work during the tourist season, and the mango picking in October.

Those of us who are born and bred here are considered the ‘Locals.’  Often if you ask some one how long they have been here they will say.’I have been here for 20 years but I am not a local.’  Funny how we create these unseen psychological barriers with ourselves about who we are and where we belong.

Katherine  has long had a history of social issues concerning alcohol abuse, urban drift from indigenous communities and the ‘long grassers’ people living around the outside of the town and in the Katherine River.  Oh … and we have an amazing River that begins in southern Arnhem Land, leads into the Katherine Gorge, the Daly River, and into the ocean near the WA Border. This River has featured in my writing in the last few years as we went through a devastating flood in 1998.  1.3 metres of water went through my house and 2 metres through the shop in the middle of town.

Our writing group KROW (Katherine Region of Writers) produced a book in 1999 covering the stories of the Flood.  The River features in our group’s story writing all the time.  Whether it is fishing or croc story, a drowning or a murder, suicide or sex, there is plenty of inspiration flowing from this source. I had the pleasure of working with Sydney Playwright, Alana Valentine, whom our group had met through the Varuna Longlines Program a few years ago.  I conduced interviews and did research for Alana to write a play called ‘WATERMARK’ about the Katherine Flood.  The play won an AWGIE in 2009 and Alana is currently in the studio turning it into a radio play for Radio National to be aired some time this year on AIRPLAY.  The play is also going to be the feature performance at the annual Katherine Festival in  August.

Living in a small town provides you with an up close and personal experience of people that you may not get in cities.  I have written stories about picking up a drunken aboriginal women and the story she told me as we drove home, a story about a funny funeral and the conversation I had with a taxi driver one night.  I find it amazing what strangers will tell you in a short space of time…It’s underlying story I guess is of loneliness and not feeling like any one is listening to you.

And that loneliness can strike anywhere, even in the middle of a busy capital city, can’t it. You’re actively involved in the Arts community in the Northern Territory. Give us some insights into your favourite events/publications?

I have just taken on the position of the Executive Officer of Katherine Regional Arts. I have worked on and off with this org for about 4 years in a contract position delivering arts projects to remote communities.  I was able to instigate 2 new indigenous festivals at Timber Creek 300kms west of Kath, and Binjari just 15kms out of Kath.  I have collaborated with Young Voices of Melbourne Choir to share a traditional song with the Mialli People at Kybrook Farm 90kms north of Kath.  The Melbourne Choir learnt the song then performed at Kybrook (pop 100) with the Kybrook Choir.   An artist girlfriend and I have produced a series of large 2m story banners in a number of communities and these are fantastic. I have organised bands and performances and have been the Chairperson of the Katherine Festival for 6 years and Chair of the Katherine Country Music Muster. I am now also doing a second stint as Alderman on the Katherine Town Council. All these experiences and activities are inspiring and creative and add to the experience of living in a small town.  Not that I think 10,000 is really that small.

I’m the Regional Vice President of the NT Writers Centre.  The NTWC has been a huge help to myself and other local writers in developing our writing and providing opportunities for workshops etc with visiting professional writers, and I have had the pleasure of meeting many of Australia’s top writers such as Helen Garner, Alexis Wright, Shaun Tan, William McInnes along with emerging new writers such as Helene Young from Cairns.  I met Plucka Duck who came to the Katherine Festival for a duck race in the 1990’s!  The arts and writing have allowed me to see and do things that most Australians will never see, all in little ole remote Katherine Town

Ha, thanks for the vote of confidence Toni! Did Plucka Duck stay in costume the whole time?? Must have been roasting in the heat….(sorry…)

I know you helped produce several anthologies. Tell us a bit about them.

KROW has produced 7 anthologies since its inception in 1991. I have seen our professionalism and experience grow over these years.  Along with the ‘Katherine’s Comin Down’ Stories of the 1998 Katherine Flood we have produced ‘Limestone Lilies and Liars’ (LLL) , a collection of short fiction stories.  ‘Chilies Cheats and Chocolates’ (CCC) a collection of stories with a food theme and in 2009 ‘Make-believe Magic and Mayhem (MMM)’ a collection of children’s stories. I have taught my self Photoshop and designed the covers of the books.  The most recent book, MMM, we totally produced on our own and had it printed on www.lulu.com from the USA. This has been very successful and half the price of self publishing anywhere else.

There’s a core of about 5 people who have been involved in KROW for the past 10 years and self publishing has not only given us an outlet for our own writing, but helped us to develop  our own skills in editing, proofing, layout etc because of the cost of accessing these can be prohibitive for a small hobby group. I have had various works published in a variety of genres and have been short listed for the NT Literary Awards.

Self publishing has worked for your group and as you point out, you learn so much about the process when you do your own editing etc. What are you working on at the moment?

I have huge vault of short stories, interviews and ramblings and am currently working on a creative non fiction collection of stories about my early life growing up on a cattle station in the outback.  I have completed about 13 stories, approx 2,000 – 3,500 words.

I had hoped to get my manuscript a bit further advanced and I feel it’s close to completion.  I don’t have as many stories raging around in my head as I did just six months ago for this particular project, however my social life always seems to take over.  I still don’t have a title for the book which is most annoying…

I will have a story published in Meanjin in the March 2010 Issue and this came from meeting the editor and writer, Sophie Cunningham, who did an NT Writers Centre  tour in the NT last year.

The Tapp family – in other words my mother and I, the family gatekeepers –  have been asked to provide an exhibition about my father and Killarney at the local Museum in July 2010.  I do the odd weekend work at the Museum, so this is another source of inspiration. I have a lot of material from when I started to write his story, so I intend to get this into a little book with photos for etc for that.  I will self publish it on www.lulu.com

Bill Tapp sounds fascinating and it is so important to record those histories before the memories are lost. How do you write? Do you have an outline, an idea or a scene in your head that grows as the story progresses?

I just waffle as is evident from the above!  LOL.

I have the storage bank of my mind from my childhood and my life in general, but I also love writing the stories about contemporary Katherine NT.

At the moment I am focusing on the first 12 years of my life.  With my large family and my mother still living in the Katherine area, we have a huge intellectual base of family stories.  Christmas is a good time as we get together more and laugh and share stories.

The most recent story I have written was sparked when I asked my brother Billy.

’What is your earliest memory of living at Killarney, other than mustering cattle and riding horses?’ He immediately replied.  ‘The day Nita and I were playing with matches and we burnt the old saddle shed down.’

This immediately brought to mind Nita, whom I had given little thought to until he said this.  Nita is (was) a full blood Aboriginal girl who was my best friend until she was sent off to her promise husband, ‘Vincent Lingiari’ who was famous for the leading the ‘Wave Hill Walk Off’  in 1966. This sparked a whole story of the games we played and the aboriginal ladies teaching us to dance corroborees, picking nits out of our hair etc etc.  I wrote the story in about4 hours.

I never thought I would see her again a she had gone to live a very traditional life and I assumed she had lots of children.  Then one day, thirty years later, I saw Nita in the main Street of Katherine in front of my dress shop, very drunk, fighting with her man, throwing her clothes off as she screamed and yelled.  I knew it was her because she had a very distinctive hand with three missing fingers.  I talked to her and convinced her to put her clothes back on and she disappeared wobbling drunkenly down the street, still reading the mans pedigree to him and telling him what she was going to do with him when they got home. I heard that she died about 3 or 4 years ago in the long grass in Darwin.

Toni, it’s been fabulous learning about life in the Northern Territory. I can hear your voice as I read your post. It’s so vibrant!

Darwin hosts the Wordstorm Festival in March and I’m looking forward to catching up with you there. There’s a fantastic line up literary talent headed up north.

And so to the question!

What’s your earliest childhood memory.

Were you four years old and your older brother was teasing you? Maybe you were an early starter and can remember the ‘terrible twos’. Or was it something like Toni’s memories of growing up on a cattle station? Is it a happy memory?

So much of what we write seems to start with those early years. We’ll put Toni in the hot seat and choose one by Saturday morning!

On Varuna's front step

Border Watch - March 2010

It’s my turn this week to be a guest on someone else’s blog. Kylie Griffin, fantasy fiction writer and contest maestro, is hosting me at her blog  - www.kyliegriffin.com.

Drop by and have a chat. I’m giving away a signed copy of Border Watch and, in the interest of broadening my knowledge of Australia, the question I’m asking is about your favourite corner of Oz. As an east coast tragic I’m going to enjoy peeping into other people’s slice of paradise – the west, the centre, down south of the Tropic of Capricorn or further north even! Looking forward to it.

Helene

Welcome to my blog, Kylie. It’s lovely to have you here. Hope your Christmas and New Year were full of fun and laughter. I loved reading your blog about your goals for 2010.

Thanks for the invitation, Helene!

I had a lovely cold Christmas lunch with my parents here at home. Unfortunately my sister and her fiance were working and they were unable to join us but we rang to catch up.

It is so hard to get everyone together isn’t it? A cold lunch sounds just perfect for an Aussie Christmas! So tell us a bit about the genre you’re writing. Was this your original genre?

I breathe, live and love the fantasy/sci-fi/paranormal romance genre.  I can’t remember a time I wasn’t interested in it.

I grew up watching as much of this genre on TV or in movies as I could and this interest shifted to reading in my early high school years. It was a natural extension to want to write in this genre.

I think mum and dad wondered if I was a changeling -lol- because no one else in the family had an interest in it (and still don’t).

I have this great image of ‘changeling Kylie’ being deposited on a doorstep…! When did your passion for writing  first develop?

I’ll answer this question in a round about way.

My addiction to sf/f/p began when I discovered Dr.Who, a British TV series (which scared the pants of a very impressionable 7 year old, let me tell you), Battlestar Galactica (the original ’70′s version) and Star Wars (no way was I ever playing with Barbie dolls when I could be a X-wing pilot or a Jedi Apprentice vanquishing the Dark Side).

A high school librarian introduced me to Andre Norton and Anne McCaffrey,  wonderfully inspiring sf/fantasy authors.  I enjoyed the action packed adventures, the real-life characters they created and the hints of romance in Ms.McCaffrey’s Dragons of Pern books!

Of course, being a teenage girl, I caved under peer pressure and read the Sweet Valley High teen romances. I liked the idea of both sf/f/paranormal and romance genres, but couldn’t find  books combining both, it was one or the other. I decided to write my own combination genre!

From then on I was hooked and determined to be a writer. Now, take note all you English high school teachers! – I had two different English teachers who actively encouraged my creative writing through high school. Without them I doubt I’d have progressed beyond being a hobby writer. I still keep in touch with them – one day they’ll be listed on the dedications page of my first book.

With sf/f/p romance, I love the idea of characters that are larger than life, or stranger than life as the case may be, grappling with age old issues but with a twist eg. using magic or psi-powers, living with demons, being half-demon, mixing it up with other extra-terrestrial species while travelling to other worlds through portals/via space vessels etc…the list could go on.

I also enjoy world-building, creating whole cultures and species. A lot of it resides in my head but once I put fingers to keyboard, I create a world almanac (scraps of paper with scrawled notes until I write it up formally in a journal).

This was my childhood approach. I used to spend a great portion of my afternoons in the backyard or wandering the farm, imagining myself in another world on an adventure. I’d invent an invisible cast if I couldn’t con my sister or friends to join me. I never thought to write things down but boy, did I have a vivid imagination.

I think a lot of writer can relate to those imaginary worlds filled with imaginary characters. I certainly can! So, Kylie, I understand you’re taking a year off from teaching to concentrate on writing. What prompted this decision? Do you think you’ll miss your classroom? What are you looking forward to most?

In the mid-90′s the Dept.of Education developed the Deferred Teachers’ Salary Scheme. Teachers apply to join the scheme and if accepted 20% of their pay is put away for 4 years. They then take the 5th year off with right of return to the position they held previously. It’s to give teachers a chance to undertake further study, go on sabbatical or do something other than teaching, and they can use the money they’ve saved during that 5th year as income.

I signed up in 2001 – did a lot of travelling and visiting friends, photography at A.C.E., farm-sat, discovered patchworking, wrote … spent time doing things I wouldn’t normally indulge in.  Refreshed and energised, I went back to teaching, but I loved the time so much I wanted to do it again later so I signed up in 2005.

Yes, I’m definitely going to miss the kids and the classroom, but I’m also glad for a break.  I work in a two-teacher school so I play a sort of administrative/executive role – very time demanding, stressful and wearing. I view this year off as the chance to recharge.

Five years ago I also became more goal orientated and serious about writing as a full time career instead of being a ‘part-time-when-I-could-fit-it-in thing’. I entered competitions with a vengeance – as much as my budget allowed – and with feedback from these comps I began honing my skills.

Over the last couple of years all that hard work started to pay off – I  began to final more and more. I started multi-placing. I found an agent in early 2009 and we started working on the mss I’d pitched to her. Now there’s interest from several major publishing houses, but nothing too exciting. Yet.

Unfortunately, I also lost my agent late last year. Due to economic reasons she’s had to close her business, so I’m back on the agent hunt treadmill.

What am I really looking forward to? I’m hoping this year I’ll receive THE CALL (positive visualization here). The timing of this year off is fortuitous – semi-planned career move, but also reliant on how things go on the agent/publishing front (more on that in a moment).

I’m entering US competitions in a continued effort to build my writing resume. I believe consistency and dedication to your passion is an important selling point. I also want to focus on getting another two to three new single title books written/drafted.

Back to career decisions – if this all pans out, I’ll have a hard decision to make at the end of the year about when to switch careers and make writing my full-time job and casual teaching my second job. It’s a wait and see game, but this is my ultimate goal.

Kylie's Dragon

All the very best with those career decisions – you’re so focused I’m sure 2010 will be your year. (And I had no idea the Education Department was so staff friendly…)  Kylie, I have to ask, where do you get your inspiration? Your stained glass doors with dragons and fairies sound magical, so is your writing environment important to your creativity?

The windows are fantastic, aren’t they? I get lots of compliments from visitors. My friend, Robyn, a multi-skilled craftswoman, made them. We took weeks to get the designs just right and she spent almost four months making them. They’re beautiful! If I ever have to move from here they’re coming with me (lol)!

The inspiration for my stories are as varied as the stimulii that started me daydreaming. I find images very evocative, some pieces of music resonate, the lyrics of a song hit home, a type of character or scene from a movie or show captures my attention and I begin the game of what if?.

And yes, my writing environment is very important to me. I’ve made my home my ground-floor castle and have surrounded myself with all things from my genre. I have gargoyles guarding my garden (affectionately named Boo & Screech), terracotta figurines of fairies, castles, cats, magical wishing trees and dragons scattered around my garden, wind-chimes anywhere I can hang them.

Inside I have an office/library with shelves of romance/sci-fi/fantasy, reference books and my To Be Read Pile within easy reach, inspirational quotes posted on the walls and a large desk for my computer and associated writing paraphenalia. I burn incense and scented candles all the time when I’m writing, sometimes I play music and my lap top goes everywhere I go (except the bathroom).

Most importantly I have a Writer at Work-Do Not Disturb sign that I hang on my door when I work on my books. Most people now understand I’m serious about writing once I began making a habit of hanging that on my front door.

I might have to try hanging a sign up myself… Congrats on your impressive contest portfolio. You’ve had wins in The Clendon, The Emma Darcy, and the Valerie Parv award in 2009.  Well done! What do you think these contests have contributed to your writing and what advice would you give new authors embarking on the writing journey?

The Clendon Award

Thank you – 2009 was an amazing year. Hard to believe sometimes but I’m ecstatic to have achieved so many of my goals. I really wish my last goal of having Hugh Jackman accompany me to the awards dinner could have been realised – sigh – oh, well, there’s always this year, eh?

Yes, I do believe these contests have helped my craft. No doubt about it. I live in an isolated, rural village in NSW Australia (pop.203), so writers, particularly ones in my genre, are pretty rare in my neck of the woods. There are no writing groups, no crit partners within easy driving distance (at least until the RWA started the CP Scheme), so my main source of feedback came from competitions like The Clendon, The EDA, the VPA and Emerald.

When I get my scoresheets from a contest I analyse them to find common threads, positive and negative. Then if I think something could be improved or altered to make the story better I do it. The most valuable comments are those from judges who show me how to do something rather than just telling me – I’m a try-by-picking-apart-an-example-and-reconstructing-it instead of a big picture learner.

My advice for new writers – I’m taking a well used saying from the Clendon Award here and adding a bit -

* “Finish the damn book!” and do it over and over again.

* Write every day – on things to do with writing, not just your book. Keep your skills honed.

* Join a writing organisation (like Romance Writers of Australia or New Zealand or America) and go to their annual conferences. You get so much out of mixing with other writers.

* Don’t be afraid to enter competitions – you get so much value out of feedback once you get over the fear factor of putting your work out there.

* Learn about the industry by asking questions – of other writers, published authors, industry professionals.

* If you want to become a published writer be prepared to work hard, never say die, develop a thick skin, a ton of patience and a barrel-full of stubbornness. (I often think we writers are a masochistic lot, heh, heh!)

I love the motto on your website –“Perseverance, patience and pigheadedness; all good tools of a writer”.  I think we can all relate to them. (And maybe Hugh can make it to your Book Launch!) So where to for you now? How’s the mentorship with Valerie Parv going? Are you working on a new story?

I’m getting a shirt with that motto emblazoned on it one day! Want one?

Where to for me now? Well, that ties in with the question about Valerie. I’m only four months into the mentorship and can’t say just how amazing an opportunity this is. She’s been critiquing the manuscript that came 3rd in the VPA and I’ve been agreeing or wrestling with her suggestions and comments. Most times her advice has been spot on and I’m now rewriting bits and pieces and making the ms stronger.

I’ve also been drawing on her many years of experience and asking plenty of questions about the industry. It’s been invaluable and I have no doubt I’ll cry when the new VPA winner is announced (because I won’t want to lose her!)

January/February’s main focus will be hunting for a new agent. I’m also continuing to work on the ms with Valerie. I’ve spent the last couple of years writing fantasy romances and feel the need to get back to the sci-fi romance genre, so I’m going to start with the second book in my sf romance series.

Kylie, thanks so much for taking the time to visit – I love reading about other writer’s journeys. Everyone’s experience is so different and I guess that’s what makes our stories unique. I’m looking forward to seeing your books on a shelf soon. I’m sure there’s a wonderful agent waiting in the wings for you!

Helene, thanks for the opportunity to blog with you, you had some great questions.  I’ve really enjoyed visiting!

The Back Door Fairy!

You can find Kylie at www.kyliegriffin.com. She’s a sf/f/paranormal romance writer disguised as a primary school teacher, living in a small village in outback New South Wales, Australia. Kylie shares her home with 3 cats – Splat, Pandaemonium and Furball. By day she teaches in a small 2 teacher school in rural NSW. But in the evenings, and wee small hours of the early morning, she creates fiery, feisty heroines and strong heroes who demand that their stories be told – whether it be in worlds futuristic or fantasy, on a spaceship or creature-back, the characters guarantee an adventure from the first page to the last.