Christmas is Coming (and signed books make excellent gifts)

November 17, 2023 by Sally

It’s only 38 days until Christmas and if you, like me, are behind in your Christmas shopping, let me remind you that giving a young person in your life a book signed by a real author is a wonderful way to celebrate reading.

I don’t often do a direct sell through my website (or elsewhere) because I love when shoppers support book and mortar book stores. But I do have some books which are no longer available in stores, and so, if you would like one of the following books, drop me a line and we can arrange a sale. You will also be helping me to clean out my book cupboard and perhaps pay for some travel for research in the new year.

Doggy Duo. Published way back in 2003, this was my first ever trade title, published by Banana Books, and illustrated by Teresa Culkin-Lawrence. Featuring two chapter book stories for younger readers, this has a unique format – the two stories are published back to back, so one cover says Little Dog, the other The Dog Ate My Homework, and when the reader finishes the first, they close the book, flip it and start the other. Because of its age, and the fact that I have quite a lot of stock of this one, price is $8 posted anywhere in Australia.
Snowy’s Christmas. This very Australian picture book (published by Random House and illustrated by David Murphy) tells the story of Snowy, a white kangaroo who – you guessed it – gets to help Santa pull his sleigh. Perfect for Australian kids, but also for sending overseas. Price is $20 including postage anywhere in Australia.
Pemberthy Bear. One of my earliest picture books, this hard covering offering was illustrated by award winning artist Jacqui Grantford, and published by new Frontier. What’s not to love about a rhyming tale of a grumpy bear who is gradually persuaded to sing a duet? Limited stock of this one. Price is $30 posted anywhere in Australia.
The Floatingest Frog. Another picture book, illustrated by Simon Bosch and also published by New Frontier, this is a fun story about sibling rivalry, as well as a retelling of an Aesop’s fable. Posted anywhere in Australia for $25.

I also have limited stock of The Sage Cookson series (8 titles) and Brace Yourself (links will give you more info on each title). Contact me for prices including postage.

Still in print and therefore hopefully available from a brick and mortar bookstore near you:

Do Not Forget Australia

Toppling

Pearl Verses the World

(NB – I support local book sellers by not actively hand selling my books in print. But if you can’t get a copy locally, or super duper want a signed copy, contact me)

Poetry Friday: Dear Herbert

October 6, 2023 by Sally

Hello from Adelaide!

I am really fortunate to be here as the guest of the May Gibbs Children’s Literature Trust, on a Creative Time Fellowship. These fellowships are amazing: each recipient is given the gift of time and space to write, or illustrate, for a whole month.

And what a gift that is. Like so many other creators, I have a day job which keeps me busy, and has kept me especially busy over the Covid years. So the gift of a month out of the daily routine, with accommodation and a change of location so that I don’t slip into usual routines, is amazing. Couple that with the loveliest support from the volunteers at the trust, to ensure I have everything I need, and I could well be in heaven.

While I am here, my goal is to complete drafts of two books – a verse novel and a historical. Both are projects I have planned for some time, and I am really excited to have time to get them down.

The verse novel actually started out as a picture book manuscript, which I just could not get right and so kept putting aside. But, no matter how much I neglected it, for several years the main character Herbert has been whispering to me that I needed to write his story. And, eventually, I realised that Herbert, and the other characters, were going to need more space than a picture book provided, to each tell their stories. They needed a verse novel.

So when I sat down here in Adelaide I had a plan for this story, and was ready to start writing. But something very unexpected happened. Herbert, it seemed, was not going to behave himself. While the other characters were very aware that verse novels are usually written in free verse, Herbert seemed to have other ideas. In fact, he seems to have a poetic mind all of his own!

So, it seems, I am writing a verse novel where the main character just breaks out into rhyme like a Winnie the Pooh sidekick (I half expect a tiddly-pom to appear at any moment). But, oddly, it seems to be working, so far, and I am just going with the flow. And, while I don’t generally share drafts of my work in progress here on my blog, it seemed a good exercise to write to Herbert and tell him what I think about his penchant for rhyme.

Dear Herbert

You’ve been whispering to me for years
telling me your story
dropping little reminders –
like the beautiful daffodils
that bloomed so delightfully
this Spring
and the homeless man I encountered
on my walk this morning.
You have made sure
that I won’t leave your story
to rot
in my ideas folder
or notepad.
You have whispered
plot points
at random times –
some of them most inopportune.
And I have listened
and set aside this time
to get your story into shape.
But why
oh why
oh why
did you not ever tell me
that you must speak in rhyme?
Yours in bemusement
Sally

It didn’t surprise me that Herbert decided he must write back.

Dear Sally

I have a story

that much is true

which I’ve whispered and muttered

and shouted to you.

You’ve taken your time

to pay me good heed –

the years have gone by

since I planted the seed.

I’ve waited, impatient,

for my day to come

and meantime it seems

I have mastered the drum

of rhythm and rhyme

and all it can do

so pick up the pace

and carry it through.

You’ll see that my story

will work out this way

with your free verse sincerity

and my sense of play.

Love, Herbert

Somehow, I think Herbert is right. The little pockets of rhyme are very fun to create and, hopefully, will give a sense of play in the midst of more serious moments. Time will tell.

I’m getting back to work now, but not before I head over to see what my fellow Poetry Fridayers are doing today. The roundup is hosted by Matt. And, if you’d like to keep up with what I’m doing in Adelaide, I’m posting daily glimpses on Instagram .

A poem to pair with Queen Narelle

September 20, 2023 by Sally

I have been enjoying reading a poetry collection Please Mrs Butler, by Allan Ahlberg (Penguin, 1983) which is a varied collection of poems about school life. One poem, in particular, stood out to me, as being ideal for reading, and discussing, alongside Queen Narelle.

So, If you are reading Queen Narelle in your classroom, or your home, you might enjoy Small Quarrel, which is available online at the CLP website here, with a video reading by the poet, which I have also embedded below.

You might discuss the similarities and differences between the poem and the events of Queen Narelle. I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Poetry Friday: This is Just to Say

September 15, 2023 by Sally

This week I have been thinking about where ideas for books, stories and poems come from, which has led to two blog posts – about the origins of Queen Narelle (here) and also Head Hog (here) .

And, as often happens when I start thinking on a subject, I get hyper-focussed (hello ADHD brain!) and so, when I sorted through some old poems yesterday, and stumbled across the one I’m about to share, I knew I had a topic for a Poetry Friday post – which is very good, because it has been a while since I Poetry Fridayed, in spite of my best intentions.

Anyway, here is the poem I found in my archives:

This is just to say

I have eaten

the cake

that was in

the pantry

and which

you were probably

saving

for visitors.

Forgive me

We had

no peaches

and no icy plums.

(Sally Murphy, 2017)

If you are a poetry lover, you will probably instantly guess that the idea for this poem came from the very famous William Carlos Williams poem of the same title, which you can read here. And you would be correct.

Williams’ poem has a really special place in my heart because it is the first free verse poem I remember being introduced to – in Year 8 English. As in many schools, we were asked to write our own ‘This is Just to Say’ poems. I have a really visceral memory of realising that poetry could be about anything – and, importantly, did not have to rhyme. I was already a great lover of poetry, but this poem changed my life!

Later, much later, I wrote Pearl Verses the World, in which Pearl’s relationship with her Granny is heighted by their shared loved of poetry. Pearl remembers:

One day Granny read me

A poem

About a man stealing a plum.

(Sally Murphy, 2009)

and her surprise that it didn’t rhyme. Granny’s response:

…didn’t you know

A poem does not have to rhyme?

It does not have to be written

In a certain way

At a certain time.

No.

A poem comes

When it is needed

And writes itself

In the way it needs

To get its point across.

(Sally Murphy, 2009).

Of course, this little scene is a nod to Williams’ poem (as well as to the lovely relationship between Pearl and her much-loved Granny). But I don’t name the poem – which means not all readers will know the allusion, and that is fine. But, a few years after the book was published, it was made into a play by Jigsaw Theatre in Canberra, and I was fortunate enough to go and see the play. Seeing my book come to life in this way was always going to be amazing, but there was the most AMAZING moment when, at a key point in he play, some lines from Williams’ poem were cleverly revealed on the stage. I cried. The producers had not only figured out the allusion but had cleverly incorporated part of the poem into the set.

I could write about this all day, but to get back to the poem I wrote in 2017, several years later: while working on my Doctorate, focussing on children’s poetry, I decided to experiment a little with using famous poems as mentor texts. And, of course, I had to use Williams’ poem. I tried to picture what food it would be that I would be unable to resist – and chocolate cake seemed likely. But those plums had to get a mention too!

Speaking of being unable to resist things – I am off to check out more poetry courtesy of my fellow Poetry Fridayers. You can, too, by following the roundup hosted this week by Rose.

Where Do Ideas Come From? The origins of Head Hog

September 14, 2023 by Sally

My post about the origins of Queen Narelle has left me thinking about where the ideas for my other stories came from. So I thought I’d share perhaps the most ridiculous origin story.

The first two trade books I had accepted for publication were Doggy Duo, which

Doggie Duo

included two stories about dogs, and The Floatingest Frog, a picture book about, you guessed it, frogs.

The Floatingest Frog One day I was talking to someone about my writing and they asked “what are you going to write next.?’ I don’t know what inspired me, but I said flippantly ‘Well, I’ve written about dogs and frogs, so I guess the next one will be hogs.’ I don’t remember if the person laughed, groaned or just smiled politely at that response, but the idea to write a book about a hog remained in my brain as a tiny seed.

It wasn’t the next book I wrote, but the desire to write a book about a hog didn’t go away. Eventually I brainstormed some ideas, and came up with the idea of a Head Hog. It reminded me a little of hedgehog, but also of Boss Hogg, a character in a 70s TV show.

I started asking myself what would a head hog be like. I decided that my hog would take the role of being Head Hog very seriously – too seriously – so that it would take a much younger hog to show him how to have fun. And, eventually, I wrote the story that, after much revision and rewriting, became Head Hog, and was published by Koala Books with wonderful illustrations by Ben Wood.

Unfortunately, it is no longer in print, but I do still regularly read it at school and library visits, and it is a lot of fun. – and a reminder of how little ideas can grow into fun, complex stories.

Much much later I wondered if, having written about dogs, frogs and hogs, if I could perhaps write about logs. You can be the judge of the success of that: this poem is my very quick attempt:

Logs

There are many poems about frogs

There are many poems about dogs

There are many poems about hogs

But not many about logs

So let’s write about a log

And see if it’s such a hard slog.

A frog sat on a log

A dog sat on a log

A hog sat on a log

And that was the end of the log.

Proof that not all my ideas (or all my poems) are good ones.!

Where Do Ideas Come From? The origins of Queen Narelle

September 13, 2023 by Sally

I’ve been sorting through old drafts and folders, and came across this poem, which I wrote some years ago as part of a Facebook challenge (the set topic was ‘blue’).

Not exactly a work of art, but today I took a photo of it and shared it on Instagram – and then was left thinking about how, sometimes, poems, and stories too, really do seem to just appear, and I know I have to write them down and share them. This led me to ponder how ideas really can come from just about anywhere.

Take Queen Narelle as an example. The idea from this book came from a fairly random sequence of events. In 2008 I wrote Pearl Verses the World (and THAT story came to me from a voice in my head that insisted I write her story). A year later, it was published, with gorgeous illustrations by Heather Potter. When I was busy promoting the book, a boy called Cassidy emailed some questions for me to answer from Pearl’s perspective. These were really perceptive questions – Cassidy was a very cluey nine year old. You can read the interview here.

So, Cassidy asked me/Pearl, ‘what is your cat’s name?’ and I have to admit this stumped me – because I had not given Pearl a cat. There is no mention of a cat in the story I wrote. BUT Cassidy had seen Pearl’s cat – there in several of Heather Potter’s gorgeous illustrations. So, if I was answering as Pearl, I couldn’t say I didn’t know the cat’s name. I thought fast, and gave the cat the name of a cat from my own childhood: Narelle.

The interview was published and I moved on. Except, I kept thinking about that cat. Because there is a humorous reason we called our cat Narelle. Narelle, you see, is the sound a cat makes. It doesn’t say miaow – it says Naarrellllllleee. And, having remembered that fact, I couldn’t stop thinking about a cat called Narelle. Eventually I decided that Narelle deserved a story of her own.

When I sat down to write, however, it wasn’t Pearl’s cat, or even my ‘real’ cat, that seemed to want to have their story told. It was a different cat. And she was determined to tell her story in her own voice. The first draft of Queen Narelle didn’t take long to write – and it was all from Narelle’s first person viewpoint.

Since 2009 that first draft has had many revisions and edits, including adding in a second narrator – Maddie, Narelle’s favourite human. Doing this made the story richer, more complete, but I have always loved writing in Narelle’s voice. It was lots of fun, even though there are tricky things happening in the book. Those things evolved from me trying to figure out what problems a cat might have, or witness, and how a cat might be involved in their resolution.

So, in this case, the idea came from a simple question about one cat, and a chain of thoughts about that cat, and a very demanding cat demanding to be written about.

Of course, other stories and poems have their origins in other places. I might write about some of my other story origins in coming posts.

sallymurphy.com.au

Sally Murphy, Australian author