sallymurphy.com.au

Sally Murphy, Australian author

Queen Narelle: One Week to Go!

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Seven more sleeps! Only seven more sleeps!  That’s if I CAN sleep!  Because I am super super super dooper excited that in just one week Queen Narelle is released into the world!

This little cat has been in my head and heart for a very long time so it is wonderful to see her story – and her human Maddie’s story –  finally ready to get into your head and heart too. And your hands!

This time next week I will be happy dancing like crazy – although, if I’m honest, the dancing has already begun here. I’m also dancing on Instagram where I have been creating a court for my queen with some fairly average photo editing. There’s  Baron von Dash:

Princess Tabby:

 

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A post shared by Sally Murphy (@sallymurphyauthor)

and more. If you want to meet them all, you can follow me on Instagram.

I’ve also been delighted to see the first two reviews for Queen Narelle. Brenton Cullen, at Bookseller & Publisher says Queen Narelle  is

an affectionately rich and heartwarming story, perfect for readers aged 7–11.

and  Sam at Lamont Books says it is:

A beautiful story of family support, love, friendship issues and overcoming them, and the joy and love that pets bring to our lives, perfect for middle to upper primary readers.

Lamont have also named Queen Narelle their Primary Fiction Book of the Month.

With one week to go, you can order the book from Lamont online here or pop into your local bookstore and preorder.

In the meantime, thanks for dropping in, and have a wonderful week!

Featured Blogger Friday: Brenton Cullen

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It’s time once again for Featured Blogger Friday and today I welcome young writer and blogger Brenton Cullen, come to tell us about his blog. Welcome Brenton.

Firstly, why do you blog?
I blog because I feel like I have so many thoughts and concepts and ideas that I just feel like I immediately have to put out there, and putting your thoughts out via the Internet is one of the easiest ways. Also, it’s fun! 🙂
 
What do you blog about?
I blog about an entire variety of things, but mainly writing and just every day life experiences.

Who is your target readership?
I don’t actually write for a target or a particular group. I guess the readership is just whoever comes across my blog and finds it interesting.

How often do you blog?
Normally when something interesting is happening, but, on average, every couple of weeks or saw I show up with some new posts.
 
How much time do you devote to blogging?
Just whenever I am actually blogging, is when I devote the time to it I guess.

Do you have a favourite blog post?
Not really any posts, although I do enjoy the blogs of children’s writer Sandy Fussell and New York screenwriter Janet Lawler.

What do you see as the benefits of blogging? 
Being able to share things over the Internet with strangers that you don’t even know. You can never know who might be reading!
 
What blogging platform do you use and why?
I use Blogspot.com and only because it’s the first one I ever came across when I began my blog 3 years ago.

 
Lastly, when you are not blogging, what else do you do? 
Busy being a 9th Grade student! 😀

Thanks for dropping in Brenton.
You can visit Brenton at his blog here.

Brenton is Back

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Today, I welcome young writer Brenton Cullen to my blog. Brenton is here as part of his blog tour to promote his mystery book Ronda’s Gang and the Stolen Wallet. This is Brenton’s third visit to my blog, having previously taken up the challange to answer my seven questions, and also calling by on his tour to promote his other book, The Writers.
Welcome back Brenton. Because you’ve been busy on tour, answering lots of questions, I decided to mix things up a little and also set you a challenge. So, here it is. Insetad of the usual five or six questions, I’m going to ask you twenty questions. And, because I’m mean, I want you to answer each question in just one word. Think you’re up to it? Well, here goes.
1. Describe yourself.
Intelligent
2. Describe Ronda’s Gang and the Stolen Wallet.
Appealing
3. What kind of reader will enjoy Ronda’s Gang and the Stolen Wallet?
Kids
4. Describe Ronda.
Outgoing
5. Describe James.
Whiny
6. Describe Mrs Kratzman.
Cunning
7. Who is your favourite character in the book?
Ronda
8. Why?
Because.
9. What is the best part about being an author?
 Mail
10. What is the worst part about being an author?
Rejection
11. Describe your workspace.
Messy
12. What are you reading right now? (you can use more than one word if the title is longer)
Harry, A History: The True Story of A Boy Wizard, His Fans, and Life Inside the Harry Potter Phenomenon by Melissa Anelli
13. Are you enjoying it?
Yes.
14. Who is your favourite author?
JK Rowling
15. Why?
Creative.
16. What will you write next?
Fantasy
17. What is your ambition/dream?
MeetJKRowling!!
18. What did you do just before you started this interview?
Emailed
19. What will you do as soon as you finish it?
Write.
20. Why should people read your book?
Appealing
You’re a good sport, Brenton.
You can buy Ronda’s Gang online from Lulu, and can follow Brenton’s blog tour at
tips4youngwriters (18 March)
sallymurphy.blogspot.com (you’re here) and
Tales I Tell (21 March)

February Update

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I have decided that every month is a busy month, so instead of beginning by saying “February was a busy month”, I’m going to start with: February was a month. But I can’t resist saying that it was a happily busy month, with plenty of excitement and good things happening.
The biggest thing in my writing life this month was the arrival of an advance copy of Pearl verses the World. Holding this little gem in my hands for the first time was awesome, and I’ve been carrying it around everywhere I go to show it off. The release date, May 1, is still two months away, but I’m celebrating already and can’t wait for it to go on sale.
Also very exciting, the final line art for my new picture book, Snowy’s Christmas, has been delivered to the publisher, another step in the road to publication complete. David is doing such a good job with the artwork, and I’m sure the finished product will be divine.
February was also a time for me to ramp up my promotion efforts. Promoting published books is a big part of every published author’s work, but it is a challenge to come up with different ways to build the buzz about a book. To that end, I started a yahoogroup for Australian authors and bloggers who want to be involved in blog tours, called aussieblogtours. In a short space of time we have managed to build a small but enthusiastic group, and have already had three tours.
Our first tour was to spread the word about my own, The Big Blowie. I visited five blogs in five days. If you missed the tour, you can still read the posts (and see how a blog tour works) at the following blogs:
I also hosted the two other tours, by young author Brenton Cullen and the mysterious Tiffany Mandrake, which was lots of fun.
And, as if all that wasn’t enough, I went visiting to the Amory of Aardvarks blog on February 1
and again on February 8.
Amidst all this, I did manage to find plenty of time to write this month, with the Murphlets going back to school and leaving the house strangely quiet. I put the finishing touches on a verse novel and also a picture book, wrote some new poems and started planning two new projects. I also flitted up to Perth for a couple of day at the Apropos Poetry Festival organised by Writing WA, and to attend the February SCWBI WA meeting.
Finally, of course I read some wonderful Australian books and reviewed them for Aussiereviews. Seventeen new reviews were added in February.
That’s my news for February. Stay tuned in March, when I’ll be adding more interviews, writing advice and, of course, news.

Brenton’s Blog Bonanza

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Today I am fortunate enough to be hosting Brenton Cullen on day one of his blog tour to promote his wonderful book, The Writers: A Collection of Australian Writers’ Biographies. I am a big fan of Brenton’s. At just twelve years of age he is not just dreaming of becoming a published author – he is actually living the dream by being proactive and making it a reality.

Welcome Brenton.

1. Your name might be new to many of my readers. Can you tell them about yourself?

My name is Brenton Jay Cullen and I am 12, turning 13 in five months. I reside in Wondai, QLD in Australia and I am an avid reader and writer, and, of course, blogger! I have authored fifty manuscripts but have only successfully published three. I have a blog at www.bjcullen.blogspot.com and also www.brentoncullen.weebly.com

2. What inspired you to become an author? And what sort of support have you received from people around you?

I think I became an author just because for the sake of writing and also because it was something that I loved to do! I have received much support from my mother, my best friend (also an author), and emails, encouragement and words from fellow authors. Actually, I wish to personally thank: Sally Odgers, Hazel Edwards, Duncan Ball, Sally Murphy, and Di Bates.

3. How did you come to write ‘The Writers’? And how did you get such a wonderful list of authors involved?

I shall answer the first question first. I was very disappointed that my favorite author’s websites had little information about them REALLY! So I had a sparkly idea!: why not write their bios myself? I emailed them (these authors in the book were my favorite Aussie writers at the time) and it just snowballed from there!

4. A blog tour is one way to promote your book. What other things have you done to promote it?

Other ways have included: doing a signing, a mini-launch, selling books, obviously some bookmarks, and spreading the word about it, just like word of mouth.

5. What is the best thing about being a writer? And the worst thing?

Well, the best and worst thing may be different for each writer, but I think the best thing is just the joy of publication, and communicating with your fellow authors. The worst thing for me is the hard slog of ACTUALLY writing!!

6. What advice would you give other young writers?

This may sound strange but, anyway: don’t follow heaps of advice. Be your own creative person and write what YOU want, not what other people tell you to do.

Thank you so much for visiting and sharing, Brenton. Brenton’s book The Writers: A Collection of Australian Writers’ Biographies, can be purchased as a download or in paperback or hardcover versions from Lulu by clicking on this link.

To learn more about Brenton, you can follow his blog tour as he visits:
Spinning Pearls on Sunday, 22 February
And Tips for Young Writers on Monday, 23 February

You can also visit Brenton online at www.bjcullen.blogspot.com or www.brentoncullen.weebly.com and read a review of The Writers at Read and Reviewed.

Seven Answers to Seven Questions: Brenton Cullen

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Today young author Brenton Cullen joins us to share his answers to my seven questions. Welcome Brenton.

1. Tell us a little about your publication credits. If you have none, tell us about the genres you prefer to write, and your current projects.

Well, I have had stories published in magazines and an anthology that will be released next week. I have also published two books, a children’s one, and a non-fiction one. Recently I have completed a fantasy novel manuscript for ages 9-12 and that is with a publisher who has expressed some interest in it. Currently, I am planning two more books in a series, the fantasy novel being the first book, and working on an unrelated manuscript, as well.

2. How long have you been writing for children?

Since 2002. I have written fifty four manuscripts (plays, poems, stories included) but only two have been published!

3. How much time do you spend each week writing and/or revising? And how much time on other writing-related tasks such as promotion, researching markets and so on?

Well, as I am on school holidays, I am writing nearly every single day, averaging approximately two-three hours a day. But while I am at school, I do it in the afternoons for about an hour, and pretty much the same on weekends. Revising for me, usually comes at the end of a manuscript so it depends when I finish that specific book.
I am about to start research for a book Mess in the Middle Ages, so that will have to be squeezed in somewhere!

4. How much time do you spend reading children’s books? And what are you reading right now?

To answer your first question, ALL THE TIME!! Right now, I am re-reading Von Gobstopper’s Arcade by Alexandra Adornetto, and am about to start on Money Run by Jack Heath.

5. What advice would you give other would-be children’s writers, or share with other professional children’s writers?

New writers, get advice from publishers and author, and get a writing mentor. I cannot give advice to experienced writers: it’s like telling JK Rowling how to write Harry Potter!

6. What is your favourite online resource for children’s writers? Why?

I don’t really follow those online resources. But I do read magazines like Writing QLD and Reading Time, which are not online, because they are very interesting and helpful.

7. Do you have a website or blog? What else do you do to promote your published works and/or your writing skills?

My blog is at www.bjcullen.blogspot.com
I send around notices to magazines or newspapers asking if I could write a column and my first publishing venture was a column in my local newspaper. Promoting my published works is with bookmarks, book signings, etc, etc.

Thanks for joining us, Brenton. If YOU would like to be featured here, drop me a line and I’ll ask you my seven questions.

sallymurphy.com.au