sallymurphy.com.au

Sally Murphy, Australian author

Featured Blogger Friday: Catriona Hoy

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It’s Friday and here on my blog, every Friday is Featured Blogger Friday. Today’s featured blogger is Catriona Hoy. Welcome, Cat.

Firstly, why do you blog?
One of my writing resolutions for this year was to join the 21st century and commit to blogging. I had previously set up a blog but found that confronted by that empty page I couldn’t think of anything to say that anyone would be remotely interested in. So although I had a blog, there wasn’t really anything there. Until one day I had a run in with the school principal at the school where my children went in the UK when they banned sunscreen in the school. Well, as an Australian I then had plenty to say lol! So my first real blog was very naughty but the school did eventually change their policy the next year, after we had returned to Australia. I featured on nationwide tv and BBC radio during my campaign and my children were thoroughly embarassed…
Now I blog because as writers, publicity and having a public profile are so important. I’m still struggling with Twitter and I have two Facebooks, my one for friends and a public page. As I blogged however, I realised that the blogging world was much bigger than I imagined and I’ve met some great new writers and interesting people.
What do you blog about?
 Mostly I blog about my writing, or things that are happening to me. I’m not a regular blogger and tend to be sporadic. There are some fantastic blogs for writers out there such as your own Sally and Dee White’s.  This week I blogged about the demise of my first book, as the rights have just reverted to me. It’s the first time it has happened to me and made me feel a little sad that it will no longer be available.
Who is your target readership?
 Hmm, now that’s a good question and one that I haven’t quite answered for myself yet. I guess my target readership is anyone who is interested in children’s picture books as that is mainly what I write. I don’t think any of my students read it, which is good, as I like to keep my lives kind of separate which is sometimes hard.

How often do you blog?
 A bit like exercising….not as often as I’l like, or probably should. In fits and bursts. As I’m a high school teacher, I have to fit my writing around other commitments and at times like this, when there are mid year exams and reports to write, other things have to take a bit of a back seat. Like with exercising, I feel guilty but I also told myself this was my year for not feeling guilty but I’m failing miserably at that lol.

How much time do you devote to blogging?
 Hmm, see answer to the last question. There are times when I don’t keep up with emails and some of the groups I belong to. It depends how much spare time I have.
Do you have a favourite blog post?
 I’d be lying if I said I did. I check out the blogs of my friends when I have time or when they send me links to other blogs.
What do you see as the benefits of blogging?
 Writing is so much about networking these days and making contacts is important. But it’s also nice to meet new people and learn about their writing journey. Writing can be quite isolating and other writers have similar experiences and I have such huge resources to draw on. Sometimes when you meet people finally face to face they feel like old friends.
What blogging platform do you use and why?
 I use Blogger…why? I find it simple to use. I think WordPress has more features but like my gas and electricity…I need to be motivated to change.
Do you have a favourite blog to visit (other than your own)? 
 I visit many of my writing friends in Australia but also this one http://notesfromtheslushpile.blogspot.com/ . Candy Gourlay is a dynamic member of the SCBWI in the UK and we met at the SCBWI conference in Bologna in 2008. She has some fantastic advice on blogging and using the internet as a tool. I just wish I had time to follow it all.
Lastly, when you are not blogging, what else do you do?
 I’d like to say writing! But probably I’m marking essays, or tests or preparing class notes. Perhaps I’m hanging up the washing or making dinner. Maybe I’m worrying about whether I’ve been a good mother and the fact that I forgot my sushi duty at my daughter’s primary school. Sometimes I do visits to schools and libraries to promote my books or just to keep in touch with how kids think.

Thanks for dropping in.
Thanks for having me Sally. I am always amazed at the energy you put into everything you do and your writing is wonderful. When I grow up I want to be just like you!

  Awww, thanks Cat. You can visit Catriona’s blog here.

Writing Quote of the Week

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The best children’s book writers are not people who have kids, but people who write from the child within themselves.

Andrea Brown

Of course, as a mother of six kids, I often say that having kids helps me as a writer for children, but I agree – it’s not just about having kids, or being around kids, but being  a kid, somewhere inside. And it is that inner child that guides the writer.

Have a great week!

Featured Blogger Friday: Dee White

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It’s Friday, so that makes it time once again for
Featured Blogger Friday. 
This week I am pleased to welcome Dee White back. Dee was here a few weeks ago, but I asked her to come back and talk about her other blog, Kids’ Book Capers. Welcome back, Dee.
 

Firstly, why do you blog?

I love spreading the word about all the great books for children and young adults out there.

What do you blog about?

Children’s and young adult books, and the people who create them. I feature authors and their works on my blog. I also profile publishers and do author promotions.
To celebrate 10 years of Alex Rider, I’m running an Anthony Horowitz promotion from Sunday 23rd May to Friday 11th June. I’m a strong advocate of libraries and literacy, so when books like Anthony Horowitz’s encourage non-readers to read, I think it’s worth celebrating.
In the next couple of weeks, I’ll be starting to do reviews on this site too.

Who is your target readership?

Lovers of children’s and young adult books, teachers, librarians, book creators, other publishing industry professionals.

How often do you blog?

2-3 times a week at this blog.

How much time do you devote to blogging?

Around five hours a week.

Do you have a favourite blog post?

On 31st March I interviewed The Old Sailor from Claire Saxby and Cassandra Allen’s gorgeous book, There Was an Old Sailor. He was a funny old thing (ate the strangest things), but he was great to talk to.

What do you see as the benefits of blogging?

Blogging is fun. You get to meet some great people and go on journeys you wouldn’t otherwise have taken.

What blogging platform do you use and why?

I run Kids’ Book Capers for Boomerang Books so they chose the blogging platform. But I’ve always liked WordPress and use it for my blog http://deescribewriting.wordpress.com

Do you have a favourite blog to visit (other than your own)? 

I have many favourite blogs – it’s so hard to pick, they are all so different. I like blogs with humour, and ones that tackle quirky and interesting subjects. The blogs I visit all relate to books, publishers, authors and illustrators. I suppose for information about books, I’d pick the Aussie Reviews site http://www.aussiereviews.com/

Lastly, when you are not blogging, what else do you do?

Write books for children and young adults, visit schools to talk about books and writing, blog at deescribewriting.wordpress.com and spend time with my wonderful family and friends.
Thanks for inviting me to ‘caper’ at your blog, Sally.

Thanks for dropping in, Dee.

Writing Quote of the Week

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There’s nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and open a vein.

Walter Wellesley (Red) Smith

Okay, so the imagery is a bit gruesome, especially for a blog about writing for children, but anyone who has written for a living will relate to the idea – writing is hard hard hard work – and takes every bit of your energy, your enthusiasm, your passion, your life blood.

But hey, most days it’s fun.

Featured Blogger Friday: Carmela Martino

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It is Friday again – which means it is also  Featured Blogger Friday. My visitor this week is  Carmela Martino, who has come to talk about herself, and the blog she is part of. www.TeachingAuthors.com. 
Welcome, Carmela.
 

Firstly, why do you blog?
After my first book was published, I kept hearing that authors needed to have a blog as part of their online presence—a website wasn’t enough anymore. But I didn’t want to be just another blogging author. In addition to being a writer, I also teach writing classes for both children and adults. While brainstorming with a couple of my published friends who are also writing teachers, we came up with the idea of a group blog that was not only about writing, but about teaching writing, too. That’s how our TeachingAuthors blog was born. There are six of us blogging together: April Halprin Wayland, Esther Hershenhorn, Jeanne Marie Grunwell Ford, JoAnn Early Macken, Mary Ann Rodman, and me.
What do you blog about?
We share our unique perspective as writing teachers who are also working writers, so we talk about both sides—writing and teaching. Our regular features include writing exercises (which we call “Writing Workouts”), teaching tips, author interviews, book reviews, and answers to readers’ “Ask the Teaching Authors” questions. We also try to comment on events going on in the world of children’s literature. For example, last week was Children’s Book Week here in the United States, so we blogged about that. And we share our own struggles to make our writing a priority.

Who is your target readership?
1)      Writers of all ages
2)      Those who teach young writers, whether in a classroom or homeschooling setting.
How often do you blog?
We have blog posts at least three times a week. With six TeachingAuthors blogging, that means I blog once every two weeks—my blogging day is Wednesday.
How much time do you devote to blogging?
It really varies, depending on the type of post I’m writing. I can spend 1-3 hours, or more, on a blog post. I also oversee the technical issues and overall layout of the blog, and I’m always tweaking things.  
Do you have a favourite blog post? 
That’s a tough question, because I love so many of my co-bloggers’ posts. We’ve had some lovely interviews with Guest Teaching Authors, too. However, I have to say I had great fun celebrating our first blogiversary in April:  http://www.teachingauthors.com/2010/04/our-first-blogiversary-earth-day-and.html So many readers posted comments congratulating us—it was a virtual party. 
What do you see as the benefits of blogging?
Many more than I expected! It’s been terrific to connect not only with our readers, but also with so many amazing bloggers in the Kidlitosphere. I love sharing information with my present and former students, and a blog is an excellent tool for that. And having a group blog is the best of both worlds—I can share the workload with my co-bloggers while learning from them, too. We recently had the opportunity to present together at a conference, which was not only great exposure for us and our blog, but wonderful fun!
What blogging platform do you use and why?
Google Blogger. When I was looking at other Kidlit blogs I liked, it seemed to be the most common platform.
Do you have a favourite blog to visit (other than your own)?
I have many that I love and I link to them on our site. Here’s a sampling:
Editor Cheryl Klein’s blog: http://chavelaque.blogspot.com/
The Irrepressible Writer: http://theirrepressiblewriter.com/
Alice Pope’s SCBWI Children’s Market Blog: http://scbwi.blogspot.com/
I.N.K.: Interesting Nonfiction for Kids: http://www.inkrethink.blogspot.com/
Bruce Black’s Wordswimmer blog: http://wordswimmer.blogspot.com/
Lastly, when you are not blogging, what else do you do?
Writing (or trying to write)—I’m currently juggling several projects, including a picture book biography and a young adult novel; teaching writing; reading; cooking. (And just about anything else I can think of to avoid housecleaning.)
Thanks for dropping in.
Thanks for the opportunity, Sally.
You can visit Carmela and her friends at the Teaching Authors blog. And drop by next Friday to learn about another featured blogger.
sallymurphy.com.au