NSW Premier’s Reading Challenge

March 10, 2019 by Sally

While I was in Sydney recently for the amazing SCBWI National Conference and subsequent PD Day for teachers at the State Library, I heard something about me (and my books) which I had not realise. See, I knew some of my books were on the reading list for the NSW Premier’s Reading Challenge, an amazing challenge which sees students across the state reading a wide range of books from a curated list. What I hadn’t realised was that I have books on each of the four lists – for ages from Kindergarten to Year 9.

How exciting – and what an honour.

So if you, your students or children are taking part in the Reading Challenge in 2019, you can include the following books in your reading: Looking Up

K-2: Fly-in Fly-out Dad, Snowy’s Christmas

Years 3-4: Looking Up, Roses are Blue, the Sage Cookson series (8 titles)

Years 5-6: Toppling, Meet Mary MacKillop and Pearl Verses the World

Years 7-9: 1915, Toppling, Meet Mary MacKillop, and Pearl Verses the World

For more information about the NSW Premier’s Reading Challenge, visit the site here – and get reading!

More Things I Learnt During Bookweek

September 12, 2015 by Sally

I get invited to speak about my books, and about writing and reading, in the hope that I might inspire or teach my audiences. But every single time that I speak, I get inspired in return, and I am constantly learning things about myself and my books from my audiences. Further to my post a couple of days ago about the links I have started to see between my books, here are a few more things I learnt in Bookweek.

There are a lot of FIFO families in WA. Actually I already knew that (one article I read suggested there are 60 thousand FIFO workers in WA), but it was only when I started going into schools to talk about Fly-In Fly-Out Dad that I realised what this translates to. In every classroom there are children with a dad or mum who goes away to work. And in some classrooms, the majority of children are in this situation, or have another close family member (granddad, aunty etc) who does FIFO work.

Not every FIFO child, even of primary school age, really understands where it is that their absent parent goes, or what they do there. Even eight and nine year olds who knew that their parent was FIFO, didn’t know where it was that Mum or Dad worked.

Kids love poetry, even though they don’t always realise that what they are reading IS poetry. Lots of kids tell me how much they love my verse novels, but when I tell them that these are poems, they are surprised, especially when the books have been read aloud to them. It doesn’t worry me whether my readers know that they are reading poetry, or whether they know what a verse novel is. What concerns me is whether they are enjoying the stories. The form aids that enjoyment, and the connection with it, but if the reader doesn’t recognise the form, that’s fine. I call his poetry by stealth.

Using a footy analogy to get my point across never gets old. I have been using the fact that I am a Fremantle Dockers supporter to illustrate why I write books with big highs and low lows for several years. It never fails to get a reaction from the audience, especially in WA where footy rivalry Is strong. One of my proudest Bookweek moments came a couple of years ago when a boy in a Eagles guernsey approached me after my session to tell me he was going to switch to supporting the Dockers.

Nothing energises me more than a fresh audience. I drove 200 plus kilometres to and from every day of Bookweek this year, and in between sessions and at the end of every day I was exhausted. But when each new audience arrived, I got a lovely whoosh of adrenalin and felt on top of the world. I danced, talked, sang (sorry about that), jumped, paced, talked some more, and loved every moment of it.

Of course, I was pretty weary by the time Bookweek was over, but that’s what weekends are for, right?

Not as Different as You’d Think: Things I Learned in Bookweek

September 10, 2015 by Sally

As I talked about books and writing during my Bookweek visits, I used my three latest books – Fly-In Fly-out Dad, 1915, and Roses are Blue – to demonstrate where ideas come from, and how an idea can be moulded into a story. In most sessions I referred to all three books because I felt that using such diverse books would mix things up a bit. But, after a week of discussing three very different books, I started to realise that while they are very different, these three books had quite a lot of similarities.

All are about absence, and missing loved ones. In Fly-in Fly-Out Dad Tiger misses his Dad, and Dad misses his son. Even when they are together they realise that soon they will be apart again. In 1915 Stanley, fighting at Gallipoli, misses his family desperately, and probably his twin sister Elizabeth most of all. And Elizabeth, at home in Australia, misses Stanley, and worries about him every day. In Roses are Blue, Amber misses her mum, even though Mum is still with her. She misses the way Mum was before her terrible accident, and the things they could do together which they now can’t.

All three feature strong child characters.Tiger is only little, and struggles to understand where Dad goes, and even why they can’t always be together, but he tries to be brave about this. It’s important though, that he is able to recognise that being ‘brave’ doesn’t mean he isn’t allowed to miss his dad or to feel sad about Dad’s absences. In 1915, Stanley and Elizabeth are not children – though as young teachers they really aren’t much past their teenage years. And they are both strong individuals. But to me, the child characters who strike me as strong here are Miles’ sons, Bobby and Harry , who Elizabeth teaches. They represent the many many children who, in World War 1 (as in other armed conflicts) watched their fathers go off to war, not knowing if they’d come back. And (spoiler alert) when their father does die, they do their best to carry on their lives. In Roses are Blue, Amber too has the strength to carry on, trying hard to be happy, to support her family – especially her baby brother, Jack – and to make the most of what she’s got.

All three make people cry. I spent a lot of time during Bookweek (as with all my appearances, really) discussing why I choose to write books which rouse emotion. Though I don’t set out to make people cry, I’m kind of glad that I am able to connect with people in this way. And my aim is, that even when someone cries reading one of my books, they should feel happier afterwards.

There are probably other links between the three, and between these and my other books. Perhaps the biggest link is that, because they were written by me, inside each and every one of my books is a piece of me. Intentionally or otherwise, I put myself on every page. It’s one of the fun parts of being an author.

Local Media: 7 Tips for Promoting Yourself and Your Book

August 20, 2015 by Sally

It’s been a big day for me in terms of local media. The South West Times, ones of my local papers, ran an article about me, Fly-In Fly-Out Dad, and my visit to Dalyellup Primary yesterday, and then I was interviewed on ABC South West Radio, also about Fly-In Fly-Out Dad. Hopefully local residents aren’t sick of hearing about me at this point.

I made the paper, hard hat and all.

Both of these bits of coverage eventuated because, in the lead up to yesterday’s visit I asked the Capel library, who organised the visit, if they could promote it to local media. They did, and the result is fabulous.

If you are an author or illustrator trying to get the word out about your latest book, don’t overlook your local papers and radio stations. In fact, they should be on the top of your list of organisations to promote to (you do have one of those, don’t you?). Here are my 7 quick tips for working with local media to boost your profile.

Remember that although YOU want to promote yourself and your book, media outlets aren’t in the business of free advertising – they are looking for content that will interest their readership or listeners. You must offer something of interest other than ‘I have a new book and I want people to buy it.’) In my case, Fly-In Fly-Out Dad is really relevant to many local families.
Be prepared. Even though you might get called up at the last minute (I got a phone call this morning, two hours before I was interviewed), you should always have, even if in your head, answers prepared for the kinds of questions you might get asked. These might be about your book, it’s particular subject matter and the writing/publishing process but will also possibly be personal questions about yourself. Think in advance about what you might say. Interview yourself as practice.
Be flexible. When a media outlet suggests a date, time or location, try to fit them in. My interview and photo shoot for the paper was at 9.30 in the morning, which involved me getting up at 6 am and driving home from Perth. Today I was planning a day at home working, but when I got the call I said yes and reorganised my day. If there’s a good reason for saying no to a day or time, explain why and also suggest an alternative time.
Try new things. To be honest, I am terrified of live radio. There is no delete button, no opportunity to take it back. But saying yes and having a go means I now have a new skill.
Be positive. Even if you are not having a great day, even if you are tired, or in pain, or stressed, put on a bright smile. Everyone loves a smile!
Offer ideas (at appropriate times). For my photo shoot, I took along my hardhat and hi-vis vest and showed them to the photographer. He loved the novelty value, and, seeing the photo in the paper this morning I knew it was a good idea. For the radio interview I had nothing special in mind, but I took a copy of the book along in case the announcer hadn’t yet seen it.
Cross promote the interview. I have shared the newspaper piece on Facebook and Twitter, and also let my Twitter followers know about my radio appearance both before and afterwards. Rather than just saying ‘look at this!’ or ‘listen to this!’ share the way you feel about it or why it’s relevant.

Local media is a wonderful resource for you as a creator. If you make yourself an equally wonderful resource for the media outlet, then great things can happen.

A Visit to my Local School

August 19, 2015 by Sally

Had a lovely morning this morning visiting my local primary school and talking about Fly-In Fly-Out Dad, and all things book. The students were keen and polite and asked lots of good questions and the teachers were lovely. A special thanks to Susan and Corenne from the Dalyellup and Capel Libraries who arranged the visit.

Here I am getting dressed up as we talked about the safety gear that workers wear on mine sites. I love playing dress ups!

Dalyellup Bookweek 2015

And here I am after the session with Corenne, who I knew when we were both kids.

Dalyellup Bookweek 2015 b

Social Media Tips: How I Use Twitter

August 12, 2015 by Sally

I’m a bit of a social media addict. I love using Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and, more recently Pinterest, to connect with friends, family and with readers and fellow booklovers too. But not every author feels as comfortable and, when I posted a couple of weeks ago about some simple things writers could do on social media, I had a great response.

So I thought I’d perhaps share more specifically what I do, and what you can do, too, to make social media platforms work for you as a creator.

So, here’s a quick overview of what I do on Twitter.

Firstly, I use a simple handle (my Twitter name). In my case, I chose @sallymurphy, because it was easy for potential new followers to remember. If someone wants to find me on twitter, it is very easy. Also, followers will see my name regularly, building easy brand recognition for my books and for me.
Secondly, I follow people. One of the simplest ways to build a Twitter following is to follow people. The majority of Twitter users will follow back – meaning if you follow them, they will follow you. It is not hard to find people to follow. There is a search functionon Twitter. Search for friends, for people whose work you admire, for publishers, book reviewers and so on. And follow them.
Thirdly, I do what I touched on in number 2, and I follow people back. So, if someone follows me, I usually follow them back. I say usually, because sometimes people or businesses follow me and, when I look at their profile I see that they don’t tweet about things I am interested in, and occasionally even tweet about stuff I am completely opposed to. As a general rule of thumb, I check out every new follower, and if their last few tweets are non-spammy and relatively interesting, I will follow them back.
Fourthly, I tweet. At least once a day. I tweet about the weather, my walks with my dog, what I’m reading, where I am, you name it. Note that this list doesn’t include anything about me the writer. I tweet about those things too – but I try not to overwhelm followers with promotional tweets. Twitter users enjoy engaging with you, but they don’t like being sold to. Which leads to number five
Fifthly, I tweet about my work and my books. I never ask people to buy my books. Rather, I share news about new covers, new reveals, release dates, appearances, and blog posts. I provide links to these where relevant.
I tweet links to stuff of interest to fellow booklovers. If I come across a great blogpost, news article, or review (of someone else’s book), poem etc, I tweet it. Sure, this doesn’t sell MY book, but it spreads the love, and helps make my Twitter feed interesting which in turn increases my following.
I use hashtags. A hashtag is a word or phrase preceded by the hash ( #). Twitter users can search twitter by hashtags. For example the tag #kidlit is popular amongst children’s booklovers, so if I tweet on something likely to interest that community, I’ll add that tag. This can attract new readers to me, and makes the Twitter experience user-friendly. Note that some hashtags are simply there to entertain or add humour. For example, if I tweeted that I ate all the chocolate I might add the hahstag #sugaroverload
I tag other relevant Twitter users, by ‘atting’ them. I do this sparingly, but, for example if I tweet a review of Fly-In Fly-Out Dad it would be relevant to ‘at’ Five Mile Press, the publisher. This shares the news with them, and will often result in a retweet to their followers.
I retweet interesting tweets from users I follow. Again, this spreads the love, but also provides interesting content to my followers. Sometimes I add a comment, other times I simply retweet.
Lastly, and this is important, I engage with other twitter users. I have conversations with fellow booklovers, using twitter, by replying to their tweets. BUT, if you are new to twitter you may be unaware that when you hit reply, and the person’s Twitter handle comes at the beginning of your new tweet, only people who follow both parties to the conversation will see your reply. If their twitter handle comes later in the tweet, all of your followers can see it. One way around this is to put a fullstop in front of their handle. Another is to compose the tweet so that their handle appears later in the tweet: I agree @joeblogs. ….

As I said in my previous post on Social Media use, using Twitter can use just a couple of minutes per day, but is a wonderful way to spread the word about your books, your writing, you, as well as being lots of fun.