sallymurphy.com.au

Sally Murphy, Australian author

Busy Week

by

I’m having a busy week (who am I kidding? Every week is a busy week) but just wanted to share a couple of exciting happenings.

Firstly, on Sunday the new-look Aussiereviews went live. I’ve been running the site for over ten years, focusing on reviewing Australian books, and the site was well overdue for an overhaul. My lovely daughter did the new design, and I spent quite a bit of time transferring over 2300 reviews from the old html individual files over to a much easier content management system. Check out the new look here and read a little more about the overhaul here.   
In other exciting news, Monday brought me that thin that makes every author’s heart sing – an advance copy of my newest book-baby.  Check out the beautiful cover! Sonia Kretschmar‘s illustrations are simply stunning.
Do Not Forget Australia will be released by Walker Books on March 1, but if you simply can’t wait, you can preorder your copy here.
Hope your week is just as funfilled and exciting as mine is proving to be!                                                    

Thank You!

by

Wow! It’s been such a crazy few days that I haven’t had time to stop by my own bog and post my exciting news. But I’m here now, so please accept a glass of cyber champagne from my virtual butler, help yourself to the cyber nibblies and celebrate with me.
Image: digitalart / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
“Why?” I hear you ask. Well, on Friday night I attended the Western Australian Premier’s Book Awards at the State Library of WA, where, to my honour and delight, Toppling was awarded the gong in the Children’s Book category.

Winning any award is always exciting, but winning  in  my home state felt especially lovely. My darling husband was able to accompany me and lots of friends, old and new, were there in the audience. The awards were presented by the Minister for Culture and the Arts, John Day.
I was overwhelmed on the night by the cheers from around the room when my name was announced, and have continued to be overwhelmed by the messages of support on Facebook, Twitter and by email from family, friends and even strangers. I am truly feeling the love and feeling blessed.

In all the excitement, I forgot to ask by beloved to use the camera I had in my handbag to take some photos, so this photo was taken the next day.

Again, my sincere thanks for all the messages of support – and of course, thanks to the State Government and the State Library, who coordinated the awards. But  special huge thanks must go to illustrator Rhian Nest James, and to the team at Walker Books who made the book so beautiful, and the hugest thanks go to my family – my children, my beloved husband, and my extended family, too. Love you all.

For the formal announcement and a list of all the winners, see here.

Awards, Speeches and Thankyous

by

Phew. I’m home, and have a little time to sit down and blog. My apologies to regular followers for my recent silence – my life has been a whirl!

A couple of weeks ago I was lucky enough to fly to Brisbane for the announcement of the CBCA Children’s Book of the Year Awards. Pearl Verses the World was shortlisted and, to my delight was named an Honour Book.  I travelled to and from Brisbane with the lovely Rebecca Cool, illustrator of the picture book, Isabella’s Garden, also published by Walker Books, and also named an Honour Book.

As well as attending the Book of the Year announcements, held at Brisbane’s Custom’s House, I also attended the Queensland Branch’s Bookweek dinner. Both events were fun, and exciting and even a little overwhelming. This was my first ever trip to Brisbane, and I must say  the Brisbane  hospitality, and the sunshine, and the award, made it a wonderful place to visit.

Back home only briefly,  I then headed to Perth for Bookweek,  visiting the  Altona Park library and Guildford Grammar Preparatory school. I love speaking to kids about my books, and about the writing life and about reading in general.  I always come away more inspired than the kids, I think.

 Home again home again for another catch up with my family, and two days at my day job before I headed off again – back to Brisbane. This time I was attending the Queensland Premier’s Literary Awards. To my delight, Toppling won the Mary Ryan’s Award for the best children’s book. What an honour!

Another flight and I was back in Perth in time to attend the WA Premier’s Book Awards where Pearl Verses the World was shortlisted, though not the winner. I was happy just to be on such an outstanding list, with Margaret Wild and Freya Blackwood the deserving winners for Harry and Hopper.

Now I’m back at home, with loads of inspiration to keep doing what I do.Pprobably the best part about all these recent successes has been all the lovely feedback from so many different people. Family, friends,  writing colleagues, industry people, teachers, librarians, locals, complete strangers – all have been so wonderfully happy for me and with me. At times I have been quite teary by such demonstrations of all round niceness.  So, to those who have shared in my happiness – a huge thankyou.

And, if you are interested, here is what I said in accepting the Mary Ryan Award (except, because I spoke without notes, this is a slightly tidier version than the real thing).

Premier, Ladies and Gentlemen

Wow. I’m delighted. I’ve been writing and submitting for about twenty years and, like most writers I know, it’s been a tough journey to get my writing to publishable standard and to actually get published. But suddenly, in the past couple of years, it all seems to have come together.  Only 20 years to become an overnight success!

So I’d like to say to everyone else trying to balance day jobs with writing, or parenthood with writing, or struggling to stay focussed and positive in the face of rejection after rejection, that dreams can and do come true.

I’d like to thank my family back in WA, especially my husband and children – it isn’t easy living with a writer. Also, the two women to whom this book is dedicated – my sister and my sister-in-law who, like Dominic, have fought their own battles with cancer. My fellow writers, especially the children’s writing community, which is filled with supportive, lovely people. And Walker Books, who have shown such belief in me and in my stories. Of course, I’d like to thank the Premier and the Queensland Government for making this writer so very happy. An award like this is very affirming of what I’ve been trying to do.

Lastly, I’d like to remind every adult here tonight that children’s books are not just for kids. They are for the child inside each and every one of us.

Thank you.

Toppling Launch

by

Welcome! Come right in. Mind you don’t bump your head on the ballons and streamers. Aren’t they pretty?

You’ve arrived at the virtual launch for Toppling, my new verse novel, which is released today. Let the festivities begin.

First, while you wait for the speeches, please help yourself to some refreshment. My gorgeous waiters are circulating with trays of canapes, or chips and dips if you’d prefer, and plenty of cyber bubbly (you can choose between alchoholic or nonalchoholic, and for the kids cyber softdrink). And, of coruse, feel free to chat with the other guests.

Right, can I have your attention please? We’ll move in to the formal part of the party.


For those who don’t know me, I’m Sally Murphy, the author of the book we’re about to launch. I’m just delighted to see so many of you have made the trip across cyber space to be with me today as we launch Toppling.

If you haven’t had a chance to look at Toppling, here it is:

Toppling is the story of John (his mum calls him Johnboy) whose twin passions are domino toppling and hanging out with his friends, especially his best friend, Dominic. But when Dominic falls ill, John feels as if his world is toppling. How is a kid supposed to cope with knowing his friend could be dying? And how can he support that friend?

Tough subject matter, I know, but I’m hoping you’ll find Toppling an uplifting read. It is my fervent belief that kids need books about tough subjects as much as they need books that are funny, or silly, or anything else.

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank some people – my family, the team at Walker Books for believing in me (and my books), my editor Virginia who is always right (almost always, anyway), my good writer buddies Sue and Claire who over the years have listened to my talk of giving up, kept me going and celebrated my successes, and my cyber buddy Sandy who momentarily will take centre stage to launch the book (and who I am looking forward to meeting in person in a couple of weeks at the All Saints Festival in Perth). It’s an honour to have Sandy here, and I’d like to mention that her own book, Jaguar Warrior, is also being released today.

Congratulations, Sandy And, of course, I’d like to thank you all for dropping me to join in today’s celebration. Writing can sometimes be a very solitary pursuit, but to be surrounded by such supportive people on a day like today is a real joy.

And now, over to Sandy Fussell, who has agreed to give up part of her day to laucnchToppling. welcome, Sandy.

When Sally asked me to launch Toppling I was thrilled to bits. Her previous verse novel, Pearl Verses the World, was one of my favourite books of 2009. I find verse novels have a unique way of making the reader feel emotionally involved. But despite that, I was totally unprepared for the impact Toppling had on me. This book hits hard. It goes straight to the heart.

Toppling is a beautiful illustrated story, dealing sensitively with childhood cancer and the way cancer in general reaches into the lives of all the children who come into contact with it. There is sadness in the pages but those same pages will help children understand and cope. No magic cure is promised and while the story offers hope, it doesn’t avoid the important fact that cancer is a killer.

Rhian Nest-James’ drawings bring the children to life and the emotion on their faces is vivid and real. The hospital, the playground, the classroom – the setting illustrations are both familiar and universal.

This book is for every child (and their adults) – for those struggling to live with a cancer sufferer, for those who have lost someone they love and those who need to understand how others feel. It’s a heavy message told with a perfectly light touch. Readers will find different meaning and experiences in the words. And that’s Toppling’s greatest strength.

I am very proud to launch Toppling into cyberspace.

Gosh, thanks Sandy. I’m so glad I brought the cyber-tissues because you’ve brought tears to my eyes. Thanks so much.


And that concludes the formalities of today’s launch. Fee; free to hang around a bit longer – the cyber-bubbles will be flowing all day, and I’d love for you to leave a comment below so I know you’ve been here. Thanks so, so much for coming and joining in the fun.



You can buy Toppling online from Booktopia, Dymocks, The Children’s Bookshop (NZ), or Abbeys, or in a good brick and mortar store near you. If they don’t have it in stock, ask them to get it in.
And, come back here often during March as the celebrations continue. Have a lovely day. I know I will.

There Was a Nice Author…

by

I am really pleased to welcome my good friend Claire Saxby to the blog today. Claire is here on the first stop of her blog tour to promote her beautiful new picture book, There Was an Old Sailor, which was released on February 1.

 Welcome Claire, and congratulations on the release of There Was an Old Sailor.

1. Has it been a long time from the birth of this concept until its release?

Yes, it has. 🙂 It always seems a long time, no matter what time it  takes, but ‘There Was an Old Sailor’ has taken a lo-o-o-o-n-ng time.  From the initial idea it’s been eight years! I actually had the manuscript in a form I was happy with in less than a year, but finding  someone who shared my vision for this story took longer. I gave up trying at one stage and decided it was enough that the story was successful as a workshop prompt and an oral tale. But then Walker began an Australian publishing list and I sent it out one more time. The stars
lined up. Walker said ‘yes’ and Cassandra Allen said ‘yes’ and here we are. ‘There Was an Old Sailor’ is setting sail!

2. There Was an Old Sailor is a new take on an old rhyme. Was it hard  working with a pre-existing story? Why did you choose to do it?

Working within a frame adds an extra dimension of challenge to a story. It’s one of the reasons most of my poetry is free verse. But it’s such a great rhyme/nonsense story, I really wanted to try. There were times
where I wanted to break free of the structure but the Old Sailor kept calling me back. In other ways the structure helped me. I knew the ‘shape’ of the story and the rhythm I needed to reproduce. Why did I
choose it? I loved the sound of it, the non-sense of it. And I loved the challenge of seeing if I could do it. Bit like gymnastics for the writing brain, all that bending and stretching.

3. This is a book just begging to be read aloud, with kids quickly able to join in. Have you trialled it with kids yet – and what has  been their response?

Yes, I’ve taken the story into classrooms. Children respond really well to it, soon joining in the responses. By the end, they’re all chanting along with me. They love the Old Sailor and the crazy things he eats. When I was reading ‘There Was an Old Lady’ to my children, I didn’t ever like the fact that she dies at the end. So my Old Sailor lives to eat another day. Who knows where he’ll turn up next!

4. So, why a blog tour?

I can travel anywhere this way. I can get to local bookstores and local libraries, but a blog tour lets me visit all around the country, starting with Western Australia. Visiting blogs lets me answer questions that I certainly wouldn’t have thought to ask, and to bring to life the story behind the story. And I get to drop in on friends!

5. What else are you and your publisher doing to promote the book?

There’s a book celebration in Castlemaine on 13 February at Stoneman’s Bookstore, a book reading at Enchanted by Books in Williamstown on 20 Feb, and a launch at Sun Bookshop on 27 Feb. More bookreadings are being finalised and I’m hoping to do some tripping around a bit later in the
year. Walker Books are making sure ‘There Was an Old Sailor’ is available in as many bookstores as possible, and in some cases there’ll be a plush bath-able fish available with the book. Can’t ask for more
than that.

 Thanks for dropping by, Claire. Good luck with rest of your tour.

Thanks for having me to visit.

You can follow Claire’s tour by visiting the following sites:

Monday 8 February: Sally Murphy’s Writing for Children  (you’re here!)

Tues 9 February: Dee White’s Tuesday Writing Tips
Wed 10 February: Dale Harcombe’s Read and Write with Dale
Thurs 11 February: Robyn Opie’s Writing Children’s books
Fri 12 February: Lorraine Marwood’s Words into Writing
Sat 13 February: Mabel Kaplan’s Tales I Tell
Sun 14 February: Sandy Fussell’s Stories are Light

There Was An Old Sailor can be pruchased online or in any good bookstore.

Stage Fright?

by

Like most writers, I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with my postie (actually, that’s not quite true – I really like the postie himself, he’s a nice guy and a friend of mine – really it’s the post I have issues with. Some days the mail in my letter box is just plain depressing, with rejections making me ponder whether this writing life is for me. Other days, there’s nothing writing-related, just more bills, and I’m again left wondering, this time whether anyone is reading those submissions. But every now and then comes a good mail day – with a contract, or a positive rejection (yes, they do exist), or something even better.

Yesterday was one of those ‘even better’ days because my postie brought me a parcel from Walker Books, containing my first copy of  Toppling, my new verse novel. I knew without opening the parcel what it was, because my editor had told me to expect it – but it was still a thrill to unwrap the book, and dance madly around the house with it. The thrill of finally holding a book-baby in your arms does not diminish, even when it is book number 30.

I flicked through and admired the illustrations, couldn’t wait to show my beloved when he came home from lunch, or my kids when they came home after school, and even took it to the pool to show my friends while we watched our kids swimming. But I must confess it took me a full day before I could bring myself to read it. I had just a touch of stage fright. A strange worry about rereading it in this new form (no longer a draft, a manuscript or even a proof) kept me from sitting down and reading the whole thing. But this morning, at coffee time, I sat in my recliner, opened it and read.

The first thing that struck me was what a wonderful job the illustrator, Rhian Nest James, and the designer, Wayne Harris, did of the cover. Then, as I turned the first few pages I had a tiny millisecond of weirdness as I saw the names on the dedication page – before I knew what I was thinking I had a fleeting thought of ‘I know two people with those names’ before I more consciously realised that, duh, of course I do, because they’re the people I dedicated the book to. After that, I read. Cover to cover, stoppling only to study the illustrations (and sip my coffee).

And my verdict? I’m satisfied. I adore the illustrations, the sad bits still bring tears to my eyes, and I can see only tiny things in the writing I would change (and that’s my prerogative, as writer, to wonder if I should have/could have made it better). Stage fright gone, I’m now looking forward to release date, just a month away.

Must get busy with planning launch celebrations!

sallymurphy.com.au