Books & Animals
Posted on September 11, 2019 by Catherine Austen
Good things come to those who wait. Years ago, I wrote a story about a clever squirrel who grew tired of waiting for a daily handout, so she decided to steal a whole bag of peanuts, along with the little girl carrying it. I…
Category: books, children's books, featured, illustration, picture book, picture books, squirrels, What's New, writing, writing procesTags: authors and illustrators, book development, books, Canadian writers, canlit, children's books, creative process, creative writng, delays, editing, featured, fitzhenry and whiteside, grey squirrels, illustrations, inspiration, patience, picture book layout, picture book process, picture books, publishing, revising, sean cassidy, squirrel books, squirrels, squirrels stole my sister, writers, writing
Posted on March 29, 2019 by Catherine Austen
I’m ready for the MASC Young Authors and Illustrators Festival taking place in Ottawa April 9-11. I’ll be leading workshops with keen young writers coming to town from elementary schools across eastern Ontario and western Quebec. This annual event draws hosting authors and illustrators from…
Category: author talks, authors, children's books, illustration, What's New, writing, writing conference, writing workshops, young writersTags: author visits, books, britt wilson, canadian museum of aviation, Canadian writers, canlit, cary fagan, children's books, children's novels, creative process, david a robertson, illustrations, inspiration, karen krossing, MASC, MASC Young Authors and Young Illustrators Festival, novels, soyeon kim, writers, writing, writing workshops, youth art, youth writing
Posted on March 30, 2018 by Catherine Austen
This Tuesday, I had the pleasure of calling the names of twelve young writers whose short fiction won places in the Ottawa Public Library’s Awesome Authors Contest. What a pleasure to be one of this year’s judges and to read excerpts from the fantastic…
Category: author talks, books, children's books, contests, public speaking, school visits, writing, young writersTags: author talks, author visits, awesome authors, bishop's university, books, Canadian writers, children's books, children's novels, Contests, creative process, english literature, Friends of the Ottawa Public Library, history of children's literature, Ottawa Public Library, public speaking, reading, school visits, symmes d'arcy, walking backward, writers, writing, writing contests, writing workshops
Posted on March 2, 2018 by Catherine Austen
I always look forward to my regional SCBWI conference. This year it’s especially exciting because I’ll be giving a workshop myself. My topic: revision. I used to dread revisions. I loved drafting; I loved polishing; but I loathed the grunt work in between the…
Category: author talks, authors, children's books, What's New, writing, writing conferenceTags: art of story, author visits, books, Canadian writers, children's books, children's literature, creative process, critiques, kidlit, novel revision, ottawa, publishing, revising, revision, scbwi, scbwi canada east, writers, writers conference, writing, writing conference, writing workshops
Posted on September 22, 2017 by Catherine Austen
Wonderful news: When the Squirrels Stole my Sister, my upcoming picture book with Fitzhenry & Whiteside, is going to be illustrated by Patricia Storms. 🙂 Patricia is an accomplished author/illustrator well-known in the Canadian kidlit scene. Her illustrations range from super-adorable to just-a-little-creepy (intentionally…
Category: authors, book covers, books, children's books, picture booksTags: book covers, books, Canadian writers, children's books, fitzhenry and whiteside, grey squirrels, illustrations, patricia storms, picture books, publishing, squirrel books, squirrels, squirrels stole my sister, writers, writing
Posted on June 23, 2017 by Catherine Austen
I updated my Goodreads account this afternoon, adding a dozen or so titles that I read and loved this spring. If you’re looking for a summer read, here are a few of my recent faves. Picture Books Once I Ate a Pie Written by…
Category: book reviews, books, children's books, Friday faves, middle grade novels, picture books, teen novelsTags: book covers, book reviews, books, boy who was raised as a dog, bruce perry, Canadian writers, children's books, children's novels, dominic couzens, emily maclachlan charest, extreme birds, favorite books, favourite books, girl who drank the moon, Goodreads, humans, illustrations, katy schneider, keith mcgowan, kelly barnhill, maggie stiefvater, maia szalavitz, margriet ruurs, matt haig, nizar badr, novels, once I ate a pie, patricia maclachlan, picture books, reading, scorpio races, stepping stones; witch's guide to cooking with children, YA novel
Posted on May 13, 2016 by Catherine Austen
It is an honour to have my latest middle-grade comedy, 28 Tricks for a Fearless Grade 6, selected as a 2016 Diamond Willow Nominee! For those who may not know, Willows are not just gorgeous trees. They are also Saskatchewan Young Readers’ Choice Awards…