Creative Writing
Posted on September 11, 2019 by Catherine Austen
August 2021 Update: When the Squirrels Stole my Sister is in the Fall 2021 catalogue of Fitzhenry & Whiteside, for publication this September. Cover image to come soon! [older post…] Years ago, I wrote a story about a clever squirrel who grew tired of waiting… Continue Reading “Thieving Squirrels in Fall 2021”
Category: books, children's books, 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, 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… Continue Reading “MASC Young Authors and Illustrators Festival 2019”
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… Continue Reading “Immersed in Student Writing”
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… Continue Reading “The Art of Story: SCBWI Canada East Conference”
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… Continue Reading “The Squirrels are Coming!”
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