I opened an email last week to find a message from my editor at Kids Can Press with a file attachment showing the revised roughs of my first picture book. What a treat! I can't include a picture here, of course. You'll have to wait for the finished book - now scheduled for release in Spring… Continue reading Illustrations and other Surprises
Category: writing
Rewards of Research
I've been researching nursery rhymes for a silly early reader. I've discovered long-winded versions of many short familiar rhymes. The famous little star twinkles through five verses; children go round the mulberry bush half a dozen times; Jack and Jill go home and get whipped by their mother; the girl with the curl stands on her head and bangs her heels against the window.… Continue reading Rewards of Research
Stupid Procrastination Attempts
Did your need to procrastinate ever lead you to a really dumb decision? In the middle of writing a key scene in my novel this morning, I decided I needed a haircut. Of course this was simply a ploy from some twisted part of me to stay away a while longer from my computer. I really dread writing this… Continue reading Stupid Procrastination Attempts
Too Many Books to Write
I'm not the only writer with 18 books in progress, am I? I love a story when it's still in the bud and bursting with potential. I most often write picture books, which are very short and take up little file space. A few of my PBs-in-progress are first drafts, but most are mere outlines and premises, some with research notes or character sketches,… Continue reading Too Many Books to Write
Wonderful Book Review
I know I said I wasn't going to read any more Walking Backward book reviews, but fellow author Kate Jaimet sent me an email this weekend congratulating me on my review in the Globe & Mail, so I just had to check it out. (I was wary of opening the page, but Kate's congratulations spurred me on.)… Continue reading Wonderful Book Review
Catherine Austen 