Rachel Vogan, author of The Tui NZ Flower Garden, will be doing a live web chat this morning at 10.30am on the Penguin NZ site! If you know anyone who needs to ask that gardening question, hear that tip or learn more about Rachel’s new book The NZ Flower Garden, then check out this link and join in: http://www.penguin.co.nz/wawcs0131534/Author-Chat.html
She has herself perfectly positioned so she can see the front yard, is on eye level with the birds in the tree and doesn’t have to hold her own head up. I just wanted to share her cuteness with you all.
Friday 4 – Sunday 6 November Words on a Small Island The Waiheke Book Festival 2011 THE WAIHEKE BOOK FESTIVAL RETURNS WITH A FEAST OF LITERARY EVENTS – Booklovers don’t miss this one! From outrageous red-head Peta Mathias with her new book Beat till Stiff, to legend Lloyd Jones in conversation with Finlay Macdonald. From Laurence Fearnley, winner of the 2011 New Zealand fiction award for The Hut Builder to acclaimed artist Euan Macleod with Gregory O’Brien and much more. The Waiheke Book Festival utilises a variety of Waiheke’s intimate venues to match a wonderful mix of art, literature and entertainment. Festival Highlights: Friday Gala Art Gallery opening with acclaimed painter Euan Macleod, winner of three major Australian art prizes & his biographer and fellow artist Gregory O’Brien, plus Warwick Broadhead at his best! Saturday Artworks Theatre – eminent writer Lloyd Jones, 2011 NZ fiction winner Laurence Fearnley & master [...read more...]
Today’s guest post is brought to you by Steve Stack, author of 21st Century Dodos. You know what the most boring page in every book is? The copyright page. You know, that weird page at the beginning with legal notices, © symbols, addresses and details of the printer. Boring, boring, boring. When I was putting the finishing touches to my latest book, 21st Century Dodos, I decided to make that page a little less boring. Can you see what I did? I couldn’t go too mad otherwise someone at HarperCollins would have noticed but I hope it prompts a chuckle or two when some unsuspecting reader stumbles across the mischievous additions. But what about the rest of the book? I cannot 100% guarantee it will be as pointlessly subversive, but it is quite fun. I have collected well over 100 inanimate objects which I believe are endangered. Some of them [...read more...]
So, remember that time I was all obsessed with graphic novels? And this time? And this? In that context I purchased a copy of Octopus Pie: There Are No Stars in Brooklyn by Meredith Gran. Having opened with graphic novels I’m going to annoy readers by saying this isn’t really a graphic novel, not in the “novel” context anyway. There’s a vague storyline but the book is a collection of short comics. Don’t let that stop you. It’s fun, funny, beautifully produced and just pretty darn cool. I picked up Octopus Pie from Borders bargain table… I think I paid a grand total of $2.50 for it and I probably shouldn’t be advertising that. But I’m pretty sure the author (Meredish Gran) still got paid her full royalties (I hope so), so we won’t worry about it too much.
And I looooooove Simon’s Cat… lucky Simon now has two.