I'm very excited to be going to Singapore next
week for the Asian Festival of Children’s Content. I first heard of the
festival when I met R. Ramachandran, head of the Singapore Book Council, at the
Bookaroo Festival in New Delhi – another extraordinary event. After seeing one
of my sessions he said he’d like to invite me to the AFCC, and so now I’m busy
preparing talks and handouts, looking forward to catching up with friends,
meeting authors only known through facebook or twitter – and browsing through
the Lonely Planet Guide to Singapore!
(Though I have a feeling that the latter may be wasted, as the Festival
itself looks too good to stray from.)
I have the pleasure of speaking
with Susanne Gervay about our books Butterflies and Peeling the Onion
in Challenge, Trauma and Recovery in YA Fiction, with Shirley Lim
moderating. Susanne's done a great post on the festival and participants: http://www.sgervay.com/blog.
WA writer and friend Dianne Wolfer will be moderating my session from Book to Blockbuster. To
go along with the talk, I’ve been busy preparing a handout of hints for what to
expect if your work is optioned.
Finally, I’ll be
joining Vatsala Kaul Banerjee, Renee Ting and Kathleen Ahrens in the writing
critique: First Pages.
But wait, there’s more:
On Tuesday 28th, at 8:50 am I’ll be interviewed on Channel News Asia, and at 11:00 am I’ll be be
on 938 Live.
It sounds like a busy and
exciting week. Thanks very much to the National Book Development Council of
Singapore www.bookcouncil.sg R. Ramachandran,
Kenneth Quek, Stephanie Tanizar and everyone else involved for making it all
possible.
(And a week from now, I'll be on the plane...)