Dance, Bilby, Dance

Little Bilby wants to dance. Everywhere he looks, something is dancing – leaves, ants, willy-willies,

moths and emus. Even his shadow is dancing.

Bilby copies his shadow and soon he is prancing and twirling. Until another shadow arrives, a huge, scary bunyip. Bilby runs away but the bunyip catches him. Fortunately, the bunyip wants to dance too. Bilby has found a dancing partner.

Bright, bouncing illustrations are a highlight of this book. Each page is alive with movement as Bilby dances, runs and falls in a tangled mess. On my favourite page, the willy-willy whirls furiously, gathering up gumnuts, eucalyptus blossoms, leaves, feathers, ants and a very surprised looking gecko.

Tricia Ocktober has won numerous awards for her wonderful artwork showcasing Australian flora and fauna. In this picture book, she cleverly manages to make Bilby both realistic and adorably cute.

Bilby Wants to Dance is a simple but captivating story for young children, perfect for reading aloud at Easter.

Reviewed by Sandy Fussell

Title: Bilby Wants to Dance
Author: Tricia Oktober
Publisher: Ford Street Publishing $14.95 RRP
Publication Date: 2016
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781925272130
For ages: 4+
Type: Children's Picture Book

The Warlock's Child Series

Book 1 The Burning Sea, Book 2 Dragonfall Mountain, Book 3 The Dragon Claw.

It’s not very often I start a review with the front cover but when the covers contain dragons of all shapes and hues, drawn by the Dragon Master himself, Marc Mcbride, it’s a good place to begin. The covers are eye-catching and glorious. 

The series is complete with Book 6 to be released in September 2015. Each of the first five books ends with the greater story still unresolved and a cliff-hanger leading the reader directly into the following book.

This structure suits a reluctant reader who is overwhelmed by a wad of pages but will devour the longer story as action-packed, manageable block-sized books. For the more avid reader, as all six books are being released in quick succession, it’s not long to wait for the final resolution.

On the first pages of each book, there’s a map which the reader will find invaluable as the story unfolds in Savaria and Darvinia and on the Centralian Sea that separates the kingdoms.

This is a grand tale of dragons and forbidden magic, of warlocks and sewer rats, of battles and capture, of devious plans and an unlikely hero. And that’s just the first three books.

In The Burning Sea, war has been declared by the Emperor of Darvinia. The Savarians are suspected of working forbidden magic. Long ago the four magics, earth, air water and fire, were divided by the Dragons who continue to ensure no human will ever wield the magics together again. The last time a human did that, it caused the greatest war ever imagined.

We meet Dantar and Velza, brother and sister, travelling on the ship Davarian Invincible with their father, the warlock, Calbaras, Dantar is a lowly overworked cabin boy but Velza is a shapeshifter and an officer. It’s not surprising they don’t get along.

Somewhere hidden on board is a dragon chick and the Dragon Drauvard is taking a keen interest in the ship

In Dragonfall Mountain, the Invincible is sunk in battle.  Velza learns some unpleasant truths about her father and brother and sister find themselves on the same side. Dantar discovers a new strength and the possibility of his own magic. And a dragon dies, the first dragon death in over a thousand years.

Ironclaw opens with the Dragons demanding the Savarian king explain why forbidden magic is being practised in the city of Teliz:

In the entire world there are few things that can strike fear into the heart of a king. The sight of his army retreating would be high on the list… at the very top, however there could be nothing to rival three very angry dragons the size of warships towering over you and asking questions for which you have no answers.

The story progresses with multiple plot strands. Calbaras has created a copy of Dantar and this shell now needs to be filled. Dantar continues to emerge as the one who matters and it seems a shapeshifting dragon always appears to protect him when he is in danger.

At the end of Iron Claw, Dantar, his friend Marko and Merikus the sewer rat are captives, waiting to be hung and arguing about which one of them might be a shapeshifted baby dragon in disguise. The young reader is perfectly primed and positioned to read on to the next book in the series

Recommended for children 9 years and up, in particular suitable for those who like their books short but their fantasy story a little longer.

Reviewed by Sandy Fussell

Title: The Warlock’s Child Series – Book 1: The Burning Sea, Book 2: Dragonfall Mountain, Book 3:The Iron Claw

Author: Paul Collins and Sean Mullins

Illustrator: Marc McBride

Publisher:  Ford Street Publishing

Publication Date: $12.95 RRP

Format: Paperback

Type: Junior Fiction, Fantasy

The Cuckoo

Martin, the runt of the family, is unloved and ridiculed by his father and brothers because of his size. His

mother left them long ago leaving his father bitter and filled with spite. Martin escapes into the forest where the birds he loves - especially the cuckoo, abide.  Comforted only by the ‘company of wild creatures’, he longs to be like an eagle, free, strong and confident.

It is after the bushfires. No prey is available for the eagles to feed their young. Everything changes. On a day when the two brothers are sunning their god-like bodies and the eagles are searching, the two glorious shapes become food for the eaglets.

Desolate, filled with grief, and longing for death, Father wishes Martin in his older sons’ place.

Hungry, alone, and wandering, the boy discovers the feathers and carcass of an eaglet and decides that to survive, any measure is acceptable. Using sap from a tree, Martin the unloved, becomes a cuckoo, and in the eagle’s nest receives sustenance. He thrives to grow into the eagle he’s longed to be.

Dark and full of symbolism, with underlying meaning running through mesmerising text, The Cuckoo is about betrayal in various forms, and how the justice of the natural world brings things full circle.

The gifted Gary Crew has created another masterpiece with his insightful and deeply moving word images. Perfectly translated by newcomer Naomi Turvey, the intriguing cover art summons questions before the book is opened.

Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

Title: The Cuckoo

Author: Gary Crew

Illustrator: Naomi Turvey

Publisher:  Ford Street Publishing $29.95 RRP

Publication Date: April 2014

 Format: Hardcover

ISBN: 9781925000177

Type: Illustrated Story Book

The Poppy

The first thing that drew me to this book was the cover, a lone red poppy flanked by shadow poppies on a background of black. It was so striking I wanted to read this book before I even knew what it was about.

The Poppy is an Anzac story. On 25^th April, 1918, Australian soldiers freed the French village of Villers-Bretonneux from German occupation. One-third of the Australian solders died. But the relationship between the village and Australia didn’t end with the sorrow of the battlefield, it bloomed, like the poppy. After the war, Victorian schoolchildren raised money to restore the village classroom. In the playground and in every classroom are the words “Never Forget Australia.”

The people of Villers-Bretonneux never did. When fires razed the Victorian school of Strathewen Primary, they raised funds to help rebuild it.

This is a book that answers the question of whether Anzac Day is still relevant today. Two generations later, the bond the Anzacs forged is growing even stronger.

Reviewed by Sandy Fussell

Title: The Poppy

Author/Illustrator: Andrew Plant

Publisher: Ford Street Publishing $16.95 PB RRP, $26.95 HB

Publication Date: March 2014

Format: Paperback/Hardback

ISBN: 9781925000313

Type: Historical non-fiction

The Down-Under 12 Days of Christmas

 by Michael Salmon

 

Ford Street Publishing Picture Book. Hardcover.RRP $19.95

Reviewed by Francine Sculli

We all know the 12 Days of Christmas carol – we have sung it in our homes, heard it in the supermarket in the lead up to Christmas and no doubt whispered in the ears of children around us as we watch glee spread through their eyes. So what happens when you take a well-loved and well-known carol like that and give it some Aussie cheer? You get a great children’s picture book that will make the perfect gift for those little ones this Christmas.

So what makes this a down-under Christmas? Well it is brimming with a host of classic Australian animal characters, some hot sun and a range of equally classic Australian activities that’ll warm any heart with familiarity. Following the same rhythm, repetition and structure as the original carol, this book introduces readers to kookaburras in gum trees, snakes on skis, wet galahs, lyrebirds, kangaroos, sharks a-surfing, egg laying emus, dancing dingoes, snoozing crocs, washing wombats, leaping lizards and musical possums. Best of all are the vibrant and cartoon-like pictures that fill the pages and are jam-packed with enough beautiful detail to allow plenty of room for pre-emptive and early literacy discussions – and simply to keep readers engaged.

This book is perfect for children aged three and up. For the younger ones, the repetition and colourful images allows them to predict the text and introduces them to a classic carol and for the older ones, the language is simple and repeated enough to allow them to read through it on their own – making this a great early literacy resource. I tried this one out on my three and a half year old son and he absolutely loved it and by the end of the book he was ‘reading’ along, making this a certified winner for the Christmas related read-a-thon in the lead up to Christmas.

Francine Sculli is a regular reviewer of children's books for Buzz Words magazine, an essential resource for writers and illustrators for children.

Gamers’ Challenge

by George Ivanoff

Ford Street Publishing. Australian, Junior, Young Adult, Science Fantasy. Paperback RRP $16.95

Guest Reviewer - Anastasia Gonis

It all started when they broke the Designers’ Rules. They kissed. Then everything changed. Now Tark and Zyra are no longer part of the game. Zyra is now susceptible to every human hurt and habit. Tark is ‘unheard and unseen’ but he feels free from the dependency of Designers’ Paradise where they had lived unchanged and ageless, each one programmed with specified speech patterns.

But a different game starts when Zyra and Tark come into contact with Tee, an Outer, which they too have now become, who has left the game and lives in a community of similar minds. The two are faced with another challenge; another quest. They discover that they have been character constructions, players trapped in a never-ending game that exist in a world of technology that recreates them over and over.

The Outers are being chased by a ball of static known as VI –Viral Interface, comprised of pieces of computer Interface that have escaped into the environment and become lethal. The worst is that the VI becomes larger and more powerful with every kill. It also multiplies as it grows, splitting into additional killers with increasing power and momentum.

The Outers discover the existence of an Ultimate Gamer, with an ultimate exit code that can remove him from the game environment and into the real world. Thus begins the quest to find him and uncover the cheat code. But they are unprepared for what this means. One revelation leads to another inside a labyrinth of options connected with the countless deceptive personas of the Ultimate Gamer. Will Tark and Zyra be able to discern what reality is as they play one last game?

With zombies, knights and dragons, bloody battles, chaos and catastrophe, and magik portals, the reader will view computers, viruses, corrupted files and anti-virus programs with new eyes. Here they become metaphors for danger and destruction in a world where conformity is the ultimate game.

This is the sequel to the charged, Gamers’ Quest. The Reading Stack interviewed George Ivanoff in March 2010.

http://www.gamersquestbook.com/

http://www.georgeivanoff.com.au/

The Key to Starveldt

The Rare: Book Two

by Foz Meadows

Ford Street Publishing. Australian, Fantasy, Young Adult. Paperback RRP $19.95

Reviewed by Barbara Brown

Solace Morgan and her group of friends each have unusual gifts – the Rare.

A prophecy was left to Solace from her parents – the parents she never knew – and now she and her friends, Evan, Manx, Electra, Jess, Laine, Paige and Harper have to unravel the cryptic clues it contains about each of them.

“The Rookery lives at the Sign of the Singing Hawk. My daughter, if you read this, seek Liluye there. She can be trusted. Mayhap she knows more of the prophecy. At the very least, she can guide you – not only to Sanguisidera, but in yourself. Homewards.”

They leave the confines of their safety house somewhere in Sydney and enter a different realm, the Rookery, where everything is so different it is hard to imagine anything normal again. But the Rookery is safe for Solace and the Key to Starveldt, the one thing that Grief, Solace’s evil brother and Lord of the Bloodkin, wants.

Solace has problems with her friends and relationships within the group - add danger, lies, secrets and death into the mix and the eight friends start questioning each other and their gifts. Has Grief infiltrated the group without having to step into the Rookery? Can the eight find the Castle of Starveldt before Grief does?

I loved Solace and Grief and waited impatiently for The Key to Starveldt. Now I have to wait again … for the third book Falling into Midnight.

The Reading Stack reviewed Solace and Grief - The Rare: Book One  in March 2010.

http://fozmeadows.wordpress.com/

Bobo, My Superdog

by Michael Salmon

Ford Street Publishing. Australian, Picture, Children. Hardback RRP $19.95

Bobo is a typical dog. He burys his bones in the garden, has his own doggy kennel in the backyard and barks at the possums at night but Bobo has a secret and only his young human owner knows it. Bobo is Super-Bo, a dog with super powers that spends his days fighting to save princesses from dragons, explorers from ferocious snakes and the city from a slimy monster.

Bobo and his owner have to keep his secret hidden from the boy’s parents and everyone else so Super-Bo wears a mask and an old striped beach towel for a cape. When the parents think Bobo is sleeping all day in his kennel, he is being a super dog.

When the mayor wants to reward this super dog with a medal, how will Bobo ever hide his secret?

A funny story of one super dog and his master with wonderfully detailed illustrations.

http://www.michaelsalmon.com.au/

Riley and the Grumpy Wombat

A journey around Melbourne

by Tania McCartney, illustrations by Kieron Pratt


Ford Street Publishing. Australian, Picture. Paperback, RRP $22.95

Guest Reviewer - Vicki Stanton (http://www.buzzwordsmagazine.com/)

The intrepid Riley is off in his red bi-plane for his fourth adventure. This time he flies to my hometown of Melbourne and encounters a grumpy wombat. Riley wants to discover the reason for her grumpiness and help her but first needs to find her again.

McCartney’s concept of searching for the grumbly wombat is perfect for showcasing the sights of Melbourne and further afield in regional Victoria. Just a few of the many attractions included are: Bourke Street Mall, Flinders Street Station, St Kilda Beach, the Dandenong Ranges, Sovereign Hill and the Great Ocean Road.

The format follows the previous Riley books with black-and-white photographs, some of which were contributed by McCartney, overlaid by Pratt’s bright and cheeky illustrations. Numerous gadgets are at Riley’s disposal, something that kids will love (and wish for).

I loved the inclusion of Riley’s friends from his previous adventures. They hang from the plane’s wings and operate contraptions in a bid to find the wombat. An underlying thread of friendship and concern is evident.

Riley and the Grumpy Wombat is a great introduction to Melbourne for those that don’t know her and for those of us that do it might just make you yearn for a visit. It did me!

The fifth Riley adventure, Riley and the Jumpy Kangaroo: A journey around Canberra is due out in 2012. You can also read a review of the third Riley adventure Riley and the curious koala at Buzz Words Books.

http://www.taniamccartney.com/
http://www.poppybooks.com.au/aboutillustrator.html

Hazard River Series

Toad’s Revenge/Blood Money

by J E Fison

Ford Street Publishing. Australian, Junior. Paperback RRP $12.95

There’s always something happening at Hazard River and the two most recent titles in the series are no exception.

In Blood Money Jack and his brother Ben ‘the Stinkfinder’ discover a bag of money. Together with their friends Mimi and Lachlan ‘Master of Disaster’ they find not only the owner but a trail of endangered animal smuggling.

In Toad’s Revenge the friends embark on a time machine adventure to a future where cane toads have involved into even more vicious predators, threatening human existence.

The series is easy-to-read and action-packed, best suited to boys 7-10 years. There is an element of predictability which will appeal to newly independent readers and reluctant readers, while the action will keep them turning the pages.

Readers of Justin D’Arth’s Extreme Adventures series and Alison Reynolds Ranger in Danger series will equally enjoy the Hazard River series.

The Reading Stack reviewed J E Fison's Snake Surprise in December 2010

http://www.hazardriver.com/

Mole Hunt

The Maximus Black Files: Book 1

by Paul Collins

Ford St Publishing. Australian, Science Fiction, Young Adult. Paperback RRP $19.95

Guest Reviewer - Di Bates

Mole Hunt is the first book in a science fiction series set in the future and in a universe far beyond earth, a place with floating cities where people can regenerate and mankind is out of control, killing and maiming at will. The protagonist – and anti-hero -- is teenager Maximus Black, who works for galactic law enforcement agency, RIM. He is a tightly-drawn, unlikeable psychopath trained to kill – and he does: he also commissions others to do his terrible bidding. Orphaned at the age of six when his parents are murdered, Black is so enraged by their deaths that he seeks to exact revenge: he plans to amass an enormous cache of Old Empire weapons as his way of controlling the galaxy. Black is extremely clever, able to cover his devious tracks as he progresses towards his goals.

There are two narrative points of view in the novel, that of Black and Anneke Longshadow, both of whom are orphans, pitted against one another. Black, a mole who has infiltrated the RIM operation, has no conscience, whereas Longshadow has. Early in the book she sets out to unearth the mole, her quest made more urgent when her adoptive father, her uncle Viktus is murdered. Conflict occurs when, in a world full of spies and secret agents, the Black and Longshadow again and again work out ways to dominate one another.

This fast-paced and bloody tale, tightly-plotted and exciting, is marketed as a young adult novel, but it is really cross-over, also ideal for adult reading. Highly recommended.

The Reading Stack reviewed Paul Collin's picture book The Glasshouse in October 2010.

http://www.paulcollins.com.au/

Snake Surprise

by J E Fison

Ford Street Publishing. Australian, Junior. Paperback rrp $12.95

Guest Reviewer - Jo Burnell

Somersaulting sausage rolls! What could possibly happen next? It’s never boring on Hazard River. There’s often a bit of the ridiculous mixed in with drama and mystery in this Series. A little brother loves to let the imagination run wild and when clues hint at someone in distress, who could blame him? Unexpected happenings turn into monumental adventures. Terrible villains are concocted, while the real ones are even freakier.

I can see Ben stumble backwards and bounce off the table. I stretch with Jack as his hands cling to the boat and his feet are stuck on the dinghy. Will the water’s current split him in two?

Snake Surprise will keep Middle Primary students glued to the page. Just when you think

 things can’t get worse, they do. There’s a strong hook to keep you reading at the end of each Chapter too. I couldn’t stop till I found out what happened in the end.

Although unfamiliar vocabulary offers a challenge, the benefits are in the tale. This will be a series that hauls a reluctant reader or two back to the page.

Thanks J E Fison. Don’t stop now!

Shark Attack and Snake Surprise were released together in 2010. Bat Attack and Tiger Terror will follow in March 2011.

http://hazardriver.com/Author.html

The Glasshouse

by Paul Collins, illustrated by Jo Thompson

Ford Street Publishing. Australian, Picture Book. Hardback rrp $26.95

Guest Reviewer Jo Burnell

The Glasshouse is a treasure for everyone. Preschoolers will be drawn to Jo Thompson’s vibrant colours and the stark contrast between pages. Middle Primary students will revel in their ability to read with minimal assistance. Teenagers will recognise Clara’s determination to keep control and her anguish at facing the unknown. Adults will have to line up for their chance to ponder parallels with the modern world. What are the pumpkins in your life?

Multiple messages wait between the pages. Is Clara really worried about her pumpkins? Her hair colour mirrors the hues of her beloved produce so closely that I’m inclined to think her fears are much closer to her heart. Can she ever break free? What will it take? Does she have to destroy the glasshouse to escape her worries?

We all have glasshouses we hide in and pumpkins we try to protect. The Glasshouse helps me see what will happen if I let worries take over. Is Clara obsessive compulsive? Does she have an anxiety disorder? Perhaps she’s just hit a rough patch. We all go through times when we can’t make things happen the way we want. How can we break free?

The Glasshouse echoes in my mind long after the last page. Can you let your pumpkins go? I’m trying, but I need Clara to keep reminding me how it is done.

http://www.plasticine.com/pcollins/

The Reading Stack had Paul Collins as a guest blogger in February 2010 and have reviewed The Slightly Skewed Life of Toby Chrysler in December 2009.

Reactions to f2m - the boy within’

a transitioning gender & punk music YA novel

What Happens When You Don’t Write What Your Regular Readers Expect?

by Hazel Edwards

Earlier this year, I wrote an article What Happens When You Don’t Write What Your Regular Readers Expect? http://www.australianwomenonline.com/from-hippos-to-transitioning-gender/ about the challenges of a children’s author who also writes in other fields.

Several do. But I made the mistake of not using a pseudonym.
 
The article was mainly about diverse media and personal reactions to my being a co-author of a YA novel on transitioning gender. Ryan, my co-author is an f2m (female to male) and this means our YA novel is first internationally, by a transitioned f2m co-author.

Despite being YA fiction, f2m;the boy within novel has been shelved as biography, autobiography, psychology, self help, health and even put in the adult category in bookshops and some libraries.

Readers appear disconcerted by writers who cannot be catalogued in one genre or categorised. I had always considered this a strength for a writer.

Educators, librarians and booksellers are especially wary of this gender subject.

This wariness is compounded when there are periodic TV current affair specials which sensationalise the more bizarre aspects of transitioning gender.

Our book is not sensationalised. We hope it humanises. Even if schools and librarians are wary, many youth support groups see this fiction as vital vicarious experience, and maybe saving lives. Social media response via blogs especially has been significant and fast. And the youth blogs are a way of enticing readers to libraries and books. Our e-book version is a significant attraction. Amazon http://tinyurl.com/28xys5o

Ironically science fiction/fantasy readers are interested in credible, transgender characters and with the Aussiecon 4 in September this is timely.

‘You might wonder what a review of a book dealing with a girl becoming a boy is doing on this website. It is here because I thought it sounded intriguing and also because gender-swapping is such a prevalent theme in SF that a serious and realistic novel based on one of the authors’ own experiences warranted it. The concept of gender-swapping goes back at least as far as the ancient Greek legend of Tiresias and is a part of many other mythologies as well. In modern times we have Virginia Woolf’s Orlando, Baum’s Princess Ozma, and countless other examples.'

Ian Banks The Specusphere: SF site

I’ve learnt that if I talk about our process of collaboration in an approachable way, by stressing the social media responses, readers will buy the book, read and make up their own minds. Then they tend to recommend it ‘as a good read’.

http://www.ryanscottkennedy.com/
http://www.hazeledwards.com/

Publisher: Ford Street Publishing
ISBN: 9781876462901
AUD$19.95
Category: Young Adult Fiction

Rufus the Numbat

by David Miller

Ford Street Publishing. Australian, Picture Book. Hardcover rrp $24.95

How much havoc can one numbat cause just walking through the town? Quite a lot, if that numbat is Rufus!

“Rufus the numbat is just passing through.
That’s all, just passing through.”

Where Rufus goes, trouble follows. From tripping a cyclist to interrupting some ladies having cake, Rufus is just trying to get to the bush.

David Miller has illustrated Rufus’ travels with paper sculptures on painted backgrounds to give the story a three dimensional effect. Rufus is so bristly and cute young readers won’t be able to resist putting their hands out to touch and pat his brown and white coat. A wonderful story using an interesting medium.

David Miller’s Big and Me was reviewed by the Reading Stack in Issue 12, November 2008.

In Lonnie’s Shadow

by Chrissie Michaels

Ford Street Publishing. Young Adult, Australian, History. Paperback, rrp $19.95


Lonnie McGuinness is a young lad living in the slums of Melbourne in 1891. He is a boy with a heart that keeps getting him into trouble. From his love for his boss’s daughter to the love for his mother and the two girls who are his mates, Daisy a Salvation Army worker and Pearl a worker of the streets. Whatever Lonnie does, he always ends up in trouble.

In Lonnie’s Shadow tells the tale of one young man’s struggle to overcome poverty, depression, disease and the street gangs he is surrounded by.

Beginning with a break-and-enter to retrieve something that was not rightfully taken in Lonnie’s eyes, every step is purposeful ... to set things right. Lonnie is always looking out for those more unfortunate than himself. He never sees himself as a victim although he wonders often why he can’t rise above the slush that surrounds his feet. But when Pearl goes missing and Daisy’s past gradually comes to light, the only way for Lonnie to help is to participate in an illegal horse race to win the money that will raise all three of them from the depths of their horrid world.

This book is a historical tale that will appeal to teenagers. Gangs, abortion, illegal races, and unrequited love – it’s all in here.

A powerful story that will keep a twenty-first century kid not only engaged, but might just stimulate an interest in stories of the past.

http://sites.google.com/site/chrissiemichaelsorg/

Guest Blogger - Author George Ivanoff

Writing Gamers’ Quest

Ford Street Publishing. Australian, Junior, Young Adult. Paperback RRP $16.95

How did my teen science fiction novel, Gamers’ Quest, come into being?

It all started with a call from Paul Collins at Ford Street Publishing. He was putting together a short story anthology called Trust Me! and wanted to know if I would contribute a story. Of course, I said YES!

Then I sat down in front of the television and started channel surfing. No, I wasn’t procrastinating… I was conducting research. I ended up watching a doco on the ABC about online computer gaming. By the time I had finished watching the programme, I knew what my story would be.

“Game Plan” was based on the following premise: if ordinary people, who live ordinary lives, escape their mundane existence by playing high action games full of fantasy, danger and death, what sort of games would be played by people who lived extraordinary lives in fantastical surrounds filled with death and danger on a daily basis? And so I had a story about two teenage thieves, Tark and Zyra, fighting their way through extraordinary challenges to reach a place called Designers Paradise, where they would escape their lives for a short while, playing a quiet, peaceful virtual reality game called Suburbia. It was a short story leading towards a twist ending. I was happy with it. It was published. And that was that… or so I thought.

Next thing you know, Paul Collins is telling me that fellow author, Meredith Costain, thought that “Game Plan” would make a good basis for a novel. Never one to pass up an opportunity, I turned to Paul and said: “Well, if I write it, will you publish it?” To which he responded: “Well, when you’ve written an outline, send it to me and we’ll see.”

It took me several weeks and numerous re-writes before I had an outline that I was happy with. Then I wrote the first four chapters, and emailed them to Paul with the outline. Two days later I had an email with feedback and a contract. Nine full drafts later, I had a novel.

How did I turn a 2,000-word short story into a 35,000-word novel? It was not simply a matter of expanding the existing plot, although I did do a bit of that. The twist at the end of the story was not enough to sustain an entire novel — so it became a jumping off point to further the plot. Where the short story ends as the protagonists enter the Suburbia game, the novel continues. Whereas the story simply led to a twist, the novel explores questions of reality and identity.

It goes without saying that I had to flesh out the characters. I also changed a couple of the characters around. The main villain from the story, a thief called the Cracker, became the secondary villain in the novel. The minor villain from the story, the Fat Man, who was there merely to be robbed, evolved into the primary villain. I also ended up introducing a new major character, as I felt the plot needed someone who was neither hero nor villain. Princeling Galbrath is a spoiled and vengeful kid who looks out for number one. But he is also lonely and unhappy with his life. At first he’s portrayed as a villain, but as the story progresses, he ends up helping Tark and Zyra. When the novel reaches its climax, Galbrath is faced with a choice as to which side to join. His choice ends up being the deciding factor in the climax.

One of my biggest decisions with the novel was to try to give it the feel of a computer game. There are different classes and levels of player, and there are different rules that apply to the different levels.

The world that Tark and Zyra inhabit has the pace and excitement of a computer game, along with a feeling of tongue-in-cheek fun. It is non-stop action, and there is no sense of night and day. The characters progress from one challenge to the next, without sleeping or eating, with no real sense of time, until they reach their goal. Once the characters reach that goal, I felt okay about slowing things down a little.

Things changed, of course, during the many re-writes, as the manuscript went back and forth between the editor, the publisher and me. Scenes were added, chapters deleted and a change or two to make the book age-appropriate for the 11+ market. In the end, I’m really pleased with the final novel. Reviews have been great and, more importantly, feedback from teenage readers has been terrific. Now, if only it would soar into best-seller status!

http://www.gamersquestbook.com/

http://www.georgeivanoff.com.au/

Solace and Grief

The Rare: Book One
by Foz Meadows

Ford Street Publishing. Australian, Fantasy, Young Adult. Paperback rrp $19.95

Not another book about vampires! Well yes … and no. There are many reasons why Solace and Grief is different to other vampire books including that it is set in Sydney, Australia.

Along with Solace, the true vampire, there are her friends who are referred to as The Rare. The Rare are humans who have talents such as shape shifting, seeing the future, and travelling to other dimensions. Maybe they aren’t that human after all.

Solace Morgan grew up in foster care, never chosen to go with a real family. She feels there is something wrong with her and works hard to hide the characteristics that mark her as different.

But coming of age, Solace is compelled to leave and begins a journey where she meets The Rare and her own kind. She learns of her past and what is predicted for her future. Who are Grief and Sharpsoft? Why are her newfound friends referred to in a book written by her dead mother? What is her destiny?

I love a good vampire story and Solace and Grief has to be on the top of my list in this category. The only problem I have is the ending. It left me unwilling to wait for the next instalment. I have many questions for The Key to Starveldt to answer.

http://fozmeadows.wordpress.com/

f2m: The Boy Within

by Hazel Edwards and Ryan Kennedy

Ford Street Publishing. Austalian, Young Adult. Paperback rrp $19.95

Guest Reviewer - Jo Burnell

Coming of age is about finding yourself. People of all ages face identity crises at some stage in their lives. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve heard the phrase; ‘they don’t know the real me’. We all shelter behind facades at times, but Skye’s dilemma goes much deeper. She believes she’s in the wrong body.

Hazel Edwards and Ryan Kennedy have pulled off a world-first with their funny fictional portrayal of a previously taboo subject. Gender Identity Disorder or people who are transgender are often misunderstood. It’s too easy to regard them as cross-dressers or homosexuals in denial. f2m opens doors to understanding while providing a fast-paced down-to earth read.

Skye plays guitar in an all-female punk rock band, even though she feels male on the inside. Her first person viewpoint lets me inside her head as she decides to change gender. I’m there as she faces unimagined conflicts, squirming with her as she tries to work out a way to break the news to family. How do you choose between everyone and everything you love and an unknown future with a changed identity? There’s no escaping that totally lost feeling when you are neither fully female nor male. The heart aches when friends don’t seem to understand.

Which box would you tick and which public toilet might you use if you were in transition: male or female? Although many transgender issues are contemplated, f2m is so much more than a book about changing sexes. It’s a story of self-discovery and courage.

f2m doesn’t skirt around the edges. Medications and their powerful, irreversible effects are described without censure. Details of body-changing operations are included.

Is it really worth it? f2m provides answers to questions people don’t dare ask. It also hints at the unanswerable. Anyone who faces identity crisis is on a voyage to discovery. When do you know you’ve finally arrived?

f2m gives entry into a previously inaccessible world. Skye is real. Her dilemmas are no less life altering than mine. Give it a try. f2m blew my mind.

http://www.hazeledwards.com/

Click here to read all about the Book Launch.

f2m - Book Launch

by Hazel Edwards and Ryan Kennedy

You are invited to the launch of f2m

When: 2pm for 2:30pm, Sunday 14 February

Where: Richmond Library, 415 Church Street, Richmond, Vic

Queries: Lindy Dadd on (03) 9426 5688

or Paul Collins: (03) 9481 1120

RSVP by 10 February: info@fordstreetpublishing.com

http://www.fordstreetpublishing.com/