My Etsy Shop is back!

  

After a long hiatus, my Etsy shop is up and running again. Items are now at a lower price and it's free shipping anywhere in Australia. You can contact me if you want something posted overseas.

I have some brand new Mamie giclée prints for sale - on the most beautiful cotton rag watercolour paper. The colours are superb, saturated and super bright. I will be offering some Mamie greeting cards in the coming weeks.

AND I have stunning giclée prints from my upcoming book, Plume: World Explorer, ahead of its release in October (November in North America). I have Plume cards for sale in my shop, too.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THERE WILL BE A LITTLE DELAY ON THESE GICLÉE PRINTS AS I'M STILL WAITING FOR THEM TO ARRIVE FROM THE PRINTER.

 

On top of A4 prints, I'm offering the option to purchase A3 for the first time. Again, postage is free, but this will be print-on-demand, and will take up to 2 weeks from purchase to posting.

I do have some très vintage Riley the Little Aviator books for sale - mostly Curious Koala (Sydney), Dancing Lion (Hong Kong) and Grumpy Wombat (Melbourne), with a small handful of Sleeping Dragon (Beijing). Jumpy Kangaroo (Canberra) sold out long ago but you can buy one on Booktopia. 

I may add a small stash of books for sale here and there. I don't have a lot of stock, but you may see one pop up occasionally. Yes, I can absolutely sign them for you, just let me know at purchase.

Lastly, I'm offering some original artworks in my shop now, and I'll add more as time goes on. I'm currently offering older art but I do have line drawings from my Evie and Pog junior fiction series. These are extremely rare, as I reverted to fully digital, part way through book 1 - Evie and Pog: Take Off! So, snaffle one while you can!

uplift among the chaos - a mammoth June 2020 update

Hey ho, everyone. Grab a cuppa. This is long.

Checking in after a long blog hiatus, where the only real option has been to find centre, breathe and invite a deep sense of calm in the chaos.

The world has shaken us to our core of late, non? It seems we're experiencing a bizarre state of grief, shock, confusion, rage and despair. It's raining realisation and revolution; much of it long, long, long overdue, and absolutely, completely a flood of Everything. Our planet and our people are saying Enough.

And seriously, are we STILL dealing with racism and inequality - we have come so far as a species; why do we never learn?? I'm both gut-wrenched and hopeful with the way of the world right now. Have always believed old orders have to be torn down to invite in the new - and hopefully a more insightful, compassionate and equitable way of life.

I hope you're doing okay and are keeping safe, well and centred. Are you finding ways to seek calm and comfort? It's so important. Yes, we need to fight, but we also need to keep one glove up so we don't take a fall and are rendered useless. We are no good in a useless state. That's when the vultures swoop.

I'm hoping this post brings you some comfort and any kind of uplift. It will be kind of random - a little bit of news, some sharing, some happenings, some links and bits and bobs you might find warm. It's cold here in Canberra, of course, so I'm all for a little warmth right now (am sitting on my lovely sheepskin throw as I type!).

Before I get to some updates and news, some inspiration! Let's start with some pretty pictures on Instagram - some new illustrator finds I adore. Click the image to go to each account.

Evie and Pog paper dolls!

Evie and Pog paper dolls are go! In celebration of the release of Book 3, Party Perfect, here is a treat for you - Evie and Pog playing dress-ups - and you'll find all of these costumes in the first three books!

Just print out, cut out and get busy. I may even add some more costumes these coming months. If you'd like to print out a PDF of the paper dolls, just click here.

Have fun!

Evie and Pog Mega Giveaway WINNER!

Emmeline, 7

Huge congrats to Emmeline, age 7, for your winning entry in the Evie and Pog Mega Giveaway! Emmeline, you have won a signed book and a whole stack of goodies - congratulations!

Emmeline's picture was chosen because I love the movement she's captured here, with the breezy sky and the kite and bird. I also love the daisy-spot grass and her fabulous rendition of Evie and Pog!

I have to say that the entries for this comp were absolutely amazing, with kids as young as 5 entering. You all made it VERY difficult to choose a winner - I simply adore each and every image sent in. You are all so talented.

Below is my shortlist - if your image is on it, you were VERY close to the number one position, so huge congrats to you, too. If your image is here, email me at booksATtaniamccartney.com and I'll email you a little treat!

And right at the end is a super fun photo of a tree house made by Lila, inspired by Evie and Pog.

Thanks, again, everyone - I hope you love reading Evie and Pog Party Perfect.

a MEGA giveaway!

To celebrate the release of Evie and Pog Party Perfect (book 3), I’m having a mega giveaway!

Head to my Instragram to see a video of all this gorgeous content - a signed book, an original artwork from the books, sausage dog sticky notes, activity sheets, scented pencils, doggy paw stickers, daisy cupcake wrappers, a mini canvas, daisy-spot grass seeds, a Kikki-K pencil necklace and cutouts - and all of these things are what Evie and Pog love to do - read, paint, bake, party, create and roll on the daisy-spot grass!

To enter, all you have to do is draw a picture of Evie and Pog! Make it as colourful and creative as you like. You might also like to draw the tree house. See below for pics from the books - this can be your inspiration.

Add your first name and age to the image and then email it to me here OR tag me to the image on Instagram - @taniamccartney.

Comp ends this Sunday 26 April at 5pm and is open to kids aged 10 and under. Anyone can enter, though the parcel can only be sent to an Australian address. I will choose, tag and message the winner, who will have 48 hours to respond before I choose someone else, so check back Sunday!

Please note the crochet dolls and rug are not included. 

Good luck, everyone! 

Click here for more on Evie and Pog or buy a copy right here.

More puzzles! Evie and Pog

Evie and Pog covers puzzle - or click here to do 

the enlarged version online.

Some more puzzles for you, puzzle fiends! Here are the first three covers for Evie and Pog, and a special tree house scene that has not been included in any of the books! Click here to see the series.
 

  Evie and Pog covers puzzle - or click here to do  the enlarged version online.  

#StayHomeForLove resources for adults and kids

Hi, everyone!

I so hope you're doing well, adopting #StayHomeForLove wherever you can, and juggling life in this new surreal reality.

I have been busy recording and uploading a bunch of videos to my YouTube channel - most of them expressly for kids, with a 'kid' rating. They include story readings and peeks at my books and the creative processes and production involved. I've got lots more content coming soon, including illustration techniques and inspo.

I'm hoping these videos prove a valuable resource for teachers, librarians, parents and carers... and of course, kids! We may be facing some challenges right now, but please remember that books bring such comfort for kids ... and adult ... and although we're all stuck in place right now, we can always travel the world in a book.

Click the poster above to head to my channel. More...

Evie and Pog window at Harry Hartog Woden

Huge thanks to Kate and the team at Harry Hartog Bookseller for this fab opportunity to introduce Evie and Pog to Canberrans - such a gorgeous space and I'm ever grateful.

Window will be in place until just after my combined book launch with Stephanie Owen Reeder and Cate Whittle on 15 March at 10.30am.

More pics below. Hope you get a chance to see the window, and see you at the launch - more details right here.

books, smoke, fire, heartbreak, hope - hello, 2020

a chirpy cockatoo on my walk this morning

Well, the year has started with a firestorm. Literally. The loss has already been incalculable, and there's more to come. Australians are drenched with grief and distress at the lives lost, the animals lost (current estimate is at 1 billion), ecosystems lost, houses and other structures lost, including heritage buildings. It's been too much to bear for so many.

Australia is Burning - AUCTION #AuthorsForFireys

Australia is burning and unless some drastic change is immediately implemented, this is likely our future. We may be the driest continent (next to Antarctica, but not many trees to burn there) but the rest of the world will follow. So, this is our lot unless we get our head out of the sand and make concrete, deeply-effective decisions - the very first being the power of the vote.

We are so fortunate in Australia to live in a Democracy that allows us to choose people to run our government. These people - public servants - become our employees. We pay them. We fund them. We need to ensure that the people we choose put land and people (in that order - without land, we would not be here) before money.


While the country wakes up to the nightmare it has voted into power, and realises once and for all that the fish rots from the head down, authors all over Australia are running auctions to raise money for the Country Fire Service. These selfless men and women are risking their lives and livelihoods to do all they can to abate the fury of these devastating fires.

There are some amazing items up for grabs - check it out with the hashtag...

#AuthorsForFireys

I am offering two, below. Head to my TWITTER FEED and you'll see both of the above auctions listed near the top of my feed. Make a bid by replying to my post. Be as generous as you can - and do be quick, as the auctions end 11 Jan.

1. ‪To raise money for CFA, I’m offering a signed copy of my new (not out till Feb!) huge format picture book, I Heart the World, PLUS an original little watercolour image from the book.

2. To raise money for CFA, I’m offering a picture book ms assessment and will name a character after your child in an upcoming Evie and Pog book.

For more details on how to bid and pay, visit authorsforfireys.wixsite.com/website

A huge shout out to authors @EmilyGale and @NovaWeetman for this wonderful initiative.

Also...

If you are an author, or even if you're not, and you have some NEW books to spare, please consider sending some to Clifton Creek Primary School, which was reduced to ashes in the bushfires. See below for more information.

From Jackie Randall:

Attention ALL AUSTRALIAN AUTHORS and bookshop owners: here’s something we can do to help just one of the bushfire-affected communities.

Clifton Creek Primary School was burned to the ground on 31 December 2019. The community is located a short distance inland from Lakes Entrance in Victoria.

In conjunction with the business manager of the school and the Terry Floyd Foundation (that is gathering donations for the rebuild of the school), I’m co-ordinating a project to help repopulate their school library.

Here’s what you can do (up until Friday 14 February):

1. Do you have a NEW copy of your book (or books) you can donate to the school? Your book should be suitable for primary-aged children. It may be traditionally published or self-published (as long as it has an ISBN). Please do not send second-hand books.

2. Send the new copy of your book/s to the post office address below.

3. Feel free to write a note to the school and place it (loose) inside the front cover of the book.

4. After you’ve posted the book, please feel free to place a link to your book in the comments below.

5. All books will be forwarded in batches to the Terry Floyd Foundation to be made available as the school year begins.

6. Please share this post wherever you and other Australian authors mingle on Facebook.

Please send your books to:

Clifton Creek PS Book Drive

c/o Jackie Randall

PO Box 6430

Rouse Hill NSW 2155

Evie and Pog wish you a sparkling Christmas

Evie and Pog wish you 

a sparkling festive season and 

a truly inspiring 2020

They look forward to meeting you 
on 1 February in Take Off and Puppy Playtime. 
At bookstores everywhere, or pre-order 
by clicking the book covers below.

    

COVER REVEAL! Evie and Pog

 

I'm over the moon to reveal the covers for the first two books in my spanking new junior fiction series, Evie and Pog. One is a girl and one is a dog. And everyone knows them as Evie and Pog.

Hitting the shelves February 2020, I can't wait for you to meet my darling Evie and her BFF Pog the Pug - two very best friends who live in a mid-century modern tree house in Granny's garden, high above the daisy-spot grass. I don't think I've ever loved two characters more. They certainly thrive on quirk! and I couldn't be happier.

Evie is six years old. She likes knitting and jumping and books and cake. Pog is a pug. He is two and likes to drink tea and read the newspaper. Granny loves books and cake, too, but she doesn't like noise and she doesn't like mess. She likes neat and quiet.

I have so loved bringing this series to life, thanks to my wonderful publisher Lisa Berryman, and editor Eve Tonelli and the glorious HarperCollins team. I've fallen head over heels in love with these characters and their Village friends and I hope you do, too.

Book 1, Take Off! features three stories ideal for kids aged 5 - 8 - Puppy School Mess, School Play Drama and Cake Stall Chaos.

Book 1, Puppy Playtime! features another three stories - Reno Rumble, Classroom Contraption and Puppy Park.

Click on the covers for more info, and PRE-ORDERS are open now with Booktopia - click here for Take Off! and here for Puppy Playtime! Book 3 will be out May 2020.

Stay tuned for more peeks as we get closer to pub date! #evieandpog

Inspiring events, a mountain of books, illo peeks, and where was Autumn??

Grab a cuppa. This is long. And, by the way, what happened to Autumn? I never saw it happen.

Hello, my name is Tania and I'm a bookaholic.

As part of my therapy, I'm starting this lengthy blog post with my latest book buys. Please don't hate. We need to keep the book industry alive, and I've signed a few contracts of late and I haven't bought holidays or shoes (okay, well, I'm lying about the shoes part) and I'm a grown gal and I can spend my earnings on whatever I like, and a lot of these were thanks to Readings' bargains and some were op shop finds and some were gifts.

Hang on. What am I thinking???

I know anyone reading my blog posts loves books and will be wondering why the hell I'm trying to justify these purchases. So I'll shut up now and instead say ... here, for your ogling pleasure.

Hello, almost Spring! book production, events, Book Week, book gobbling, costumes, illustration, apps, everything!

Hello, peeps. How is your winter going? Cosy? Good. Perfect book-reading weather (though which weather is not perfect for book reading?).

It's been a heads-down time of late, so I'm coming up for air before diving back in again. I'm squirrelling away on Book 2 of my junior fiction series, Evie and Pog, before diving into my next NLA book with Stephanie Owen Reeder. Then it's on to Book 3 of Evie and Pog, which I hope to finish mid-January, and somewhere Christmas might be (I said might be) wedge in between!

I'm also resurfacing because this is my favourite time of year - so much happening, especially CBCA Book Week. There's a heap of glorious KidLit events happening, too. See my recent post on the opening of the Story Time Australian Children's Literature Exhibition right here.

I'm starting this post with Story Box Library. I have always loved what they do. I still remember when Nicole Brownlee started the site, and it continues to go from strength to strength. It was a joy and an honour to film with them at the National Library of Australia recently, where I recorded two story readings--one of them Mamie. (Will reveal the second one soon!)

I recently gifted a SBL subscription to my little great niece Lexi, so she can see her great aunt reading Mamie (of which she has a copy) and so she can enjoy the jam-packed line-up of story readings. I love that her mum and dad know how important books are for little ones. Anyhoo, I can't recommend SBL heartily enough--for both schools and home. What a treat to immerse in brilliant stories, read by a cornucopia of talent.

Here is my Mamie preview, below, or you can view it on the SBL site right here. We also filmed a little bonus video where I show original artwork and talk about the production process behind the book. You can see it, and my SBL Testimonial, right here.

a wintry warmer and book peeks

I don't know about you, but I'm shivering in my ugg boots this early morning as I type up this blog post, warmed by a hot water with lemon and a little blow heater at my feet. Yesterday I clicked send on a final draft for my large format picture book for Hardie Grant Travel. My divine editor will be working her magic these coming weeks. Not much rest, though, as today I'm diving back into my junior fiction series, Evie and Pog (and will be underwater again for quite a while), so I wanted to say hi and send some pretty pictures and a few little happenings before I disappear again.

The first and most important thing I want to tell you is that I've rediscovered gypsophila. I remember wearing a baby's breath crown at my Debut ahem-years-ago (Debut? yes, that's how old I am) and I think the '80s ruined this flower (along with any form of dress sense and style, and let's not even mention the hair). But just look at this blossomy cloud, en masse, above. Is it not beautiful? So, I declare gypsophila so very much back, baby. I'm sure those little white buds have their own light source.

Goodbye, summer--hello deadlines

Well, hello, creative people. It's been a wee while since I last wrote. Have been under a bit of a mountain and that will continue for some time, but it's all good! From under the mountain, lots of lovely things have been going on, including the onset of Autumn. Sigh. So happy.

This morning I burrowed into the oversized basket in our spare room, perennially crammed with knits--scarves, beanies, gloves. And I wore a beanie for the first time this year, on our walk around the lake (and no, I'm not being a sook, it was 4 degrees in Canberra this morning!). I sure was cold but this walk warms my heart. I love it so. Every Sunday we do it, my hubster and me. Well, he runs.

So, I'm aware it's not spring, but above you will see a forest of daisies--aren't they superb? They're hiding a little darling who is taking up a lot of my time--Evie. She is a daisy-loving girl and I'm in love with her. I was talking to Cate Whittle recently, for The Happy Book podcast, and she was saying that if you want to write a junior fiction series, you need to fall in love with your characters, and that's just what I've done. I can't wait for you to meet Evie. The books will be out next year.

Evie and Pog Take Off! in Books + Publishing

It was a joy to see my new junior fiction series (out Feb 2020 with Harper Collins) peeking its nose out, too. The first book in the series, Evie and Pog Take Off! was given an early review in Books + Publishing. See it on their site here.