I Heart the World shortlists in the NSW Premier's Literary Awards 2021

Feeling kind of a whole lot more than a little bit euphoric [insert countless synonyms here!] to be shortlisted in the NSW Premier's Literary Awards for 2021 for I Heart the World - my heart may even be melting. This is for the Patricia Wrightson prize for children's literature. 

I'm so grateful to the State Library of New South Wales, the esteemed judges and to my amazing team at Hardie Grant Travel. We worked so hard on this book, and for me, this shortlisting is absolutely shared by my publisher Melissa Kayser, production editor Megan Cuthbert, editor Alice Barker and the rest of the team. 

Huge congrats to talents Bren MacDibble, Amelia Mellor, Sean Williams, Mike Barry and Martin Ed Chatterton for also shortlisting for the Patricia Wrightson Prize for Children's Literature. Honoured to be sharing this space with you! You can read the judges' comments for all titles right here.

 

 

Hello from long ago - an update

Well, hello booklovers, 

Just wanted to say hi and send an update into the grand void. It's been a while. The last update was August, can you believe it. You know, life and all that - least of all this bonkers year. I don't really know where to start, so this post will be a little random and won't anywhere near include everything. But I'll try.

Most important news of all is that Canberra has had endless weeks of consistent rain. I can't even tell you a) how rare this is, and b) what this means to me (let alone the farmers). It's immensely happy-making for so many reasons, least of all setting us up for an easier summer, hopefully less fires, and a garden out of Eden. Our fruit trees are flourishing for the first time in too-long-to-remember. I'm spending decent tracts of time just walking outside and staring, sometimes sitting and staring. Running fingers over leaf. Sighing. It's just wonderful.

Weirdest thing of all is that I've taken to gum-chewing. I hate gum-chewing, and so do it in seclusion, but my God, I'm chumbling like a freight train (as I type!). A friend suggested it may be a way of dealing with stress, and I suppose it's better than out-of-control shopping. Oh. Wait...

So, America has a new president. That's a grand thing. I felt the Earth's axis tilt a little. That's an even better thing. Let's hope this heralds a new world energy that's exponentially more positive and less crappy.

interview with @faithandflorals

If you have a deep fondness for books and tea and flowers and gardening, you're going to love - and I mean LOVE - the Instagram feed @faithandflorals. Leigh has crafted an exquisite visual tableau of flat-lay imagery and garden scenes to send your heart aflutter. Each one is so carefully considered and crafted - they are artwork in themselves.

Leigh recently contacted me about a giveaway for I Heart the World, and I was delighted to answer some interview questions, too. Don't you love it when interview questions surprise you? and delight you? because they're so different? I loved responding to these - and even better when each one was crafted into its own striking image. See them, below.

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.

I Heart the World illustration roughs

In just two weeks, I Heart the World will hit stores, taking kids on a voyage around our globe, visiting far flung places and discovering our sights, sites, flora, fauna and the deliriously diverse people who inhabit our continents - from the Arctic to Antarctica, from Paris to Peru.


While you wait for this armchair voyage, here is a peek at the many illustrations that went into the book. I produced over 1000 separate images for my Australia Map and added another few hundred for the World Map.


Many of these illustrations were included in I Heart the World but there are many more new ones - probably another few hundred. Yes, this book is BIG! Literally and figuratively.


You'll see here the watercolour images I created before scanning and finishing in Photoshop, then draping over the pages of the book. Many of the sheets here has illustrations on the back, too, and this is only some of the grand total. I could perhaps make a carpet with them all.


Hope you enjoy this peruse, and look out for I Heart the World in stores soon. You can also order online right here.

Happy peeking...!

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

I Heart the World COVER REVEAL!

I Heart the World. Because I do. Travel. Diversity. Culture. Flora and Fauna. Food. It's all here, in my first massive format book.

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.