Meet The Author - ME!

In a wild fit of self-indulgent promotional puffiness, I'm sharing this recent 'Meet The Author' feature courtesy of Jackie Hosking, founder of the ace Kids' Lit e-zine, PIO. If you don't already subscribe to this online publication, consider it. It's a regular veritable smorgasbord of publishing insights and opps, competitions and conferences, industry event notification and workshops and courses info to keep you on the right career trajectory. Not to mention opportunities to meet fellow creatives, like ME! So what are you waiting for. Grab a cuppa and have a chat with me ... and Pippa, of course!

Hi Dimity! Thanks for sharing your creative journey with us today. Are you an author, an illustrator or both?
Both - I wish! As an author, I only paint with words but I adore the alchemy of combining words with pictures.

Please tell us about the book that you would like to talk about today?
Pippa and the Troublesome Twins is the next thrilling episode in young Pippa pigeon's life. Since her first solo foray into the wild blue yonder, Pippa has matured a little and now faces her next exciting adventure – big sisterhood! However, her new family members, aka brothers Pepi and Penn, are more disruptive than fun. They're messy, demanding and very, very noisy! Coping with changing family dynamics and the need to fulfil her own personal destiny lies at the heart of The Troublesome Twins.

Both Pippa's illustrator, Andrew Plant and I felt Pippa had more to share. So too did many of the school children we visited after the release of Pippa in 2019 so it's wonderful seeing her take flight again. Primary aged children (and their teachers) get a real kick out of this plucky little pigeon. They seem to relate to her cheek and sass whilst recognising her innate goodness despite her constant desire to just 'take off' and play or explore. She's so 'kid-like' but with feathers! The focus of her latest story, the disruption of change, in this case caused by the arrival of twin baby brothers, is a relatable shift in the norm for many youngsters as well.

Pippa and The Troublesome Twins took off in June 2023. The official launch was in Brisbane but Pippa is still making regular visits to bookshops and schools around SE QLD and beyond being the long-distance flyer that she is!

In both hardcover or paperback, Pippa #2 is available online, at your favourite bookshop OR (if you'd like a personally signed copy) directly from either Andrew or Dimity (me!). You might even like your own 'pigeon pair', aka a double Pippa book pack. They're incredibly coo coo COOL! Others think so, too …

"Powell’s playful words combine perfectly with Plant’s wonderful illustrations to create a fun picture book about family dynamics… and adventure. Ideal for reading out loud. It works well as both a follow-up to the original picture book, or a stand-alone. Love it!"

Published: 1 June 2023 (HB) & (PB)
Author: Dimity Powell
Illustrator: Andrew Plant
Publisher: Ford Street Publishing, $26.95 (HB), $17.95 (PB)
ISBN: 9781922696281 (HB) 9781922696298 (PB)
Format: Hardcover 32pp
Ideal for: 3 – 6 years

Can you share the book’s publication journey? Once again, PIGEONS were the catalyst for Pippa's second adventure. The pigeons I kept in my backyard as a kid were a terrific source of inspiration for both books. For those whose pigeon lore is a little lacking, pigeons are prolific breeders and their ‘twin’ offspring are among the noisiest, most demanding of baby birds – perfect characters to represent annoying siblings! Sibling jealousy and the feeling of displacement is not new to picture book stories but it has never told from an avian or should I say 'bird's-eye' point of view. I thought that would be fun to exploit! Young readers instantly recognise this common family dynamic from their own situations while simultaneously learning even more about one of our most fascinating bird species, the homing pigeon. Almost immediately after the release of Pippa #1, I received lots of positive online and in-school feedback and requests for what her next adventure might entail and thought, why not? I was curious to know what happened to Pippa next, too! It took just moments to realise what the next storyline should be and Andrew even less time to feel enthusiastic about illustrating the next chapter. Fine-tuning the tone and rhythm took a little longer but was made easier having Pippa #1 as an example of the voice I had to follow. Both titles are traditionally published by Ford Street Publishing in Melbourne. As with the first title, the process of giving Pip her wings a second time around was a collaborative one involving Andrew, myself and Pippa's original editor, Nan McNab. Andrew's ability as a fine artist and my knowledge of Columba livia, aka pigeons, meant our exchanges were both fun, and fluid. Working with Andrew, who also understands the intricacies of picture book texts having authored his own, and knowing Pippa and her bros were always in safe capable hands was one of my favourite parts of the publication experience. We would both love to push Pippa's boundaries further and work on a third title together. As I don't have an agent and the release of picture books often occurs faster than the publisher can provide sustained marketing for, the job of selling, publicising and marketing our own books often falls on the creators themselves. I let Pippa do a lot of the heavy lifting for me in this regard. She accompanies me on every school visit or PR event. She's been half way around the world and back, doing what she does best – exploring new places and living the adventure of life. I record these for her as she goes. She is the unofficial mascot of persistence, dreaming big and following those dreams until you reach them, no matter how far away they feel. This is something we both try to share with our young audiences be it during a school visit, holiday story-time session or writing workshop. She should have her own social's page but looking after that and all my other 'real life' pets would take up what precious little time I have to conjure up new stories, so for now, Pippa shares my social media platforms. How did the illustrator bring your words to life and enhance the narrative? Incredibly! Andrew is a fine artist who is able to capture the elements of nature in bold assured strokes. His affinity with birds and their habitats and appreciation of detail is immeasurable. One of the trickier illustrative aspects of this storyline is that it takes place predominantly in the treetops in and around the twins' nest, which does not allow for a lot of variation of perspective. Andrew overcame this dilemma by focusing on the emotion displayed on the faces of each of the characters. I think the results are stunning. I especially love the cover which sums up the whole ‘troublesome twins’ vibe perfectly! However, one of my favourite spreads is towards the end when Pippa finally reaches her goal along with two new little allies. It’s breathtaking and epitomises the rewards of an outward looking, positive attitude towards life. What sort of stories are you inspired to write for children? Better ones. I adore the challenges of creating picture books. I find the restraints of space balanced by the extraordinary freedom afforded to make words sing invigorating. I am keen however to reconnect with my older readers and produce more junior fiction narratives. Again, there is an exquisite juxtaposition of freedom and limitation involved; longer texts allow for more word play but demand greater vocab mindfulness to accommodate the abilities of independent readers. How many hours do you commit to your craft each day? Do you have a regular routine? Not enough! My 'regular routine' is constantly interrupted by hungry dogs, noisy dogs, hungry teens, stamping out minor fires, then cleaning up those fires or the dogs' mess. When I do carve a bit of time out to draft something new or edit something stuck in the quagmire of indecision, it's an exalting feeling. I think I should write more. Did you have a standout teacher who helped with your writing and what did they do to inspire you? Mrs Elizabeth Jones, my primary school English teacher. She was kind and accommodating. Because of that, I felt anything was possible. It's funny what sticks with you from childhood. This is something I try to remember when I'm presenting or teaching these days. You never know when you're crystalising into someone's lifetime 'standout'. Why did you decide to pursue the vocation of children’s author? My love and fascination with words, especially when they knit together into a story, convinced me this is what I wanted to do long term. It's kind of special creating and then sharing this kind of magic. Plus, I wanted to write more than just diary dialogues to myself and I'm saving my desire to be a Vet for the next life. When did you know that you were on the right path to being a published creator? When the first short story I ever submitted, ever, to the NSW School Magazine was accepted. It was unexpected yet reaffirming. I think envisaging publication success is a lot like visualizing your wedding day before meeting your partner; it's something that keeps the spark and desire alive, for me anyway. If you have a clear idea in your heart (and mind) that one day it will be you launching your own book party, that you will be reading your book to assemblies full of eager young faces, and that you will have a picture book on your child's bookshelf that was written by you, then obviously, it will happen! In other words, if you think you can, you will. Every publication path and timeline are different. Validation of your progress may occur in a myriad of different seemingly modest ways. For me these were coming runner up in short story writing comps, being asked to launch other people's books, helping to coordinate at festivals and conferences. Seemingly insignificant but all steps in the right direction. And it's a path I'm still happily navigating … with Pippa. It is about being present, open-minded, committed and, above all, patient. Can you recommend any organisations, networking groups, websites, Facebook groups, courses, services etc. that you’ve found to be helpful? For the first half or more of my career, I devoted time fliting around FB and LinkedIn groups exploring shared links and interacting in a symbiotic way with those communities. Groups affiliated with SCBWI, Book Links QLD, Writers Centres and other Kids' Lit creators all provided connections with like-minded people which in turn bathed me in support and encouragement and wonderful friendships. I am less visual in these spheres these days as I settle into other SM comfort zones (Insta is my preferred go-to for sharing, caring and gathering info). But I whole heartedly recommend hooking up with organisations and following their socials because presence is, whilst not everything, certainly a big something in terms of reach and an understanding the contemporary direction of kids' lit. SCBWI, ASA, Book Links, Write Links (for QLDers), your local writers' group, book clubs, state writers' association, CBCA, Your Kids' Next Read (also a podcast), PIO (E-zine), KBR (because of the constant stream of creator content and reviews) and your local bookshops are all high on my list of recommended groups/platforms to subscribe to or become a member of. Another excellent activity that helped actuate my industry-based visualisations, with the added bonus of accruing signed books, was simply to attend book launches: of mates, new friends, well-known authors, debut authors - I went to everything! There's usually always something new to learn, someone new to meet, something new to read and something scrummy to eat! Which, ironically sums up my day-to-day writerly life. Where can we find you? Website: www.dimitypowell.com Insta: @dimityspowell YouTube: @dimityspowell Facebook: DimityPowellAuthor Twitter: @DimityPowell Amazon: DimityPowell Pinterest: @DimityPowell Blogsite for DIM’SreVIEWS: Dim’s Write Stuff blog This article first appeared in the E-zine, PIO 21 August 2023