Dim's Write Stuff

  When ABC Radio Gold Coast asked if I'd be interested in sharing some book recommendations with their listeners, I didn't have to think too hard and long about the answer - YOU BET. I mean, after a bowlful of fruit mince pies slathered in brandy custard, it's practically what I live for - sharing great stories for kids with as many people as possible. Angela Sunde and Dimity chatting up a storm on ABC Radio Teaming up with fellow Gold Coast author and illustrator, Angela Sunde , was the cherry on the pudding for me. What better way to spend an hour or two chatting about books and ... for our first segment - yes, there will be more to follow 😀 - CHRISTMAS. We aren't quite Hamish and Andy but we LOVE BOOKS and we can't wait to share more of our recommendations with you all. Dim & Ang's Drivetime Radio session Click on the radio image above to hear our first drive time session with Matt , aired last month. You might even pick up a great ...

Little Witches ~ Angela and sister Nadia Sunde at Snap Magic's Launch Tweenhood is a terrifically testing time. One I remember of intense scrutiny when everything about you; the way you look, the way you dress and the friends you avoid suddenly becomes big deal. You find yourself navigating that mystical ground twixt ‘little kid’ and ‘fully fledged adolescent’, feeling as though your every move is being examined under some humongous magnifying glass for humiliating broadcast. It’s a time to loosen grip on your childhood beliefs while at the same time search for new vessels of magic in which to float your maturing soul. Complicated concepts at any age, but utterly bewildering at age twelve. Yet Lily Padd, star of Angela Sunde’s inaugural Pond Magic , is about to set sail in another tale of pre-puberty angst to prove to us all that tweenhood really is ‘a snap’. Snap Magic snaps, crackles and fizzes from the moment Lily plunges into the girls’ toilets to escape the pa...

When the very charming children's author, Julie Fison asked me to participate in this blog hop, I graciously declined thinking I'd dodged a bullet, however shiny and enticing. I mean, I had to stand by my panna cottas as they set and grapple with my manuscripts, both of which require a fair bit of my concentration and focus. (Panna cottas are not as simple as making pies you understand.) So when the equally charming children's author, Samantha Wheeler asked me to participate in this blog hop with the beguiling urgency of a koala on the run from a theme park, I unwittingly forgot to parry. Sam loves to write about animals and adventure. Her first book Smooch and Rose is a story set against the continuing destruction of koala habitat. Her next book Spud and Charil is about friendship, horses and bats. See how Sam rolls here . So here I am, ready to leap into my own process - of writing. Could be messy. Hang on here we go... What am I working on at the moment...

What follows is a recent post of mine some of you may have read in last week's Pass It On e-zine by Jackie Hosking . It attempted to lift the lid on the curly question of 'Do books need a rating? ' As predicted this is an absorbing topic for debate, one that I'm probably not fully qualified to adjudicate but am fascinated by. Ben Marshall raised some interesting and salient points in his response (thanks Ben) in this week's PIO issue 415 . He argued 'that censoring books is a form of lying'; that young people can in fact enact their own form of censorship merely by closing the book; and that exposure to the warts and all darker bits of life through the written word is a good way to prepare them for if. I tend to agree with him. From an author's point of view, rigorous and formal censorship would only create another loop through which writers, publishers and agents alike would all have to jump, further frustrating the actual production of a book f...

I'm a firm believer in Support the Supporters and what better way to apply this belief than in this week's Random Acts of Publicity 2011 event hosted by Darcy Pattison . The idea is simple, promote a friend's (latest) book or even you favourite book by blogging about it, talking about it, reviewing it and of course encouraging others to READ it. There is a veritable plethora of superb children's books, including picture books, crafted by skilled and gifted authors and illustrators, all worthy of mention but for me to list them all would bust my blog. So I decided to think on a local scale and am proud to beat the drum for fellow Gold Coast Children's Author and Illustrator Angela Sunde  and her debut children's book, POND MAGIC . Pond Magic is a humorous little tale fresh from the Aussie Chomps Series by Penguin  that is so incredibly popular with kids. It's bursting with originality, the scent of garlic, handsome princes and the sort of pre-teen an...

One of the serendipitous side effects of conducting school workshops, is the enthusiastic emergence of creative talent. Following a week of Writing and Illustrating Workshops conducted by Angela Sunde  and myself, many students of Coomera Rivers State School, have approached us keen to develop their ideas and launch their stories and illustrations upon the world at large. Angela was able to assist with various suggestions where kids from 6 - 18 years of age can indulge in the art of creative story telling, poem writing and illustrating. We both strongly encourage children with a creative flare and a burning desire to take it further to check out these sites. They offer kids information about Writing events, Conferences and Workshops, Festivals and Competitions, all designed to show case and promote the work of young writers and illustrators. If you know of any people who want their stories heard please feel free to pass these onto them. Somerset Celebration of L...

Day Three of National Book Week 2011  and I've well and truly set sail on my Inaugural Writers' Workshop sojourn. I've always been thrilled to be part of workshops on anything of a literary nature, inevitably walking away with some new precious gem of knowledge on the craft of writing and renewed desire to continue turning pages. Now the pencil is in an other's hand or rather hands. Who would have thought that conducting Writing Workshops could be so utterly enjoyable? Fun, is the best way I can describe my first foray into imparting to primary aged students of Coomera Rivers State School some of the finer nuances of Picture Book writing. Gruelling would be another. Six classes in under six hours was certainly not for the faint hearted but I would not hesitate to repeat the experience. Any concerns about them not 'liking' the subject matter were quickly dismissed. All grades from Preppies to Year 7 sat enraptured as they were guided through typical pictu...

Coomera Rivers State School  launched itself into National Book Week today with all engines blazing. Enthusiastic teachers and volunteer parents transformed the recently opened school's i Centre (library) into a vibrant journey of countries around the globe in keeping with the One World, Many Stories theme. A tour of the World Each class put together fantastic displays depicting all corners of the world including the Arctic, Africa, Asia and Australia.    To promote a love of all things literary, a Galaxy Book Fair is also running all week courtesy of Scholastic Books . Kids can browse through the hundreds of titles on display and purchase their favourites as well as participate in some fantastic competitions.   Angela shows grade 4s how easy it is   Last but by no means least, to celebrate the art of story telling and the magic of reading, local, well known and talented children's author and illustrator, Angela Sunde  w...

Feathers are flying. Egg count diminishing. No wait, Zero Eggs last count. Our Cackleberries are officially Off The Lay . Apparently you can't make eggs and new feathers simultaneously. So as our beloved chookies lose feathers by the doona full, so we lose our supply of happy eggs. So what now? What do you do when your production drops off? How to you maintain your productivity? What keeps you driving forward with your writing or your life when all you feel like doing is hunkering down and waiting for the miracle of new feathers or inspiration to reappear? Well for chooks, it's all about the amount of daylight they get a day. The more they get the more they are inclined to lay eggs. So... 1 . Install an industrial strength fluorescent light (the kind film gaffers use) over your desk. Direct glare into your eyes and watch the colours of inspiration swirl before you.  Chooks love a warm high protein mash of grains, garlic and chillies. Gets them through the winter months an...