Having a book on the Gold Inkys shortlist is a gift that just keeps on giving. You can find an extract from Act of Faith in The Age and other Fairfax papers this week as part of the Summer Reading series – and you can read extracts from the other sensational shortlisted titles too.
Meanwhile, I’m on holidays by the beach in New Zealand, trying not to work on the other books in the series. But I can’t help it.
Filed under Act of Faith, awards
Thanks to all of you who’ve followed the blog, been in touch on Facebook or Twitter, posted reviews on Goodreads or elsewhere, and (or) read Act of Faith.
For my next trick, I’ll be doing edits on the sequel over the next few weeks, but we’ll have to wait a while to see it in print. Should be out around August.
In the meantime, have a great summer holiday (or winter reading spell, if you’re in the northern hemisphere) and I look forward to another busy year ahead.
2013. Already? Didn’t see that coming.
Cheers,
K
Filed under Act of Faith, awards, The Sultan's Eyes, writing life
Rather quiet, haven’t I?
That’s because I’ve being going through the living hell that is moving house.
But now we’re in, if not unpacked, and still edging our way through rooms crowded with boxes – mostly containing books (I don’t know where they all came from and I still don’t understand how they’re all going to fit in the new house).
I’m in Sydney this morning, having come up for the NSW Premier’s Literary Awards, in which Act of Faith was shortlisted for the aptly named Ethel Turner prize for young adult fiction.
And what a shortlist. The other books on it were:
I was thrilled and a little amazed to see my book listed alongside those titles. The beautiful Only Ever Always won the Award, and we all dined and felt terribly glamorous in the beautiful Mitchell Reading Room at the State Library of NSW.
Editing has begun on The Sultan’s Eyes, work on the cover design is quite advanced, and I should have the manuscript back to look over the edits in a couple of weeks. What happens then is that I check and recheck, then the changes are made and the editors check it all again, it gets typeset, then we all check it again. And possibly again. By which point we’re all thoroughly sick of the thing and don’t want to see it until it arrives in a box with a picture on the front.
In the meantime, it’s back to focusing on La Maupin and academic conference papers, and a hectic time at work, before taking a summer break in which I intend to read a whole lot of books that have nothing to do with the seventeenth century.
Except I can’t help wondering what would happen if Isabella Hawkins returned to Cromwell’s London…
Filed under awards, Lately I've been..., The Sultan's Eyes
First: Act of Faith is on the shortlist for the Gold Inky in Australia’s teen reader choice awards. That’s a lovely surprise, because the shortlist is chosen by an independent panel largely composed of young readers, along with (this year) book blogger Danielle Binks and last year’s Gold Inky winner, James Maloney. It’s also a great honour to be shortlisted along with:
More information – and voting form – on insideadog. I should tell you to vote for me but really, with that list, vote for whoever you like.
I can also announce that the Swashbuckler books are now available as ebooks from all the major retailers, which is great news because copies can be hard to find in print nowadays. More information on sources from HarperCollins.
Filed under Act of Faith, awards, books, Swashbuckler
Was very chuffed to hear that Act of Faith made it onto the Gold Inky longlist this year. It’s a great honour. A sensational list, too.
Congratulations to everyone on the Gold and Silver longlists. And long live Inky!
I must say I’m quite partial to an awards sticker nowadays. Last week I signed a whole lot of copies of Act of Faith with their new silver CBCA Notables stickers on the covers. Very posh. Although I do rather fancy the idea of a silk sash. With gold fringes. Not for me, you understand. But Signora Contarini would love it.
Filed under Act of Faith, awards
Delightful news today that Act of Faith has been listed as one of the Notable Books for Older Readers for 2012 by the Children’s Book Council of Australia.
There are some fine books on the list, including Penni Russon’s superb Only Ever Always and Vicki Wakefield’s All I Ever Wanted, so I’m extremely honoured.You can read the whole list and the shortlist for Book of the Year here.
Filed under Act of Faith, awards, YA
The day started with a workout, then after a much-needed and extremely strong recovery coffee I turned on my laptop to find messages of congratulations on email and Twitter, because the Barbara Jefferis Award shortlist was announced today and Act of Faith was highly commended.
It’s such an honour and surprise because, apart from anything else, this is an Australian Society of Authors award for ‘the best novel written by an Australian author that depicts women and girls in a positive way or otherwise empowers the status of women and girls in society’. That means a great deal to me. It is named in honour of the late Barbara Jefferis: novelist, founding member of the Australian Society of Authors and its first woman President.
And there are so many significant and terrific books this year that are eligible, I’m really quite delighted.
I mean, really – look at this shortlist:
Also highly commended were:
Chuffed. Me. Hell, yeah. And I don’t care who knows it.
Hearty congratulations to all those commended and shortlisted. And happy IWD 2012.
You can read more about the award on the ASA site.
Filed under Act of Faith, awards
