Melbourne reading

On 23 July, I'll be in Melbourne, reading at the Chatterbooks Adventure Afternoon. Christine Harris, author of the Spy Girl series, and David Harris, author of the Cliffhangers books, will be there too, for an afternoon of "swashbuckling, espionage and thrill seeking".
Chatterbooks is run by the Eltham Bookshop, and offers "a chance to talk about your favourite books and authors, and let us introduce you to the most exciting and readable books. Don't forget that we also run writing and storytelling workshops and close encounters with acclaimed authors. Especially for 8-13 year olds and their families."
It's from 2 to 3.30pm at Eltham Library, Panther Place, Eltham.
For more information or to book in, phone 03 9439 8700 or email elthambookshop@bigpond.com.
Hope to see you there!
If you're in Auckland, go to my schedule of school holiday readings.

Big Bad Read

This is really hard: choose who you think is the most evil character in a children's book in Bloomsbury's Big Bad Read competition.
I can't decide between Bill Sikes from Oliver Twist (I'll never forgive him for beating up Nancy), Voldemort, The Child Catcher from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, or Narnia's White Witch. I would have chosen the Dark Riders from Lord of the Rings, but they aren't on the list.
Eoin Colfer's favourite all time baddie is Captain Hook.
Michael Morpurgo chose Long John Silver from Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island.
You can place your vote online here.

School holiday readings

Here's where I'll be reading in Auckland during the NZ school holidays:
3 July
10am East Coast Bay library
2pm Albany Village library
4 July
10am Glenfield library
2pm Birkenhead library
5 July
10am Northcote library
2pm Devonport library
6 July
10am Takapuna library

Whew! If you're in the area, you'll be very welcome.

Then I'll be in Melbourne in the middle of July - stay tuned.

Storylines festival

Just got back from the annual Storylines day in Auckland. And what a wonderful thing it was: the Aotea Centre was filled with excited kids - mostly younger. Some were dressed up: I saw a Little Red Riding Hood, and two small purple dragons who were having a swordfight.
There were plays, face painting, story telling, book-making, play dough, readings and drawing - and even Hairy McLary and Clifford bounding about. You could make your own dragon, or watch some of our finest illustrators work, or learn calligraphy.
I'm always deeply jealous of people who can draw. It seems like magic to me. I went to listen to Anthony Browne, all the way from the UK, and he showed us how to play the Shape Game (one of his books) which is a way of teaching yourself to draw. He reckons even dud drawers like me ought to be able to do it. We'll see. He launched his new book Silly Billy here today.
Most of the sessions were about picture books, or with authors who have published picture books, although some have written books for readers of all ages.
In the morning I listened to Margaret Mahy read a couple of her books, including her wonderful poem, Down the Back of the Chair. Then later Joy Cowley answered lots of questions and told a story with a surprise ending (she screamed) that made us all jump a metre in the air with fright.
There were also similar days in Wellington and New Plymouth - but why not Christchurch, I wonder?
All too much fun for a wet and windy Sunday.

Be a pirate: travel the world and meet interesting people

The great difference between voyages rests not with the ships, but with the people you meet on them.
- Amelia E. Barr

More Q&A

Yesterday I visited, in the middle of a rainstorm, Milford School on Auckland's North Shore. I found out that the teachers have been reading my book to everyone - in installments over the loudspeaker system - which is a fabulous idea.
I read from Ocean Without End, and people asked lots of interesting questions. Here are a couple:

Q. What do you like most about being a writer?
A. I start work early, but I get to stay in pyjamas until 11am because nobody can see me. And while I sit at my desk, I can go anywhere in the world, and anywhere in time - in my head. Yesterday I was reading the edited version of the next Swashbuckler book so in my imagination I was in Malta in 1798 - the day before, in my head I was in 17th century Amsterdam, learning about how printing presses work. Next week, it'll be back to London during the Blitz.
Q. Are there any books you wish you had written?
A. I wish I'd written Margaret Mahy's The Man Whose Mother Was a Pirate. In fact, I wish I'd written most of her books. (If I'd been thinking straight my answer would have been Harry Potter, but I guess everyone wishes they'd written those books!)
Q. Who are your favourite characters in your book?
Well, Lily is really my deep-down favourite, but mostly I love the Maltese characters Carlo, and the brothers Francesco and Ricardo, because they are honest and funny and brave - and I never know what they'll do next.

Thanks to everyone at Milford for inviting me to your school and making me feel welcome.
I'll be reading at all the North Shore libraries over the July school holidays, so maybe I'll see some of you again then.

Winter days

I love these dark winter days, when I'm writing in my study - all cosy in a yellow circle of lamplight, surrounded by books.
I can hear the rain on the roof and the wind in the ti-tree, and next-door's chooks clucking damply in the back yard. They'd rather be inside, in the warm, like me.
I'm making corrections on the edited text for Swashbuckler book two, The Pirate's Revenge, this week. Last week I saw sketches of the cover design, another exciting painting from Mark Wilson.
The new book is due out in September/October, but there's lots to do before then.

Win a copy! Ocean Without End

The NZ Woman's Weekly has ten copies of Ocean Without End to giveaway.
The competition is open to NZ residents - get your entry in before 24 June.

Pinball pirates

Why do people in ship mutinies always ask for "better treatment"? I'd ask for a pinball machine, because with all that rocking back and forth you'd probably be able to get a lot of free games.
- Jack Handy

The smallest pirate

This is a real story, for all those people who wonder if kids were really ever pirates.
John King was 11 when pirates captured the ship he and his mother were sailing on in the Caribbean. As he watched the pirates haul off the cargo of sugar and tobacco, John made a decision: he would leave his mother and join the pirate crew, led by Captain Sam Bellamy.
Now, 290 years later, John's remains have been found in the wreck of Bellamy's ship, the Whydah, 460 metres off the coast of Wellfleet, Massachusetts. While teenage pirates were common in the 18th century, John is considered to be the youngest ever identified.
You can read his story, and about the archaeologists who found the wreck, in the Sydney Morning Herald.

Reading out loud

This month I'll be visiting some schools in Auckland, and when it's school holidays in July I'll be reading at all the libraries on the North Shore. Stay tuned for details.
In the meantime, take a look at the fantastic program for the annual Storylines festival right here.