SCBWI SUMMER READING LIST 2016

A Day with the Duchess makes it on to SCBWI's Summer Reading List

SCBWI, NBDCS, AFCC, and Children's Publishing in Singapore.

Dinner with Linda Sue Park in 2011

SCBWI Singapore is  relatively small in terms of how big most SCBWI regions are, but in three years it's grown from a core group of six members, including RA Kenneth Quek and coordinator Catherine Carvell, into a group of about 40 members with an average of 17-18 members attending the monthly critique meetings.

In a span of three years, our authors have won awards, published books and have been signed to literary agencies. Even the most jaded publishing type will have to admit that this has been quite a feat for a country where children's publishing is still in its relative infancy.

SCBWI members at AFCC 2012

Speaking with Shamini Flint and Emily Lim at AFCC 2012

On the SWF panel with David Almond, Emily Lim, and John Dougherty

Our  group has been lucky enough to have dined with Linda Sue Park, Wendy Orr, Jacqueline Harvey, and Lisa Yee to name a few. 

Dinner with Ian and Jacqueline, and Lisa Yee

Dinner with Tom and Wendy @ AFCC 2013

Dinner with Jacqueline Harvey

Some of us have been to the Bologna Children's Book Fair and The London Book Fair. We've been asked to speak at festivals and we've attended them too. 

At the Bologna Children's Book Fair

Kenneth dining with Leonard Marcus @ Rules in London

I credit the growth of our group down to two key members: RA Kenneth and  group coordinator, Catherine, our leaders. They are extremely passionate about children's books. Kenneth is also the Deputy Director of the National Book Development Council of Singapore and one of the festivals under his portfolio is the Asian Festival of Children's Content.

Catherine, Sarah, Emma and Kenneth @ AFCC 2012

Mr Rama

Evelyn Sue Wong, Ruhksana Khan and Trevor Kew

Conceived by Mr Rama, Director of the NBDCS, the festival has grown exponentially in recent years. The glitterati of children's literati  that have graced the event include: Wendy Orr, Candy Gourlay, Susanne Gervay, Naomi Kojima, Kathleen Ahrens, Dianne Wolfer, Vivian Kirkfield, Ruhksana Khan, Sarah Odedina,  Helen McAleer, Andrea Pasion-Flores, Helen Mangham, Jayapriya Vasudevan, Cynthea Liu, Alvina Ling, Mio Debnam, Linda Lingard,  Holly Thompson, Leonard Marcus, Steve Mooser,  Norman Jorgensen, Chris, Cheng, Edmund Wee, Yusof Gajah, James Foley, Trevor Kew and many, many more.  It's a great place to meet publishing professionals-- from authors and editors to agents and publishers - and learn more about the industry.

Susanne Gervay @ AFCC 2013

Book signing for Emma's Elephant.

Emma and Wendy Orr

Naomi, Mio and Kenneth @ AFCC 2013

Tuting Hernandez, Myra Garces Bascal, Susanna Goho-Quek, Chris Cheng
and Mr Rama at the joint book launches of ' Water' and 'Beyond Legends, Folktales and Myths'.

The AFCC/Book Council team 2013

CLICK THIS LINK TO REGISTER FOR AFCC

Now this year's AFCC is going to be bigger than ever before and will span five whole days including a media summit, seminars for parents and teachers, talks, workshops, manuscript and illustration critiques, book launches and much, much more.

Now a few friendly words of advice for any first time authors and illustrators out there who will be attending this MUST-GO-TO event.

1. Don't approach editors, publishers and agents with your manuscripts. This is neither the time nor the place to do so. Instead you can submit your manuscripts or artwork for the First Look and First Pages critiques or the pitch session.


2.  Watch, listen and learn. Watch, listen and learn. Watch, listen and learn.

3.   As the sessions run concurrently, pick and choose your sessions wisely. 

4. Enjoy the festival.

Over the Moon with Darcy Moon!

Today my good friend, Catherine Carvell,  just received a special package in the mail - an advance copy of her debut MG novel Darcy Moon and the Deep Fried Frogs! 

Catherine's over the moon with her first copy of Darcy!

Mark my words, people, Catherine's book is destined to be a best-seller. I was fortunate enough to read the early drafts of the story and I loved it. The story is gut-busting funny and it's green in every sense of the word.  Catherine's been working on it for a very long time and so this is an especially thrilling day for her and I think we can all understand why.

Catherine, congratulations, you've done an amazing job! We're proud of you. Now onto those best-seller lists!  Darcy Moon and the Deep Fried Frogs is published by Fremantle Press and will be available in all good bookstores in March.

Darcy Moon is a book for readers of all ages.

First SCBWI Meeting of the Year

Last night we had a huge turn out at the first SCBWI meeting of the year -17 members were in attendance - and it marked award-winning author, Emily Lim's first session with us. Kristina, Sarah, Simon, Malavika and Rani handed in manuscripts for critiquing and the ever diplomatic Catherine Carvell, fresh off the plane from her month-long camping tour of New Zealand, moderated the session.

Emily and Catherine

Anu and Vidhya

Simon wowed us again with his amazing rhyming skills with his story Astronaut Jack.  Sarah shared the third story in her much-loved Purple Paw Print series and, like the first two, looks set to be a hit and will have you laughing until you 'itch'. Malavika did a brilliant job with her original fable Lela and the Rabbit in the Moon. Rani, the only author/illustrator in the group, shared her amazing illustrations for her book Summer Holidays Around the World. And Kristina surprised us with her deft use of rhyme in her story Once Upon a Tide.

Simon and Grant

Sarah and Kristina

Rani and friend

Now, lots has been going on with our members since we last met in November. Emma published her brilliant book Princess Petunia's Dragon  in December and is now currently available in all good book stores around Singapore. Buy it before it sells out because it's destined to be a best-seller! Catherine's book Darcy Moon and the Deep Fried Frogs will be released in March and she recently conducted her first interview; Evelyn just won her second bilingual picture book award for her story The Naughty Mynah Bird. Congratulations to all three ladies, well done!

Emma and Petunia

Linda, Evelyn and Kenneth

In other news, Kristina is launching the second book in her Shabu Shabu series and she's also in the midst of working on another picture book. Grant is working on his mega-successful Monkey Magic series. Simon has meetings lined up with potential agents. Kenneth and Evelyn will be off to the New Delhi International Book Fair next month. I was invited to go along, but I won't be able to make this trip as Emma and I will be conducting a series of talks and workshops at some schools here and I'm really looking forward to them. Sebbie's First Day of School will be out next week and the NLB has already ordered 70 copies for the libraries here and my illustrator Soefara is already working on the next book A Day with the Duchess.

So that's it for our first meeting of the year. Hopefully we'll have lots more good news next month! 

Story Book Theatre - There's Soup On My Fly! Trailer

The Writing Year

It's barely been two weeks into the new year and I've already broken several resolutions. Oh well, I guess I can start over for Chinese New Year, right? Anyway, I'll try to be better at  from now on.

Firstly, I hope to be more disciplined with myself when it comes to writing. The beginning of the year always reminds me of the first school. For one thing, I get anxious about the year ahead and for another, I regret the the things I didn't accomplish the previous year. So my new year's resolution is to be much more time efficient and productive this year.

Speaking of the first day of school, Emma came back  from the UK in time to help me with the final proofing of Sebbie's First Day of School. Thanks, Emma.

Final Proofs for Sebbie's First Day of School

Emma's book Princess Petunia's Dragon is now available at Kinokuniya, MPH and all good bookstores in Singapore, so go grab a copy now! It's a brilliant book, really brilliant...a real fire-breather of a book. Stop reading this blog and buy a copy.

Emma at Kinokuniya with Princess Petunia!

Sarah's back safely from Cambodia and is hard at work on the third book in her pawtastical Purple Paw Print series and it should be out by May, just in time for the Asian Festival of Children's Content, right, Sarah? Sarah's  award-winning books are so much fun and unpredictable too. Kid's love them and I can't wait for the next one too!

Another book I'm terribly excited about is Darcy Moon and the Deep Fried Frogs by Catherine Carvell, which will be published in March. I was there when it was being written and I was lucky enough to be there when Catherine was crafting the story. It's hilarious and it's a green book too.  And by that I don't just mean it's an environmentally friendly book, I mean it's literally green - look it's got a green cover!   

And finally, Kristina Thornton and Michael Csokas's The Wee Adventures of Shabu Shabu: The Jade Legend has been a hit with kids here in Singapore, Sri Lanka, Japan and the USA since they launched it at the Asian Festival of Children's Content this year. The imaginative duo also have a top app for the book on itunes so buy it now for hours of entertainment for yourself or the kids in your life.

Now the sequel's about to hit to bookshelves. so get ready to order your copies of the next guaranteed blockbuster from Csoka and Thornton, The Wee Adventures of Shabu Shabu: The  Silk Route.

The working cover of book (NOT THE FINAL COVER)

Mark my words, Emma's, Sarah's and Catherine's, Kristina's and Michael's books are bound to be a best-selling award-winning must-have books of 2014.

That's it for now. I'll blog more tomorrow when I should actually be writing my next book! 

A Dragon for Christmas

Emma Nicholson's Princess Petunia's Dragon

It's that time of year, where people are hitting the shops left, right and centre in their scramble to do as much shopping as possible before the CHRISTMAS day. In other words it's an incredibly so stressful time of the year! And if you've got young ones at home, you're probably dashing about from toy store to toy store looking for their favourite doll, action figure or game. Why not get them a good book as well? The world of imagination is the best gift you can give anyone and my gift recommendation for you is Emma Nicholson's Princess Petunia's Dragon, illustrated by Charlotte Micklewright. It'll make a great gift not just for Christmas, but for any occasion. Or as I call it a 'just-so gift', a gift you buy just so you can make someone happy.

Looking at the proofs at the printers

At the moment, Princess Petunia's Dragon is entering its final stages of labour and will be delivered in about two weeks. Emma's been working on it for quite a while and I have to say that she's done an outstanding job.  I love the story-it's brilliant - and the proofs look amazing. I can't wait to see the actual book.

This weekend, Emma invited Kenneth and me over to her place to have a look at some of the proofs and for a tea of mince pies - yum! To be clear, the mince pies were yum, we didn't eat the proofs! :) 

Emma showing the proofs to Kenneth

Then I followed Emma to the printers for one last proof check before the book is put to bed.

Emma checks everything thoroughly.

Everything looks good.

Emma and Jeremy of Image Printers Pte Ltd.

Yay! Done!

So now all that's left is to wait. The book will go to print in the next couple of days and I'll let you know when it's out so you can go and order it. Congratulations, Emma. Well done!