A Horse In The Clouds

Sometimes it's nice to have a quiet day.

A day to just lie on the trampoline with your daughter.

To watch the trees sway, to pretend to be trees yourselves.

To gaze at the clouds and talk about the shapes we see.

I saw a soft, fluffy pillow. (But then, I'm very tired!)

Abbey told me she saw a horse.


Megan

Renovations: Days Sixty-Three and Sixty-Four

A few more updated photos:

The bathroom is.... DONE! (Well, apart from a few finishing touches like mirror, towel rails, etc.)

I can't wait to soak in this tub. Sigh.

Shower all finished. Complete with dinner-plate-sized shower head.

The back of the house is looking so different - now with bi-fold doors, and new laundry door on the left.

Megan

Word of the Week

Abbey's Word of the Week this week is...

Grandad noun
Pronunciation: Dad-Dad

Abbey and I are staying with my parents at the moment - and my little girl couldn't be more thrilled! She adores her grandparents, and is just loving seeing them every day. Mum and Dad both work long hours, so this is quite a novelty for Abbey. Especially seeing her Grandad all the time (she usually sees Nanna a bit more often).

She has become Grandad's girl, enjoying seeing him so often - she's been shopping with him, helping him around the house, following him everywhere, and even falling asleep with him on the couch (I wanted to put that photo here but I thought Dad might not appreciate it!).

It's so wonderful seeing her relationship with her grandparents become even richer.


Megan

Renovations: Days Sixty-One and Sixty-Two

You know, we once had a bathroom and an ensuite. Now, though, we have this:

The room at the front of this photo used to be our ensuite and walk-in-robe. It will soon be a new, improved, bigger ensuite.

The room at the back was our bathroom. (Don't you love the new feature of being able to see between the two rooms? It gives it a lovely open-plan feel.) It will soon be our new laundry.

More photos to come - I'll be at home tomorrow, painting.


Megan

Black And White

To me, the world is black and white.

There is no grey.

There are no shadows.

Not in my world.

In my world, everything is crystal clear.

After a lifetime of people telling me that I need to learn to see the grey, I'm ready to accept that it just doesn't exist in my world.

I wonder if I see things differently, or if others just hide this same feeling. Maybe you could tell me. Here's how my world works:

Something is either right or wrong. There is no in between.

If someone does something right - fantastic. If they do something wrong, they need to be told. If I do something wrong, I want to be told. How else can I understand that I've hurt someone? How else can I make myself a better person who doesn't make the same mistake again?

In my world, there are no excuses.

I hear this phrase a lot: 'Oh, that's just [insert name here]. That's what she/he does.' Well, when that 'thing they do' is lying or treating others badly, that's not acceptable to me.

If it's right, it's right. If it's wrong, it's wrong.

White or black.

No grey.

I take no notice of ranks or titles. Everyone deserves the same treatment.

I don't care who you are, whether you think you are more important than someone else. In my world, you're not. In my world, you're another person who deserves to be treated well, just like the next person.

I expect the best from people. When I say that, I mean I expect people to be polite, respectful and do the right thing by others. I don't just want that; I expect it.

I have high expectations of myself and everyone around me.

And when my expectations aren't met, my world comes crashing down around my feet.

When people act in a way I think is wrong - whether it's to me or to someone else - I fall. I begin to doubt my world. I want to hide from it, to run away.

I take it hard.

That's when people tell me to relax, to not let things bother me, to ignore it. I say, no. I say, this is me. I feel like I have been let down and I really feel that.

I want to tell that person they are in the wrong. I want other people to stand up and tell that person, too. Some call it confrontational. I say, it's only considered confrontation because it's avoided by so many people. If they didn't avoid it, it would just be called talking. Communication does not equal confrontation.

I say, stop ignoring things, stop being so bloody blase about everything. Start to care. Start to expect more from the world. Come into my world.

Then, I see someone do the right thing, and I know it's okay. I'm happy.

I want to live in my world again.

Black and white. There is nothing in between.


Megan

Migraines, Gastro and a Crooked Tooth

Other titles for this post could include 'The Week From Hell', 'Universe, What Have I Ever Done To You?' and 'I Don't Have Time To Be Sick'. Take your pick.

Really, I've just had the worst week.

In the space of ten days, I was sick for six of them. Abbey was sick for one and injured for another. This is not my idea of fun.

It's been a week where I haven't been able to spring back, to get on with life without falling back down.

It all began the Thursday before last. Happy at having reached the end of the week, with Thursdays and Fridays my two days to work and write, I started out the day well enough. Dropped Abbey off at childcare, went for a jog and had a surprise visit from a good friend for a bit of a chat. Lovely.

Until, after my friend left, that feeling hit me. I've written before about how migraines attack me, and the feeling is always sudden and most unwelcome. And there's not a thing I can do to stop it. The nausea hit, the spots in front of my eyes stopped me from seeing three feet in front of me - and I was in bed for the rest of the day.

The next day wasn't great, either. Migraines have this habit of not just politely leaving; they tend to linger. I'm left feeling extremely weak, still nauseous, the threat of all symptoms returning hanging on a thread. Oh, and starving - I can't fill up after a migraine. So I spent Friday morning completely unproductive with what I call a 'migraine hangover'.

The day got worse. By just after lunchtime, I had a phone call from the childcare centre. Abbey had hurt herself. They told me about it - she had fallen over and cut her lip - and said she was fine now. I know that Abbey's extremely brave, and a cut lip was hardly likely to stop her having fun, so I hung up feeling confident that she'd be fine for the rest of the day.

Ten minutes later, another phone call. 'She's really upset again now, and she's calling for you.' I was out the door really quickly at those words - tell me my little girl needs me and I'll move faster than you can say 'Abbey'.

Her lip was cut quite badly and she was happy to see me. I took her home and we had a quiet afternoon together.

It wasn't until that evening that I noticed the real damage, and I completely understood why she had been so upset. One of her front teeth had been knocked crooked, and her gum was bruised. I was devastated. Her teeth! Her smile! The start of teeth injuries!

So it happened that she had her first visit to the dentist on Saturday morning - one look and he was sure it will all be fine. Phew. (And it is - I can say now, just over a week on, that the bruising is gone and her tooth is already almost straight again!)

And I was relieved that the week of bad luck was over.

Except it wasn't. This week had other ideas. Evil ideas.

By Saturday afternoon, Abbey was throwing up everywhere, and couldn't even keep water down. She was upset, I was upset, and we lay on the couch together for the rest of the day.

She was fine by Sunday, thank goodness. Eating normally, running around... kids have such an amazing ability to bounce back.

But she'd shared the germs with me. I spent all of Tuesday in bed - when I wasn't otherwise indisposed, of course. And Wednesday I was still recovering.

Then came the end to another week - and another migraine. At the shops on Friday, trying to just pick up a few things, I stood in a manchester store and tried to stop myself from crying. The spots had returned. I walked back to my car, close to panic point - it was busy, and I knew there were people all around, but I couldn't see them. I couldn't see where they were. Steve came and picked me up, and I spent the next two days in bed. Again.

And anyone who knows me knows how truly horrible I find being forced to lie down for days at a time. Shudder.

I just hope this next week is better. Please? Pretty please? With a cherry on top?


Megan

Riley and the Curious Koala

A surprise arrived in my letterbox yesterday... a copy of Tania McCartney's Riley and the Curious Koala!

Yes, Tania is a good friend of mine, but when it comes to books there is no such thing as bias. Reading is one of the most honest ways you can spend your time: if you like something, you like it. If you don't, there's no way to force it. And you certainly can't make a child like a book - there's a whole other level of honesty there.

With a picture book, there are many different aspects to take in. First, the cover.

The cover of Riley and the Curious Koala looks cute in the picture above, right? Well, wait til you see it in person - that mint (or Eucalyptus, rather) green is so gorgeous, so eye-catching and so classic-looking. Combine it with the black and white Sydney vista and glossy cartoon illustrations, and this is one irresistible looking book.

And then, when you can drag your eyes from the cover, you open to see page after page of loveliness and fun. Like its predecessors, this new Riley book is filled with stunning photographs and bright, vibrant illustrations, that just work so well together.

The characters - Riley and Panda and the friends they're gathering along the way, thus far Dragon and Lion - are cheekier than ever, and provide lots of laughs along the way.

As always the text is lively and full of interesting words that little ears soak up into growing vocabularies (and when you see more of Tania McCartney's work, you'll come to know that this is one of her trademarks).

Much of the fun in this book, though, is in what isn't said. The clever characterisations provide lots of laughs as each one experiences this adventure in their own way. And that koala... he's the star of the show, and he wouldn't have it any other way. Hiding somewhere on every page (Keiron Pratt and Tania must have had lots of fun finding ways to hide him!), kids will love the challenge of finding him and being able to spot his furry ears while Riley continues to search.

And then there's the bigger picture, so to speak - the concept. We all know kids have an inbuilt sense of adventure, and the Riley books help to encourage that. They introduce the concept of travelling to real places, and combining this with a good old-fashioned quest is a match that works so perfectly.

I love all the parts of this picture book - and the entire thing as a whole.

Oh, and I have my own cheeky little character running around the house with a new phrase: "Cheers, mate!"

Yep, she loves it too.

WIN a signed copy of Riley and the Curious Koala!

Click here to buy the book online.

(You can read my interview with Tania McCartney and go back over her blog tour to find out more about how the book came about.)


Megan

Renovations: Day Sixty

Just a couple of quick snaps from Steve's iPhone, to give you (and me - this is all I've seen of the latest update too!) a sneak peek:

We have bifold doors!!


Megan

Sorry It's Such A Mess. Or Not.

One day, when Abbey was about a year old, I went to visit someone with an immaculate house. (Luckily, Abbey was not with me!) I'm talking views over the water, everything sparkling clean, white carpets, polished floors without a single scratch, surfaces dust-free... the lot. I was in awe.

How I'd love my house to look like this, I thought. I left there feeling that my own house was somewhat inferior; my cute little place in the hills seemed so... messy.

Then I realised. If I lived alone, my house would look like that (minus the water views!). I would make sure everything was in its place. If something was moved, I would put it back where it belonged. If I used a dish, I would wash it straight away and put it away. I could just imagine it, and I liked the look of my fantasy.

You see, I'm a reformed house perfectionist. I used to be better at keeping our house clean and tidy, everything in its spot, floors shiny, washing and dishes all done.

The best thing was, it would stay that way all day long. We weren't home to mess it up.

I now spend much more time at home, and I thought that would make me extra great at cleaning and housework. Logically, it should; after all, I have to look at the mess all day. Unfortunately, it's had the opposite effect.

My very wise mother had these words for me in the early days after Abbey was born, as I was worrying about the state of the house: "When Abbey grows up, is she going to look back on her childhood and remember how spotless the house was? Or is she going to remember the time you spent with her?"

And she's right. So my efforts at housework became more about keeping the place clean and hygienic, doing whatever I had time for, but if things are out of place or Abbey's toys are scattered around, or the bathroom isn't cleaned constantly - who cares? (As a side note - this is especially true while we're renovating!) I make time for my family, myself and the housework... in that order.

However, this doesn't stop me from apologising to visitors for the state of the house. Don't we all? But honestly, do they care? And if they do - if they're here to inspect whether my floors have recently been mopped - then do I really want them here anyway?

I know that when I go to someone's house, I couldn't care less if there's a bit of mess. As long as there's room to sit on the couch and a clean champagne glass, I'm happy.

But my house? Surely that should look perfect? After all, I really, really liked the look of that perfect house I visited.

What I didn't like was the feel of it. This whole scenario meant no Steve. No Abbey. No friends walking in with dirt on their shoes and helping themselves to drinks and food. No nieces and nephews running around, dropping bits of food or playing with toys. No losing myself in my writing instead of cleaning.

No.

Give me my slightly messy house any day. With my family. And without apologies.

(This post was inspired by this post by Kelly at Be a Fun Mum.)

Megan

Renovations: Day Fifty-Nine

There are more reasons to be excited now...

The builders think they'll be finished a week or two before Christmas! That's only a few weeks away now!

And...

This fantastic open space (which is really hard to convey in photos!)
used to be our laundry and spare room. Look - no walls!

It's really hard to see this space as a real part of our house right now, because the builders have put up a barrier...

... But I'm not complaining. I mean, have you ever seen this type of renovation without plaster dust everywhere? These builders are seriously clean - they vacuum up at the end of each day, and they don't spread the mess. So I think I can live with having to wait to see it all as a whole!

And, just for your amusement (it has to get worse before it gets better, right?)...

This is where our bifold doors will be. But, for now, in the interests of security,
the builders have put every old door, bits of steel, whatever they can find to
board it up. It looks hilarious.

Megan

Indigenous Literacy: You can help

Did you know? Four in five Indigenous children from remote communities are unable to read to the minimum standard.

The Australian Literacy and Numeracy Foundation (ALNF) is working to close the gap and reverse this statistic.

During November and in the lead-up to Christmas, the ALNF annual Wall of Hands Indigenous Literacy Appeal is aiming to raise $150,000 to establish effective and practical literacy programs in the many remote Indigenous communities the ALNF is still to reach.

How can you help? An interactive website, wallofhands.com.au, lets supporters rally their friends and family, pledge a donation and build a virtual wall of hands. The more people involved the bigger the ‘wall’, and a ‘wall’ is easily shared via social media networks such as Twitter and Facebook. The Sydney Morning Herald will publish the ‘wall’, featuring the biggest fundraisers, towards the end of the campaign.


Kids Book Review is proud to have set up our very own Wall of Hands, to help raise awareness and gather donations towards this important cause. Click on the image below to join us - even as little as $5 can help to make a big difference to the lives of these children.

Happy Birthday To My Blog!

Guess what? My blog is ONE year old today!

I'm trying to resist the strong urge to get all sentimental. And the business side of things is taken care of - I wrote previously about why I started blogging so I don't have to write about that, so...

We're free to celebrate!

Let's do it in style, shall we, with...

ONE favourite drink

And...

ONE amazing group of readers and commenters. Thank you all for reading along for
the last year and for being so, so, so lovely and supportive. xxx (Grab a cookie)

What? I said I was trying to resist the urge to be sentimental.

But seriously, you really are all wonderful. Thank you. I look forward to another year (and more!) of blogging.


Megan xx

Renovations: Day Fifty-Eight

What a difference one day can make!

The rooms that we were using just yesterday are now, well, I think the picture speaks for itself...

The back of our house.
This 'room' at the front of the photo is where Abbey was sleeping just last night!

I haven't been home since this morning - when it was all still in one piece - and I won't be there until the weekend (I'm sure you can see why I'm not going near the place with Abbey!). Steve took some photos with his iPhone and showed me when we had dinner together tonight (he's now back there - still painting).

It's so weird to think that I left our house looking like it did, and when I return it will be completely different.


Megan

Out And About

I'm elsewhere AGAIN today - in more ways than one.

Physically, I'm at my Mum and Dad's house. Mentally, I'm in about five hundred places. But in internet land...

My first post at Kleenex Mums is up!

Kleenex Mums is a gorgeous new parenting site and I'm really honoured to be writing for them. Featuring great articles by several of my favourite bloggers, it's fun to be joining them.

You can read my post here - a Christmas guide to kids' books.

Hope you enjoy it!


Megan

Renovations: Days Fifty-Five, Fifty-Six And Fifty-Seven

Oh boy. Where to begin?

These last few days have been hectic, with moving the contents of rooms and preparing to move into Mum and Dad's house (and Abbey and I falling sick amongst it all, but that's another story entirely).

Here's what's been happening with the house:

The frame for our bi-fold doors has been delivered - and it's huge!
This will hold six panels of glass doors along the back of our house - SO excited!

The wardrobe in the spare room has been fitted out.

The (huge) wardrobe in Abbey's new room has been built.

A terrible photo, but this is taken looking from the door of Abbey's new room
down the new hallway / entranceway. It's been opened up down that other end now!

Our front decking is complete! With a last-minute decision to have a wooden ramp instead of steps. (There are steps coming down to this point, so we thought it would feel a bit strange to go down, then up again. The walkway makes it flow better.)

And it's all about to begin in here... this post is helping to hold a steel beam in our ceiling, and this wall is coming down... in the next couple of days!

Exciting stuff!


Megan

Come Visit Me

I'm thrilled to be guest posting over at Lucy's place today - come and visit me? I'm talking about writing - why I do it, and the ups and downs.

Just click... HERE!


Megan

Blog Tour: Tania McCartney's Riley and the Curious Koala

Today, Writing Out Loud is part of a blog tour for the release of a new picture book. Sounds like fun, hey? 

Well, add to that the fact that the author in question is a friend and partner in children's literary love over at Kids Book Review... well, let's just say I'm thrilled to be part of the launch of Tania McCartney's Riley and the Curious Koala. The third in the Riley series, following on from Riley and the Sleeping Dragon and Riley and the Dancing Lion, this is another truly special picture book filled with stunning photographs, gorgeous illustrations and beautiful words. Riley is travelling the world in his little red aeroplane, and this is his first Australian adventure. 

I emailed Tania recently - well, we email every day actually - but this time I asked all the questions...

Tell us a bit about you. I often tell school kids I’m ‘just a regular mum who happens to write’ because that’s what I am. Kids so often look to the skies when they think of authors – as something elusive and unobtainable. It’s so not true. I may write books but I still have to cook, clean, shop and churn out manuscript proposals! I’ve always written – since I was a child – but true to my personality, I have stretched myself very thinly, writing in countless genre, most of it adult non-fiction (including workshops, blog articles and plays) but my main writing experience has been in magazines, which I utterly adore. I’ve written countless fiction and non-fiction manuscripts for adults, but children’s books came later.

Right now I live in Canberra with my husband, two kids and a mountain of books (I can hardly get in the door – seriously). I’m a bit of a nomad – I’ve moved over 60 times in my lifetime and have lived in almost every Australian state and four different countries. I’ve had countless jobs from barmaid to flight attendant and marketing assistant, but I’ve always returned to writing and I feel really fortunate to be writing full time now. I love travel, kindness, photography and anything made from paper (yes, yes, that includes books). I don’t like papercuts, mugs nor rabbit poop.

What made you decide to begin writing for children? I had always been obsessed with kids books. Even before I had children, I had a large collection, and after my kids were born, I wrote several manuscipts, but never thought to approach a publisher. We were living on post in China and I had a maid (no, I don’t have one now, thanks for the reminder), so instead of cleaning toilet bowls (which is now a full time occupation here in Canberra), I had all this spare time to write.

I became a kids editor for several expat magazines in Beijing and when I wrote the Riley and the Sleeping Dragon: A journey around Beijing (2008) manuscript as sort of a memento for my children and their years in Beijing, people kept pestering me to publish it. Printing in China was so cheap and I had the promotional backing of several large magazines, so I decided to self-publish. To my surprise, it worked – I sold almost 2000 books in three months to the expat community, and that book continues to sell in several Chinese cities.

When we moved home to Australia in January 2009, I thought Riley and the Sleeping Dragon would sink faster than a pork dumpling, but to my surprise, it’s done really well – I have an Australian distributor and the book appeared in the prestigious ABA’s Kids Reading Guide 2009/2010. Recoiling from shock, I decided to continue the series and released Riley and the Dancing Lion: A journey around Hong Kong in 2009. Riley and the Curious Koala: A Journey around Sydney comes out this November, 2010.

Since launching Kids Book Review and becoming so involved in the children’s book industry, I’ve garnered the courage to write more children’s manuscripts and this year have written around 10 books – from picture books through to junior fiction. I’ll still write adult non-fiction but I have absolutely fallen head over heels for children’s writing. I feel like I’m home when I work on these books.

What else do you write? I had a book on names published by Hodder Headline in 1995 (You Name It) and I also published a memoir in 2009 (Beijing Tai Tai). I’ve had hundreds of magazine articles, blog feature articles and posts published and I also write marketing material for Handmade Canberra and adult non-fiction. I’m releasing my first lifestyle book this December (in conjunction with Handmade Canberra) – handmade living and I’m so excited about that. It’s lead to other non-fiction proposals to publishers, which is exciting. I’m also a Senior Editor for Australian Women Online where I love writing feature and news articles, and reviewing books. Oh and I review books and blog for Kids Book Review.

What do you love about your work? It’s all-consuming fun, really. I just breathe it. When I’m not physically writing, I’m thinking and dreaming about writing. I write stories obsessively in my head and am totally lost without a pencil to write things down. The feeling I get when I write something is a combined head rush, heart palpitation and an almost burning in my gut that makes me want to squeal (with delight, not pain!). My heart truly tumbles about in my body.

Writing in all genres is fun, but writing for children allows me to be so freely creative – it’s just pure freedom – in every way. And witnessing the reaction from kids when they read my books is just pure elation. Knowing I’ve added to the literary fantasy of their childhood is unbelievable. Other than my family and health, there’s not much that makes me feel more grateful.

What were the inspirations behind your Riley series? Travel. It’s an obsession and we’ve been fortunate to bear two kids who also love it – they’ve been to seven different countries with us (soon to be eight) and they are sensational travel companions… I feel so lucky (mind you, we started travelling with them very young!).

Australian children are some of the best travelled in the world – we are a nomadic people and we love to immerse ourselves in other lands and culture. I personally believe travel is extremely educational for children – it opens their little brains and pours in tolerance, acceptance and open-mindedness. Plus, it’s heaps of fun. For those kids who can’t do a lot of travel, I wanted to write a series that would allow them to armchair travel to places around the globe, hence the photos throughout the Riley books. These books are a great way for younger kids to get to know a far off city, to prepare for travel or act as a memento of their trip.

The series has been an incredibly successful example of self-publishing - why do you think that is? Because I’ve done it well. I don’t necessarily mean the books themselves (although I do hope people think they are good!) I mean the way they‘re done. It’s best quality all the way. Best layout, design, pictures, printing, binding, marketing – everything. So many self-published books (frustratingly) add to the stigma that self-published books are lesser quality because they, well - are lesser quality. I’ve seen some shockers, and alas, that is many.

But there’s also an increasing number of amazing books being self-published, that simply cannot be overlooked. Self-publishers also suffer the indignity of being labeled quasi-failures because they couldn’t get a publishing house to take on their book. This is not true. Publishers are the first to admit many brilliant books are never accepted by a house (Harry Potter rejected a dozen times – hello!) and in that way, being house published is as much about being in the right place at the right time as it is about talent. In fact, I have never approached a house about my Riley books. I’ve done them all on my own, with no help (other than my distributor) and have sold more copies than many house published books have in the same amount of time.

If anyone is serious about self-publishing, they need to do it beautifully, all the way – and produce something that rivals house publications. They also need to realize that most of the work will come after the books is published. Marketing and promotion is full time, hard work that never ends. I’ve talked more on self-publishing during this blog tour – you can see the Blog Schedule for more.

What’s your approach to photographing scenes for the books? I’m a keen amateur photographer and take a million (well, not a million, but almost) photos whenever we travel, so I have a huge catalogue of pictures to choose from – right back to the 80s when I first started travelling. For the Riley books, I always look for sweeping vistas that can accommodate Riley, his plane and his friends, and also showcase the chosen city to its fullest potential. I chose to use black and white photos in the book to give the books a ‘coffee table travel book’ feel – and also to make the red plane and colourful characters pop on each page. Despite publisher indications to the contrary, kids love the black and white photos and it’s one of the top five comments I receive from children on why they love the books.

Tell us a bit about the latest book – Riley and the Curious Koala. This is Riley’s third adventure. It takes place in Sydney where Riley and his friends Panda, Dragon (from book 1) and Lion (from book 2) search this gorgeous city for the elusive and curious koala. Each Riley book sees Riley and his friends hunting down an iconic animal but each book has a little twist and a cultural or otherwise endemic message to it. As koalas don’t drink much water, this book starts out in heavy rain and has a water focus (perfect for Sydney).

The adventurous team always finds what they’re looking for but of course, it’s often not what they expected, and that is absolutely true of Curious Koala. This book is a little less text heavy than the second book and is much funnier. I love it. It’s my favourite yet. The ending is so adorable and very Aussie. Oh, and Panda goes through a bit of a transformation… this will be fun for kids, as he is their favourite character.

Where would you love Riley’s next destination to be (even if just for a research trip!)? The 2011 book (no. 4) will probably be set in Vietnam, though I’m tossing up a Californian coastal tour to take things away from Asia for a little while. 2012 is definitely Canberra (for the upcoming centenary) and 2013 – well, I’d love for it to be Europe but I’d need to go back for more photos and I can’t see that happening any time soon (authors don’t get paid much!) so it will more than likely be New Zealand, which I’m VERY excited about.

As for a dream destination to shoot for a future book… Antarctica.

What advice do you have for aspiring writers? Write. Writers write. They don’t just talk about it. And get some chutzpah about you. Some confidence. Have faith in your work and your talent. What will a publisher say? No? So what? Try another. Rewrite. Ask advice. Network. Educate yourself. Study. Become involved in the children’s book writing scene. Show trusted people (and kids) your work. Be open to criticism and advice but follow your heart, too. Rejection slips are normal and frequent, even for well-established and famous authors. Just keep writing. Often, the difference between a successful author and a not so successful one is tenacity. Oh – and learn how to market and promote yourself effectively.

What else do you like to do, other than write books? Not much! I try to get the house clean and iron the school uniforms occasionally (my poor, bedraggled kids). I spend time with the kids and see my husband occasionally. I daydream about travel or plan trips. I run Kids Book Review, respond to emails and write pieces for magazines. (Oh wait, that’s more writing…) Basically, I don’t get out much.

What would be your perfect day? A long stretch, cuddles from the kids, an invigorating swim, a blowdry and manicure with a great coffee, brunch with my family in the sunshine, writing, a browse at Borders, writing, a movie with the kids, writing, shopping with my daughter, writing, a Chinese massage, writing, BBQ dinner outside on our decking, a glass of champagne while playing charades with the kids in the garden, writing, snuggling on the couch to watch pay TV with my husband, fighting over the remote.

If there was no reality involved, I would write all day long and receive 5 – hang it, let’s make it 10 - publisher acceptance phone calls over breakfast in Paris, lunch in Hoi An, dinner in San Francisco and a show in New York city. I said If.

What else are you working on at the moment? I’ve completed around ten children’s book manuscripts this year, all of which are with publishers awaiting the ‘verdict’ (including a fabulous book series with a certain Kids Book Review partner!) – and I’ve started work on a very exciting historical kids book for a major publisher; hopefully out by next Christmas. My Beijing Tai Tai memoir is being republished in 2011 and I’m busy revising and updating it for the Australian market. I’ve also started some more non-fiction books – for both adults and children, and I plan to work on chapter books and more picture books in 2011. The next handmade living book will start production in January – A Handmade Christmas. Oh – and I’m working on my butt and thighs. It’s not a good look. Occupational hazard.

Thanks Tania! 


And you, dear readers - do you want more Tania McCartney?

♥ Follow her blog tour this week

♥ Buy the books

♥ Check out her blog

♥ Go to Kids Book Review

♥ See her work at Australian Women Online

♥ And watch the shelves at your local bookshop...

Abbey loves the Riley books!

Renovations: Days Fifty-Three And Fifty-Four

It seems like ages since I last wrote a renovation update - only because the builders had over a week off.

During that time, Steve's still been painting (inside and out) and I've been shopping for more things (namely a disastrous effort at finding a desk for my our office). We've also been getting quotes for heating, cooling and floor polishing. Fun.

Now we're coming to the business end of the renovations. No, not the ending - the next stage.

The extension is drawing to an end, with finishing touches being made, like doors being hung and architraves and skirting boards being put in:

Abbey's HUGE new wardrobe

That yellow colour is undercoat!

This week, the builders will be coming into the 'old' part of the house. They'll be putting a huge steel beam into our ceiling and knocking down a long load-bearing wall, which means...

Abbey and I will be moving out.

We're going to stay with my parents during this stage of the renovation. Although we could move into the new section, we won't have access to the kitchen and our laundry will be torn apart - so it isn't very practical to stay. Not to mention having a curious and adventurous two-year-old inside with builders, holes in walls, tools everywhere, noisiness... yep, we're outta here.

Steve's going to spend most nights at home, trying to paint the extension before we move all our things into it.

Yes, this is the part I've been dreading. It's about to get really messy and throw our lives into some turmoil, but we just have to remember - it'll be great when it's done. Oh, and keep shopping for new furniture; that always helps ease the pain.


Megan

Word Of The Week

Colouring in another child's drawings at the farmers' market

Abbey's Word of the Week this week is...

Yoghurt noun
Pronunciation: Do-dut

Abbey is obsessed with dairy food. And the obsession becomes really serious when it comes to yoghurt - she would eat it all day long if I let her.

Last weekend, we headed to a farmers' market to check out some fresh produce... but who needs fresh produce with all those treats on offer? Ice-creams, cakes, biscuits - I was in heaven. Coffee and chilli sauces - Steve was thrilled. Yoghurt with fresh berries - Abbey was delighted! She and I shared a big tub of fresh yoghurt and I bought a couple to bring home. I thought they might last the week. They lasted two days.

Every chance she had, Abbey was pleading for 'do-dut doo-derries' (yoghurt with blueberries). And who was I to refuse? After all, there are worse things she could be asking to eat!


Megan

The Return Of Photo Friday

I've been pretty slack with my Photo Fridays, and haven't done one for a while. So, I thought I'd make it up with two pictures of my little Abbey.

I took the camera outside with me the other day, and snapped her at play. The first photo shows off her beautiful curls. When I was pregnant, Steve and I would laugh when we imagined what our baby might look like - we each have dark brown hair and dark brown eyes, so we thought we knew our child would have the same.

She doesn't.

Instead, her eyes were dark blue when she was born and then changed colour almost daily, taking until just a few months ago to settle into their current hazel colour. And her hair is a mass of blonde curls:

And the next photo is just a bit of fun...

Megan

I Love My Two Days

I've recently started Abbey in childcare. For two days of each week, she is there playing with other kids and being looked after by some very lovely ladies.

All because I needed to work. And because I was going quietly (and sometimes not-so-quietly) insane.

Working from home was one thing when she was little (and even then, I used to put her into occasional care when I had a lot to do). Even as she grew a bit older, at least I knew nap time would bring some relief - a quick couple of hours of rushing through things.

But for the last six months, there have been no daytime naps. Early bedtimes, yes, but my mind is virtually useless after mid-afternoon (and I, too, like early bedtimes, so there's not much time for work there!).

It all came to a peak a few weeks ago, when I had this feeling that I couldn't achieve anything I wanted to. Not at the same time as being the mother I want to be, anyway. I've written a few times about my struggle to find the balance between the two, but I just couldn't do it all.

So, Abbey now goes to childcare. Do I feel guilty? Surprisingly, no. But it helps that I've managed to get some extra writing work to pay for it (yay!). And it most definitely helps that my little girl is a social and outgoing child, who runs to the door at the sound of the word 'childcare', runs inside the toddler room with a brief 'See ya later!' to me, and has to be dragged from there at the end of the day.

She is loving it. And I'm loving having this time to write (my corporate work has dried up somewhat, so it's me as a part-time writer). I promised myself I would also find time in those two days a week to do something just for me, that isn't work - but I don't. I write all day long. And I'm thrilled to be doing just that.


Megan

A Traveller At Home

I've really been trying to do some things to make myself happier lately.

While I'd sit on my bed, crying and feeling sorry for myself, the logical part of my brain would be thinking: 'do something about it'. So that's what I'm trying to do. I thought about what would make my life better, and I want to act on those thoughts.

It turns out I don't want many things...

First, I wanted some time to myself, time to write. Time to just be me and, you know, even earn some money (I know, I'm wild and crazy - my biggest wish is to work). Tick - done! I'll post about it tomorrow.

Second, I wanted to travel more. This one's a bit harder, it's such a huge dream. And I know it will happen more, in time. But right now, our feet are firmly planted here while we renovate our house. So - I thought I'd try and do some more fun things, some touristy things close to home. Day-trips and fun outings, things that Abbey and I will both enjoy, and have some fun on our days together. Travelling without the, um, travelling part.

We started today with something very close to home, and something I hadn't done in years...

Puffing Billy!

For those who don't know, Puffing Billy is an old steam train in the Dandenong Ranges (where I live) on the outskirts of Melbourne. It's one of Victoria's top tourist attractions. This is one of its most well-known points - the tressel bridge:

Steve unexpectedly had a day off work today (he's working after hours instead), so we decided to have a fun family day. And it was so much fun!

Abbey immediately loved the train.

Sitting at the station, making 'toot toot' noises

Then she started sticking her head out the window...

And then sat with her legs dangling out of the train with me!

When we stopped, Abbey got to go and see the engine and visit the driver....

And climb trees with Steve!

And by the return trip, she was feeling a little too comfortable with the whole thing!

All three of us had a fun day together... and it was a huge day for Miss Abbey. By 5.30 this evening, she was asking - yes, ASKING - to go to bed. And anyone who knows Abbey knows that this is an event in itself!


Megan