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Thread: Debut Novel

  1. #16
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    Thanks

    and the book is a good read!
    regards
    Nick
    veni, vidi,
    tornavi
    Without wood it's just ...

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  3. #17
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    Not sure we will make the Brissy one Tony hope it goes well as Sydney has.

  4. #18
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    Well, we made it to the Brissy launch for Cat Sparks and Thoraiya Dyer. It was the last stop of five yesterday and I can't remember when I last had so many "appointments" in one day.

    The Avid Reader Bookshop is one of those old fashioned establishments where you become a part of the fixtures and fittings as you pass through the entrance. There was a momentary hiccup when I asked if I was in the right place for the book launch. We had arrived a little early and the only indication of an "evening" was a small table covered with a white cloth with what looked liked a single bottle of wine and insufficient glasses. I was informed that I was most certainly in the right place and had I booked in?

    "Booked in? I said, "Do I have to book in?"

    "Eh, yes: So we know how many to cater for. Has anybody booked you in?"

    "I don't know." I replied. "Maybe NC Archer..."

    Nope there was nothing down under that name or T Dyer. So I asked if it was alright if we stayed. The lady with the red hair looked hesitant, but I was quick to reassure her that we didn't eat much and I wouldn't be drinking as I had some way to drive home and fatigue tends to rear it's ugly head. She relaxed a little. I probably shouldn't have added that one bottle would have to suffice, under the circumstances, for my other half. I moved on quickly as if she had acquiesced.

    After a while we were ushered outside of the shop. At this point I would have been ordinarily concerned except that all of the collected throng were directed outside and it was to the rear of the building and not the front. There we were introduced to Isobelle Carmody, who is a well renowned author of more than twenty books and a good friend of both Thoraiya and Cat.

    We were then treated to thirty to forty minutes of banter, entertainment and sometimes philosophy. The session was conducted by Isobelle as an interview of Thoraiya and Cat and it investigated their approach to the books, the time it had taken, the number of rejections (mainly by themselves; Thoriaya had written ten books before this one and Cat had written the same book ten times!) and their own thoughts on their characters. Interestingly, their favourite characters were not necessarily the good guys or girls.

    Isobelle commented on how in these two books, which are both in the joint realms of sci-fi and fantasy, the authors create the surreal world but not to the exclusion of the characters: It was something she emphasised was in her opinion hugely important and a common failing with authors.

    I thought back to a couple of the most famous fantasies of modern times, the Harry Potter books and the Lord of The Rings and while those almost unimaginable worlds are so prominent in our minds, it is the characters that steal the show so I think she made a very valid point.

    I should point out that although these books, Crossroads of Canopy and Lotus Blue, were the authors first full length novels, both Thoraiya and Cat have won numerous awards for their short story writing.

    So the evening was a real treat and it was good to meet with the authors face to face. I was particularly flattered that Thoraiya came up to me and said "Do I know you?" This is because she met me once only for about ten seconds as I was leaving NC Archer's house when they lived in Singleton? I wish I had a memory like that.

    My understanding is that there are two more launches to go: One in Melbourne and the other in Canberra. My advice is, if humanly possible, get yourself along to at least one of these launches. Perhaps NC Archer will be good enough to post the dates for you so you don't have to go surfing the net. Be sure to mention that you are there as the official emissaries of the Woodwork Forums.

    Think of it as night out and you have the atmosphere all wrapped up. Yep, did buy some books (three were autographed by the authors). I also bought a book on native bees which seemed to be the last word on native apiary. The bee all and end all.



    Regards
    Paul
    Bushmiller;

    "Power tends to corrupt. Absolute power corrupts, absolutely!"

  5. #19
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    Paul and Leanne, thank you very much for attending and supporting Thoraiya. She did know who you were as I had mentioned that you may be attending. Also a big thank you to Paul (Woodnut) and Margaret who attended the Newcastle launch and to Alan (Fletty) who attended the Sydney launch. It means a lot to Thoraiya that my woodworking friends turn up to support her. Cat has a separate launch in Perth, tomorrow I think, and she was disappointed that she wouldn't have a representative from the woodwork forums attending.
    There are indeed two launches to go. One at Paperchain Books in Manuka, Canberra at 6pm on 20th April. All Canberrans are welcome to have a look and say hello. I will be at that one.
    The other one is at Continuum, in Melbourne on the weekend of the 9th-12th of June. I will also be at that one so if any Melbournians are interested drop in and say hello. We don't have a date/time set for that one yet. That will be set by the convention organisers closer to the date.
    Those were the droids I was looking for.
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  6. #20
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    Thanks Tony.

    Sorry you weren't able to be there yourself. I guess that in a room of primarily women one old codger stood out . I should have mentioned that I was pleased to meet Thoraiya's brother Tas. I think with more time we would have had a long conversation.

    We were both pleased to get along and the evening was very entertaining. I have not read the books yet of course, but I am expecting a good read. There was a time long ago, in my childhood in fact, that I read Isaac Asimov and then for a while I read Frank Herbert's Dune novels. In my thirties I read The Lord of the Rings and then I really didn't read any fantasy or science fiction for a long time. Now it looks like I'm back.

    Regards
    Paul
    Bushmiller;

    "Power tends to corrupt. Absolute power corrupts, absolutely!"

  7. #21
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    Tony didn't invite me to the Sydney launch as he knew I drank wine!
    regards
    Nick
    veni, vidi,
    tornavi
    Without wood it's just ...

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