It’s absolutely gorgeous! See it from a distance, and it’s spectacular – the globe even has a switch to create zigzags of lightning, mad scientist style. Look at it close, and there are a million clever details! Lewis Morley, I declare you are a total genius!
It all starts on Monday 6th May – or Sunday 5th for me, when I head north to Queensland, preparing for the big tour for SONG OF THE SLUMS. I opted to give first refusal to schools I’d visited before – it was nice to hear of so many rapid acceptances.
Monday’s school is Aquinas College, Southport; then Marymount College, Burleigh Waters on Tuesday 7th; Coolum State High on Wednesday 8th; then in to Brisbane for Mary Mackillop College, Nundah, on Thurs 9th, and Genesis Christian College, Bray Park, on Friday 10.
Relax over the weekend … Aileen flies up to join me, and we’ll be visiting Chris and Bec and the grandchildren.
Another busy week to follow – slightly messed up by NAPLAN, which not only cuts out Years 7 and 9, but knocks out every school’s organisation from Tuesday to Thursday. Still, I get to take advantage of the only day I miss by staying over at Dorrigo with Ian Irvine – a long-planned visit that’s never seemed to fit in before.
So, my school for Monday 13th is Kimberley College, Carbrook; for Tuesday 14th, St Laurence’s College in South Brisbane. Then south of the border to Xavier Catholic College at Skennars Head for Wednesday 15th. Interlude at Dorrigo … then last day, Friday 17th, at St Paul’s High School in Port Macquarie.
Home Friday night – but back to Sydney for the Aurealis Awards on the Saturday. (I’m not up for anything, but I’ve been asked to present one of them.) Phew!! And that’s only the first tour of many coming up.
I had to tear myself away from revision work on the latest novel (I’m really in the flow!) to go to the Aurealis Awards last night – but so glad I did! The turnout was amazing – people from every state, a Who’s Who of spec fic in Australia. I’ve never seen an Awards night better attended by authors and publishers. It was so great to catch up with friends!
I only remembered to pull out my camera now and then – and spent half the night wondering why it wouldn’t work (I’d accidentally set it to video!) Here’s me (without glasses), Sean Williams and Cat Sparks before the show -
The venue is the old Independent Theatre in North Sydney, with its spectacular ceiling. Not sure if it’ll come out in this photo-
That’s when people were filing in, and Rob Hood’s first bit of video was showing on the screen. I wasn’t up for anything this time, so I could just sit back and enjoy. I sat next to a winner though! Thoraiya Dyer, who picked up the award for best Fantasy Short Story.
That’s Thoraiya – and she looked that happy even before she received the award! Apart from sitting next to a winner, I can claim I had a story in an anthology that was a winner – the “Ghosts By Gaslight” won best anthology, ed. Jack Dann and Nick Gevers.
All in all, a great night!
