Monday, September 30, 2019

Rest In Peace Jack



It is with profound sadness that we farewell our beloved patron, Jack Lasenby 1931- 27.09.2019
Jack's memorial service will be at the Mana Crusing Club, Paremata Thursday 3rd October at 11am.

There have been many tributes to Jack. The Spinoff has collected them for a memorial page, including one from the Wellington Children's Book Association.

I ask that if you are reading this you find time to raise a glass and toast the master storyteller, Jack Lasenby.

Spinoff Memorial Page- Dear Jack we love you

Radio New Zealand announcement

2016 Radio Interview with Kim Hill



Monday, July 22, 2019

The workshop... after

We had a full house yesterday for The Skinny workshop. It was a packed day with huge amounts of information... ideas... pizza... more ideas... laughter...
We got to play with our nifty new toy... the projector. Thank you Suzanne for projector wrangling.
We love CORE education because they lent us a screen.
We LOVE LOVE LOVE The Children's Bookshop in Kilbirnie for the venue.
(Our wallets can confirm this.)
It was lovely to see familiar friends and make a whole load of new ones on the day.
And we gained some new members for the membership list. (hehehehehe)

Our warmest thanks to our amazing presenters.
Mandy Hager
Marie Hodgkinson
Eileen Mueller
Juliette MacIver
Adele Jackson
Ruth McIntyre

We all know what we are going to be working on in the future don't we... a collaborative graphic novel about a paranormal rugby player with a high stakes emotional ending, killer cover, and branded rainbow content.

Emails are going out soon to participants with extra reference material.





Thursday, June 6, 2019

The Skinny on Children's Book Publishing.



The Wellington Children’s Book Association in conjunction with The Children’s Bookshop are hosting a one day workshop in children’s writing and publishing.

July 21st 10-4pm at The Children's Bookshop Kilbirnie.

The day consists of intensive aspects in writing craft, understanding the children’s book marketplace and what it takes to be successful.

The craft of Writing the Ending with Mandy Hager 
Mandy Hager, a multi-award-winning writer of Young Adult novels, will turn her laser eyes to the business of endings. How can you wrap up a story leaving the reader fully satisfied?

Writing in Tandem.
Marie Hodgkinson is a publishing tutor at Whitireia and an author of many novels. Marie will look at the pros and cons of collaborative writing.

Novice Graphic Noveling with Adele Jackson. 
Adele is a visual communicator who works across the publishing industry in illustration who works across the children’s publishing industry in illustration, comic strips, infographics, and design. Adele will explore what it takes to present a story visually.

Online marketing with Eileen Mueller
Eileen has her finger on the pulse of online marketing books for children. This is a specialist area and it helps that Eileen has had great success with her own children’s novels.

Gaps in the market with Ruth McIntyre
Ruth McIntyre lives children’s books. As the owner of the award-winning Children’s Bookshop, she is able to say what readers are looking for, what works and what doesn’t in the realm of children’s books.

The Judge's Eye with Maureen Crisp and Ruth McIntyre.
As past judges of the New Zealand Children’s Book Awards, Maureen and Ruth bring their expertise on what makes an award winner stand out from the crowd.

Juliette’s Junket- What overseas opportunities really mean with Juliette MacIver 
Juliette was recently a guest of the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival. This meant flying there and then presenting workshops to children. What is expected of you at such an event? What do you need to prepare for? Is the ability to ride a camel a pre-requisite?

Lunch is provided along with afternoon tea.

Numbers are capped at 30 people and we expect this workshop day to fill up fast.

Email the Wellington Children’s Book Association Inc  (the.wcba at gmail dot com) to register your interest. Payment will confirm your place.
$50 Early Bird rate until June 30th 
$70 full rate.

The WCBA is a not for profit organisation dedicated to raising the profile of children’s books in New Zealand.