Today I am interviewing Aussie children's writer Aleesah Darlison. Aleesah has, in recent years, been short listed for the Eve Pownall Award, which is the non-fiction section of the CBCA awards. I have made it as far as the Notables and the Claytons, for my book Potions To Pulsars: Women Doing Science but never the Pownall short list!
I will also be publishing her guest post in which she tells us a bit more about the books.
So, enjoy the Q and A below and maybe think of a book or two for your younger children. Aleesah's current publisher is Walker Books.
1.
Tell us a bit about
yourself, e.g. what do you do when you aren't writing? Where do you live?
I grew up in the country,
living in a tiny house on a small farm with my parents, my brother and my two
younger sisters. I left home at seventeen to attend uni in Sydney where I
studied marketing. I’ve always had a passion for books and writing and although
I worked for a number of years in corporate marketing, I spent every spare
minute writing. For many years, I treated it as a hobby, never dreaming that I
could actually become a published author.
It wasn’t until I left paid
work to become a full-time mum that I decided to give writing as a career a
proper shot. After three years of attending workshops, running writers’ groups
and receiving copious amounts of rejection letters, I finally had my first
picture book accepted for publication. That was two and a half years ago. Since
then, I’ve published fifteen books.
I still live in Sydney, on the
Northern Beaches with my husband, three young children (aged 9, 8 and 5) and
two small but yappy dogs.
2.
What made you realise you
were a children's writer?
When I finally had a picture
book accepted for publication. Flowing on from that, and snowballing from all
the years of writing manuscript after manuscript, I had other stories for
primary school aged children published. I had tried writing short stories and
novels for adults, but I just don’t think my inner voice (or inner child) has
grown up enough for me to be successful at that. Writing for children is fun
and rewarding, so I’m very happy to be where I am right now. Plus, I have loads
of ideas that are yet to be turned into fully-fledged books so I could be in
this space for quite some time to come.
3.
You've sold a lot of
books for such a short career - how do you manage to do it all?
I’ve had some luck on my side
having two series picked up, which means a lot of books need to be written in a
short time to keep readers interested. I’ve worked hard and learned to make the
most of each day. I have three young children – one still in preschool – so my
writing time is quite limited. I don’t necessarily write every day as often I’m
visiting schools to run writing workshops and author talks. I just try to make
the most of every day and manage my time efficiently. I don’t watch much TV and
I’m usually tapping away on my keyboard until late into the night. I’m
certainly not the only author who does this!
4. How did you make your
first sale? And how did you celebrate it?
I submitted my picture book
text, Bearly There, to several
publishers, through the slushpile. The story was eventually accepted by Windy
Hollow Books. Even though that was my first acceptance, the book won’t be
released until March 2013. It’s been a long time coming and I’ve had fifteen
other books released in between times. I was so excited when Bearly There was accepted that I couldn’t speak at first. Then
I ran around the house squealing. I phoned my husband pretty quickly after that
and we celebrated with the kids (and a glass of champagne) later that night.
I’ve since managed to secure a literary agent, Jacinta di Mase, but the joy in
having a manuscript accepted for publication hasn’t dimmed at all, nor has the
enjoyment of a glass of champagne to celebrate that acceptance.
5. Which of your fictional
characters is your favourite and why?
It’s incredibly hard to choose
between them. I love Persephone Pinchgut from my Totally Twins series because she’s clever, quirky, shy and witty
all at the same time. I adore my four gutsy heroines in the Unicorn Riders series: Quinn, Willow, Ellabeth and Krystal, who are
so courageous and work well as a team. Ben Hopper from I Dare You is funny, vulnerable, sensitive and brave. And
he’s got a crush on this cute girl, Astrid. My animal characters, like Pipp Puggle,
Warambi and Little Good Wolf, teach us lessons through their experiences ...
see I really struggle with it. I guess my characters are like my children – I
can’t choose between them!
6.
Which is your favourite
book of those already published and why?
Again, this is hard for me to
answer. If I HAD to choose one I could (perhaps!) narrow it down to my Unicorn
Riders series, which has been very
special for me. I’ve always loved unicorns and collected figurines since I was
a child. The girls in the stories are strong, empowered female lead characters.
The series has been a joy to write, the publisher, Walker Books, is very
supportive of me. The stories are filled with magical adventures, life-lessons
and twists and turns. And I’ve received high praise from readers, parents and
teachers for the series.
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