But nearly everyone who approached our table was a huge fan of There's A Hippopotamus On Our Roof, Eating Cake and that, not the new YA novel, was what they wanted signed! Poor Hazel! (Ryan wasn't there that day)
She has done a lot of travelling which in its turn led to books inspired by the travel, using absolutely everything in her life as meat for the writing.
Now Hazel has written her memoir, using something she calls "anecdultery" as its style.
I'll let her tell you about it in the interview questions below. Welcome to The Great Raven, Hazel!
Hazel Edwards’ ‘Not Just a Piece of Cake; Being An Author”
(Brolga)
Why did you write this
memoir?
It was a new intellectual
challenge AND taking a risk hoping the result would be satisfying for the
reader too.
Health reasons meant I couldn’t
fly for months, so via a memoir, I answered the questions readers often ask of
me as an author and mentor. I have been frequently asked about the workstyle
process of longterm creativity, especially when you have a family as well.
I had been published since my
mid twenties and turned 70 this year, so it seemed timely.
How did you choose the title?
Often writing for children is
considered easier, ‘ a piece of cake’ It isn’t. There is a misconception that
briefer is less important or less skilled to craft.
A ‘memoir’ is meant to be only
a slice of life which fits the cake theme.
To what extent is it a family history?
Slightly. It deals with my father’s legacy of ideas and
intriguing ancestors like my paternal Scottish grandmother Agnes.There are some childhood influences of living in
a country general store.
What do you reveal about juggling family life with
writing?
·
Candid reality. Ironic humour. Survival skills like not ironing and
birthday gifts of gourmet cooking lessons for males.
·
Risk-taking; physical adventure like Antarctic
expeditions or Spirited Women’s Trekking in Nepal but also mental challenges.
·
A few sociological example of attitudes towards working
women during the periods of political and educational change in 1970s and post
Whitlam era. Being a mature aged student, with a baby and no sleep.
Is it suitable for
children to read?
Yes, but it is mainly aimed at nostalgic adults and those
interested in writing or leading a creative workstyle.192 of my books are not
hippo-centric. Social issues such as others coping successfully with being
different, physically, politically or culturally have always interested me.
‘Diversity’ is the current label.
To what extend would it be
helpful for new writers?
It is realistic about the risks, plus the time and energy
required to develop skills in order to survive longterm as a creator and even
as an authorpreneur.
How does your family feel
about it?
My husband
Garnet has always been supportive of my writing and that’s vital, especially in
the beginning. My daughter Kim is my marketing manager who has dragged me into
the digital decade (it’s her day job elsewhere too) and my grandsons are
‘yawn-testers’. I’ve co-written two ‘adventurous memoirs’ with my son who wore
out two pairs of boots doing the real walking or cycling and my son-in-law
helps when I ask him research questions.
What were the greatest
challenges?
There was experimenting with a new kind of
writing: anecdultery, and formatting in a new style of storytelling. Brolga
Publishers’ project manager Wanissa was endlessly patient.
I’m hopeless at manipulating
the resolution and size of photos. I left out some because they were in the
wrong format.
Getting the tone right in the
captions.
Deciding what to include and
what to leave out.
You lived through a period
of great sociological change in attitudes towards females. How is this shown in
your book?
It discusses
the impact of PM Whitlam’s funding for mature aged students and the importance
of a partner who believed in sharing roles.
What is a Questory?
Quest+ story The process of finding out as you write. The
writer’s journey. ‘Quest’ is my son’s middle name.
What is anecdultery?
Telling stories as anecdotes.
What is your next project?
Hijabi Girl is a
junior chapter book about a feisty girl who wears a hijab in an Australian
mainstream school. It was co-written with a Muslim librarian, Ozge Alkan, who
has a hijab and a sense of humour, and illustrated by Serena Geddes. It had 41
rejections from mainstream publishers so I decided to self publish.
Hazel's memoir is a
Hazel’s Relevant Books: All details, publishers links, ISBNs
etc are listed at www.hazeledwards.com
‘Not Just a Piece of Cake: Being an Author’, ISBN: 1922175803 978-1922175809 Brolga. 2015
‘Writing
a Non Boring Family History’, Hale&
Iremonger/GHR Press, 2011
ISBN: 9780868067162
‘ Authorpreneurship:
The Business of Creativity’ Keesing
Press ISBN: 978-0-9752083-8-0, 2013.
‘Antarctic
Writer on Ice: Diary of an Enduring Adventure’ ISBN: 978-0-9871575-4-6
2002, PDF 2013, http://www.hazeledwards.com/shop/item/antarctic-writer-on-ice-diary-of-an-enduring-adventure
‘Trail Magic: Going Walkabout for 2184 Miles on the
Appalachian Trail’.
Brolga, 2013, Co-authored with Trevelyan Quest Edwards,
2014, ISBN: 9781922175359
‘Cycling Solo;Ireland to Istanbul’, Brolga ISBN:
1-920785-92-2, 2016 Co-authored with Trevelyan Quest Edwards http://www.hazeledwards.com/shop/item/cycling-solo-from-ireland-to-istanbul
‘The Business of Writing for Young People’, ISBN: 978-0-9871575-5-3
‘Non Boring Travel Writing’: ISBN 978-0-9871575-8-4 2001, 2014, Publisher; Garnet (www.hazeledwards.com
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