Meet the Authors of Crush: Marian Matta

25 August, 2017 Justina Ashman Leave a comment

Next in our series of Crush author Q&As is Marian Matta. Read on to hear a bit about her writing process and for a sneak peak of her story ‘Close to the People’.

Can you give us a bit of background about yourself? How did you come to writing?

Praise be to Annie Proulx! I’ve shaped the world with words for as long as I can recall. Ask me to come up with a medical article, an historical account, even a couple of film scripts, and I’ve happily done it. However, any fiction I wrote was strictly for my eyes only. After I saw the life-changing film Brokeback Mountain in 2006, I began writing fan fiction under a nom de plume. Readers liked it, and seven years ago I entered my first short story competition without the shield of anonymity. As well as writing, I’m a grandmother, an amateur local historian, and the oldest student in a circus school. Continue reading Meet the Authors of Crush: Marian Matta →

Teacher Notes

Teacher Notes – King of the Outback

23 August, 2017 Site Manager Leave a comment

Synopsis

King of the Outback tells the true story of Australia’s so-called ‘Cattle King,’ Sir Sidney Kidman.

Sidney Kidman runs away from home at age 13 and travels to the outback on a one-eyed horse. He finds stray cows in the scrub, swims across rivers by hanging on to a bullock’s tail and dreams of having the biggest herd of cattle in Australia. Sid builds a cattle empire covering more land than the whole of England. His meat and wool are sold all over the world, and his horses pull trams in Adelaide and carry soldiers in India.

Continue reading Teacher Notes – King of the Outback →

Title

Crush

23 August, 2017 Editor-in-Chief 4 Comments

Edited by Simone Corletto, Amy T. Matthews, Jess M. Miller and Lynette Washington

Bursting with affection, wit, loss, sex and a whole lot of love, the authors in this collection face the burning beauty of love and write of both the blaze and the ashes left behind. Crush will quicken the pulses of cynics and believers alike as it reimagines everything that makes the heart leap.

‘A delicious and captivating look at love in all its wonderful and varied forms. I’d love to read more from these fresh voices!’
–Rachael Johns

Continue reading Crush →

Uncategorized

Meet the Authors of Crush: Ryan Scott

21 August, 2017 Justina Ashman Leave a comment

The next in our series of Q&As with the authors of Crush, an anthology of stories about love, is Ryan Scott. Get to know Ryan and read an excerpt from his story ‘The Castle, the Tower and the Other Castle’.

Can you give us a bit of background about yourself? How did you come to writing?

Since childhood I’ve always enjoyed inventing characters and imagining worlds and stories for them to inhabit. My earliest attempt to write a novel was when I was twelve. It was a fantasy novel. Fortunately, the manuscript no longer survives. Though my tastes have markedly changed, fiction and telling stories is one pursuit I still find, despite its frustrations, satisfying. Continue reading Meet the Authors of Crush: Ryan Scott →

Uncategorized

Meet the Authors of Crush: Susan Midalia

18 August, 2017 Justina Ashman Leave a comment

Crush, an anthology of stories about love, brings together the work of emerging and established writers from around the world. Get to know some of the fantastic authors featured in the collection in this series of Q&As. First we have Susan Midalia and an excerpt from her short story ‘Perspectives on Love’.

Can you give us a bit of background about yourself? How did you come to writing?

I’d been an academic for decades, teaching literature, and I’ve always been a reader, but I didn’t start writing fiction until I was in my fifties. This was partly as a result of doing my PhD on contemporary Australian women’s fiction, when I discovered that I loved using language more than advancing an intellectual argument! I then started writing fiction more regularly because I wanted to make sense of some difficult personal experiences. Writing very quickly became a beautiful compulsion. Continue reading Meet the Authors of Crush: Susan Midalia →

Teacher Notes

Teacher Notes – Papa Sky

1 August, 2017 Site Manager Leave a comment

Author: Jane Jolly Illustrator: Sally Heinrich

AUTHOR

Jane Jolly is a Primary School teacher of 40 years experience. She has taught in Aboriginal schools, Area schools and Primary schools. In 1983 she worked as a governess on Commonwealth Hill Station. She now works part time as teacher/librarian at Eastern Fleurieu School, in South Australia, teaching creative writing and literature appreciation.

Jane has had seven picture books published. Tea and Sugar Christmas was an Honour Book in CBCA Book of the Year 2015 and One Step at a Time, illustrated by Sally Heinrich, was an Honour Book in CBCA Book of the Year 2016.

Continue reading Teacher Notes – Papa Sky →

Title

Papa Sky

18 July, 2017 Editor-in-Chief Leave a comment

by Jane Jolly and Sally Heinrich

HB 32 | 300 x 250 | ISBN 9781925227291
$27.99 | Picture book
MidnightSun Publishing | October 2017
Distributed by NewSouth Books

Another stunning picture book from the
award-winning team who brought you One
Step at a Time, Honour Book in the CBCA
Awards 2016.

Papa Sky sits where earth meets sky, until one night the wind blows him down, down, down through the cloud forest, where he lands with a bump.

What will happen next? Who will help him? Continue reading Papa Sky →

Books, Reviews

Wild Gestures wins Saboteur Award

16 May, 2017 Editor-in-Chief Leave a comment

The MidnightSun team would like to congratulate Lucy Durneen on her win for best short story collection at the Saboteur Awards in the UK. We are so proud of her and of the collection, Wild Gestures, that is finding enthusiastic readers around the globe. Such wonderful news!

http://sabotagereviews.com/2017/05/14/saboteur-awards-2017-the-results/

Hear what the award voters had to say about Wild Gestures:

Lucy’s work is nothing less than exceptional. Her words and content take my breath away. She is also a hard working full-time academic, single-mother of four, who somehow still finds the time to dream and write. This alone should be worthy of an award.
Lucy’s collection is a tremendous work of humanity at its best and worst, its strongest and most vulnerable. Every story is packed with beautiful, unexpected and original imagery — to the point of enabling the reader to perceive a fresh perspective on their own life predicaments. This is a rare achievement in recent times and must be recognised and commended in the wider arena.
Because this is one off the most exquisite short story collections ever published. It is funny, sad, tender, cheeky, insightful and so, so clever. Lucy Durneen may be a new star in the literature hall-of-fame but she is certainly there to stay.

Books, Launches

King of the Outback Book Launch

15 May, 2017 Editor-in-Chief Leave a comment

MidnightSun launched Kristin Weidenbach‘s and Timothy Ide‘s gorgeous picture book King of the Outback yesterday. The hall was packed, the speech by Dyan Blacklock was strong and supportive, but most importantly the vibe was great! So many friendly faces in the crowd, many of them friends from the writing community. Thank you so much for once again supporting a local writer and publisher. Without you, there would be no books!

Books, Reviews

A Beautiful Review of Olivia’s Voice

11 May, 2017 Editor-in-Chief Leave a comment

‘Stunning, evocative, thought-provoking.’

Another amazing review for Olivia’s Voice. Congratulations Mike and Jennifer!
It doesn’t really get much better than that.

http://thebottomshelf.edublogs.org/?s=OLIVIA%27S+VOICE

Title

A Cardboard Palace

4 April, 2017 Editor-in-Chief 3 Comments

by Allayne L. Webster

Jorge lives in a shanty town on the outskirts of Paris. Bill, a controller, has an army of child thieves at his command—and Jorge is one of them.

But soon Jorge faces an even bigger threat. His home is to be bulldozed. Where will Jorge sleep? What will happen to his Continue reading A Cardboard Palace →

Teacher Notes

Teacher Notes – A Cardboard Palace

31 March, 2017 Site Manager Leave a comment

Teacher Resource – Written by Andy Altamura B.A. B.Ed. Sp.Ed.

ISBN 978-1-925227-25-3

A Cardboard Palace is Allayne’s fifth novel. Set in modern day France, it is intended as a middle grade fiction. It explores the themes of relationships, adolescence and coming of age, centred around a group of youths who have been trafficked to France. Continue reading Teacher Notes – A Cardboard Palace →

Author

Timothy Ide

31 March, 2017 Editor-in-Chief Leave a comment

Timothy has illustrated a number of children’s books, among them: Max Fatchen’s A Country Christmas and Fiona McIntosh’s Fantastica: Shapeshifter series. He is also known for his court sketching work for the Adelaide TV news networks.

MidnightSun published his children’s book King of the Outback in May 2017.

Author

Jennifer Harrison

31 March, 2017 Editor-in-Chief Leave a comment

Jennifer Harrison lives in Adelaide with her son Nathaniel. Since leaving university she has worked as a graphic designer, commercial artist and art director. Her illustrations have been commissioned for book covers, magazines and packaging for overseas and local markets and she has exhibited in Adelaide galleries.

MidnightSun published her children’s book Olivia’s Voice in March 2017.

Author

Mike Lucas

31 March, 2017 Editor-in-Chief Leave a comment

Mike Lucas is the author of several collections of humorous poetry for children and has had work published in anthologies and literary magazines. Originally from the UK, he now lives in Adelaide, where he works as an engineer and runs an independent book store with his wife, Becky. He has a passion for encouraging children to use imagination and creativity to produce original stories and poetry.

MidnightSun published his children’s book Olivia’s Voice in March 2017.

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