Emily Paull

Mr Wigg Inga Simpson Hachette Publishing 9780733630194 I'm a little bit late to the dinner table with this particular review; I admit, when I first received a copy of this book I was somewhat underwhelmed.   Mr Wigg  has the outward appearance of being a particularly beautiful book, but the blurb failed to engage me.  "It's a lot of work for an old man with shaking hands, but he'll give it a go, as he always has," teases the blurb, and I immediately thought that was all well and good but not really for me.  To quote a young lady I know "Cool story, bro- needs more dragons." Then, last week, I met Inga Simpson.    To put it very plainly, I don't think I would have read this book if I hadn't met Inga.  She is the best possible marketing resource for her work because she is funny, and warm, and generous with her time. In short, she must be a publisher's dream to work with.  While Inga was in the store (Bookcaffe Swanbourne), the...

Cicada Moira McKinnon 9781743315293 Allen and Unwin Some of the best novels I have read have been by first time novelists.  Perhaps this has something to do with how much work goes in to getting a publisher to put their faith in you.  I think that Cicada  by Moira McKinnon is a shining example of this.  It is a lyrical novel full of authentic Australian scenes, and on top of this, it is immensely enjoyable.  It is my great pleasure to invite you all to help my new friend Marlish Glorie to launch this book into the world on March the 7th 2014 at the home of the Fellowship of Australian Writers W.A.  But first, let me tell you more about the book. It is 1919, and Lady Emily Lidscombe is in labour with her first child.  The process is gruelling.  She is assisted only by her dark-skinned maids Wirritjil and Blackgirl, whom she regards as savages, but the women know what they are doing and finally, Joseph Lidscombe is born.  But somethi...

Sadly, today another Perth Writers Festival draws to a close.  It has been an amazing weekend, full of wisdom, and marked most noticeably by discussions which have renewed a zest for reading and literary critique which I have not felt since my time at Murdoch Uni nearly two years ago now.  To put this succinctly; this weekend, I felt smart again. I can now say with a degree of authority that how much you get out of these sorts of events is dependent on how much you put yourself into them.  Being presented with an opportunity, as the people of Perth are at this time each year, to come along and talk to, and more importantly listen to, writers from local and international backgrounds, is an important cultural institution that I hope never goes away or is diminished in any way.  In fact, I wish it were bigger.  This year for the first time I actually purchased tickets to some of the bigger events.  I was lucky enough to put myself in the same rooms as people...

According to this Staples test I read 137% faster than the average reader, and could be done with War and Peace in 17 hours.  Whoa. Take the test by clicking below. Source: Staples eReader Department Thanks to Emma Chapman for sharing this link! You can read Emma's Blog here.

Ask any writer you like- your first draft is never going to be the one that gets published. I like to think of my drafts as being like practice runs.  Each time I write a full version of my book, I learn things.  Sometimes these things are about the craft of writing, other times they are about my characters, and sometimes (if I do my research) I learn things about the historical context of my book. But between the last draft and the one I began today, I embarked on a learning exercise of a different kind.  I took the plunge, bit the bullet etc, and engaged the services of a professional editor to help me make my book the best possible book it can be.  I've learned a lot.  For example, I use the word GOTTEN a lot.  Did you know that GOTTEN is not only a stupid word, it's an Americanism?  Don't use GOTTEN when GOT will do.  I've also learned that sometimes I need to pare back on the metaphors.  My writing can be pretty descriptive apparently,...

In today's publishing climate, consumers are increasingly confronted by writers who are themselves as much products for the buying as their books.  Against such a backdrop, it was extremely refreshing to witness Ray Glickman launching his book at the Fremantle Arts Centre, not with some preprepared speech designed to make the audience *like* him and therefore feel onside about buying his work, but with the intent of celebrating the momentous occasion that was putting his first published book out there into the world.  In Glickman's words- indeed in his countenance- I saw a joy, and a relief, at the figurative birthing of a brainchild several years in the making. Reality would by no means have been an easy book to write either.  It is a complicated book which transposes the form and structure of a reality television show onto the lives of six ordinary people, all under the control of a bored Melbournian businessman who is not given a name.  Glickman stated that he h...

The Tournament Matthew Reilly Macmillan Publishing 9781742612393 The Tournament  represents a departure from Matthew Reilly's usual big screen inspired adventure stories.  Set in 1546, it is a novel about an international chess tournament that takes place in the Hagia Sophia, Constantinople under the command of the formidable Sultan Suleiman.  And the main character of the book is none other than the 13 year old Princess Elizabeth Tudor. I had never read anything by Matthew Reilly up to this point.  His books never really seemed to be for me, and they probably weren't, but when I heard that his newest book was set in the Tudor Period, my little ears pricked up.  Tudors, you say?  Well count me in!  Of course I promptly received the book and then relegated it to one of the many towering piles of books I have yet to read.  Then, I found out that Matthew Reilly was going to be on Australian Story this Monday just past.  I was reading some...

Disclaimer- I, Emily, have not read Jamie's book yet.  Jamie very kindly contacted me to tell me that she liked my blog and I really like her story of finding love accidentally on her travels.  I hope you will too!  Take it away Jamie... It was always my dream to live abroad when I was growing up in California.  I had bad dating experiences in California and read in a New Zealand tour book that the country’s population at 100,000 fewer men than women.  I wanted to have some me time and an adventure. New Zealand seemed like a good place to do so. Although I intended to have a solo adventure I ended up meeting my husband in New Zealand. I consider myself an accidental author. I didn’t go to New Zealand with the intentions of writing a book about my experiences there. I had funny experiences that I had trouble believing were true. I wrote the stories down to stay sane. I wrote situations down that were happening around me and shared them with friends. The st...

I've been reading lots and lots this last month but I haven't actually bothered to sit down and review any of the books.  Very remiss of me.  This seems to be a January problem for a lot of people- it's just too gosh darn busy!  Have you found that?  Anyway, I thought I would do a bit of a monthly catch up and let you all know what I've been reading and what I thought of it. Books I've been Reading This Month (January) The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton...okay okay so I finished this in December and I actually did review it but it was just so good I can't stop thinking about it!  Also, Eleanor Catton is going to be a guest at this year's Perth Writers Festival.  I was literally so excited to see this that I screamed.  I'm dragging Mum along with me, and hopefully I can convince her to read this amazing book. The Freudian Slip  by Marion von Adlerstein- The prize in my recent giveaway!  This was a light and funny read but I can't say that ...