How often is it that you can pick up the paper and read some good news? Well, the answer to that question is: every Monday. I feel incredibly lucky to live in a city where we have access to something as marvellous as
The Zone. In my opinion,
The Zone is the most innovative and positive newspaper reporting in print publication today. Where else can you regularly read about good people doing good things without fanfare or political agenda in our very own city? The Zone makes me feel proud to be a Melburnian.
Take today's interview with Kane Bowden, CEO of
The Lighthouse Foundation, which offers 'shelter, food, counselling, health support and most of all, love' to young homeless people. 'He cites an abused young woman who stayed for six months, stabilised, got into university, completed her studies, landed a job in the city and then became an academic who is now teaching at a university. ''She hadn't been hugged or cuddled in her entire life. She got her first hug in the first couple of weeks from her carer.'''
I don't know whether this makes me want to laugh or cry. I do know that this makes me incredibly grateful that these kind, quiet acts of generosity aren't going unnoticed, thanks to
Michael Short's empathetic, intelligent and perceptive pieces. Mondays have now become something to look forward to.
If you missed me in Malvern a couple of weeks ago and would still like to get a signed Billie book for someone's stocking this Christmas, I will be at Fairfield Books this Saturday 26th November signing books from 11am - 12pm. 
Some good news for yet-to-be-published writers of YA Fiction. Hardie Grant Egmont are beginning a new YA fiction collection called Ampersand that will be devoted to novels by debut writers. The main rules are that the writers mustn’t have published a novel before, and the story must be set in real life. Submissions are open now until the end of the summer, so get cracking. Details are available at http://bit.ly/Ampers. Good luck!
This Saturday 5th November I will be at Books in Print in Malvern, signing Billie books from 11am to midday. If you have any Billie B Brown fans at home, please come along!
