Aki in Melbourne!

I am very excited to let you know that the fabulous Aki Fukuoka, illustrator of the Billie B Brown series, will be in Melbourne for one very busy week in August. She will be joining me at the Melbourne Writers Festival to help launch Spooky House the first of the Billie B Mysteries. If you haven't had the chance to see Aki draw live - you are in for a treat! From rabbits in top hats to dinosaurs in trousers, I have yet to find something she can't draw.

As well as the writers festival, Aki and I will have three bookstore events over the week where you can come and see her draw and be among the first to hear me read from Spooky House. We will also have lots of prizes and fun things to give away. Hope you can come! 

Here is a list of our public events:

- Saturday 24th August: 

The Reading Hour, The Edge Federation Square, 4pm

- Sunday 25th August:

Drop in and Draw, Artplay, 2.30pm.

- Monday 26th August:

The World of Billie and Jack, ACMI Cinema 1, 11.15am.

- Tuesday 27th August

Creating Characters, Artplay, 10am (this one is just with Aki).

Reading's Hawthorn, 4.30pm.

- Wednesday 28th August

The Younger Sun bookstore, Yarraville, 4.30pm

- Thursday 29th August

The Little Bookroom, Carlton, 4.30pm

Billie B Brown Treasury!

Here is a little treat for any Billie B Brown fans, which will arrive just in time for Christmas. A hardback full colour collection of ten Billie stories! I have only seen the cover so far, and a sneak peek of a few of Aki's illustrations in colour - but what I have seen so far looks gorgeous!

Back in town

Aki and I arrived back in Melbourne last night after a whirlwind tour of Victoria and NSW talking about all things Billie B Brown to hundreds of very excited primary students. As it turns out, Aki looks remarkably like Billie so for all the youngest kids hoping to see the actual Billie, Aki fulfilled that need quite nicely. Plus she can draw up a storm. We had so much fun. I hope we can tour together again one day.

Today the lovely Sue DeGennaro and I will be doing a couple of sessions on picture books at The Thousand Words Festival at the Northcote Town Hall at 11.30 and 12.30. It should be a great festival this year.

Then Monday - don't forget! - it's the once only production of the animated versions of The Rainbirds and The Night Garden at the Melbourne Recital Centre. I have seen a preview of the show and it is really something quite magical and would be a beautiful thing to do on the first Monday of the school holidays with your littlies. Tickets are still available. Happy holidays!

Get Reading tour

I'm back in Melbourne and straight to bed with a fever and a throat so sore I can barely swallow. Obviously the combination of ten straight days of talking and hundreds of snotty little darlings coming up for cuddles has finally taken its toll on my poor immune system.

I only have this weekend to get better though because first thing Monday, Aki Fukuoka, the lovely Billie B Brown illustrator, and I are hitting the road again travelling around Victoria and NSW with this year's Get Reading! campaign.

If you want to know where Aki and I will be each day, click here or here.

And don't forget to read Aki's blog posts about her first Australian school visits last week. It looks like she had a wonderful time!

Liar, liar, pants on fire!

Here is Aki's latest blog post about illustrating The Little Lie.

Some of these Billie stories stray so close to home it's almost embarrassing. Yes, I once cut my own hair, yes, I craved to be a teacher's pet, and, yes, I was known to make up the odd story once in a while... My poor parents. I can't tell you how many times they pulled out that old "Boy Who Cries Wolf" story in the hope of curing me of my... tendencies towards an overactive elaboration.

How could they have known that one day this is how I would make a living?

So, what's the biggest fib you've ever told?

More Aki sketches and a new Billie

Click here for more gorgeous Aki sketches. I don't know about you but I never get sick of seeing Aki's work in progress. Thanks Aki for posting.

And here is a glimpse of the next Billie book due out next month.

"Billie has broken her arm! It's going to be the best story ever for Show and Tell. Especially if she adds in a crocodile..."

More Aki pics and some exciting news

Click here to see some more of Aki Fukuoka's gorgeous Billie sketches. This time for The Big Sister. I love seeing the way Aki's illustrations develop. I am such a fan of her work.

Recently, one of the Billie B Brown books, The Secret Message, was chosen for the 2011 Get Reading! campaign. This year's '50 Books You Can't Put Down' list features 35 Australian titles, with 13 of the 50 titles being children's/young adult books. This is obviously very exciting news, but for me, the best thing about this news is that Aki and I might get to do some gigs together and finally meet in person. Aki lives in New Zealand, so up until now we have only been able to correspond by email or through our blogs. Wouldn't it be fun if Aki and I could do some Billie events together? If this happens, I will definitely let you know. Fingers crossed!

Aki Fukuoka's preliminary sketches

For anyone who is a fan of Aki Fukuoka's gorgeous Billie B Brown illustrations, click here to see her preliminary sketches for The Secret Message.

Sneak Peek - Books 5 & 6

Here are the gorgeous covers for the next two Billie books, due for release later this year.

Billie B Brown Comes To Town!

Woo hoo! Just got advance copies of the new series I have been writing for Hardie Grant. There are four books so far, due out in April, starring Billie B Brown, a fiesty tom-boy, who I'm hoping will provide a refreshing change for little girls (and parents) sick of princesses and fairies! Billie's best friend is her next door neighbour, Jack, who is good at building cubbies but not as good as Billie on the monkey bars. The books are for 6-8 year olds who are just learning to read and they are illustrated by the wonderful Aki Fukuoka. Very excited! Hope you love them!

Check this out for a taster: www.billiebbrown.com