Australian writers rock. We know it, and we love them. But it’s not always easy to discover the Australian talent that is right under our noses.
From Australia With Love Blog Hop introduces you to 18 Aussie authors across a variety of categories and genres. Each author is hosting three of their fellow blog hop participants between now and Valentine’s Day to let you find out more about them. So follow them on twitter, like their Facebook page and visit their blogs during the blog hop period to discover more great Australian writers.
And to show how much these Aussie authors love their readers, they’ve donated some great prizes for you to win!
Today we have much beloved Aussie Chapter Book writer Melissa Gijsbers stopping by.
The write kind of local pride
I love being an Aussie writer. There;
I've said it. It's out there in the open.
Many people think being an Australian
writer can be difficult, and that things would be so much easier if we lived in
another country such as America, or England. I don't necessarily think so, and
here's why:
-The language barrier. Sometimes,
American readers may not understand what we mean by, say, Ute, or thongs, or
the proper application of Vegemite. I know that can be a pain, but I've never
come across a book so full of colloquialism and localisms that the reader would
not be able to understand it. Or, at least couldn't take an educated guess.
I like Australian English, and think
it's relation to British English sets us apart, and followers what are
sometimes a clearer set of rules. Both are good; neither is better, but I
certainly don't see Australian English as being a hindrance.
-The difficulty 'breaking in.' In
Australia, it's commonly spoken of that it's easier to get a book deal first,
an agent second, and that breaking in to the 'Authors' Club' is pretty much
impossible.
I do acknowledge that it's tricky; hell
yes! But with the borders of our global world getting smaller, and the
popularity of smaller press, and the accessibility of international agents
through mediums such as Twitter and Facebook, I no longer think we're at such a
disadvantage.
Not only that, but with some of the
major Australian publishers offering digital-only lines, getting in to the
Authors' Club is a little easier.
-The community. I know there are good
writing people worldwide, but to my surprise, some of my closest friends have
become other Aussie writers, and I don't know what I'd do without them. Whether
it's because we're from the land down under, or perhaps due to a shared taste
for shrimps on the barbie--I'm not sure, but I know that Aussie writing people
are good writing people. So please, come play with us in the worldwide social
media playground! It's our spiders and snakes that are deadly, not us.
Lauren
K. McKellar’s first self-published novel, The
Problem With Crazy, is released this
week. It is a NA Contemporary.
About The Problem With
Crazy
The problem with crazy
is that crazy, by itself, has no context. It can be good crazy, bad crazy …
or crazy crazy—like it
was when my ex-boyfriend sung about me on the radio.
Eighteen-year-old
Kate couldn’t be more excited about finishing high school and spending the
summer on tour with her boyfriend’s band. Her dad showing up drunk at
graduation, however, is not exactly kicking things off on the right foot—and
that’s before she finds out about his mystery illness, certain to end in death.
A mystery illness she
could inherit.
Kate has to convince
everyone that her father is sick, not crazy. But who will be harder to
convince? Her friends? Or herself?
The
Problem With Crazy is a story about love and life; about overcoming
obstacles, choosing to trust, and learning how to make the choices that will
change your life forever.
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