PO Box 3413
Wellington 6015
New Zealand
25 April 2004
Dear Friends,
It is the gathering time of year, apples, pears, figs, tomatoes, pumpkins, squash, and some of my writing time must be spent in the garden. The trouble with gardening while I'm thinking of stories is that I can make mistakes. My husband Terry was watering the vegetables which grow in a big animal-proof shade house. I went into the shade house to plant some cabbages and pick a bowl of tomatoes, then I went out and absent-mindedly bolted the door behind me. An hour later, I thought, Terry is taking a long time to water that garden. As I went out to see if he was all right, I heard a voice calling, "Joy! You locked me in!" Poor Terry! He is such a nice man that he wasn't angry, just cold, and tired of shouting for help! So you see, stories can put your mind in one place, your actions in another! Once, when I was working on a Mrs Wishy-Washy book, I unpacked the shopping and put the toilet tissue in the freezer!
I wonder if any of my young author friends have done similar things when their imaginations have been elsewhere.
In these past three months, I've seen a lot of great stories from authors young and old. The Children's Literature Foundation of New Zealand lets me look at the short list for their J C Picture Book Award and the stories were so good, I kept muttering, "Oh, I wish I'd written this! I wish I'd written that!" Three young authors have sent me their novels to read. Yes, novels! Great fantasy stories! Thousands of words! Then there have been several writing workshops for young people, the last, a gathering of Correspondence School children from the Marlborough Sounds.
So, if you are going to ask me what am I writing at the present time - don't bother. This is breathing-out time. By that, I mean that life has certain rhythms. I shut myself away from people and do my own writing. That's the breathing-in. Then it's time to stop living in my head. I go out and try to help others with their writing.
Soon, I will need to shut myself away again, because I have another novel I'd like to write. It's fizzing away in my mind like ginger beer. I can't tell you about it yet, but I can bring you up to date on some books that have recently been published and others that will soon be out.
Last year Boyds Mills published a picture book called "Where Horses Run Free." It has beautiful illustrations by Layne Johnson and it's a true story about cowboy Dayton Hyde's sanctuary for unwanted horses. A nice thing has happened. The book has been made the 2004 KIND Children's Honor Book in America by the National Association for Humane and Environmental Education. This will help the book to raise money for winter feed for the horses in the sanctuary.
Last month Philomel, NY, published another picture book with gorgeous illustrations by Christopher Denise. The story is new but it reads like an Irish fairy tale. "The Wishing of Biddy Malone" is about a clumsy, hot-tempered girl who gets three wishes from the fairy folk and who then has to work to make them come true. Soon, Patti Gauch at Philomel will also publish a novel called "Hunter." This is set in New Zealand and is about a moa hunter in Fiordland. I can tell you more about it in the next newsletter.
People keep asking, "When are you going to do another Wishy-Washy book?" The answer is - it's being illustrated right now. Elizabeth Fuller is doing her usual marvellous drawings for "Wishy-Washy Christmas." Do you want to know what it's about? It's almost Christmas and the farm is covered with snow. Mrs Wishy-Washy must go to town to buy Christmas presents, but first she fills the old tin tub and tells the animals they must scrub themselves - or no pressies this year! After she's gone, the animals spenmd some time looking at the ice on the freezing water. Then the duck says she knows where there is a cosy warm tub, and she leads the cow and the pig to the house!!! You can guess what happens. But don't worry. It all ends well. Patti Gauch of Philomel will publish this, too. Patti is not only my publisher, she is also my editor and she knows how to polish up a story so that it sparkles.
Another familiar character is getting his first picture book this year. Greedy Cat who has been around in little books for more than 20 years, is being published by Scholastic NZ, in a big picture book "Greedy Cat and the School Pet Show." Robyn Belton had done wonderfully funny pictures. Oh that cat! Robyn makes him so wicked and so huggable!
In the middle of the year, Harper Collins is launching "Wild West Hullabaloo!" a new chapter book for Wild West fans. Scholastic NY is publishing a junior picture book about chameleons with Nic Bishop's photographs. Many of you will remember Nic's pictures in The Red-Eyed Tree Frog. His images of chameleons and other wild life of Madagascar are just as stunning.
Well, this has been a long letter. It is no longer dark outside. The sky shows the pale blue of morning and birds are hopping over the laden apple tree, like extra decorations. It is time to close down the computer and have breakfast with Terry.
It has been a pleasure talking to you this way. To all my young friends - keep reading and writing. Remember that the two go together like the left shoe and the right shoe.
With love,
Joy Cowley
