Karen Collum">Australian Children's Author

Life has been busy, NaNoWriMo is almost over and my poor blog has been neglected. Feel free to have a poke around the archives until I get myself sorted.

Happy little Vegemite :)

You may remember waaaaay back in December last year I wrote about how I got my fantabulous agent, the gorgeous Anjanette Fennell from Rick Raftos Management. That post was named The Day that was Made of Awesome Part I, so of course there was a Part II…but it’s taken up until now for me to be able to share it with you. The very same day that Anj took me on as a client, something entirely separate but equally wonderful happened: I got a new contract on a picture book. It would be heady enough to have one of these momentous occasions happen in a day, but to have both of them happen on the same day was quite mindblowing. Yes, I have a contract with Windy Hollow Books and will be working with the amazing Helen Chamberlin on a picture book about an unlikely friendship with beautiful results. Keep reading →

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These past two weeks have been a rollercoaster ride for me. On one hand I had a reality check on just how hard it is to make a living out of this writing business, but on the other hand I’ve been thoroughly enjoying the editing process on my Middle Grade novel and feel like finally, finally, FINALLY I get it. I get why people’s eyes light up when they talk about editing. I get why it matters so very much. I get why the hard work you put in after the first draft is actually almost more important than the first draft itself. Yep, I get it. Keep reading →

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I spent Saturday night and Sunday at the Ballarat Writers’ Festival. It’s the first time I’ve been to the festival and I have to say I was impressed by the calibre of the speakers and the intimate nature of the event. It’s not often you get the opportunity to chat one-on-one with five editors in a twenty-four hour period. My favourite panel was with authors Sherryl Clark, Gabrielle Wang and Sue Lawson on ‘Creating characters with heart’. These extremely talented and extremely lovely authors shared insights into characters in their books and gave heaps of useful advice. Considering that the venue was good, the company was great and the speakers were knowledgeable and passionate you would think that I’d come away inspired. I have to be honest and say that’s only half the story. The other half is that I came away feeling quite despondent and wondering whether I’m cut out for this industry. Keep reading →

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I’ve come a long way since I first started writing my first novel back in 2000. When I began I didn’t have a clue about anything to do with writing but just followed my instincts from having read many books over the years. Not surprisingly, I’ve got three or four unfinished books from that period of my life. Fast forward twelve years and I’ve learned a lot. I’ve invested the time and energy and money and effort into learning what makes stories work and how to write them. After writing the first draft of four novels I can now state without hesitation that I have the capacity to write a book. A first draft, anyway. But editing? Well, that’s a whole other ball game. Keep reading →

It’s been rather quiet on the old bloggity-blog of late. Actually, let’s be honest – it’s been like a ghost town. That’s partly due to a fantastic 6-week family holiday to the US during  June and July and partly because I haven’t been able to find the energy to do anything much since we got back. And now I’m sick with the flu. *sob* While I’m recovering – yes, it’s lunchtime and I’m still in my PJs – I thought I’d update you on a little of what I’ve been up to. Keep reading →

There are so many skills you need to have as a writer but the longer I write, the more I realise that a rather large dose of stubbornness is a necessity. Twelve months ago I started an online course through the Australian Writer’s Marketplace and Queensland Writers Centre called Year of the Novel. I did Year of the Edit in person (see my posts here, here, here and here) while we were living in Queensland and I decided that Year of the Novel was just what I needed to get me back into the swing of writing something longer. Keep reading →

I’m excited to be able to share some photos with you from my recent trip to Manifest Creative Arts Festival held at Avondale College in Cooranbong, NSW a fortnight ago. I was invited to be one of the presenters at Manifest, which was a huge honour. Keep reading →

We’ve just come home from a long weekend away up at Camp Howqua for the bi-annual (and hopefully soon-t0-be annual!) Adventurer Camporee for our state. Adventurers is for kids aged 6-10 years and is similar to Scouts, but with a focus on character development and spiritual development from a Christian perspective. The Camporee is a highlight for the kids and their families as they come together for worship, fun and adventure. The weather was divine, the activities were awesome and the theme of ‘Kingdom Kids’ was great. Our own boys had an absolute ball and ran the entire time we were there and it was wonderful to see them having so much fun in such a great environment. On a personal level, however, it was a weekend of significance for me as I got to do what I love: storytelling. Keep reading →

I heard a whisper that one of the Grade 3 classes at Sunbury Primary School have been reading Samuel’s Kisses and talking about authors recently. I just wanted to say hello and thank you for reading my book. I hope to get some questions from you very soon. You can email me at karen@karencollum.com.au.

Enjoy learning about authors!

P.S. Maybe I can come and visit your classroom one day soon. :)