And looks like this, after it rains:

“Urandangi State School has two resident pet kangaroos – Beanie and Stella (rescued as joeys by the teachers and now sporting disposable nappies and very happy),” says Narelle, “They hop around the school some days like extra students.” Here they are, Beanie is the one Narelle is feeding.

We want one!

I was 99.9% certain that I wasn’t going to win because I was convincedthat the winner would be given some notice to prepare a speech, despite being told by the organisers that this wasn’t the case and to prepare something anyway. Which, of course, I didn’t.

When the winner of the Fiction Award,Eva Hornung for Dog Boy, was announced (my pick!) she wasn’t there to collect it (apparently too busy collecting hay) so her publisher, Michael Heyward from Text Publishing accepted the award on her behalf. He had a very well-prepared speech on hand, which only convinced me even further that he already knew that Eva had won.

But THEN, when the non-fiction award was announced, the winner (Grace Karsken for The Colony: A History of Early Sydney) was standing not far from me and the look of genuine shock on her face chilled me to the bone. It wasn’t possible: surely they couldn’t just spring it on someone like that? That’s a heart attack waiting to happen! You’re talking $100,000 here – not a rose and a handshake. In my world, that’s life-changing stuff! (Or at least mortgage-denting.) However, despite being almost in tears, Ms Karsken pulled a very well-prepared speech from her handbag and read it out beautifully, even remembering to thank the PM and to call the minister for the Arts, Minister Crean, instead of just Simon, as I no doubt would have done.

This is when I went into panic mode. If the winners genuinely didn’t know they’d won, then I was still in with a chance! What was worse was that Martine Murray (the author of our shortlisted book) still hadn’t arrived and there was a very strong possibility that I would have to stumble up there on my own. At this stage I was thanking God I hadn’t worn heels. If my name was announced and I didn’t black out on the spot I would surely stumble walking up the stairs to the podium. And fall. On national television. Right into Our Julia!

When the YA winner (Bill Condon for Confessions of a Liar, Thief and Failed Sex God) was announced and his wife, Di Bates, squealed in excitement, the terrifying possibility of appearing with Ms Gillard on national television with no speech prepared loomed even closer. At that moment I tried frantically to recall all the names of people I would have to thank and, of course, not a single one came to me. My editor! She was standing just there! What was her surname, for god’s sakes? I had worked on THE BOOK with her for blooming months but my mind was a total blank. I could barely remember my partner’s name, and he was standing right next to me.

Then there were the other dilemmas that came flashing through my mind: do I take my handbag, or leave it? Do I offer my sweat-drenched palm to the PM or wipe it on my frock first? What was Mr Crean’s title again? Where was Martine, for goodness’ sakes? Was it too late to text her to see how far away she was? What if I was texting when they called my name. Oh, Lordy!

So, when Lorraine Marwood’s name was announced for her children’s novel Star Jumps, and I saw all the panic and shock rip through her body as she tried to decide whether or not to take her handbag to the podium, and whether on not she had time to fish around inside it for her camera, to be honest, even though the one hundred thousand tax-free dollars would have come in handy, all I could think of at that moment was: ‘There but for the grace of God go I.’

So, it was terribly lovely to be shortlisted, lovelier still to be at a fancy lunch with the PM (who didn’t stay to eat – she does have a country to run) but I tell you what, if I’m ever shortlisted for something again, I’ll be prepared!

Congratulations again to all the winners!

Cross-posted from Sally Rippin.

John sent us this pic from the road. Literally.

Trust John Danalis to ride there

Kate Grenville, Tim Pegler, Lia Hills, Leanne Hall and Steph Bowe discussed their novels and what had inspired them to write. They were joined by English/Literature teacher Lisa McNeice and Viewpoint editor Dr Pam Macintyre, who outlined how the selected texts could be used in the classroom.

Fresh Fiction at The Wheeler Centre, presented by Booked Out and the good folk at The Little Bookroom and Text Publishing

A big thank you to The Little Bookroom and Text Publishing, who we joined forces with for Fresh Fiction. Thanks also to the wonderful selection of teaching staff who made it along, we look forward to seeing you again soon!

Credit: Steven Campbell

David Suzuki, renowned scientist, environmentalist and broadcaster, spoke at Fed Square this Monday 18 October, 2010 for The Wheeler Centre. Lauris and Tanya made it along, here’s a few words on the event:

– Lauris

Amid tropical rainstorms, Balinese rice paddies, delicious food , and some stellar international authors – a stimulating and inspirational four days.

Some of the best moments:

• Listening to Booker winner Anne Enright with Caroline Baum on avoiding the cliches of being Irish
• Christos Tsiolkas who said his most despairing moments are when he realises that the sword might be mightier than the pen – because there is still so much suffering in the world – but then remembers how much great writers influenced him and so reaffirms his faith in writing
• Shane Maloney remarking that his hotel could have been a set for a James Bond movie
• Australians Jon Bauer and Nam Lee spotted zipping through the streets of Ubud on motorbikes

Rob with author Cate Kennedy and her daughter Rosie

The festival was amazing, it was great to catch up with everyone and every session I made it to was a lot of fun. But perhaps the absolute highlight of Ubud 2010 for me was leaving the opening night party and sharing a cab with the legendary Louis de Bernières! (And yes I did give him a business card…just in case.)

– Lauris

The Prize for Young Adult Fiction
Raw Blue, Kirsty Eagar, Penguin

Judge’s comments: Raw Blue is a wonderfully assured novel that takes the reader from the stagnant aftermath of trauma to the subtle beginnings of recovery. Carly has dropped out of uni and works a monotonous kitchen job in order to devote the rest of her time to her real passion – surfing. Riding the bright skin of the ocean is where Carly belongs, and is the only place where she can begin to escape what happened to her two years ago at Schoolies. Raw Blue packs an unsentimental punch that is not easily forgotten.

A well-deserved prize for Raw Blue. Right now at the office we’re loving Kirsty’s newest book, Saltwater Vampires.

Here’s the full list of award winners:

The Vance Palmer Prize for Fiction
Truth, Peter Temple, Text Publishing

The Nettie Palmer Prize for Non-fiction
Reading by Moonlight: How Books Saved a Life, Brenda Walker, Penguin

The CJ Dennis Prize for Poetry
Possession, Anna Kerdijk Nicholson, Five Islands Press

The Louis Esson Prize for Drama
And No More Shall We Part, Tom Holloway, A Bit Of Argy Bargy

The Prize for Young Adult Fiction
Raw Blue, Kirsty Eagar, Penguin

The Alfred Deakin Prize for an Essay Advancing Public Debate
“Seeing Truganini”, David Hansen, Australian Book Review

The Prize for a First Book of History
Becoming African Americans: Black Public Life in Harlem, 1919-1939, Clare Corbould, Harvard University Press

The Prize for Indigenous Writing
Legacy, Larissa Behrendt, University of Queensland Press

The John Curtain Prize for Journalism
Who Killed Mr Ward?, Janine Cohen and Liz Jackson, Four Corners, ABC Television

The Prize for an Unpublished Manuscript by an Emerging Victorian Writer
House of Sticks, Peggy Frew

Head to The Wheeler Centre for the rest of the  judges comments and prize money details.

It goes without saying that Andy Griffiths is an absolute ROCKSTAR and a very nice man!

For over an hour Andy had 670 children and their grownups and teachers in stitches and hanging on his every word.

Read Tye’s full post here – includes photos of the event! Andy is still on tour, heading to Perth tomorrow to do events at Campbell Primary School in Canning Vale and Christ Church Grammar in Claremont.

Meanwhile, John Marsden has written about his appearance at the Nambucca Heads Film Festival for National Film & Sound Archive. The NFSA booked John through us to accompany their screening of Tomorrow When the War Began, which opened the festival. John writes:

We walked into a highly-charged totally-positive vibe at the sold-out Nambucca Heads Cinema and I signed books till I could barely remember how to spell my name.

John’s full post is here. In addition to local schools here in Australia we’re very excited to be sending John to Malaysia later this month, where he’ll be speaking to staff and students at a number of International schools.