I've just received my first copy of my new book 'The Wildkin’s Curse' – doesn't it look beautiful?

The Wildkin's Curse is a tale of true love and high adventure, set in a world of magic and monsters, valiant heroes and wicked villains. It tells the story of a girl and two boys who undertake the impossible task of rescuing a wildkin princess imprisoned in a crystal tower.

Princess Rozalina has the power to enchant with words. She can conjure up a plague of rats, wish the dead out of their graves, and change people's hearts and minds with her stories. As much a curse as a gift, her magic will be used for evil by the ruling starkin if she is not set free and taught to use her powers wisely.

A fantasy novel for readers aged 12+, The Wildkin's Curse tells of the power of stories to change the world. It is the second book in the Chronicles of Estelliana, which began with The Starthorn Tree (which just happens to be one of the favourite books of all I've ever written – I know, I know, I'm not meant to have favourites but sometimes you just do!)

The Wildkin's Curse is being released in Australia on 1st May, and then I embark on a whirlwind few weeks talking and promoting.

It all kicks off at 5.30pm on Friday April 30th at Berkelouw Bookshop when my brother Nick launches 'The Wildkin's Curse' and my sister Belinda's book, 'The Ruby Talisman' together. Click the invite below to download the full version.

Belinda and I thought 'how often do sisters get to have books coming out on the very same day?' It seemed too good an opportunity to miss so I do hope you'll all come along and help us celebrate. It'll be a really lovely night with lots of friends and family there too.

The next few weeks are taken up with lots more launches at schools all around Sydney, and then from 17th May to 21st May, Belinda and I are appearing at the Sydney Writers Festival along with Andy Griffiths, Leigh Hobbs and Brian Falkner, a NZ writer who is replacing Anthony Horowitz who sadly had to pull out.

Hopefully I'll have some time to do some writing of my own while I'm in Greece – I'm planning to begin a new book after the Easter holidays. With a working title of Bitter Greens, it's a retelling of the Rapunzel fairytale interwoven with the real-life romance of Wilhelm Grimm and Dortchen Wild, one of a family of sisters who lived next door to the Grimm brothers and told them many of the old tales that ended up in their first collection of stories. I've been dreaming of this story for a long time, and already have lots of jottings done in my notebook.

In the meantime, I still have a lot of work to do on The Starkin Crown, the sequel to The Wildkin's Curse. I finished the first draft before Easter, after a burst of intense creativity which saw me writing for up to twelve hours a day. On one day alone, I wrote more than 7,000 words which is one of my best writing days ever. On days like that, the characters run and fight and argue and dance, and all I can do is run after them as fast as I can, recording everything they do and say and laughing at their jokes. If only all writing was as easy and joyous! That day followed about a month of long, hard slog, though, in which I felt like I was wading through thigh-high mud. Maybe I need to have the slog in order to attain the days in which I soar?

Blessed be!

Interview with my favourite writers, Celine Kierman

This month I'm featuring Irish writer Celine Kiernan, who has written an utterly gorgeous YA fantasy series which begins with The Poison Throne. Unlike many fantasy novels today, her canvas and cast of characters is small but vividly and brilliantly realised. The action begins when Wynter Moorehawk and her father return to the castle where she grew up, only to find everything has changed. The first intimation of trouble is the refusal of the castle cats to talk to her. She discovers, to her horror, that King Jonathan has ordered all the cats killed. Soon she realises that one of her best friends, the king's son Alberon, is in rebellion against his father who is forcing his illegitimate son, Lord Razi, to take his place. Wynter and her father must try and discover what has happened to break the royal family apart, with a growing undercurrent of menace and danger. Although the action takes place only over a few days and within the halls and dungeons and gardens of the castle, it is a compelling narrative, driven by the emotional intensity of the relationships between the characters. There is murder, intrigue, mystery, romance and a touch of horror, all written with a sure, deft touch.

Here are Celine's answers to my questions.

Are you a daydreamer too?
Well, when I'm writing a book I tend to drift off a lot. My husband call's it 'being away with your lads again.' My kids call it Alzheimer's.

Have you always wanted to be a writer?
NO, I always wanted to be an animator, which I was for 17 years. But I always wrote - always - it was a secret pleasure and an addiction. Now it's just a pleasurable addiction - the secret bit is gone.

Where do you write?
Anywhere I can park my bum and balance my laptop.

What is your favourite part of writing?
Getting caught up in the story, falling in love with my characters.

What do you do when you get blocked?
Change writing location, use a pen and paper for a while - and then refocus the scene I'm blocked on so that it's telling the story I set out to tell.

How do you keep your well of inspiration full?
Read a lot of history books. Watch a lot of documentaries. Live a life outside of writing.

Do you have any rituals that help you write?
Not really - I do try and write four pages a day, then edit them the next day before going on to the next four - but I don't think that's a ritual really, more a discipline.

Who are your ten favourite authors?
Well I tend to have favorite books rather than favorite writers - but writers whose books have moved me are: Patrick O'Brien ( his Aubrey/Maturin books), Shirley Jackson, Stephen King (his early stuff), John Connolly, Cormac McCarthy, Sebastian Barry, Suzanne Collins (Hunger Games), Neil Gaiiman, Alan Moore, Lewis Carroll.

What do you consider to be good writing?
Anything which draws you in and allows you suspend your disbelief.

What is your advice for somebody dreaming of being a writer too?
Write. You can't be a writer without putting in the graft.

What are you working on now?
A Victorian sci-fi set in 1890's Ireland. It's scaring the poop out of me because it's so hard to write.

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