A Year of "Liam the Chid"
It was just over a year ago that my debut novel for kids appeared in the world – Liam the Chid and the
Kangaroo Warriors.
To say I was thrilled the first time I held a proof of my debut novel in my hands would be underselling it – I was ecstatic! This wad of paper bound together with my drawings and words in it was a real book – it was book-shaped, I could hold it, I could flip it, I could read it! Of course, there was still work to be done between that proof and the book’s release but that first copy stands out in my memory as being the moment I knew I had a book. I carried that proof around with me for weeks like a wish or a promise that the book would one day really sit shiny and new on a shelf in a bookshop somewhere. And it soon it would.
Once Liam the Chid and the Kangaroo Warriors was released, it turned out there was even more for me to do! I was thankful for everyone who came forward then to say yes to me and my book. They bought copies and told their friends and families, they stocked it in stores and ordered it for their libraries, they wrote and published reviews, they hosted me for events and workshops, and they supported me in lots of other ways. Some of these champions were people I’d never met before, others I am yet to meet, and some are people I’ve known for years who stepped up. But every time someone helped Liam the Chid go a bit further towards finding its readers, it was a wonderful thing.
Over the past year, I have had the chance to see my book out in the world and to be out in the world with it as an author and illustrator and all the stuff that goes with that. So many firsts stand out! I got to hear my first reader demand the sequel at my Armidale book launch. I got to laugh my way through my first ABC radio interview with ABC Mid-North Coast NSW. I gave my first author workshop at Port Macquarie Library, and had my first book launch at Quick Brown Fox in Brisbane and my first meet-the-author event at Ipswich Nature Centre. There were many other firsts too and a bunch of seconds, thirds and fourths, and I know there are still more firsts to come!
Yet, these days I am also glad to be returning to where it all began. You will find me often at my desk and other odd spots, drawing and scribbling and musing and drafting my way to bringing another book (or two) into the world. Liam the Chid and the Goanna Gang is coming in 2027 and I can’t wait to share it with you all!
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