Way out west ... north west that is

Yep, I had a brilliant day out at Brunswick North West Primary last week. I saw the Grade 4, 5 and 6 kids, and they were AWESOME! Funny, creative, and occasionally chatty but always fun to hang around with!
They did some killer drawings too, it was very impressive. I am starting to wonder if these kids I teach are actually better drawers than me!
And so I move on to The Incredible Journey of Pete Mcgee! WOOOOO! i am still waiting for the stock to actually arrive, but it will be here any moment now, and I can't wait to get it ... partly because I just want it here in my hands, and partly because there are 18 books to get to the kids at Brunswick North West primary, and school holidays are fast approaching!
The launch is getting closer too! It's at 6pm on Wednesday the 6th of July at Readings in Hawthorn, and should be heapsa fun! That's an old medieval term that one, heapsa, all the knights were saying it back in the day. Seriously.
Okay, that's me out for the day. Just a quick one today. I am thinking of having this blog be less about me and more about just writing stuff. So that's what you can expect on your next reading ... of course, going by my track record that could be in a month or two, but I will try and get on it quicker than that this time!
Have a great week, and keep living the dream.
Stay gold.
Wally

The Incredible Journey of Pete McGee is coming!

It's true, and I AM EXCITED! I don't get excited much ... well, sometimes I do. If I tell a good joke that cracks someone up ... if someone tells a good joke that cracks me up ... if I do a nice robot dance ... if the MIGHTY PIES win ... if I wake up from a great siesta.
Okay, so I get excited quite a bit! But this has got me more excited than I have been in a while.
The Incredible Journey of Pete McGee is a book that has been on quite a journey itself. I wrote it in 2002. Or maybe 2001. Or was it ... no ... wait, it was a long time ago okay?
I have sent it to quite a few publishers. They all said no. One publisher said if I changed a few things they would be interested. I changed the things. They weren't interested.
D'OH!
It has been to an assessment agency. It has had a full copy edit. It has gone through about 8 drafts. Even at this late stage, there were about 8 or 9 different versions that went back and forth between me, Mandy (the editor) and Luke (the layouter).
But now, I do believe we have done it. It is finished and edited and laid out and ready to send off to the printer! JoJo Publishing, who are publishing the book, are aiming for a June release ... so that isn't too far away at all!
SO I AM EXCITED!
The Incredible Journey of Pete McGee is a story about a boy with one arm who wants to become a great knight ... but it's so much more than that. It's a story about going for your dreams, overcoming obstacles, finding true love, loyalty, adventure, facing adversity with humour and determination.
It's all this and more.
Look, it doesn't have any giraffes in it, so I am sorry about that.
Truly.
Read it anyway, maybe I will try and get a giraffe or two in the sequel ...
For now, have a brilliant week, and keep living the dream.
Stay Gold.
Wally.

The Hills

It wasn't the TV series (I've never even watched The Hills, but I've heard it's pretty good), but it was actually three days out at Croydon Hills Primary School. Eh, it was okay ... I'M KIDDING OF COURSE! It was AWESOME, I had such a good time. The kids out there were so very cool ... they listened very well, laughed loud when they thought something was funny, and groaned at all the grossness! Who would write such gross stories anyway, I think there must be something wrong with my brain ... maybe the good taste part of it got knocked about when I was a baby. Or maybe that was the part that that damn zombie ate that time. He only took a nibble, but I bet it was the good taste part that he got. Oh well, means I can write gross funny stories instead of boring stories about art galleries or something (To all the people who like art galleries, I'm sorry about that last comment, but seriously, a kid's book about an art gallery is going to be pretty boring, am I right? What's that? You think not? You think that only I couldn't make a story about an art gallery interesting? Really? Is that so? Is that a challenge I hear in the distance? Right then ... challenge accepted ... I am going to write a story about an art gallery that isn't bore you to death poke me in the eye with a teaspoon boring).
So anyway, how have you been?
Croydon Hills was great, getting back to that. And talented kids, wow! I saw some amazing pictures, and they weren't drawn by me, they were drawn by the kids. It was sensational.
This week I am off to Coldstream Primary School ... for workshops, hopefully not for a swim, sounds cold.
And I am writing a new story as well. It is leaning towards zombies, as did my last one. And it looks as though I will be writing a book about an art gallery too, maybe an art gallery with zombies in it. What is it with me and zombies at the moment, aside from the fact that they are TOTALY COOL!
Braaaaaaaiiiiiinnnnsssss!
Until next week, aim high, be great, and take risks.
Stay Gold.
Wally

New books and waiting

Greetings one and all, and welcome to another awe-inspiring, jaw-dropping, blow your mind blog entry ... actually, it's just me talking about stuff that's happening, but you know what? Maybe that's inspiring and jaw-dropping for some people. Hi Mum!
So things are moving! Here's a list of upcoming events in the life of me and my books ...
I am going out to Croydon Hills Primary School next week for three days of drawing and fun.
The giant Book of Jokes Binder is coming VERY soon ... it is due for release into bookstores in March, so BRING THAT ON! I haven't read the 6 sections that I didn't write yet, but I am backing they will be great.
I saw the rough drafts of the illustrations for my ferret books ... they are AWESOME! This is going to be a cracker and heaps and heaps of fun for kids. I believe July is the date aimed for with these ... or at least the first one ... look, I don't really know to be honest! July was mentioned at some stage, so I am hoping that is when they will be out.
The Incredible Journey of Pete McGee is with the editor, and I have a meeting with the publishers in a couple of weeks. Pete is my favourite book I have ever written ... EVER! I am HANGING for it to come out ... this is going to be, I believe, may or June. So come on editor! Get finished and let's get this book happening!
And I need to take a shower. I have spent all morning writing stuff and reading stuff and I pretty much probably stink ...
So I am going to leave you all now, and I am going to go and take a shower, and then maybe watch the superbowl, and then do some writing, and maybe I will go for a walk, and perhaps I will take an afternoon nap, and I need to do my Tai Chi, and of course I will eat at some stage, and I assume that I will probably check my emails a couple of times, go on Facebook, and then it wil be time to go to bed.
Day done!
Dream big everyone, this is going to be a GREAT year.
Stay Gold.
Wally

It's a new year!

Okay. Copying the first sentence from my last entry, I officially suck at entering entries on this blog! OFFICIALLY! If there was an award for blog entry suckiness, I would win it ... actually, that would be kinda cool ... but no, I am going to be better this year, I swear, and not in a rude way, but in a promise way.
So, a quick update on what has happened SINCE APRIL LAST YEAR!
A lot.
Thank you, and good bye.
Just kidding. So, I have released a new book, The Negatees, which looks AWESOME thanks to Heath mcKenzie's AWESOME illustrations.
I also released to new How to Draw Books, How to Draw a Skateboard Gorilla, and How to Draw a Ping Pong Playing Alien Giraffe. These are most likely the last two How to draw books, for now at least ... sometime in the future, possibly when there are hover cars, I will do some more.
And I watched the mighty Pies win the Premiership, live at the MCG, helping me cross off one of my 100 things list, to be atthe ground when they won a premiership. I want to do this one again.
Speaking of my 100 things list, I also ran 10kms without stopping to walk, so that was pretty cool, although my legs disagreed.
Looking ahead to this year, I have an 8-in-1 Joke book, which I wrote two sections for, coming out very soon, thanks to Hinkler Books.
Also coming out through Hinkler will be books with a little ferret toy in them, who creates chaos!
And then my pride and joy. I mean, I have been happy with everything that I have had published so far, it has been awesome. But the book I have coming out in June this year is my all-time favourite story I have written, so I am HANGING to see it in print. It is called The Incredible Journey of Pete McGee. I will give nothing else away just yet, except to say that it is about a kid with one arm who ... nope, that's it ... more will be revealed later.
So that is it for me for now.
I am just about ready to go and do some exercises.
Stay tuned for more updates, possibly even more than once a year! Martial arts and more awaits me this year!
Have a great week, and keep living the dream.
Stay Gold.
Wally

Bowling 'em over

Yep. I went ten pin bowling today. I looooove ten pin bowling. Some people, I won't mention names, try and tell me it isn't a sport. There's a ball involved, you knock stuff over, you have a run up, you can have a style with the flicky your foot out thing ... IT'S A SPORT!!!!!

I played pretty average today, just scraping over the hundred mark, but it was so much fun trying to remember how I usually aim and everything. I sort of got the hang of it again towards the end. One of my goals is to break 200 in a game of ten pin bowling. I have been close a few times. once I only need 6 off my last bowl. I hate the word, but i did choke, only getting 2 pins. Tragic it was. I was crushed like a bit of biscuit that has fallen on the floor then been stepped on by someone wearing workboots. Crushed. But I will get there again. I will make it happen.

So now, before I play my next game, I have work to do. No no no no no, not practicing bowling, I need to work on a celebration dance for when i get a strike. It has to be something that says, "I got a strike and I am going off, but it happens pretty often so i am being pretty cool about it as well." So I have work to do with that one.

In the meantime, I am waiting for my next book, Mac O'Beasty, to head off to the printer. There are a few final issues to sort out and then we will be good to go. Go Mac, GO!

Have a great week everyone, and keep living the dream.

Stay gold.

Seeya

Wally

Going along to Yarrawonga

Well hello everyone! Sorry I didn't make an entry last week, but things got a little full on down here. My Step-Dad Bryan died last week, and he was one of the nicest, most generous, most positive people I have ever known. He will be greatly missed.

Last week I also spent some time up on the Murray at Yarrawonga. it is the Murray up there isn't it? i don't know, I was always hopeless at geography! Anyway, i was up there as part of a Holiday Enrichment program, put on by Jim Gillies. I have to tell you, if anyone from up that way reads this, get on it next year and get to this thing. It is so awesome! Seriously people. I went up there and held 5 workshops on the Tuesday, but over the Tuesday and Wednesday the kids there (from Grade 5 to around Year 8 or 9) had the choice of activities such as, if my memory serves me correctly, and it usually does, except when I have to remember someone's name ... anyway, cool activities. Here they are. Rock climbing, Illustrating, cartooning, Aboriginal art, drumming, a cosmodome (I know, sounds impressive huh?), claymation, hip hop, a light plane flight and of course thrilling awesome writing and drawing workshops with yours truly. I think there may have been more things as well, but that's all I can remember. Oh, there was also Damien Brown, a weightlifter with Commonwealth Games gold medals who was the keynote speaker on the Tuesday.

I wanted to do the rock climbing. It looked unreal fun. They told me one of the girls climbed the wall thirty times! Thirty! I think I would have had dead shoulders after once!

It was fantastic though, and great fun to be put up at Club Mulwala, which was sponsoring the event.

So that was that for me. A good but sad week. The funeral was real nice though. We all wore bright colours, a real love of Bryan's. Rest in Peace Bryan, it was a pleasure and an honour to know you.