I have awesome news! 

I am now represented by literary agent Sarah McKenzie. Cue the celebratory dance.
 
I am super excited to be working with Sarah.  She’ll be focusing on my picture books and I’m so thankful to Sarah for her dedication, support and guidance.

I have been querying agents for a year now. I thought I’d never land an agent and believed it would never happen. Yet I kept pushing and kept writing. And then it finally happened.

Securing an agent is not easy. It takes a lot of hard work. But I was thrilled when Sarah’s offer to represent me arrived in my inbox. Sarah loved my story. Her exact words were, ‘I am rather taken by it!’ This was music to my ears. I decided to wait to announce the news until I had time to write a post about it. And, here it is!

When approaching an agent, make sure your work is the best it can be – a great story that has the ability to invite the reader to be part of the journey. The ingredients to shape a great story can be like cooking your favourite recipe – a pinch of wonder, a dash of surprise and a drop of sweat. If you are passionate about something it will show in your work and come to life. 

To sum up, I had queried agents for picture books for the past year before receiving an offer. I still can’t believe it’s real. Persistence is key.

Without persistence, I would not have kept writing and submitting my work to publishers. Securing a literary agent is a huge turning point. And I’m looking forward to my next adventure.
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So, open your heart. Let your words spill out. And tell your story that only YOU can tell.

I recently had the opportunity to interview Cameron Macintosh about his latest middle grade release Max Booth Future Sleuth Film Flip.
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A fun-filled adventure series about a boy and his robo-dog sidekick that sees Max and Oscar in all sorts of strife.

​Welcome to my Time Out Blog, Cameron.
 
Thanks so much for having me, Robert. I’ve watched your publication pile stack up with much admiration! Huge congrats! Keep them coming J
 
That’s really kind of you to say, Cameron. I send you my warmest congratulations on your success, as well.
​

1. Tell us about Max Booth Film Flip.

Film Flip is the latest adventure for 11-year-old Max, a street kid in the year 2424 who makes a humble living by identifying strange old artefacts for the city museum – artefacts that most present-day readers would recognise, but that are long-forgotten in the 25th century. Max’s investigations always lead him into trouble, but with help from his robo-dog sidekick, Oscar, he has a knack of sleuthing his way to success. In Film Flip, Max and Oscar help to identify a photographic film reel from the year 2006. Max knows it belongs in the museum, but some greedy adults they encounter along the way realise its value and have other plans for it…
 

2. How did you come up with the idea for the Max Booth series?

The initial inspiration struck on a visit to Pompeii, and the Archaeological Museum in Naples, where you can see all sorts of everyday artefacts that would have been used by the people who lost their lives in the catastrophic eruption in 79 CE. The more mundane the items, the more interesting I found them – mostly due to the fact that these precious artefacts (such as combs and cutlery) would barely have rated a second glance back then. It all made me wonder if people in the future will be as interested in the everyday items we take for granted now. This thought sparked the idea of a future detective, with a special interest in these items… and along came Max! So far he’s investigated a 1980s cassette tape, a 2017 mobile phone and a 2019 postage stamp.
 

3. How many books are planned for this series? Did you plot these out from the beginning, or did they develop more spontaneously?

At the moment we’re looking at six titles. Film Flip is number 4. Number 5 has been written and number 6 is currently a mess of paper on my desk!
When I pitched the first story (Tape Escape), I did include brief synopses of another five or six stories, just to show that the characters and their interests had potential to be taken on further adventures. But they were just sketches, really – the main plotting has happened as I’ve looked at each new story individually.
 

4. What were some of your favourite children’s books as a child?

I was a big fan of Judy Blume’s Fudge series, as well as The Secret Seven, and anything by Dr Seuss. But there were two books that I read and reread more than any others – Boy by Roald Dahl, and Under Plum Lake by Lionel Davidson.
 

5. What’s on the horizon for you next?

As I mentioned earlier, I’m currently finishing off book 6 in the series (Max’s encounter with a long-lost GPS navigation unit!). After that, I’m hoping to get back to redrafting a YA novel and a grown-up book – both of which have been gathering dust in the cupboard for too long. I also do a lot of writing for the educational market – mostly readers for primary – so hopefully there’ll be more of that too. It’s always an interesting challenge.
 

6. Where can people get in touch with you?

They can find me on Facebook (Cameron Macintosh, author), on Twitter @CamMaci99, Instagram @cam.e.macintosh and on my website: www.cameronemacintosh.com.au
 

Thanks for our chat, Cameron. I wish you every success with your book!


BOOK 4 - Film Flip
Author: Cameron Macintosh
Illustrator: Dave Atze
Release Date: 16/Sep/2019
Subject: Children, Sci Fi, Adventure, Mystery
Pages: 130
Book Type: Paperback
Dimensions: 153mm x 213mm
ISBN: 9781922265104