I was interviewed on the radio by Brad Aldridge from FIVEAA Talking Adelaide in South Australia chatting about my latest picture book The Voyage. I'd like to thank Brad and Liz for their support. Listen here.
 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. 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. 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  I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Paul for launching Under the Same Sky, today. I am truly flattered and humbled by the very kind and generous comments he made. I am so grateful for his generosity of time and words. Thank you to Beth and the staff at The Children’s Bookshop for hosting the event and for their passion and drive. This has been a work of passion that has found its way to being published, thanks to the amazing support and guidance of Sophia Whitfield and the team at New Frontier Publishing. And, of course, a huge thank you to Nicky and her husband for flying up from Melbourne to be here. Nicky was amazing today. Loved hearing about her process. She was a huge hit. It would not have been the same without you. Thank you to everyone for being in attendance to support the release of Under the Same Sky into the world, today. Also, I would like to thank all those who were unable to make it but sent me well-wishes. :-) x                   Look what I found waiting for me at my doorstep, today! Advance copy of The Voyage with Andrea Edmonds and EKBooks. So surprised to see GOLD foil on the cover - woohoo! More bling to add to my collection! Thank you to @anouskajoneswriter @ekbooksforkids and Andrea Edmonds for producing such a beautiful book. Out October, 2019. Great way to end Book Week. :-) xx  Thank you to all the Primary schools I visited this week. Hundreds of students. Amazing teachers. It was a huge privilege and an honour. This week has been a whirlwind of memorable moments like the time one teacher said that her students were writing stories in class and one student whispered in her ear that she was dedicating her story to me. Priceless! Keep writing. Keep drawing. Keep stories alive! :-)        Good days tend to come in batches and when something good happens early in the day, the rest of that day tends to bring more … I'm thrilled to see that now Collins Booksellers have also featured Under the Same Sky in their forthcoming Spring Reading Guide as well. YAY! Thanks to everyone for your support. This story will appeal to children of all ages and encourages the message that no one is too young to share their kindness with others. Excited that Under the Same Sky has been selected as one of 10 picture books in the Australian Leading Edge Spring Reading Guide. Woohoo!  Here is the book trailer for Under The Same Sky created by the very talented Nicky Johnston. Stunning and amazing. Thank you Nicky and New Frontier Publishing. :-) x
Here is the link – https://youtu.be/r8G5Iv4N_mQ Some wonderful new books out this month.  Arthur and the What-Ifs by Heath McKenzie is a delightful story about the magic of music that will encourage readers to never give up on their dreams. RRP: $24.99 hardback ISBN: 9781925870398 Extent: 32 pages Category: Picture Book Age: 2-6 The Ultimate Survival Guide to Monsters Under the Bed by Mitch Frost and illustrated by Daron Parton is a funny book with great tips on how to alleviate fears of the dark and scaring off monsters – you’ll never be bothered by monsters again! RRP: $19.99 hardback ISBN: 9781925712933 Extent: 32 pages Category: Picture Book Age: 3-6 There’s Only One Dad Like You by Jess Racklyeft is a story I can relate to. This beautiful book explores the father and child relationship through a variety of animals making this a perfect book for celebrating the magic of dads on Father’s Day. RRP: $19.99 hardback ISBN: 9781925870534 Extent: 24 pages Category: Picture Book Age: 3+ Vognox the Viking and the Island of Skeletons by Nick Falk and Tony Flowers is a junior fiction which has the main character interacting directly with the reader. Great for reluctant readers. RRP: $9.99 paperback ISBN: 9781925712889 Extent: 160 pages Category: Junior Fiction Age: 5-7 Visit Affirm Press https://affirmpress.com.au/books/ |
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