Congratulations to all of the Queensland authors who had books in the latest Books From Our Backyard catalogue. The guide, put together by the Queensland Writers Centre, is a reminder that our sunny state is not just about fab weather and beautiful beaches, we’ve also got some amazing authors. The catalogue lists the books published in Queensland in 2014 and includes a whopping 280 titles from every type of genre. Apparently that’s a record and a fitting way to mark the QWC’s 25th birthday.
In launching the catalogue, illustrator extraordinaire, Narelle Oliver, noted that while Queensland writers and illustrators might be a long way from Australia’s publishing centres of Melbourne and Sydney, we have a unique voice to share with the world. And that’s definitely something to celebrate!
I had a busy year last year and had three books in the catalogue – Counterfeit Love, the tale of a young television reporter trying to make a name for herself in Hong Kong, How to get to Rio and The Call of the Wild – both part of the Choose Your Own Ever After series that lets the reader decide how the story goes. It was great to see some familiar faces at the launch and I was very excited to see my books sitting alongside some impressive Queensland authors, including Matthew Condon, Sally Piper, Kylie Kaden and my old uni buddy, Sherryl Caulfield.
Thumbing through the catalogue provides a glimpse of the diversity of stories that come from across the state – from Cape York to Darling Downs, Coolangatta to the Gulf Country, Kevin Gillespie, QWC Chair.
Go Queensland!
Julie Fison 