Ask the Author: Hazel Edwards
Answered Questions (21)
Hazel Edwards
George Orwell's '1984' and also 'Animal Farm' because both scenarios seem to be happening now.
Hazel Edwards
If extended family of which I was unaware, suddenly made contact. In 'Fake ID' I used the fictional situation of a teenager discovering on the day of her Grandmother's funeral, that her Grandma had had fake ID for years. I didn't experience this, but a genealogist told me of several cultures in which this had happened. Often it was related to wartime expediency and getting out of a country and then retaining the false identity in the new land.
Hazel Edwards
Recently I started co-writing the screen adaptation of 'Celebrant Sleuth; I Do or Die' (BookPod) , a published adult mystery series which I actually wrote about 4 years ago. It was like reading another author's work and that was fun. But I'd also forgotten some of my characters' names despite initially having a cast list and also a kind of alphabetical system, with Art for the sleuthing partner, Bea for the chef, and Claud for the village manager and Dee for the girlfriend except for calling my 'Infinity Blooms' florist Violet because I'd already used Flora for the body. Now I plot differently with more emphasis on motivations and sub plots, but it was still an interesting experience to revisit. With an intended series such as Quinn, my celebrant sleuth, I wonder if all subsequent chapter or episodes of stand alone stories will inevitably become more complex?
Hazel Edwards
Recently, we were asked to write two sequels to 'Hijabi Girl' because Larrikin Puppets are going to tour with their 'Hijabi Girl The Musical" post-Pandemic . We wrote the original character Melek ( Hijabi Girl) almost eight years ago, when there was a demand for Book Week Parades for a feisty girl character who wanted to play Aussie Rules and who wore a hijab. Hijabi Girl 2 and Hijabi Girl 3 will be out in early 2021. Luckily we originally wrote dossiers for the four main characters. But it's important to think your way back into the mind of that character. Plus conditions have changed. When we started writing there were no girls' league teams. Now there are. But our character Melek is still feisty and solves problems in quirky ways. She's in a mainstream Australian primary school , so her other friends designer Lily, Tien who is an awesome at drawing and Zac who has pet Readng Rat , Rattus Rattus and is mad about soccer, are diverse. My co-author Ozge is a Muslim librarian who wears a hijab and is a mad keen Essendon fan but I've had to learn customs and even footy rules to write the sequels. Readers like having more than one book. But the authors have to remember all the details, even if written years apart.
Hazel Edwards
Many writers work in different genres simultaneously. I've always written for young children, adolescents and also adults, but mainly factual. Writing adult mysteries or crime, but with a quirky sleuth like Quinn who is a wedding and funeral celebrant, is a way of moving into different settings and cultures. And a mystery is a way of improving my plotting. I've written kids' mysteries in the past (The Frequent Flyer Twins series) but my adult ones need to be a little more complicated in the plots and motivations. I've enjoyed researching the celebrant industry too. Timely with the same sex marriage law changes but also an opportunity to meet some very personable and skilled people who are celebrants. That's really why I like to write in new genres and new settings, so I keep learning and the writing is fresh. 'Celebrant Sleuth: I Do or Die' took me over a year of 6am-8am daily plotting , with continuing research , followed by about four months of audio recording the novel where I actually read it. The reason was that the diverse gender sleuth needed an Australian voice and was a narrator, rather like a voice over. Audible will release 'Celebrant Sleuth' next month, but the print and ebooks are already popular. There were 13 chapters or episodes in the first book which could adapt well for television, but the sequel 'Wed Then Dead on The Ghan' which is an Agatha Christie themed journey, with a wedding on the real Ghan train was based on research and my family travelling from Adelaide to Darwin on the fabulous outback train which has a special mystique rather like the Orient Express. How lucky are mystery writers that they can call adventurous research, work!
Hazel Edwards
Yes, quite a few . I really like audio books because readers can listen anywhere, while exercising or doing routine jobs. Those learning English or literacy students also find audio helpful as a way of comparing the print and spoken words. Most of my cake-eating hippo picture books have been on audio, and some like 'Ho ho Ho, There's'a Hippopotamus on our Roof Eating Christmas Cake' I've read on podcasts like Kinderling. Junior novel 'Hijabi Girl' was recorded by me in Vision Australia studios. But reading a much longer , adult mystery 'Celebrant Sleuth: I Do or Die' in installments in a studio has been more challenging for me. Bolinda Audio has my YA novel 'Stalker' and I think suspenseful stories work really well as audio books.
Hazel Edwards
Very carefully. With the experience of over 200 books whose titles have had to be written multiple times , I now favour one word or short titles. An ideal title would be one word, which is ambiguous but all the ambiguities apply to the story. Adding a sub-title is a compromise which provides a clue about the genre for the potential reader. ' Celebrant Sleuth: I do or die' is my latest adult mystery and although some get confused between 'celebrity' and 'celebrant' the sub title indicates the murder mysteries associated with the sleuth Quinn who celebrates weddings and funerals. ' 'Ho!Ho!Ho! There's a Hippopotamus on Our Roof Eating Christmas Cake' is VERY long, but uses the familiarity of readers with the original book title. I also name all my chapters, and pinch the best chapter title as the eventual book title.
Hazel Edwards
There's a special thrill when a package is opened to reveal a different version of a book I wrote. Sometimes the cover , font and shape is changed as in the beautiful Tamil translation of 'my YA novel 'Fake I.D.' I rely on the translator's skills because moving from the nuances of one culture to another, requires great attention to detail. I can't proof read in a language I don't read. But I'm always delighted my story has travelled further than me. The Chinese Pinyan/Mandarin translations of the cake-eating hippo books are especially interesting because there are extra suggestions on how it might be read. My co-written 'Difficult Personalities' is in Russian, Polish, Korean, Chinese and 'American' and I tend to distinguish them by cover colour as the designs are very different. For picture books, Arabic and Hebrew are the most challenging designs to translate as the text reads from right to left and sometimes the meaning is affected. For example, in picturebook 'Stickybeak' the duck runs from left to right, and the original text is designed to complement this. But overall, I'm thrilled and especially when locals like the Indonesian educators create dual language performance scripts, so their students can read in both languages.
Hazel Edwards
It was almost 40 years ago when the original 'There's a Hippopotamus on Our Roof Eating Cake' was published, and the last 'Ho!Ho!Ho!...' is the seventh in what became an unintended series. The big imaginary hippo friend offers reassurance to young children at important first-time events, like starting school, going to hospital or a new baby in the family. The 4 year old who inspired the originally book is now a new father with his own son. And although there has been a film, a musical, and thousands of imaginative cakes plus unique fan mail sent to the hippo which I have had to answer in character, maybe it's time to let the picture books just remain as favourites. I have written many non-hippo books and maybe it's time to write something different for my new grandson and start a new tradition. It's wonderful that there are now many three generational families for whom the cake-eating hippo is their favourite and grandparents share. Hippo has also moved across cultures via Braille, Auslan signing, Mandarin, Japanese and I'd love it to move into Spanish... or French...or Icelandic
Hazel Edwards
Yes. And I get them to check the vocabulary too.
Hazel Edwards
Some readers get upset if you don't remember every tiny detail of an earlier character.That's why I usually write a dossier on each character (hair colour, eyes, habits, relatives, pets etc) in case there's several years before I revisit.
Technological change is the major need for updating., especially in earlier mysteries where a visual or audio clue was vital, but these days a character would just use a mobile to provide proof of a set up. It's best not to use brandnames or even types of electronic devices because they are likely to be superceded. Political correctness is another challenge. Inevitably you write within your time. But attitudes may change drastically towards things like 'smacking' . So an author may need to update. But when 'censorship' insists on changes that's another issue. I think the author should have the final word on whether a story should be 'updated' and in what ways.
Technological change is the major need for updating., especially in earlier mysteries where a visual or audio clue was vital, but these days a character would just use a mobile to provide proof of a set up. It's best not to use brandnames or even types of electronic devices because they are likely to be superceded. Political correctness is another challenge. Inevitably you write within your time. But attitudes may change drastically towards things like 'smacking' . So an author may need to update. But when 'censorship' insists on changes that's another issue. I think the author should have the final word on whether a story should be 'updated' and in what ways.
Hazel Edwards
Elderly mother with dementia reveals longterm affair which makes crime-writer daughter's murdered boyfriend, her half-brother. Uses in a plot, but ineligible for top literary award as classified fact not fiction.
Hazel Edwards
A book launch is a time-saving way of sharing a new book with potential readers, fans and reviewers. Apart from being a kind of first birthday party for a book, and fun, it should be more than an ego-trip for the author. When I first became an author, launches were rare events, but organised and thematic catering provided by the traditional publisher.And they handled book sales on the day. Yes, we did have a hippo party at the zoo for 'There's a Hippopotamus on our Roof Eating Cake', with BYOHF invites ( Bring your own hippo food) . Fun. These days, with self-published authors doing multiple books annually, launches can be online, or even more than one launch for the same book, in different geographic areas. (That can be over-kill) When a significant and relevant person is invited to launch the book, they often attract extra readers and guests. Getting a first edition book autographed by all of the creators is still special. But having a launch hosted by an umbrella organisation who has a special interest in the subject content is the best way to attract relevant readers. Timing matters too. But often today's launches are organised by the authors and financially hosted by them too. So, occasionally an author may decided NOT to launch with an event, but to concentrate their energy on getting the book to readers in other ways. We didn't have a launch for my memoir 'Not Just a Piece of Cake : Being an Author' because it was released pre-Christmas at the same time as too many other books. Instead, I have given major talks at literary festivals about this title. But last week our co-written 'Hijabi Girl' was launched at Craigieburn Library with the support of a local Hume City council because they wanted a book relevant to the 160 languages and cultures within their community. And the AFL Multi-Cultural Ambassador also supported because girls' football was part of the story. So relevance is the key to a successful launch.
Hazel Edwards
A new book is a bit like a book-baby. You've been involved in the pregnancy for a while, and you hope others will understand , be entertained and also gain from the character's story. But like an adolescent, it eventually has to go out into the world on its own. A book launch is a bit like a hullo and farewell party. When you have a co-author, or illustrator such as in 'Hijabi Girl', then there's a pleasure in sharing the creation. Like co-parenting.
Hazel Edwards
Because I researched on an Antarctic expedition, I've used that setting multiple times in different kinds of writing. Occasionally I've used knowledge of a workplace setting more than once, or given the job to several characters.
Hazel Edwards
Authors love getting reviews which indicate the book was of value to the reader. The number of stars is idiosyncratic but the comments, if supported by examples, are useful for writing the next book. What infuriates authors is being reviewed for the book the reviewer wanted you to write and you didn't. OR the reviewer who objected to the subject and condemned the book without reading it. Fan mail which is a kind of reviewer praise is always welcome.
Hazel Edwards
I work in three major ways. Participant-observation , which is researching in a new location, knowing I'll be wriitng about it afterwards, 'What if?' which is fanciful fiction and collaborating with another skilled in that field.
I also keep an ideas notebook: digital these days.
Having a co-writer ensures you do your share before you meet them again.
Recently I co-wrote 'Trail Magic: Going Walkabout for 2184 Miles on the Appalachian Trail' with my son, but he did ALL the walking.
I've also co-written with psychologist Dr Helen Mc Grath on print books 'Difficult Personalities' and 'Friends; How to Make and Keep Them' and these have now become e-books too. So a good idea which inspires a book, often goes into new formats, if readers continue to demand it.
I also keep an ideas notebook: digital these days.
Having a co-writer ensures you do your share before you meet them again.
Recently I co-wrote 'Trail Magic: Going Walkabout for 2184 Miles on the Appalachian Trail' with my son, but he did ALL the walking.
I've also co-written with psychologist Dr Helen Mc Grath on print books 'Difficult Personalities' and 'Friends; How to Make and Keep Them' and these have now become e-books too. So a good idea which inspires a book, often goes into new formats, if readers continue to demand it.
Hazel Edwards
Continuing to learn in new settings and also meeting some stimulating minds and excellent problem solvers.I especially enjoy being a children's author for the imaginative viewpoints and it being permissible to be a little eccentric. I enjoy being self-employed and never contemplating retirement. Each year I deliberately take on a new subject. Antarctica was one and I went on an Australian Antarctic Division expedition as writer on ice and have written in varied formats and for different audiences since. With our co-written 'f2m;the boy within' which is about transitioning gender , I've learn much about diverse gender communities internationally. Working on my memoir 'Not Just a Piece of Cake; Being an Author' ' which is also a way of de-cluttering. Currently I'm co-writing a screenplay script adaptation of my adult mystery 'Wed, Then Dead on The Ghan'. Audio or Tv scripting is very different from writign a novel, but you become more conscious of sounds and sights.
Hazel Edwards
I don't acknowledge 'writers' block.' At times you need to distinguish between fatigue, thinking time and procrastination. Which one is handicapping you? A professional author will always produce by deadline , but it may be functional rather than euphoric.
Hazel Edwards
Read, write and try participant-observation which is going and doing new things, conscious that you will be writing about that experience, in fact or fiction. So you become a traveller, not a tourist.My website has specific answers and links for aspiring writers.
My 'Authorpreneurship;The Business of Creativity' also answers practical issues many new writers face.
My 'Authorpreneurship;The Business of Creativity' also answers practical issues many new writers face.
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