Monday 18 September 2017

Blog 100 - Brockwell the Brave and Land of Britannica


Double Book Launch of 
Brockwell the Brave and Land of Britannica

Last Saturday, the 16th of September, 2017, I was excited to have about fifty people join me to celebrate the publication of two books. The first, Brockwell the Brave, was published at the end of last year, but due to my husband being very ill, I delayed the launch. Land of Britannica is my latest book.

So what are these books about?
Well, I can tell you that they are both written for children aged 9 to 12.
They both feature dragons. 
They both are about family relationships and in both the main character becomes a hero.

Now how are they different? In a nutshell, they are both very different stories.  
Brockwell the Brave is set in Scandinavia in the Viking Era. The story revolves around a boy, Brockwell, who lives on a dragon farm. He is a gentle boy who loves spending time at the healing hut in the village. Brockwell is scared of the adult dragons he is expected to care for. This causes a lot of conflict with his father who sees Brockwell as a major disappointment. Later in the story, Brockwell's father does not return from rescuing an injured wild dragon and Brockwell must decide what he's going to do. You will have to read the rest of the story to find out what happens. But there's a magical tooth involved, the village bully, the support of a female best friend, and bravery.

In Land of Britannica, Brittney's parents have split up and she's not coping. She wants them to get back together. By way of a glowing green heart under her bed, Brittney is plunged into a magical world, the Land of Britannica, where she quickly finds out that she is the Chosen One as stated in the Book of the Kingdom. It is her destiny to save the cracked green heart that hangs in the sky. Again, I am not going to tell you what happens, except to say that this story is a tale of good versus evil. And I'll also tell you that Brittney journeys through a land where animals talk, the food is strange, there are dragons and a royal family, and she receives special clothing and powers.

So what inspired me to write these stories?
I wanted to write a book for each of my children. Last year's novel, Ride High Pineapple was dediated to my eldest daughter, Melissa. The second book I wrote I wanted to dedicate to my son, Nick. I could have written an adventure or fantasy story and he would have been happy but because I write about difference and diversity. I decided to focus on boys who do not fit the typical male stereotype, like Nick. My Nick has always ben gentle and walked to his own beat. He's never cared what others thought of him, and we have always been proud of him for this. Now I must emphasise that Nick is not a disappointment to his father like in the story. When I was writing the story, Nick was really into dragons and How to Train Your Dragon, so that gave me the idea for the setting.

Land of Britannica came in a different way. I was at Ladies Camp last year and a fellow camper asked me if I'd written a book that could help her grandchildren. They weren't coping with the parents' marriage breakup. This welled in my heart and I knew I had to write the book. I already had a story, Land of Tahlia, which I thought might work. The story ended up being torn apart, the characters names were changed, as well as the plot. The final version being Land of Britannica.

My third child's story is well underway and will be published next year You'll have to wait to see what that one is about. 

A couple of extra things about the stories:
Brockwell the Brave is a fantasy but I researched the Viking Era so the setting, food, utensils, housing, clothing etc. are all accurate. I also put in some of the Icelandic language which is the closest modern-day language to Old Norse that the Vikings spoke. The Land of Britannca is an allergory, like the Wizard of Oz, where the main character solves a real-world problem in a fantasy world. Each of the characters that Brittney rescues in the Land of Britannica are representative of the phases in the grief cycle that children go through when readjusting to their new family situation. 

***

In my speech I thanked my family, my friends who helped me set up and with the catering, my friend Raelene Purtill https://www.facebook.com/PurtillWriter who was my MC, my fellow writers at Write Links http://www.brisbanewritelinks.com/, my editor Sally Odgers at Affordable Manuscript Assessments http://www.affordablemanuscriptassessments.com/ , and the team at Book Cover Cafe http://www.bookcovercafe.com/

The novels are available at many online stores, as a paperback and an ebook. See my website for more details. 




 

Monday 4 September 2017

Blog 99 - Your Invitation to my Double Book Launch!


I am very excited to be holding a double book launch for my children's novels, Brockwell the Brave and Land of Britannica on Saturday 16 September.

It will be a fun afternoon of playing in the park, dressing up, craft activities, afternoon tea and book signings.


Both books will be available on many online stores and as an ebook from Amazon.

To rsvp via my Facebook event please go to the following link:

Jenny Woolsey - Author; Book Launch Facebook Event



Sunday 3 September 2017

Blog 98 - Happy Father's Day!


Wishing all fathers a very happy day. May you be spoilt and feel the love and appreciation for you.



My father passed away in 2003. The older I get and the more I learn about society's biases and beliefs towards people with disabilities and who are different, the more I realise that both my parents were trail blazers in many ways. They didn't hide me away. They wanted me to have a regular life like my siblings. They loved me, believed in me and they were proud of my achievements. And for that I am truly thankful.



Today I took the annual Father's Day picture of my husband and our three children. My husband too adores his children, has the belief that our children can do anything, and is proud of their achievements no matter how big or small. He fights the prejudices that still remain in the world.


This is my daughter singing 'Happy Father's Day.'


Here are two great men I have been blessed to know, who have gone against society's prejudices and forged ahead to make the best life they can for their children.

Do you know a man like them?