The Places You Will Go

Long Ago and Far Away

My old friend Sunita was mentioned in my column today and I received a text from her that said, amongst other things, "Did we stalk cows? Were there cows in Jalan Pawang?"

Jalan Pawang was the street we lived on in Segamat, Johor and no, I don't think there were ever cows there. In fact, I didn't actually stalk cows with Sunita. My fellow cow-stalker was my mum and we did it in the field facing my great-grandmother's house in Kolam Air! It was just more convenient and space-saving to say that I terrorised cows with Sunita.

By the way, the cows were not actually terrorised. Even the little calves knew how to lower their heads and butt. And a little calf with a knobbly head is still quite a large, scary thing when you're a short, fat kid.

Everyone's a Writer

It seems every other celebrity wants to write children's books. I suppose it's only a matter of time before our own Malaysian famous and shameless also start.

I wouldn't recommend it unless one is passionate about writing, and about writing children's books in particular. It would help if you've also read at least some kids' books.

I'm being very careful with my next picture book. Don't want to rush it as so many things went wrong with the first four, not least that I was foolish enough to be persuaded to write and publish FOUR at a go.

This week's column also touches on child authors. I don't think they should be published unless their age didn't influence the publisher's decision and is not a factor when it comes to reviewing them. What's your stand on this?

Room to Read

My little Reading Room will finally welcome children to read and share stories on 3rd May. I can't remember when it was that I first started talking about setting up this place. There have been days when I all but lost heart and decided to shelve the idea, but I'm glad I stuck it out.

A big thank you to every one who has helped make my dream come true. Special thanks to The Dram Projects who has given me support in so many different ways, not least providing the actual space (in Section 17, Petaling Jaya) for the Reading Room.   

Reading for Fun

I know why I read. Why do you?

Now that I've been told not to write about publishing or editing, I'll be spending more time and space waffling on about the sorts of books I think parents should fork out hard-earned cash for so that their kids get maximum help in becoming obnoxious, know-it-all pains in the butt.

In fact, I think everyone should read whatever they can get their hands on because you never know until you try, right?

Also, reading trash is fine. It really is. I am frequently inspired by trash. But that's another story ...

You're Out!

Dumbledore is gay, so J. K. Rowling says, now. I guess it's obvious why she never made it clear in the books, but I'm all for giving kids some positive gay role models. His intense friendship with Grindelwald, in book seven, does hint at the old wizbang's sexuality though. Can you imagine what sort of fanfiction is going to get written now? It's already quite stomach-turning. OK, it turns my stomach. I read one about Harry and Draco and my eyes fell into my lap!

PS I interviewed someone yesterday who said that, reading my column, he'd always had the impression of me being school-marmish! Golly!

Whose Story is It Anyway?

It's hard enough finding an illustrator for my picture books. Many of the ones I've approached don't want to collaborate. They want a fee. I'm beginning to think that might be the way to go. AT least you can then tell them to get on with the task at hand.

My latest encounter with an illustrator ended in her wanting me to re-write my story totally. So, yeah, if there are any artists out there who think they might want to illustrate a children's book, email me your rates ...

Selling Yourself

"How many copies of your books have been sold, Daphne?"

"Huh? How should I know?!"

I should care more, but, sadly, I don't. When asked about the marketing aspect of publishing during last week's KL Writers Circle meeting, I could only smile sheepishly and refer the question to MPH Publishing's Eric Forbes (who edited my four picture books and corrected my appalling spelling - "Thank you, Eric!").

To Blog or Not to Blog

I really have been neglecting this blog. I don't know how bloggers post every day. I'm guessing they aren't single mothers of three, with fulltime jobs as well as a couple of part-time ones ... And if they are, then I am really impressed!

I was considering killing The Places You Will Go, but then I know that there are people out there who read my column and book reviews here instead of in StarMag/StarTwo. So, I will continue to post all that here, as well as update the Picture Book of the Month list.

I have a week's leave coming up so there will probably be a burst of activity then.

But I do know that this blog is beginning to look very pathetic indeed.

Harry Potter and the Sick-Bag

I was supposed to pick up my review copy of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows early today at Kinokuniya Bookstores, KLCC, but I didn't get to the store till after 10am. (That's still pretty early though, for someone who is decidedly not a fan of the series.)

Just before I left my flat, I had a conversation with someone who'd read the final sentence of the book. It was pretty clear to me, therefore, what Harry's fate was.

At the store, I read the final chapter for myself. I read the last chapters of books often. Sometimes, it's to decided whether or not I should bother with the book at all. I hate sad endings and I often decide against reading a book that has one.

The last chapter of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows made me want to puke my guts out. I don't want to read the rest of it, but as I have to write a review, I will have to.

In other HP news, Carrefour and Tesco hypermarkets are selling the book for just RM69.90. The retail price is RM109.90 and MPH and Times are so outraged that they have decided not to sell HP7, until further notice.

End of Story

People read books for any number of reasons; finding out how the story ends is one among many and not even the most important. If it were otherwise, nobody would ever bother to read a book twice. Reading is about spending time with characters and entering a fictional world and playing with words and living through a story page by page. The idea that someone could ruin a novel by revealing its ending is like saying you could ruin the Mona Lisa by revealing that it's a picture of a woman with a center part. Spoilers are a myth: they don't spoil. - From Harry Potter and the Sinister Spoilers by Lev Grossman and Andrea Sachs, Time Magazine online.

If I suspect that the book will have a sad ending, I read the last few pages first. (I like being prepared for the worst.) If it is indeed a bad ending, I might not bother starting the book even. And if the ending's good, I will read in happy anticipation of it. OK, so I'm crazy!