Author Journal · Page 3 of 35 · Wendy Orr
Wendy Orr's author diary: the journal following a writer's working life and the progress of new books, from idea to manuscript to publication.

3rd Jun
When Hollywood comes knocking: Part 1
It may sound like a dream come true – but don’t quit the day job So, someone is asking for the film rights to your novel. But what happens next?…
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24th May
Touching history
I’ve just spent a day with the archaeologist Sabine Beckmann in Gournia, Crete. I’ve found and held sherds of pottery that are more than 4000 years old, held a stone tool that…
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24th Apr
Anzac Day Excerpt from The House at Evelyn’s Pond – Remembering War
In honour of Anzac Day, and how the tragedies of war shape all our histories, entangling our stories for generations, here’s an edited excerpt from The House at Evelyn’s Pond: a scene…
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19th Apr
Should you make the leap and become a full time writer?
The messy side of a writing life The biggest question I’ve been asked at talks to emerging writers lately has been about making the leap the from part-time writer to full time, seriously committed,…
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12th Apr
Writing about Animals (and living with them!) : Harry the Rescue Dog’s Rainbow Street Blog
Emma Homes & Wendy Orr, Little Bookroom I met Emma Homes last year at the awards night for the Environment Award for Children’s Literature. She is the author of three ebooks for children…
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1st Apr
So many facts, so little time: researching a new book
Sometimes it’s difficult to distinguish research from ‘bright shiny object’ distraction. When you’re planning a new book that needs solid research for its background, every new thread seems so exciting that it’s…
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11th Mar
Setting your characters free
(with a thank you card to my editors) There ought to be a word for the strange emptiness that comes with sending corrected proofs back to your publisher. Excitement and relief, yes,…
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3rd Mar
Read a book and change your life – a Harry the Rescue Dog’s Rainbow Street post
Buy it now – Australian edition A lovely letter this week completely sums up all the best reasons for writing The Rainbow Street books, which are set in an animal shelter. “This…
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23rd Feb
Apps and Editing
I never thought I’d blog about an app, but the proofs for Dragonfly Song arrived last week –the idea of a break has now been postponed – so I’ve been proofreading and…
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11th Feb
Taking stock in a writing life
The new book, Dragonfly Song, is now with the proofreader, and after spending the last eighteen months saying that I was on a tight deadline, I feel as if I’ve re-emerged into…
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12th Dec
And the winner is…
And the winner is… Ginger Woods, who subscribes to my rather irregular newsletter. She chose Abandoned: A Lion Called Kiki – so here’s a picture of the little lioness who became Kiki…
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7th Dec
Holiday Giveaway! Choose your signed book
You may have noticed that the calendar and the year have spun around and it’s December already. For many of us this means that Christmas is approaching as well – and Hanukkah…
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