Krista's archived news page
2008 News
MARCH 2008
TASMANIA
Wednesday 12 March - Wednesday 19 March
Krista is doing workshops in Hobart schools
You're invited to attend the Tasmanian launch of LOFTY'S MISSION
by Childrencs Book Council President Judy Moss
@ 5.30 pm on Thursday 13 March (the day of publication!)
at The Hobart Bookshop, Salamanca
Come and meet Krista and have her sign your copy of her delightful new picture book.
APRIL 2008
MORNINGTON PENINSULA, VICTORIA
Krista will be one of three speakers at the
SCBWI Victoria gathering for adults interested in children's literature
on Saturday 5 April from 2-5pm
@ the meeting room of Mornington Library, Vancouver Street, Mornington
Melways map 104 D10
cost for members $20; for non-members $25, including afternoon tea
enquiries and booking to corinneking@bigpond.com.
LOFTY'S MISSION will be on sale (Farrell's Bookstore will be there) and Krista is happy to inscribe and sign copies of her beautiful new picture book.
CANBERRA
You're invited to the official national launch of LOFTY'S MISSION
by Emeritus Professor Belle Alderman
@ 11am on Monday 14 April
@ The Western Courtyard Gallery at the Australian War Memorial, Canberra
If you'd like to come along and meet both the author, Krista Bell, and the illustrator, David Miller, at the AWM during their 'flying' visit to Canberra
please rsvp to kristabell@optusnet.com.au.
David will give a paper sculpture workshop for children in the afternoon at the AWM. Please check their website for details: www.awm.gov.au
MAY 2008
VICTORIA
Friday 2 May: Krista Bell and David Miller will be at the CBC Conference in Melbourne at lunchtime for a meet the author and illustrator session, and to sign copies of their delightful new picture book, LOFTY'S MISSION.
Sunday 4 May: Krista will be giving a talk about the creation of LOFTY'S MISSION
@ 2pm at The Shrine of Remembrance, Education Centre, Melbourne.
Everyone is welcome to attend this free event for children and adults
SOUTH AUSTRALIA
5 May - 31 May: Krista takes up her second May Gibbs Children's Literature Trust creative time fellowship, this time in the Adelaide studio. During the month Krista will be writer-in-residence at Scotch Junior College for one week and will speak at functions organised by MGCLT. More details from Nanette Halliday: hallidayadsl@chariot.net.au
NORTHERN TERRITORY
21-24 May: Krista will be presenting talks and workshops at the Children's Literature in the Centre (CLIC) inaugural children's literature festival in Alice Springs.
More details from Ruth Jones: desertg@bigpond.com
JUNE 2008
QUEENSLAND
16 -19 June: Krista is presenting talks and workshops at All Saints' College literature festival on the Gold Coast.
For more information see: www.asas.qld.edu.au
NEW SOUTH WALES
Saturday 28 June: Krista will talk at the NSW Children's and Young Adults Literature Festival in Sydney about the creation of her latest picture book LOFTY'S MISSION.
VICTORIA
Sunday 29 June: from 1pm - 3.30pm Krista will be at Open Day at Dromkeen Children's Literature House in Riddells Creek with illustrator David Miller to talk about how they created LOFTY'S MISSION and sign copies of their book
David Miller's paper sculptures from Lofty's Mission are on display at Dromkeen for Terms 1 and 2, 2008.
For more information go to the Dromkeen page at: www.scholastic.com.au
JULY 2008
PERTH, WA
For Terms 3 & 4, all David Miller's paper sculpture illustrations from LOFTY'S MISSION will be on display at the Fremantle Children's Literature Centre in WA where David will be in residence later in the year.
For more information contact the Fremantle Children's Literature Centre: www.fclc.om.au
AUGUST 2008
ADELAIDE
18-22 August: Krista will give talks and writing workshops at schools in Book Week 2008
For booking enquires please contact Krista's SA agent, Carol Carroll: c.carroll@internode.on.net
2007 News
JANUARY and FEBRUARY
- Writing next junior novel for 2008 publication.
MARCH
- 3 weeks in PERTH, WA
- Week of 12 March: writer-in-residence at Lake Joondalup Baptist College
- Week of 19 March: All Saints' College Literature Festival (Krista's 4th time as a presenter at this prestigious festival) http://www.allsaints.wa.edu.au/literaturefestival/2007/home07.html
- Week of 26 March: writer-in-residence at John XXIII College, Mt Claremont
APRIL
MAY
- Queensland for 3 weeks
- Week of 7 May: Townsville for Books North literary festival
- Friday 18 May: Brisbane - Krista to present a session on BookSpeak her innovative concept of creating a parent book club at your school or library at a Professional Development day entitled 'Reading Between the Lines: nurturing a reading community within your school and library'
to be held at the O'Shea In-Service Centre, Wilton, Brisbane.
For information and registration contact Helen Bain at Show & Tell in Brisbane or free call: 1300 732 339
- Week of 21-25 May: Krista available to speak at schools and libraries in Brisbane. Please contact Helen Bain of Show & Tell in Brisbane for availability and bookings or free call: 1300 732 339
- Sunday 27 May: Krista on a panel with Hazel Edwards discussing Creative Kids for an adult audience at Voices on the Coast in Maroochydore, Sunshine Coast
- Week of 28 May: Voices on the Coast school and library sessions, Sunshine Coast
www.immanuel.qld.edu.au/voices
JUNE
- Back home in Melbourne for a couple of months
- Saturday 2 June: Krista presenting writing workshop for the winners of the Edworks writing competition for 2007. For more information visit: www.edworks.com.au
- 4-8 June: writer-in-residence at Clinton Primary School in Gladstone, Queensland.
JULY
- Renovating the new house????
AUGUST
- Perth
- Week of 20 August: Krista in Perth for Children's Book Week.
For availability and bookings please contact Bronwen Bennett of Show & Tell Promotions in Melbourne, by phoning 1300 732 339 or via the website: www.showtell.com.au
SEPTEMBER
- From 1-15 September: Krista going to China to research a new book, visiting Beijing, Great Wall of China, Yangtze River, the Terracotta Warriors and Shanghai.
2006 News
February 2006:
- SCBWI Conference in Sydney. Krista's 18th book, THAT'S THE TRICK, launched by Christopher Cheng. www.chrischeng.com
- SNIFFY THE SNIFFER DOG out on Auslan video and DVD (Victorian College of the Deaf)
- 25 February: Krista conducts finalists workshop for young writers at Edworks in Camberwell, Victoria. www.edworks.com.au
- 28 Feb/1 March: Krista conducts writing workshops for Year 7 students at Galen College, Wangaratta, Victoria, and talks at BookSpeak gathering with parents and teachers.
March 2006:
- Krista is a guest speaker at Somerset College, Queensland, at their Celebration of Literature. Jen McVeity launches IF THE SHOE FITS, Krista's 19th book and illustrator Craig Smith draws, while young dancers celebrate the book with a jaunty jazz number. www.somerset.qld.edu.au
- 14 March: Krista at Saint Stephen's College, Coomera, Queensland, talking to students from Prep to Grade 5.
May 2006:
- FLYING FEET, Krista's 20th book, published by Penguin Books in their Puffin Aussie Nibbles series, illustrated by Beth Norling. There must be something special Henry can do with his running, jumping, twirling, flying feet! But what?
- Krista in Hobart to do school talks and workshops, and celebrate the launch of FLYING FEET (Aussie Nibbles). For availability and bookings, please contact Bronwen Bennett of SHOW & TELL Promotions on 1300 732 339.
August 2006:
- Publication by Lothian Books of a stand-alone junior novel for 10-14 year old readers NO TEARS, with chapter headings by Krista's son Damien Bell, completing the 'NO' series which is optioned for film (No Regrets, No Strings and No Tears). The screenplay, No Strings, which is being written in Perth is at first draft stage.
- A launch of NO TEARS will be held in Perth during Book Week. Sunday 20th August at 3pm at Pages Café, State Library of WA, Perth Cultural Centre. Phone 08 9427 3211 for more details. Download the book launch invitation.
- 19-25 August: Krista in Perth visiting libraries and schools for Children's Book Week (for booking enquiries please contact Bronwen Bennett at Show & Tell Promotions 1300 732 339.
2005 News
March 2005
Three of Krista's books are included on the Victorian Premier's Reading Challenge book list: No Regrets and Who Cares? on the yr 7/8/9 list (recommended for yrs 5/6 too!) and Sniffy the Sniffer Dog on the yr 3 & 4 list. They are also included on the South Australian Premier's Reading Challenge book list, and the New South Wales Premier's Reading Challenge book list, as is 'No Strings'.
The May Gibbs Children's Literature Trust Fellowships article from CBC Reading time.
April 2005
Saturday 9 April: Melbourne Herald Sun (Weekend page 29) article by Blanche Clark on the phenomenon of kids reading books about sport, spends the last third of the page talking about Krista's latest book Who Dares? (Lothian Books Junior Fiction) in the same breath as the Specky Magee titles!
Read the review of 'Who Dares!' from the Melbourne Herald Sun.
Read the review of 'Who Dares!' on Sally Murphy's 'Aussie Reviews' web site.
Read Krista's archived news page here
May 2005
- Monday 2nd May @ 7.30pm @ Mentone Girls' Grammar School: Krista launched BookSpeak at MGGS - Adolescent Literature Reading Club for Parents.
- Monday 9th May: Krista's article 'Getting It Write' in The Age newspaper about writing to a word length in ALL ABOUT BOOKS lift out in Education Age for young adults.
- Krista's tips on how to write to an allotted word length from The Age newspaper.
June 2005
- Victorian College for the Deaf to do video of Krista's first book Jezza in Auslan (signing for the deaf).
- June 27-30: Sydney for school workshops.
July 2005
- Krista's total rewrite of her now out of print story Pidge is to be published as Pigeon Pair in short story collection by Random House, 'Stories for 7 year Olds'.
- Krista is the judge of the Tackers section (for 7-10 year old readers) of the Winnies children's literature competition for adult writers as part of the Daylesford Words in Winter Festival.
- July 18: writing workshops at Scotch College, Melbourne.
- July 20-23: Krista to Gladstone in Queensland to be a speaker at the inaugural Curtis Coast Literary Carnivale with Margaret Clark and Hazel Edwards www.gladlib.qld.gov.au.
- July 25-29: Krista going further north in Queensland to do the Nestle Write Around Australia in Mackay and Townsville.
August 2005
- August 9 & 18: Krista at Mt Waverley North Primary School: two days of writing workshops with grades 4-6
- August 10 & 17: Krista at Wesley College, Elsternwick campus, working with yr 7 students as part of their Resilience Program, based on her novel No Regrets
- August 13/14 August: Krista presents the Winnies Writing Awards in Daylesford during the Words in Winter Festival. Check their website for date, time & venue
- August 22: Krista's article in ALL ABOUT BOOKS lift out in The Age Education section, about writing and reading adventure stories for younger readers
- August 22-26: Krista is spending Book Week in Melbourne for the first time in many years, including visits to Camberwell South Primary School and Auburn South Primary School
- August 29- September 2: Ipswich on-line Literature Festival during which Krista will "talk" to Queensland primary school students via the chat room on Monday 29th August. If you'd like to know more go to www.learningplace.com.au
2004 News
January 2004
Advance copies of NO STRINGS arrived - excellent cover. Bookmarks to come.
February 2004
WHO CARES? Reviewed in GOOD READING magazine February 2004
Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis
Age guide 13+ Highly recommended
Because of a last-minute change in plans, Toby is left to spend a holiday week at Lorne with Rhys, a boy he's never met. Rhys is distant and unfriendly, and although the boys' mothers had been close friends in the past, they had lost contact through time and circumstance. But time changes most things, and most people. It had certainly changed Rhys' mum. And everyone has secrets. Rhys has a secret about his mum that he guards carefully. Toby has a secret too. But when it is inadvertently exposed, he understands how important it is to discuss things that hurt and worry you, instead of keeping it hidden through fear of being ridiculed.
Sometimes people and things seem one way, but turn out to be entirely different. With the basis of a mutual interest in surfing, the boys are able to find a meeting of minds. Toby also discovers that it is possible for a person you didn't initially like to turn into your best friend. Together they learn that there are different ways to view and approach things, and that discussion often resolves problems and keeps you from feeling alone and unhappy when in a difficult situation.
February 2004
Re-edited the 4 TOP SHOTS books as I'm hopeful they'll be republished in the next 12 months because these junior novels about basketball are in great demand and have been out of print for too long. Watch this page for more news about them being reprinted with new illustrations and new-look covers.
March 2004
March 21-26: Writer-in-residence at the prestigious Anglican boys' school Christ Church Grammar in Claremont, Perth, WA. I'll be staying at Cottesloe by the beach and I'm sure there'll be a story there somewhere!
Sunday 28 March 10-11 am: Guest speaker at Fremantle Children's Literature Centre for SCBWI adult writers of children's books group, talking on the topic of "The Art of Self-Promotion: being nice but noticed!".
Sunday 28 March from 11am-4pm: guest author at Fremantle Children's Literature Centre's Open Day, with local WA authors, plus Terry Denton and Catherine Bateson from the east coast.
30 March-2 April: The 3rd annual All Saints' Literature Festival in Perth, which caters for at least 15,000 students from a multitude of schools. This is my 3rd year as a speaker at this prestigious festival at All Saints' College in Bull Creek south of the city of Perth, and this year I have dual roles: as an author presenting workshops and talks to both children and adults, and as the presenters' liaison, for which I've been nicknamed the "qwerty".
I look forward to ensuring my friends and colleagues enjoy their stay at All Saints, including Isobel Carmody, Mark Greenwood, Hazel Edwards, Norman Jorgenson, Anna Ciddor, Markus Zusak, Elizabeth Honey, Julia Lawrinson, Shaun Tan, Jackie Harvey and Jen McViety.
April 2004
Thursday 1 April 11.15-12 noon: The launch of NO STRINGS at the All Saints' College Literature Festival by renowned Melbourne author and good mate Elizabeth Honey. NO STRINGS is a stand-alone junior novel which tells Felix's story and is co-incidentally the sequel to NO REGRETS (2002).
May 2004
May 2004: One month writer-in-residency in Canberra as the recipient of a May Gibbs Trust Fellowship, which entitles me to travel to and from Canberra as well as accommodation in the May Gibbs' studio apartment for the whole month, during which I'll be working on my next book, as well as doing talks and workshop visits to Canberra schools.
Note for teachers/English coordinators/librarians: if you would like me to spend a day at your school during my visit to Canberra in May, please contact Prue Clarke at 5 Woolrych Street, Holder, ACT 2611 Tel: 02 6288 3518 Fax: 02 62883161 Email: pclarke@netspeed.com.au for booking details.
June 2004
21-25 June 2004: Writer-in-residence for the third consecutive year at Swan Hill Primary School in northern Victoria, doing writing workshops with the upper primary students for a whole week.
Late June-early July: Ten days in Darwin and Kakadu looking for story ideas and doing research. I'll be keeping a watchful eye on those crocs!
July 2004
26-30 July 2004: My 10th year for Nestle Write Around Australia, a unique record that I share with only 2 other authors! As a special treat I'll be heading north to soak up some sun while I do a week of workshops! I'll be in Gladstone Queensland for Nestle, and will be doing workshops in the Rockhampton Library the week before that. See you there!
For more details about the writing competition go onto the Nestle website: www.nestle.com.au/writearound
August 2004
23-27 August 2004: Children's Book Week in Adelaide schools and libraries. To check availability and to make bookings please contact my SA agent Carole Carroll on (08) 8376 4662 or email her on c.carroll@bigpond.com
May 2004
FILM RIGHTS OPTIONED
'No Regrets', 'No Strings' and 'No Tears' (published in August 2006) have all been optioned for film rights and the screenplay based on the trilogy, with the working title of 'No Strings' is being written at the moment in West Australia.
July 2004
Announcement of the Seventeenth Annual
Australian Family Therapists' Award for Children's Literature
(for books published in 2003)
The annual prize of $1,000 in the Australian Family Therapists' Award for Children's Literature is to be awarded to Krista Bell for 'Who Cares?', published by Lothian Books. The novel centres on the evolving friendship between two teenage boys, thrust together through a series of family circumstances. During a beachside holiday, Toby and Rhys learn to respect and accept each other's differences. Their growing friendship allows the unfolding of secrets, including the alcoholism of Rhys' mother. These problems are resolved through family support and lead to a deepening of not only the boys' friendship but that of their families.
The $1,000 Young Readers/Picture Book Award was not awarded this year. Of the small number of picture books and books for younger readers submitted for the award, few met the criteria. Of those that did, none were of a sufficiently high standard to merit giving the award.
Dear Krista,
Congratulation on your win!!!! I was delighted that 'Who Cares?' won - it really is an excellent book, and avoided the thing that so many books did of trying to cram so many subplots in that one totally lost any plot!! What we really liked about it, and why it won the award though (the previous comment is my own) is the very positive way it showed family relationships in terms of resolving problems and the way it addressed the whole issue of the importance of bringing out secrets and that they don't have to be dealt with alone but that family and friends can play a supportive role in a positive way - it was excellent.
Sue Driscoll
Awards Co-ordinator, AFTA
August 2004
Overseas Publications
PIDGE has been published in Korean! Now a publisher in Serbia has bought the rights to 'No Regrets' to bring it out in Serbian in 2005, with the possibility of 'No Strings' being published there in 2006!
2003 News
December 2003
My 18-year-old son Damien, the illustrator of WHO CARES? and NO STRINGS completed secondary school specialising in art, graphics and design and gained a place in the highly acclaimed Industrial Design degree course at Swinburne University in Melbourne.
I edited the galley proof sheets for my next junior novel NO STRINGS.
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