Book Launch Photos

Both launches on the West Coast went very well on the weekend. I had no idea how many people to expect - or even if anyone would turn up at all! Thankfully, a number of people did make the effort to attend to launches (even though the weather in Hokitika on Saturday was miserable) and they were all incredibly supportive! Many thanks to both Wynne at G.D. Library and Anne-Maree at W.D. Library for so kindly providing the venues.

So here are some snaps from the events.

Grey District Library

Westland District Library

Waiting for the masses to arrive.

Trip to Ashburton on Labour Weekend!

The Plains Vintage Railway and Historical Museum in Ashburton is holding a celebration for their 40th anniversary on Labour Weekend this year and I'll be attending! I received confirmation from the organisers that they would be more than happy to have me selling Custard and Carriages during the celebrations. The dates are: Saturday 22 and Sunday 23 October, and the Railway/Museum will be open to the public on Monday 24 as well. Check out the website: http://www.plainsrailway.co.nz/stock.php?page=1

On this site, they have photos of some steam engines that are very similar to some of the ones that appear in my illustrations. Take a look at this one:







 It is a Ja 1260 - which I must confess, doesn't actually mean a whole lot to me!

Then there's this one - a T R 119, which looks a bit like the train that came crashing off the rails in one of my illustrations.

Ramblings

Onto my second print run for Custard and Carriages - I've only got about 10 books left from the original print. The Book Launches are one week away now, so I hope the next order arrives before then!

The other day, a guy who bought one of the books for his grandson was saying how much the boy enjoyed the picture book. In fact, he was pleading with his grandfather to take him out for a ride on a steam train! What a fantastic response! I love to hear comments like that - they are very motivating and encouraging.
As I'm in a situation where I'm working alone on projects, whether its writing, drawing or marketing, it can be difficult to keep believing in what I'm doing. Sometimes, it's hard to keep up the enthusiasm when its just me working on my own. So when someone tells me that they really enjoy my book, I get a huge buzz. It makes me feel that maybe I'm not wasting my time after all!

On another subject: I've been trying for a while now, to post some images of the illustrations I'm working on for my new picture book, but for some unknown reason, they just won't load onto my blog. I need to scan more of my illustrations, so I'll re-scan all of them and then give it another go when I've got the new files. Maybe I'm missing something really basic in the process, but whatever the reason, it's very frustrating!

Book Launch Update

I have now got new dates for the Book Launch that was meant to have taken place a couple of weeks ago. This time, I'm planning to hold an event at the Hokitika Library and the Greymouth Library.

For the launch at Grey District Library:
Date:  Friday 5 August
Time:  3:30-4:30pm

For the launch at Westland District Library:
Date:  Saturday 6 August
Time:  2:30-3:30pm

Hopefully the weather co-operates this time!

Model Train Show

Just got news last night that I can exhibit Custard and Carriages at the Big Model Train Show in Christchurch this year! It takes place over the weekend of 8-9 October, at the Pioneer Stadium. As I was looking through their website the other day, I read that "9,000+ visitors enjoy the best layouts and trade stands from the South Island. Pioneer Stadium gets jam-packed with not a space to spare, all the layouts look good and everyone has a great weekend. " - wow! That's a huge amount of people. I think I'll have to place another order for more of my books to be printed!
Here are a few photos of layouts from previous years.

LEGO layout


Kuttatri Bush Tram. West Coast sawmill. (from Hokitika).

Aside from the prospect of promoting and selling my book, I'm really excited about just going to the show. I've always wanted my own model trains, but never had the space (or money...) Can't wait!

Winter has arrived with wild storms... and in the process, stopped me from making it through the mountain passes to my Book Launch in Hokitika. My alarm was set for 6am, but I didn't need it as I was already wide awake - lying in bed, jittery with nerves. After breakfast, I regularly checked the weather updates online, trying to decide if the passes would be clear enough to get through. As we don't have chains for our van, we weren't keen to attempt a journey through the snow without them. The launch was scheduled for 2:30pm, and I had to make a decision by 10am, in order to let people know if the event was still going ahead. The road watch websites were updated at 10, and as the passes still looked stormy and snowy, I decided to postpone the launch.
It was terribly disappointing. I always get so nervous before any sort of public event and I was anxious just to go ahead with the launch. Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate. I haven't yet worked out a date for another Book Launch on the Coast, but I'm thinking that a weekend in early August might be good to plan for. Once I've organised a date and time, I will post the details.
I will get there yet!

Article in Hokitika Guardian

On Tuesday morning, this article appeared in the Hokitka Guardian newspaper. Very strange to see a photo of myself staring out at me from a news website!
Take a look: http://greystar.co.nz/content/grandad-inspires-new-childrens-book