R. L. Stedman

Writer

Dunedin

Book Review: Local Books – When Our Jack Went To War

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Local Books – Book Review

A post shared by RL Stedman (@rlstedman) on

When Our Jack Went To War

A Rare, 5 Star Review

Sandy Mckay’s gorgeous ‘When Our Jack Went To War’ is a story that deals with small life events set against world-changing wars. The book is told as letters between Tom, a young boy in Dunedin, and Jack, his older brother – because in 1916, as The Great War begins, Jack volunteers for the army.

In turns funny and sad, the book is a great read for any kid (or adult) who wants to know more about WW1. Longacre, the publisher, has formatted it beautifully: the story contains excerpts from papers, reproduced in their original typesetting, and the letters between the two boys are set out like photographs of real letters. This breaks the text into manageable chunks, making it particularly useful for school reads.

McKay is a tutor in English Literacy, and the syntax of this book is noticeably accessible. I don’t know if she did this on purpose, but When Our Jack Went To War is written in a way that allows less able readers to be drawn into the story. It’s a great choice especially for boys who want to read a chapter book, but don’t feel like sitting down for too long!

More Information

I’ve also popped this review on my Goodreads page – and above is from my Instagram feed.

The photo is taken of When Our Jack Went To War against the Dunedin cenotaph. The flowers are Armistice Day wreaths.

Jack, by the way, was a real person.

Starting a Writing Podcast? 6 Reasons to Give It A Go.

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Why Start A Podcast?

teenager - school visitPodcasts are HUGE right now! Here’s a list of my faves. I’ve never dreamed of doing one myself, but I know a lot of writers who have thought of starting one. Which brings me to my good mate, Vanda Symon.

Local is Cool

Vanda’s a best-selling crime writer, host of Otago Access Radio’s (OAR) Write On radio show and podcast, a mum and to top it off – she’s finishing up her Ph.D. She’s a busy lady 🙂

OAR’s studio recently had a refit, so now it has acoustic sound baffles, professional microphones, and earphones. There’s a sound engineer in another booth so the sound quality is very good.

Vanda’s been running her radio show for ages – she’s even interviewed me a couple of times! (To me, as a newbie, all the technology felt quite intimidating – I was in awe at how Vanda handles the equipment).

Although Vanda began with a relatively small show, on a local radio station, podcasting has allowed her to branch into other radio activities. Part of this interview deals with where podcasting can take you.

If you’re thinking of starting a podcast, or keen to find out about a great podcast focussing on local content, this post is for you.

So enough of me – over to Vanda!

Lessons Learned from Podcasting

Tell me a little bit about yourself – what made you begin Write On?

I had absolutely no intention of producing or hosting a radio show! Someone else had pitched the idea of the Otago Southland branch of the New Zealand Society of Authors having a programme on the local Community Access Radio station, and we all thought it was a great idea, especially as she was prepared to do it… then, after securing a sponsor and all lights green for go… she had a position come up in another city. Arghhhh, someone had to be brave and step into the breach, and that someone was me. I was petrified.

What have you learned from the process?

Getting involved with Community Radio was one of the best things to happen to me. Hosting the radio show gave me the self-confidence to feel happy doing public speaking – very useful for an author. The skill of being able to interview people lead to opportunities chairing panels at festivals and interviewing some very cool international authors at public events, such as Kathy Reichs, Ian Rankin, and Greg Hurwitz. I had to learn the technical elements of producing your own show, which means that when I am live on air I am basically running the station…oh, the power! You learn how to think on your feet – what to do on live radio when your guest is a one-word answerer, or you guest likes to take the scenic route to tell a story. You learn to stay calm under pressure, especially when there are technical glitches and you are doing live radio. It is a wonderfully enriching experience, and best of all, it’s a lot of fun.

Questions on School Visit

What other radio experience do you have?

As a result of the Write On Radio show, I was asked to do regular book reviews for National Radio, and even Dunedin Television! I often get asked to do the Morning Show on Otago Access Radio when their regular host is away. Doing the Write On Radio show has opened some interesting doors.

What would you say to anyone thinking of starting a podcast?

Do it! It may seem rather terrifying, but it is great for your confidence, broadens your horizons, you get to research some cool topics and meet fascinating people. Prepare your material well and embrace the opportunities. What’s not to love?

What’s been the most random experience to date?

The strangest thing is having people come up to you in the street or at the supermarket and say they were listening to you on radio – I still find that odd, gratifying, but odd.

Do you have any other “top tips”?

One of the best, best things about hosting the radio show has been the fantastic people I’ve been able to meet. From authors to booksellers to publishers to illustrators, to book lovers. These individuals are passionate about their writing or their industry and it has been a blessing to be able to talk to them about it. I always read the books of people I am interviewing, and it has been fascinating learning new things about topics I would never normally have read about. It has forced me out of my comfort zone and opened up new worlds of knowledge and opportunities. Hosting the radio show has been brilliant!

Vanda Symon, podcaster extrodinaire

Want to find out more?

You can find out more about Vanda on her website: www.vandasymon.com

And you can listen to her podcast here

Book Review – Local Books: Forbidden Love

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Forbidden Love: A Book Review of The Larnachs

I thought it would be fun to do a series of posts based on the local literary scene.

writer's notebook
Notebook – Image from Pixabay

Side note: I live in Dunedin, a UNESCO city of literature, where we’re blessed with an extraordinary amount of books, novels, authors and artists.

You can find out more about the scene through Beverly Marshall’s literary tours

The Larnachs by Owen Marshall

The Larnachs

The Larnachs, by Owen Marshall.

Here’s my review from Goodreads:

The Larnachs is a beautifully told tale of a forbidden love affair. This story is based on the true story of Constance Larnach and her step-son, Dougie Larnach, and her husband, William Larnach, a self-made millionaire, politician, and dreamer. Larnach’s now mostly known for his eponymous Castle, but in the days of the disastrous affair, he was a member of parliament and a well-known figure in Dunedin.

The story moves between Dougie and Constance’s point of view, and as the narrative moves inevitably to its terrible ending, the reader can’t help feel sympathy for the star-crossed lovers. I particularly enjoyed this book as its set really close to me, so I know the locations well.

Marshall’s done a lovely job of interweaving local lore with historical fact, but The Larnachs never slips into drily-told history.

I thoroughly recommend this book, partly because of the historical context, but also because it poses a central question: what to do when you fall in love with someone totally off-limits? Can love really conquer all?

Local Setting

Larnach’s Castle still stands today. Want to see the castle Larnach built?

How to Fall in Love With Words

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Falling in Love with Words —

Two nights ago I went to a workshop called ‘A Continued Sense of Wonder’.

Picture Book
Image Source

 

Hosted at the awesome Dunedin Public Library, the workshop was about children’s literature. It’s to be held quarterly, and is open to anyone with an interest in kids books. Best of all, it’s totally FREE!

What did I learn?

This group reminded me of how central a book can be in a child’s life.

We each brought a book that had resonated with us, either as a kid or as an adult. Books ranged from Tintin’s Explorers On the Moon to The Illuminae Files, and we each had an interesting story about why this particular book was, or had been, important to us.

(Rather cheekily, I brought along my own book, The Prankster and the Ghost, because to be honest, this is the kid’s book that has touched me the most. I learned an awful lot about myself while writing it, and I wanted to share a little of that experience.)

Why we like stories

We talked about how a favourite book provided a pathway into fantasy. ‘I used to imagine myself as Laura Ingalls Wilder, playing in the prairies.’

Books provided street cred: ‘I was the only girl in my class who had read a book eight times!’

Books created friendships: ‘I biked round to my friend’s house to read her books’.

Books provided escape: ‘It was awfully soothing, just reading and listening to the waves.’

Books are important to us

We hold our favourite books gently. We smile as we talk about them and we turn the pages slowly, with reverence. If we’re talking to others about the book, we tip the book to share the pictures inside. Books carry more than a story; they carry memories; they remind us of a time we were happy.

Through stories, kids make sense of the world.

The evening reminded me again of just how much I had loved reading as a kid – oh, the memories! Mum coming home from the library with a bag full of books; picture books for the little kids, chapter books for us older ones. And the excitement of going to the library by myself, with my own library card. Reading by torchlight when I was supposed to be asleep; of the disappointment of watching Little House on the Prairie and realising it was nothing like the book.

How stories have changed, and how they’ve stayed the same.

I used to read books that had been translated. Heidi, Pippi Longstocking, Asterix. It’s much harder now to find translated works for kids (The Gecko Press is doing some great work in this space).

Thirty years ago, the plots of kids books had a slower pace, and frequently the words were more complex.

But many of the great novels are still as loved as they’ve always been. Astrid Lindgren’s Pippi Longstocking is as unorthodox and fun as ever – who wouldn’t love to have a horse on a verandah? Charlotte’s Web still makes kids cry. And children cheer when the Peach leaves with James inside.

Kids today are even luckier than we were because now they have Harry Potter!

fairytale book
Image source

Remembering the importance of books

Sadly, it’s all too easy to lose sight of the enjoyment your work provides others. Perhaps I need to remind the marketers of this when they talk about ‘what is the unique selling point of your book?’: It’s not about my book – it’s about all books. Writers are not in competition with each other.

Caught up in the drive to update the Facebook page, to increase the word count, to promote one’s work, sometimes its good to step back and remember: we write because we love it.

We write because, once upon a time, we fell in love with reading.

Finally…

What was your favourite book as a child? What’s the first book you remember reading? And now you’re an adult, what kids book do you love the most?

More information:

Dunedin Library’s A Sense of Wonder meets quarterly and is open to anyone who loves kids books (writers, readers, illustrators, librarians, parents, grandparents…). You can download the Fiction Highlights from the Children’s Collection here: Continued Sense of Wonder 1 Booklist

Just for fun, I’ve added links to the Amazon holdings of all the books mentioned in this post!