28/4/2024 0 Comments Cover Reveal!!!Just LOOK at the eye-catching cover of RURU, NIGHT HUNTER - our picture book about Aotearoa New Zealand’s only surviving species of native owl!
I'm so grateful to illustrator Ned Barraud, designer Vida Kelly and the team at Scholastic NZ for bringing RURU to life. Also thank you to my agent, Frances Plumpton. RURU will be swooping into bookstores in July!
0 Comments
This is the Aotearoa New Zealand stand at Bologna - doesn't it look inviting?! A peaceful alcove in amongst all the craziness. So excited to see TUATARA on display at this incredible event, alongside so many beautiful Kiwi books!
Most excitingly TUATARA, A LIVING TREASURE has been selected by Storylines (The Children's Literature Foundation of New Zealand) for a 2023 Notable Book Award!!!
This is such an honour - I am so grateful that our book has been chosen as a winner in the non-fiction category. Read about all the wonderful notable books here: Storylines Notable Book Lists 2023 - Storylines Children's Literature Charitable Trust 19/7/2023 0 Comments TUATARA Book LaunchOn Sunday (30th July) the Dorothy Butler Bookshop kindly hosted us for the launch of Tuatara, A Living Treasure!
A huge thank you to everyone who came to celebrate with me. Here are some photos ... 13/7/2023 0 Comments First Review ...TUATARA's first review (and my first too) ... and it's a goody! bobsbooksnz.wordpress.com Tuatara. A living Treasure by Katie Furze, illus by Ned Barraud. Pub. Scholastic, 2023. July 11, 2023 bobsbooksnz Tuatara are a natural treasure to the people of Aotearoa. They are found only here, can live up to 130 years and have a third light sensing organ that sticks through the top of their skulls that is often called a third eye. This picture book follows the progress of a female tuatara from the moment that it breaks through it’s leathery underground egg and digs it’s way to the surface through to when she mates, lays eggs herself and guards the nest from other females. Will she see her babies? Most tuatara never do and are forced to live in the daytime and hide at night to prevent being eaten by older tuatara who hunt at night. Each page has great illustrations by Ned Barraud whose images are better than any photograph. The image of a full grown tuatara of pages 3&4 is a treasure in itself. I learned more about tuatara from this picture book than from any other source. Young children through to adults will get something out of this picture book. Katie Furze’s text creates drama and harmonises beautifully with the illustrations. One of the best of the year. 5/11/2019 0 Comments Fresh ink
17/6/2016 1 Comment Book Week at May Road SchoolI was delighted to visit May Road School on Friday of NZ Book Week. What a great day! At lunchtime I read stories in the library to a large, enthusiastic gathering of children. After that I was in for a treat – May Road’s Book Character Parade. Wow! There were some fabulous costumes – witches, super-heroes, fairy-tale characters, and a whole class of crabs! To finish off there was a special assembly where I helped the principal, Mrs Stuart, hand out certificates and prizes. (See if you can spot me - I may be wearing a wig). Then the whole school watched a hilarious play written by librarian, Andrea, and acted out by the staff. The children were rolling around in hysterics. Great to see so much book love! Thank you May Road School. 2/2/2016 4 Comments 2016: Best Year YetA new year, a new step in my writing journey. I now have an agent: the wonderful Essie White of Storm Literary!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(I know it’s bad form to use so many exclamation marks, but I’m so excited I can’t help it). The reason for my excitement is my life as a writer is different from how it was a short time ago. How different?
As well as being knowledgeable about the children’s book market my agent is a great communicator and a lovely person, so I’m extra grateful for that. So far, she’s sent my book out to a raft of editors at top publishing houses – something I would never be able to do. My fingers are crossed. With all this positivity, I’m itching to get back into my writing. I only have to survive the last week of the school holidays first! 28/11/2015 0 Comments Why NaNoWriMo?NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) is an online challenge that takes place from November 1st to 30th each year. The goal is to write 50,000 words in total or 1,667 words each day. “Are you crazy?” that’s the usual response when I tell people I’m attempting to write a 50,000 word novel in a month. This is usually followed by, “How on earth do you do that?” and/or, “Why on earth would you want to do that?” Maybe I am a bit crazy but I have a number of quite rational reasons why I participate in NaNoWriMo:
This is my second NaNoWriMo and admittedly my first attempt is still languishing on my computer in a slightly stuck second draft. I’m a bit too scared to tackle it at the moment, but when then the time’s right I'll pull it out and lick it into shape. At the moment I’m more excited about my latest baby, an as yet untitled, middle grade novel which is currently a healthy 27,761 words. I plan to put it away for a while. I’ll be sick of the sight of it by the end of November I’m sure. My plan is to put it away for a few months. Sometime in the new year I’ll rip it apart with fresh eyes, and stitch it back together with magic patches and invisible thread. Then, when it’s sparkling, I’ll send it out to the world. Hooray for NaNoWriMo! |
About Katie
Katie Furze writes stories and books for children, and lives in Auckland, New Zealand. Archives
April 2024
Categories |