Anne Brinsden Author

Thank you Anne my friend for the wonderful invitation to meet with the Parliamentary Friends of Australian Books and Writers on Wednesday. It was a truly marvellous opportunity as, along with Rick Morton, we celebrated Australian Reading Hour and all things good about Australian writers and publishers. Thank you Anne and Graham for being so passionate about Australian authors and publishing. Anne Webster MP Graham Perrett MP Pan Macmillan Australian Publishers Association Rick Morton

JUST LOVE A BOOKCLUB
Some wonderful ladies from the Frances Xavier Book Club, Montmorency contacted me recently to say they had been discussing my Wearing Paper Dresses at their book club. What a thrill to get such glowing comments from retired English teachers!
They have kindly sent me a collage of photos from the meeting which are not short of amazing. They have gone all out! The book club leader for the day is wearing a tea cosy, she has supplied coloured meringues, fruit cake, country cookbooks, paper, pens, paint brushes, … Thank you lovely ladies. I am so glad you enjoyed by book.

LOVE YOUR BOOKSHOP DAY: 3 October 2020. How could you possibly NOT love your bookshop?
Bookshops are spice melange. They expand your mind, journey you through the stars. They hold you seductively captive so you return again and again seeking history, truth, solace, magic, anything because once you've tasted you can’t live without it. Here's to you, bookshops everywhere. Here's to you, my own bookshop. Here's to you, wonderful staff everywhere but especially at The Sun Bookshop Yarraville. The Sun Bookshop Love Your Bookshop

12 months ago, Pan Macmillan Australia released my debut Wearing Paper Dresses. I’m taking the rest of September to celebrate!
Heartfelt thanks to so many people all round Australia, New Zealand, Scotland, England, Sweden. Thanks to family for your support; friends for honest encouragement. To all those wonderful readers I’ve since met because you not only read, but bothered to contact, tell me what you thought, encourage me. Thanks to professionals who gave me the good oil. To book clubbers; bookshops, librarians and literary festival holders who invited me. Thankyou Indie Book Awards for my shortlisting.
This journey has been one of the best.
Thankyou especially you book lovers.
Pan Macmillan Australia InkWell Management Looking Glass Creative - Digital Marketing for Authors and Creatives

Wearing Paper Dresses is nearly 12 months old! It has a few teeth; it has toddled confidently all round the world. Can you see me sitting on that pile of Wearing Paper Dresses, reading Wearing paper Dresses? Thank you Heather Crawley.

I found this little beauty in a second hand shop (nowhere near Manangatang). I just love it.
Manangatang was where I had to forsake the security of my one roomed Chillingollah State School with a total enrolment of 16. I headed off to Manangatang on the old school bus to the terrors of High School, numerous rooms, about 100 children. Manang (as the locals call it) was also the arch rival of my Chinkapook footy team.
Does anyone else have memorabilia like this fondly stashed away?
Pira & Chillingollah area - in the Mallee

The road from Swan Hill to Chillingollah.
Well, the week has just passed when I was supposed to be having a wonderful time in my old home ground visiting the Swan Hill, Rochester and Echuca libraries to talk about my Wearing Paper Dresses. I am sad and sorry about that but I am safe and well, and I hope that you are too. I will get there one day you wonderful country libraries, when it is safe to do so. In the meantime, let's all keep reading and writing.
PS: That's me at Chillingollah my older and younger sister and my mother on the front verandah; and me and my big sister helping shed next year's seed wheat.
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Geraniums in tins …..
I was recently invited to attend a book club meeting with a truly lovely bunch of ladies.
We chatted and mused, from a decent socially distanced perspective, all things literary and bookish; and in particular Wearing Paper Dresses. I can't recall if geraniums in tins were mentioned (although I am sure they would have been in our thoughts somewhere …)
Thank you Barb, Rosemary, Sue and Catherine. It was truly a joy!

Have you run out of books to read while you are hunkered down in Iso? Bookshops around the country are bringing books to people everywhere with revised opening hours, phone or online orders and pick-up, or as in the case of my beloved The Sun Bookshop, peddling your orders to your door. Follow to find your local bookshop and support these local businesses doing it tough due to COVID-19

I know we're all thinking about what's precious to us at the moment.

It got me thinking about what books I have at home that are especially precious to me.

And then I thought about how wonderful it would be if we all shared our most precious books with each other.

So I am starting with this one. A tiny book make by my daughter Emmeline when she was four years old.

She made it for me.

It was a complete surprise and is such a lovely thing.

A few observations about this literary masterpiece:

🔖 Emmeline wrote and illustrated it herself
🔖 She knew I was a teacher librarian so she did all the right thing - she covered it properly (in sticky tape!)
🔖 She numbered the pages (but missed page 4)
🔖 She listened to Melville Dewey and catalogued it

Perhaps we could share books and the stories about what they mean with each other? I'd love to know yours.

What precious books are on your bookshelf?

I had an incredible time on ABC Radio National's The Bookshelf. If you love a good book natter, do please have a listen.

I'm discussing Tommy Wieringa's 'The Blessed Rita' but as you'll hear, we can't help ourselves, we chat about LOADS of books. Also on the show is the wonderful Mireille Juchau.

Please beware though, your 'TBR' pile may grow after listening.

https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/the-bookshelf/the-bookshelf-friday-13-march-2020/12049084

Make sure you take a closer look while travelling on public transport today!

I, along with lots of other fantastic authors, dropped books on public transport today to celebrate International Women's Day with Books on the Rail!

I dropped 'Wearing Paper Dresses' at Yarraville train station. May it fall into the hands of a reader who needs it.

📷 .little.hearts (on Instagram)

How about that? It's National Grammar Day.

I have always loved good grammar. But sometimes I like to play around with sentences that are really not all that pure grammatically.

Like putting lots of 'ands' into a sentence instead of commas. Or chopping a sentence short. And starting another one instead of using a semicolon.

How do you feel about grammar? Do you adhere strictly, are you a little more playful?

I had such an incredible time with beautiful readers at Horsham, Warracknabeal and St Arnaud libraries. This is me at the St Arnaud library.

I'm really enjoying my time talking about 'Wearing Paper Dresses'. I'd love to get out and about to do more.

What do you think? What's your local library or bookstore? Do they have events you often go to?

Hope makes all the difference 🌱

You can find the full interview with Australian Arts Review in the link in my bio.

It's been a wild start to the year, that's for sure, but what things bring you hope?

HAPPY LIBRARY LOVER'S DAY! (Yes, yes it's also that day too).

I love libraries.
They're a lifeline of any community.
A refuge.
A sanctuary.

In my past life, I was a Secondary Teacher Librarian and I’ve been writing some of my next book at the State Library of Victoria. Don't you just love their spiral cast-iron stairs?

Are you a library lover too?

📸 Auckland Zoo

I couldn't resist posting this beautiful kiwi to share a gorgeous review for 'Wearing Paper Dresses' I found from the fabulous people at RNZ (Radio New Zealand).

Please take a listen. It's so wonderful: https://www.rnz.co.nz/audio/player?audio_id=2018721116

📷 (on Instagram)
Do you listen to music while you create?

My writing's inspired by watching the land around me wherever I am. I don’t actually listen to music when I write. I like silence.

What inspires you?

Anne Brinsden Author added a button to help you learn more about them.

This is so lovely. What books are on your 'Best of 2019' lists?

I'm a little speechless right now but also completely thrilled to see 'Wearing Paper Dresses' has been shortlisted for the 2020 Indie Book Awards for Debut Fiction!

What an honour!

I'm in incredible company with these authors: https://www.indiebookawards.com.au/post/shortlist-announced-for-the-2020-indie-book-awards

Australian Independent Bookseller
Pan Macmillan Australia

I’ve been wanting to say something about the bushfires, but I have struggled. It has been overwhelming.

I’ve spent the last few years of my working life being responsible for first response for relief and recovery after 3 or 4 serious bushfires around Ballarat; and also, previously Black Saturday.

The wonderful efforts of all emergency and response people who are working so tirelessly right now and over the past and coming months are nothing but heroic.

I’ve been watching the hashtag and book community coming together. It’s truly something special. I didn’t think I was well known enough to participate but am personally donating to the appeal.

My heart, like yours I'm certain, is very heavy, but it’s seeing wonderful people come together to help that are lessening that ache ever so slightly.

Dear reader, I hope you and yours are safe and can take heart in the good, we are seeing in many, many people.

📷 Jeremy McMahon/Bureau of Land Management via AP

📚 If 'Wearing Paper Dresses' had a theme song, what would it be? 📚

‘Go Away From My Window’ sung by Linda Ronstadt. It is usually interpreted as being about love rejection but I think of it in this context as trying to get the terrors of mental illness to go away.

What do you think? What song would you pick?

READ MORE from my interview with the fine folks at Booktopia: https://www.booktopia.com.au/blog/2019/09/24/read-a-qa-with-anne-brinsden-debut-author-of-wearing-paper-dresses/?fbclid=IwAR389Qxp3zdjlQQZ3Gf7zIJZvmAovatoTpXYQaJJnUJI5Wp4KGJbHiozpoI

Read a Q&A with Anne Brinsden, debut author of Wearing Paper Dresses! - The Booktopian "I found myself making up stories about how people cope and why they cope." Read a Q&A with Anne Brinsden, author of Wearing Paper Dresses.

There are only a couple of hours left of 2019. I'm looking forward to 2020.

If I had any goals for the coming year they would be:

🔘 To visit all the wonderful bookstores and libraries across Australia and New Zealand who have supported my novel
🔘 To write the best new novel I can possibly write

Are you setting any goals? Resolutions?

Happy New Year wonderful people.

I wanted to wish everyone a very happy Christmas and a new year full of joy and hope!

This is my beautiful grandson, Noah. One of my smallest fans.

As the year meanders towards its close, I find myself thinking about what my first year as an author has been like.

Quite simply, after a long working career, being a published author has been so much more than I could've possibly imagined.

Being longlisted as a debut author in the 2020 Indie Book Awards is the icing on the cake of a truly wonderful year.

I'm so grateful. A big thank you to you. Yes, you reading this. Thank you for your support. Every message, call, comment, share and like means a lot to me.

Pan Macmillan Australia
Australian Independent Bookseller

It was an absolute thrill chatting to the lovely Rosemary Puddy on The Book Podcast!

I hope you'll have a listen! I'd love to know what you think.

Pan Macmillan Australia

Ep. 146 Wearing Paper Dresses – Anne Brinsden Elise isn’t from the Mallee, and she knew nothing of its ways. Over the years Marjorie’s mother’s seesaws between fragile health and madness but events finally overwhelm her and her daughter…

I’m looking forward to getting into some reading AND rereading over the holidays.

Reading: John le Carré’s ‘Agent Running in the Field’ and Favel Parrett’s ‘There Was Still Love’.

Rereading: The Forsyth Saga. My mother bought these treasures for me for Christmas when I was 14!

What are you reading or rereading over the break?

I'm incredibly honoured, humbled and a little lost for words at being longlisted for the 2020 Indie Book Awards for Debut Fiction!

https://www.booksandpublishing.com.au/articles/2019/12/04/143293/indie-book-awards-2020-longlists-announced/

Australian Independent Bookseller
Pan Macmillan Australia

I was so fortunate to be interviewed about WEARING PAPER DRESSES by the wonderful Jan Goldsmith, for her program Published or Not on 3CR Community Radio.

A big thank you to Jan. I think all those sticky notes really do show how much she liked my book!

I’d love if you have a listen: https://www.3cr.org.au/publishedornot/episode-201911211130/anne-brinsden-and-scott-westerfeld

Ping: Pan Macmillan Australia