Aleesah Darlison
Latest News
January 2014
During the January school holidays, I will be visiting a number of community libraries and bookstores to conduct creative writing workshops for children, including:
Gympie Library, QLD, Monday 6 Jan 10am - Making Picture Books
Coffs Harbour Library, NSW, Tuesday 14 Jan 10am - Making Picture Books
Noosaville Library, QLD, Wednesday 8 Jan 10am - Fast & Furious Writing
Cooroy Libraray, Sunshine Coast QLD, Wednesday 8 Jan 1pm - Making Picture Books
Wingham Library, NSW, Wednesday 15 Jan 10:30am - Teddy Bears Picnic
Taree Library, NSW, Wednesday 15 Jan 11:45am - Write a Mystery
Hallidays Point Library, NSW, Wednesday 15 Jan 2pm - Unicorns & Dragons Party
Thirroul Library, South Coast NSW, Thursday 16 Jan - KIDS DAY OUT various workshops and talks.
Beecroft Children's Bookstore, Beecroft, NSW, Monday 20 Jan 9-12:30pm - Writing Games Workshop
Woollahra Library, Sydney NSW, Tuesday 21 Jan - Fantasy Fun and Making Picture Books
Strathfield Library, Sydney NSW, Friday 24 Jan 10:30am - Making Picture Books
If you'd like to come along to one of these events, contact the library or bookstore directly.
November 2013
Join me for my 'How to Make a Picture Book Workshop' at Castle Hill Library Feast of Speakers. Tuesday 19 November, 2013. Festival brochure here.
I will also be appearing at Equitana on the Horsewyse Magazine Stand and in the Kids Interactive Area to do unicorn nail art, temporary tattoos and book sales and signings. Learn more about Equitana here: http://www.equitana.com.au/
March 2013
Tinonee Public School Fete will be held Saturday 16 March. Come along and grab a bargain. I'll be there running Unicorn Crafty Parties where children can decorate their very own unicorn horn to take home as well as doing colouring-in activities and hear me read from my Unicorn Riders books. Manning Valley Books will have a bookstand where fans can purchase signed copies of the Unicorn Riders.
February 2013
Very excited to say that I will be touring the South Coast (NSW) during February visiting preschools and primary schools including: Shellharbour Child Care Centre, Bomaderry Community Preschool, Lani's Preschool Kiama, Berry Community Preschool, Cabbage Patch Preschool Milton, Milton-Ulladulla Preschool, St Mary's Primary School Moruya and Bermagui Primary School.
January 2013
Come and meet your favourite authors at KIDS DAY OUT, Thirroul District Community Centre & Library, 9:30am-3:30pm, Thursday 17 January. I'll be there running Unicorn Crafty Parties where you can decorate your very own unicorn horn to take home and also running a writing and drawing workshop called Fantasy Fun. Hope to see you there! For more details, click on this link: Kids Day Out Flyer. This is a FREE event.
During January, I will also be running writing workshops in the school holidays at the following libraries:
'Art of Story' at Narellan Library
'Making Picture Books' at Lake Macquarie Council Library
'Making Picture Books' at Newcastle Library
'Fantasy Fun' at Newtown Library
Please contact the libraries directly to make bookings.
December 2012
On Friday 7 December, a project I had been working on throughout the year finally came to fruition. The Manning Valley/Great Lakes anthology project 'We Are Now, We Are The Future' was launched at Taree Library. The anthology featured the creative writing of sixty local primary school students.
The launch was amazing. We had well over a hundred students, parents, teachers, principals, library staff, NYOR Ambassadors, community members and the media at Taree Library to help us celebrate. The place was buzzing. Camera flashes were popping everywhere as the young authors featured in photograph after photograph. Several students read their stories out, which was very exciting to witness. Students were also given pens to sign each other’s books, and I was thrilled to be able to sign some too. My publisher, Walker Books, provided some extra special giveaways for the students.
So many teachers and parents approached me at the launch to thank me and say how wonderful the project was for the community and how thrilled they were for their children to be involved in it. My hope is that one day some of these students will become published authors in their own right. For me, that’s what it’s all about. Inspiring others to write, to express themselves, to know that they can achieve. Simple things like that make a huge difference in kids’ lives.
November 2012
Totally Twins 4: Birthday Bonanza has just been released. Serena Geddes, the illustrator of the series, and I launched the book at the Sutherland Shire Writers Festival.
August 2012
My latest novel, I Dare You, part of the Walker Books Lightning Strikes series has been released. The book features Ben Hopper, a kid who moves from a small country town to a big city school. Themes of the book include family, relationships, brotherly love and bullying. If you're going to read I Dare You, get set for some laughs! I'm very proud of this book as it reflects similar issues to those I faced growing up.
October 2011
Walker Books has released my brand new fantasy adventure series, Unicorn Riders. Four books have been released together: Quinn's Riddles, Willow's Challenge, Krystal's Choice and Ellabeth's Test. I'm now working hard to write and edit Books 5 and 6, which will be released in July 2012.
For more information about the Unicorn Riders series, click here: Unicorn Riders. And keep an eye out for our launch event to be held in November.
October 2011
The Totally Twins Series now has its own dedicated website. Check it out at: http://www.totallytwins.com.au.
September 2011
Class 2N from Balgowlah Heights starred in the totally cool Totally Twins Short Film. The children were 7 and 8 years old. I was totally amazed at how brilliant they were. I think we have some budding actors here. Thanks to everyone who was involved. If you'd like to check out the film, click here: Totally Twins Short Film on Youtube.
August 2011
Totally Twins 3: Tropical Trouble has been released! In Tropical Trouble, Perse and her twin sister, Portia, travel to Fiji with their Gran. There's just one catch - their totally annoying, seven-year-old next-door neighbour, Dillon Pickleton is going with them! Catch up on Perse's latest adventure in Totally Twins 3: Tropical Trouble. In all good bookstores now, including Berkelouw Books, Balgowlah, where Serena Geddes and I launched the book (see photo below).
November 2010
Puggle's Problem has made it onto the 2011 NSW Premier's Reading Challenge List. Check out the listing by following the link below, then scrolling down until you reach 'Darlison'.
https://products.schools.nsw.edu.au/prc/booklist/listBooksByAuthor.html?letter=D&levelId=1
November 2010
I made the news! While on my tour of Manning Valley and Great Lakes, I appeared on the news for two local TV stations. Click on the links below to see the video footage.
Prime TV News, Monday 29 November 2010
NBN News, Tuesday 30 November 2010
Amongst other things, I will be joining forces with Featherdale Wildlife Park on Sunday 21 November for their first ever Puggle Picnic. Find out more here: PP Flyer.
September 2010
I have some exciting events lined up for September surrounding the release of my Totally Twins Series. Click on the links below to find out more:
Totally Fabulous Book Launch - Berkelouw Books, Balgowlah
Saturday Storytime - with Kate Forsyth, Serena Geddes and Poona Bowden. Manly Library, Manly.
August 2010
Check out some of the wonderful articles about me that have appeared recently:
Manning River Times, 21 July 2010
Great Lakes Advociate, 28 July 2010
Manning River Times, 3 August 2010
Wingham Chronicle, 5 August 2010
Manning River Times, 6 August 2010
All I can say is that's it's been busy!
July 2010
I've recently signed a six book deal with Walker Books for a new fantasy series for girls aged 7+. This is of course very exciting, but now the hard work starts. Stay tuned for more details soon.
My first ever picture book, Puggle's Problem, was released on 1 July. I'm now embarking on a whirlwind tour of my local area and the Manning Valley where I grew up conducting book launches, school visits, author talks, writers' festivals, and storytime sessions. I've had terrific support from my friends, family, local community and the local media. I couldn't have asked for a better start to my career as a published author.
The next few months are going to be extremely hectic, I know, but I am looking forward to everything that is on the horizon.
It's all systems go for my Totally Twins series, too, with the first book in the series titled, 'Musical Mayhem' due for release in September. The book has been sent to the printers, so it's only a matter of time now.
Check out my Appearances Page for details of where you can catch me promoting my books.
May 2010
My first author interview has been published in Focus Magazine. Focus is distributed to all households in the Manning Valley & Great Lakes area of NSW.
You can check out the full interview by clicking here: Focus Interview.
Plans for my tour to promote Puggle's Problem are well under way. During July and August I will be visiting loads of schools, bookstores and libraries to spread the word about puggles. Check out my Appearances page for more information.
April 2010
Exciting things are happening for The Fabulous Diary of Persephone Pinchgut series!
Sophia Whitfield, the publisher at New Frontier, took the books to the Bologna Book Fair in March and they were very well received.
Check out the New Frontier blogspot for all the goss: http://bit.ly/d8pMK1.
The books were also mentioned in the April online issue of Australian Bookseller & Publisher.
The Short & Scary anthology published by black dog books has been released and looks fabulous. My story, Tumbleweed, has been included. I am so excited to be amongst such good company in the others authors in the book, including Susanne Gervay, Sheryl Gwyther, Meredith Costain and James Roy.
And as the date draws near for the release of my first picture book, Puggle's Problem, I'm making plans to tour the Northern Beaches of Sydney and my home town, Taree, where I grew up. Check out my APPEARANCES page for more info.
March 2010
I'm very excited to announce that internationally-renowned New Zealand artist Jill Carter-Hansen (who now resides in Sydney) has been confirmed as the illustrator for my picture book, Bearly There. The book will be released in 2012, but keep an eye out for sneak previews and updates in the months to come.
February 2010
My short story 'Tumbleweed' (which is actually a part of a longer work titled Squiggly Greenmeadow: Keeper of the Phoneix) has been accepted for publication in the 'Short and Scary' anthology.
The anthology will be published by black dog books and will be released in April 2010. Keep an eye out for it!
January 2010
Exciting news! I have just received word that I have had another picture book accepted for publication. Discussions with the publisher, Rochelle Manners, at Wombat Books had been taking place for several months. Early in January, I received the contract for Puggle's Problem and the project is now full steam ahead.
We are hoping to publish the picture book, which will be my first to hit the shelves, in June 2010. Renowned and multi-award winning wildlife artist, Sandra Temple is the illustrator for the project.
On another front, armed with a much faster, slicker and more efficient laptop, I have been redrafting my junior novel, Sebastian Smee and the Tassie Devils, following some very helpful feedback from my mentor, Kate Forsyth.
I hope to have this project completed soon so I can move onto further developing and refining another junior novel titled I Dare You.
I have so many other ideas and projects in the pipeline, including some quirky picture book manuscripts that I would like to write in 2010. I'm very excited about the year ahead and often feel that there are not enough hours in the day. Truly, the fun never stops!
November & December 2009
I was busy organising the inaugural CBCA Northern Sydney Sub-Branch Christmas Party at which international best-selling author, Kate Forsyth, was guest speaker.
I'm happy to say the evening was a resounding success with over 80 authors, illustrators, publishers, booksellers and teacher-librarians present. Check out my Photo Gallery page for all the snaps and some of the wonderful comments that flowed in after the fun-filled event.
Besides organising that function, I have been working on the second installment in The Diary of Persephone Pinchgut Series, 'Model Behaviour'.
September 2009
I travelled to the CYA Conference in Brisbane where I met with Jacinta di Mase, Literary Agent. During the meeting, Jacinta agreed to represent me (how could she resist!?), which I am very excited about.
Currently, I'm working with Jacinta to have several of my manuscripts placed with publishers. Hopefully, I will have more news on this front shortly!
June 2009
I was thrilled to win a mentorship through the Australian Society of Authors (ASA) for my junior novel, Sebastian Smee and the Tassie Devils.
The prize includes 30 hours of time to work with a published author to improve the manuscript and prepare it ready for publication.
I'm very lucky to have Kate Forsyth, internationally acclaimed, best-selling author as my mentor.
May 2010
My first author interview has been published in Focus Magazine. Focus is distributed to all households in the Manning Valley & Great Lakes area of NSW.
You can check out the full interview by clicking here: Focus Interview.
Plans for my tour to promote Puggle's Problem are well under way. During July and August I will be visiting loads of schools, bookstores and libraries to spread the word about puggles. Check out my Appearances page for more information.
April 2010
Exciting things are happening for The Fabulous Diary of Persephone Pinchgut series!
Sophia Whitfield, the publisher at New Frontier, took the books to the Bologna Book Fair in March and they were very well received.
Check out the New Frontier blogspot for all the goss: http://bit.ly/d8pMK1.
The books were also mentioned in the April online issue of Australian Bookseller & Publisher.
The Short & Scary anthology published by black dog books has been released and looks fabulous. My story, Tumbleweed, has been included. I am so excited to be amongst such good company in the others authors in the book, including Susanne Gervay, Sheryl Gwyther, Meredith Costain and James Roy.
And as the date draws near for the release of my first picture book, Puggle's Problem, I'm making plans to tour the Northern Beaches of Sydney and my home town, Taree, where I grew up. Check out my APPEARANCES page for more info.
March 2010
I'm very excited to announce that internationally-renowned New Zealand artist Jill Carter-Hansen (who now resides in Sydney) has been confirmed as the illustrator for my picture book, Bearly There. The book will be released in 2012, but keep an eye out for sneak previews and updates in the months to come.
February 2010
My short story 'Tumbleweed' (which is actually a part of a longer work titled Squiggly Greenmeadow: Keeper of the Phoneix) has been accepted for publication in the 'Short and Scary' anthology.
The anthology will be published by black dog books and will be released in April 2010. Keep an eye out for it!
January 2010
Exciting news! I have just received word that I have had another picture book accepted for publication. Discussions with the publisher, Rochelle Manners, at Wombat Books had been taking place for several months. Early in January, I received the contract for Puggle's Problem and the project is now full steam ahead.
We are hoping to publish the picture book, which will be my first to hit the shelves, in June 2010. Renowned and multi-award winning wildlife artist, Sandra Temple is the illustrator for the project.
On another front, armed with a much faster, slicker and more efficient laptop, I have been redrafting my junior novel, Sebastian Smee and the Tassie Devils, following some very helpful feedback from my mentor, Kate Forsyth.
I hope to have this project completed soon so I can move onto further developing and refining another junior novel titled I Dare You.
I have so many other ideas and projects in the pipeline, including some quirky picture book manuscripts that I would like to write in 2010. I'm very excited about the year ahead and often feel that there are not enough hours in the day. Truly, the fun never stops!
November & December 2009
I was busy organising the inaugural CBCA Northern Sydney Sub-Branch Christmas Party at which international best-selling author, Kate Forsyth, was guest speaker.
I'm happy to say the evening was a resounding success with over 80 authors, illustrators, publishers, booksellers and teacher-librarians present. Check out my Photo Gallery page for all the snaps and some of the wonderful comments that flowed in after the fun-filled event.
Besides organising that function, I have been working on the second installment in The Diary of Persephone Pinchgut Series, 'Model Behaviour'.
September 2009
I travelled to the CYA Conference in Brisbane where I met with Jacinta di Mase, Literary Agent. During the meeting, Jacinta agreed to represent me (how could she resist!?), which I am very excited about.
Currently, I'm working with Jacinta to have several of my manuscripts placed with publishers. Hopefully, I will have more news on this front shortly!
June 2009
I was thrilled to win a mentorship through the Australian Society of Authors (ASA) for my junior novel, Sebastian Smee and the Tassie Devils.
The prize includes 30 hours of time to work with a published author to improve the manuscript and prepare it ready for publication.
I'm very lucky to have Kate Forsyth, internationally acclaimed, best-selling author as my mentor.