Congratulations to all the finalists in the
Montana NZ Book Awards. I was really pleased to see Eleanor Catton on the short list for the fiction prize. I confess I haven't read
The Rehearsal yet, but I always think it's a wonderful achievement for a first novel to get onto the shortlist for the big one. The book is on my TBR pile, honest. The only one I have read is Emily Perkins'
Novel About My Wife, which I loved. I was sorry that Paula Morris's excellent collection of short stories didn't make it - surely she is long overdue to have her work recognised. But while
last year was the year for short fiction (Alice Tawhai and Charlotte Grimshaw both on the shortlist of four; Grimshaw taking out the prize), it seems this year is the year for Young Adult fiction, with the inclusion of Bernard Beckett and Kate De Goldi, and the teenaged protagonists of Catton's novel. I have no complaints - I understand awards for what they are: the subjective opinion of well-qualified people who will no doubt choose different winners from the next set of well-qualified people.
On another note I have had a burst of productivity on my novel, and my deadline is looking easily achievable if I can keep it up. I also have a final title, all other options being rejected for one reason or another. The title is:
(dun dun dun DUUUUNNN)
Magpie Hall.
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13 comments:
Intriguing title...brings to mind all sorts of ideas and imagery and symbolism.
Well done with the progress!
I love it - 2 magpies out my window in the rain as I type
yippee a title - I love Magpies - and for a wholly other reason [nothing to do with birds] I had in mind Magpie for a future novel - oh well...
NICE title! Congratulations. :-)
P xx
Acid Song by Bernard Beckett is his first novel for adult readers.
Ah - thanks for clearing that up. I went to this website:
http://www.mightyape.co.nz/product/Acid-Song-a-Novel-NZ/2528119/
to check before i wrote the post, and it told me it was a Young Adult book.
Fantastic title!
Yay for a title. Isn't it amazing how we can trot out 80 thousand words for a novel relatively easily and then we agonise over two or three for a title!
"Relatively easily?" Speak for yourself young lady!! Although I have to say that the last 10,000 words have come pretty easily. Only half a chapter to go!
hi, I'm italian.just finished to read TSOB and found it really intriguing and fascinating...can't wait for your magpie hall! my congrats to you (and by the way..I picked TSOB in the bookstore just for the title as i didn't know you as a writer-i would have done the same if I came across a title such as "magpie hall"..you have a thing with titles!!!)
Thanks for stopping by Valeria. Did you read TSOB in English or in Italian? The Italian title is slightly different but I like it a lot. Hopefully MH will make it into Italian as well!
I read TSOB (Il rumore delle farfalle) in Italian and I think the translator made a very good work.I also hope MH will come in the Italian version, i'm going to read it in English otherwise! have a good day
I love the title too. Do you know the song Magpies by Patrick Wolf featuring a cameo by Marianne Faithfull ... beautiful
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