Category: events

Littlescribe Mini Writing Festival

It’s a writing program and a writers festival all-in-one, and it’s back for another year!

The 2023 Littlescribe Mini-Writing Festival features Australian Children’s Laureate Gabrielle Wang, past laureate Jackie French, CBCA picture book of the year winner Claire Saxby, best-sellers Jacqueline Harvey and Louise Park, and festival favourites Deb Abela and Oliver Phommavanh. Oh, and me too.

It’s on from Monday 31st July to Friday 4th August and is fully online, so no matter where your school is (or whether you’re homeschooling), you can join in. There’s sessions for students aged 5-14, covering everything from poetry to picture books, and sports writing to slam poetry.

I’ll be chatting with Tim Harris (we made Toffle Towers together!) about creating and illustrating unique characters, plus joining all the other sessions as an illustrator-in-residence.

Program below. Full details on the LittleScribe website.

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Supanova Comic Con Perth

I’ve just finished up an awesome weekend at Perth Supanova Comic Con!

I got to see some incredible cosplay, chat with Kevin Eastman (co-creator of the Ninja Turtles!!), catch up with my bud Brenton McKenna, get a hand-delivered fan letter from Super Mario and hang out with the wonderful authors Meg Caddy and Renae Hayward (my gorgeous wife)!

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Sydney Writers (and Secret Agents) Festival

I recently spent a packed couple of days at the Sydney Writers Festival Family Day! Here’s a couple of highlights.

A spy infiltrates the Festival…

As part of a panel on Junior Fiction, Adrian Beck and I had a spy-off. The objective? Blend in and make your way to the stage without being seen, using any means necessary. 

This here hombre was served humble pie as his last meal, with bullets for dessert, as I went up against Serena Geddes, Heath McKenzie and Charmaine Ledden-Lewis in an Illustrator Battle. Congrats to Charmaine (AKA Lead-Pencil Lewis) for being the quickest draw in the inner-west. Special thanks to our excellent MC (and chief cat wrangler) Adrian Beck.

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School holiday cartooning workshop (online)

Join me for an online cartooning workshop this school holidays!⁠
⁠
Learn how to draw characters from my new graphic novel series, SECRET AGENT MOLE. (NB: if you did the workshop last holidays, you’ll be learning how to draw all-new characters!).
⁠
PLUS go in the draw to WIN signed sketches from the session! ⁠

Tickets are only $5 per family, and half of all proceeds go to Room to Read – a wonderful international charity that builds libraries and creates books for children in the developing world.
⁠
This is an online workshop and will be held via Zoom. You’ll get the zoom link via email once you register. ⁠
⁠
Suitable for kids aged 7-10. ⁠
⁠
DATE: ⁠Sat July 15th⁠
⁠
TIME: ⁠
9am – 10am (WA) ⁠
10:30am – 11:30am (NT, SA) ⁠
11am – 12pm (AEST)⁠
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WHERE: ⁠online (zoom)⁠
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TICKETS: ⁠$5 per family. ⁠Register here.

Upcoming events, June-Sept

I’ve got some fantastic events coming up:

  • the Perth Supanova Comic Con;
  • the Littlescribe Mini-Writing Festival;
  • storytime workshops at The Lane Bookshop;
  • an online cartooning workshop; and
  • three launches for Secret Agent Mole, book 2!

Details below.

June 24-25: Supanova Comic Con, Perth

In a surreal and welcome turn of events, I’ll be a guest author at this year’s Supanova Perth!

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FREE online cartooning workshop!

Join me for a FREE online cartooning workshop this school holidays!⁠
⁠
Learn how to draw characters from my new graphic novel series, SECRET AGENT MOLE … ⁠
⁠
PLUS go in the draw to WIN one of 5 signed copies of book 1: Goldfish-Finger! ⁠
⁠
This is an online workshop and will be held via Zoom. You’ll get the zoom link via email once you register. ⁠
⁠
Suitable for kids aged 7-10. ⁠
⁠
DATE: ⁠Fri April 21st⁠
⁠
TIME: ⁠
9am – 10am (WA) ⁠
10:30am – 11:30am (NT, SA) ⁠
11am – 12pm (NSW, VIC, QLD)⁠
⁠
WHERE: ⁠online (zoom)⁠
⁠
BOOKINGS: ⁠Essential! ⁠Register here.

See you at the Sydney Writers Festival

Sydney, I’m coming back for the Writers Festival at the end of May!⁠

I’ve got four sessions, all FREE: ⁠

FRIDAY 26th⁠ MAY

SUNDAY 28th MAY (Family Day)⁠

  • 11am: Junior Fiction Spotlight
    (with Adrian Beck and Jasmin McGaughey)⁠
    ⁠
  • 12:30pm: Storytime Clubhouse⁠
    ⁠
  • 3pm: Illustrator Battle
    (with Heath McKenzie, Serena Geddes, Charmaine Ledden-Lewis and Adrian Beck)

Head to the Sydney Writers Festival website for more details.

I can’t wait!! See you there.

James’ Big Bookshop Tour

I just got back from an interstate bookshop tour to promote my new graphic novel series, Secret Agent Mole.

I visited 66 bookshops in 3 states in 8 days.

It was ridiculous and busy and a total blast!

After sleeping for three days straight (I wish) I put together this video.

Thanks to all the bookshops that welcomed me and let me sign their copies of Secret Agent Mole. You are all champions! Support local and grab a signed copy from these awesome stores:

Perth, WA

Melbourne, VIC

Sydney, NSW

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Secret Agent Mole, book 1 is declassified as of today!

My new graphic novel series Secret Agent Mole is finally out in the world as of today! Book 1: Goldfish-Finger is available wherever you get your books, (including the latest Scholastic Australia book club catalogue).

We had the WA launch last weekend at the Perth Festival family day, in the beautiful grounds of the Fremantle Arts Centre. Somehow our venue reached capacity, and we sold a massive stack of signed books! Thanks to everyone who came along. Here’s some pics from the morning.

My wife launched her new book at the festival, too; it’s called Say Hooray and it’s illustrated by Rebecca Mills. Renae and Rebecca and I were gifted with the most incredible hand-painted gingerbread biscuits made by local bookseller Kristy Diffey. Check these out:

They were almost too good to eat … almost. Thanks so much, Kristy!

A huge thanks to the team at Scholastic for making this book with me – thanks Andrew, Sharon, my editor Laura Sieveking and our brilliant designer Hannah Janzen. It’s turned out so great. Now, on to book 2!

Continue reading “Secret Agent Mole, book 1 is declassified as of today!”