Christchurch Writers Festival Cancelled
Due to MASSIVE EARTHQUAKE, the Christchurch Writers Festival is necessarily cancelled. I am very sad about this, of course, because I was very much looking forward to reading about the city IN the city and meeting lovely people. But this can certainly wait for a time when the city is not all shook up! Stay tuned for fundraising efforts. I have some plans along those lines that will hopefully amuse AND edify.
read moreGuardian of the Dead
In less than a day I had been harassed, enchanted, shouted at, cried on, and clawed. I’d been cold, scared, dirty, exhausted, hungry, and miserable. And up until now, I’d been mildly impressed with my ability to cope. At her boarding school in New Zealand, Ellie Spencer is like any ordinary teen: she hangs out with her best friend, Kevin; obsesses over her crush on a mysterious boy; and her biggest worry is her paper deadline. Then everything changes: In the foggy woods near the school, something ancient and deadly is waiting. Debut author Karen Healey introduces a savvy and...
read moreInky Awards Longlist
Internets, so many things to tell you! First, my osteopath, on learning that I have a blog, asked me to relay the sad story of his pet duck. Since the man does things to my neck that would cause angels to sing, particularly angels who sat in a terrible chair all day typing, I shall certainly fulfil his request. But secondly, and more moving to me personally than even stories of anatine woe, Guardian of the Dead has been longlisted for the Inky Awards. The Inkys are Australia’s only international awards for young adult fiction that are in the hands of the young adults themselves. The...
read moreGoing Places, Doing Things
Those of you attending the Melbourne Writers’ Festival or Worldcon 2010 might be interested in the events listings that will follow. The rest of you can admire this picture of my brand new hairstyle. I got it cut after I watched Scott Pilgrim vs The World. I know, right? I can barely wait to see what it looks like with my natural curls. Melbourne Writer’s Festival Thursday Sep 2, 12:30-1.15, ACMI 2 I am speaking with veteran and FABULOUS YA writer, Carole Wilkinson, on “The Lure of Ancient Magic”. Then I am toddling on over to: The 68th World Science Fiction...
read moreBringing It On
The excellent women at The Book Smugglers asked me to round out their five week Young Adult Appreciation Month. ANA AND THEA: “We would like you to write about awesome female characters in YA fiction.” ME: “You know, I have an awful lot to say about that topic!” So I did. The post features eleven must-read books with excellent young ladies, my girlcrush on Teal Sherer, a question as to why “strong female characters” are still considered some sort of remarkable feat, my thoughts on prizing many kinds of strength, a link to this excellent vid on awesome women...
read moreAbout Karen
Karen Healey is a young adult novelist. She is the author of the urban fantasies GUARDIAN OF THE DEAD and THE SHATTERING, both set in New Zealand, and the forthcoming sci-fi adventure WHEN WE WAKE. GUARDIAN OF THE DEAD won the 2010 Aurealis Award for Best YA Novel and was a finalist for the William C. Morris Award. Karen can tell you a lot about baking, covers of "Hallelujah" and superhero comics.
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