Judy Nunn's "Maralinga"

November 2009 has been a good month for Australian author Judy Nunn. Her new novel, "Maralinga" was November's selection for the Daily Telegraph Big Book Club. To top that off, Judy Nunn was on the cover of November's edition of "Good Reading" magazine, and the lead story was about her writing career and "Maralinga". "Maralinga" is the story of British Lieutenant Daniel Gardiner, who, in 1956, accepts a twelve-month posting to the wilds of South Australia on the promise of promotion. His fiance, Elizabeth Hoffman, is an adventurous English journalist. The site Daniel is posted to is the top-secret nuclear testing facility at Maralinga. There he is drawn into the unique madness surrounding the nuclear tests, where the young soldiers and the local Indigenous people were exposed to radiation. Sarah Minns, writing for "Good reading" magazine, November issue, stated that "The book is hard to categorise: part historical fiction, part intelligent thriller, part romance, it is very compelling, and often the most memorable parts are the scenes inspired by the true accounts of the period. For example, a gripping scene in "Maralinga" portrays the time the young British and Australian soldiers were instructed to stand near the explosions wearing just their combat uniforms, so the army could test out various fabric's suitability to nuclear warfare".

Judy Nunn is one of the most popular authors in our Library.

Attention all writers!

There are some great opportunities coming up in December for writers to hone their skills. The first is the WritersLINK workshop at Macquarie Regional Library, Dubbo, on Thursday 3 December, from 9.30am- 4.45pm. The workshop lineup includes Trudi Sheppard, an experienced publicist, who will talk about PR and marketing and media release writing. Dr David Reiter will talk about the application of new media in the composing and publishing of text and cross art form works. Kathielyn Job will discuss living and working as a professional artist in regional Australia with a focus on short stories and contemporary poetry. Peter and Pat Dargin will run a session that focusses on children's books, historical biography and family history, and different forms of writing. Paul Stafford, a literacy consultant and author, will cover writing for children and will give hints and tips on the challenges encountered. His latest series of comedy-horror books "Horror High" are published by Random House Australia.

This is a fabulous opportunity to attend a regional writer's workshop, at a cost of only $25 (includes lunch). To register for this workshop you will need to contact Orana Arts, phone 6817 8705, or email Kerry Ellen kellen@oranaarts.com .

The NSW Writer's Centre in Rozelle, Sydney, are running a Masterclass; a Fiction Writing Workshop with Jean Bedford, who is a well-known Australian novelist and short story writer. She has also been a journalist and an in-house or freelance editor for many of Australia's mainstream publishers. She has taught creative writing for over 20 years in most of the universities and writer's centres on Australia's east coast and has been a judge for many prestigious writing awards. She currently lectures in Creative Writing at UTS. The objective of this workshop is to allow participants to focus on their own writing and the work of others, developing critical abilities and skills to bring the work to completion. Benefit from the insight of Jean and other writers, share your experiences and learn from other writer's mistakes. This workshop will be held on Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 December, 10am-4pm, at the NSW Writers Centre, Rozelle, and the cost is $250. For more information, call 9555 9757 or visit www.nswwriterscentre.org.au

Health issues- books for young people

The Library has received some new books for young people about various topical issues. The first one “Body image” by Ann Harth explores the influences on body image and self-esteem. An Australian publication, this brief book delivers lots of good food for thought in a bright, magazine style format. A second book; “Too fat? Too thin? The healthy eating handbook” is a British publication. It is also presented in a bright, attractive format with sections on body image, healthy eating, portion size, BMI, eating disorders, food groups, balanced diets and the benefits of exercise.

“Youth with bipolar disorder: achieving stability” by David Hunter and Phyllis Livingston tells a story about a young girl who develops bipolar disorder. This story is presented as a simple novel, with coloured information pages at the end of each chapter. These pages discuss the symptoms and possible causes of bipolar disorder, and treatment and techniques to maintain mood stability. This book is a US publication, presenting a lot of information in an easy-to-read format.

Another volume in the same series is “Youth with conduct disorder: in trouble with the world” by Kenneth McIntosh and Phyllis Livingston. This one tells the story of an angry, destructive boy who is diagnosed with conduct disorder. Again, each chapter of the novel is followed by a series of coloured information pages, which describe what conduct disorder is, its possible causes and treatments, and some ways of coping. While these two books are aimed at teenagers, they could help people of all ages to develop a better understanding of these disorders.