Drawings and bushfires
January 10th, 2013
One of my favourite things is when people send me cool pictures they have made, or drawings or photos. Especially when it’s not even a competition. 🙂
This week, two drawings came from Lily. Here’s what she had to say:
‘I spent all afternoon working on this drawing. It was meant to be rough, but I ended up working hard on detail. The drawing with a rubber and pencil was me, and it was very rusty. My mum kindly offered to polish it with a splash of colour. I’m appreciative of her amazing work. It makes it look more … alive. If you know what I mean. I spent ages trying to do this, and at one point rubbed out Toadspit’s whole body. In case you haven’t guessed, it’s City of Lies, the chapter named Too Much Water and the little speech was Flense who said it supposedly to Cord and Smudge.
"There once was a time when the city used these sewers to drown pirates. A bit of rain and a high tide, and and the water comes pouring in. It fills the whole cellar. Well, we've had the rain, and the high tide is just after sunrise. All we have to do is wait here and make sure they don't escape."
The second picture is of Goldie.
This (says Lily) was just a small drawing I didn’t put too much effort into, from Path of Beasts where Goldie is being tested by the Path, and she’s trying to make her way out of Old Scratch. That moment really scared me, it might not be one of those moments that is meant to get you excited, but that was one of them for me.
The chosen one
I really like the fact that these drawings are so full of action and emotion. In the first one, you can see the fear in Goldie’s eyes if you look closely, even though she’s wearing a mask.
Apart from the niceness of drawings, this week has been full of very destructive bushfires in southern Tasmania, and in the north of the state as well. This is what my beach looked like the other day, with smoke blowing across the bay from the fires at Dunalley. A lot of people have lost their homes, and a lot of wild animals have died, but so far no humans have been killed. 
I know that those of you who live in other Australian states have also been having dreadful heatwaves, as well as your own fires. I hope you are all safe, and managing to stay cool. When it gets really hot I spray Miss Mouse with water which she hates, but it cools her down, which she likes. Unfortunately she never seems to make the connection between getting sprayed and being cooler, so she continues to hate it.
How do you stay cool? Swim? Stand under the hose?
58 thoughts on “Drawings and bushfires”
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About Lian
Lian Tanner has been dynamited while scuba diving and arrested while busking. She once spent a week in the jungles of Papua New Guinea, hunting for a Japanese soldier left over from the Second World War. Nowadays she lives by the beach in southern Tasmania.
More about Lian
We have a blow up pool! And have this really cool hose.
P.S. Beautiful pictures Lily!
Thanks Io!
I hope everyone is safe!
I hope everyone is safe too. My heart and support goes to anyone whose lost their homes. R.I.P. to the beautiful creatures of Australia.
gday lian just finished the keepers trilogy what a fantastic read i am 58 years old and thoroughly enjoyed them, the characters and story were truly wonderful. dont tell my daughter but i wish i had a brizzlehound and a idlecat. thanks for a great read, mal baker
Hello Mal, good to hear from you. I’m so glad you enjoyed the books, thanks for all the nice comments – and you’re not alone in wishing you had a brizzlehound. Not sure about the idlecat – I think it’d make life a bit TOO interesting. 😀
Dear Lian Tanner
Thank you so much for the Keeper’s Audiobooks ,I will promise that I will enjoy listening to them !
My sister is very happy that I am so enthusiastic about the audiobooks and hopes that you will do some books for younger children (Under 8) so they can read your amazing books by themselves !
Once again thank you Lian
From Conor Black (Lilli Black’s Brother!)
Hello Conor, how nice to hear from Lilli’s brother! I do hope you really really enjoy the first book. Let me know if you do!
Hi Lian,
I just want to say how much your tips have helped me, and how much effect they’ve had on my peices of writing. But I just want to say, although I do follow your tips, I also follow another thing that I discovered helped me. And I wanted to let you know that I make drafts of writing, then I rewrite it because I after I follow your tip, to leave it a while then read it again, it turns out not as good as I thought it was. Now I’m rewriting a book I think is a good idea. Just letting you know about rewriting, because I know it helped me, so I’m trying to help … well, not you, because you don’t need help, but other “young authors” as you call them (us).
LOVE LILY
An excellent tip, Lily. I find exactly the same thing with my writing, that after I leave it for a while it doesn’t look as good. Time away from a piece of writing is one of an author’s most valuable tools. And of course rewriting is essential. I shall pop your tip on the ‘Advice for young authors’ page.
😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀
<3
You know when you do something totally embarrassing and stupid? Well, I sent Sophie’s prize off to her a few days ago – a poster for MoT, carefully rolled up in a poster pack so it wouldn’t get damaged during the journey. At least, I THOUGHT I sent it off. But today I had an email from Sophie’s mum to say that I forgot to put the poster in the poster pack. 🙁 🙁 🙁 I am blushing at my own foolishness! But I will try again, and this time I WILL send the poster! 🙂
I feel sorry for you Lian! My brother, the year he turned eighteen did something like that with the vote. He got the form, then sent it without his signiture. Then they sent it back, telling him they needed his signiture. He felt silly and signed it, sending it to them again. Then later in the week, he got a call, saying:
“Is there a reason you sent your vote back without your signiture?” 😀 😀 😀 Poor guy… no, sucked in! *Grinning devilishly*
I know exactly how your brother felt, Lily. However I have now resent the poster pack – with the poster in it! (I hope!)
😀 I hopew so too! 😉
I found this review on a strange website, and it got me excited. I thought she was being so lovely, and pointing out great parts of your book, Lian, so I thought you’d better take a look, as well as your fans. Enjoy her praises! Here it is:
I first saw this cover on author Shannon Whitney Messenger’s blog and hoped I’d win her Middle-Grade-Monday ARC giveaway and Viola! Where do those windy stairs lead? What are all those unusual things lining the walls? A Museum for Thieves? Ingriguing!
It’s rare to find a middle grade book written about young children overcoming dystopian societies. What I loved most about this book is that it features both boy and girl characters as strong, important individuals that hold each other up when faced with adversity. Even though the main character is a girl, the boy character is not far behind in importance and heroism.
Can you imagine being leashed to your parents any time you leave the house? Or can you imagine walking up a flight of stairs that eventually lead you to and underground city with portals to other times and places?
I loved how Lian Tanner connects you to the story by including the story of Broo and the children’s curiousity and love for the dog. The bonding scene where Goldie and Toad spit get into a mud-slinging fight was fabulous. I found that the best part of the story was how the children went from being something to control, to deliverers. Their abilities were apparent to an adult character before their final act of heroism.
“No!” said Ma. “It’s much too dangerous!”
“She’s right. I forbid it!” shouted the Protector.
Sinew laughed and whacked the Protector on the back in a friendly fashion. “forbid it all you like! I swear they’ll go anyway, the minute you take your eyes off them! And besides, we need them. They’re quick and they’re clever. We won’t get the area cleared without them.”
This was a great adventure, far surpassing many middle-grade works. I did love the name Toad-Spit and how he got it. The epilogue was fantastic as well and had me laughing out loud. It was a fun surprise reading about what became of the two figures that were in the glass dome of the Great Hall during the flood.
For a middle-grade adventure I give this book ***** 5 stars!
Wow, what a great review! Thanks for pointing it out, Lily. Makes me feel all warm inside. 🙂 🙂
It’s all very, very true XD
All of that review is true! Lily I love those pictures and congratualations oon winning the dress up contest, you looked excellent, and Fist is deffinately the right name for that character. I haven’t commented on this website before but I just couldn’t resist it. For the whole Kepers trilogy it would have to be 6 out of five star rating.
Hi Jacynta, and welcome. How very nice to get six out of five stars!!!!!
😀
The Keepers is the best trilogy out there! I love it! My friends call me either Hermione or Goldie, you can call me either or you can just call me Jacynta. I have been suggesting the Keepers to all my friends and telling them to look into it, we like the same types of books such as Sherlock Holmes, Narnia, Harry Potter, A Series of Unfortunate Events, Ink Heart trilogy, Spiderwick, Wondla, Emily Rodda and information books of all types. I would suggest these books to you, I have to be 14 to read tomorrow when the war began but I hear that is really good. I like mystery and if you do I would suggest Nancy Drew or Trixy Belden and The Hardy Boys as well as Raven Lucas are ok. I am always looking for new boks so if you have any suggestions I would love to hear them. Goldie Roth is my new favourite character and for book week at school, I am going to dress up as her.
Thanks for recommending the Keepers trilogy to your friends, Jacynta. Please consider yourself to be one of my (unpaid) publicity agents. 🙂 We obviously like a lot of the same books, and I suspect that many of the other readers who visit this site would love the ones you recommend. And yes, John Marsden’s ‘Tomorrow’ series is wonderful. I haven’t read Raven Lucas, but read Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden when I was a kid (which is a long long time ago). I’ve put up a list of some of my favourite books here. I haven’t added to this list for a while, as I’ve been putting books on GoodReads instead.
Oh Lord of The Rings and The Hobbit are good too!
Oh yes! Have you seen the Hobbit movie? I loved it.
The Hobbit was EPICLY AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Totally agree, Io! What was your favourite bit? I really liked the sled rabbits – actually I loved all of it, but the sled rabbits were so funny.
The ummmmm…..
Well, everything but my favourite part was probably when the Hobbit had the ring because it turn him INVISIBLE!!!!!
That was pretty cool, wasn’t it. And Gollum searching all over the place, while Bilbo’s standing right there next to him.
The Hobbit was WICKED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you Hermione/Goldie/Jacynta!!! 😀 And I have some awesome books for you. I like these because they are sort of fantasy mixed with history. They are awesome. They’re called: The Red Pyramid, The Throne of Fire, The Serpents Shadow. Also, if you haven’t heard of John Flanagan then seek him out. He does like long descriptions and sometimes it takes a while to get into actoin but they are still awesome. At the moment (HALLA I am a total bookworm!!!) I am reading the Uglies series, fantasy but sort of mixed with real world. It’s like the Hunger Games, the future of earth. It’s really really fantastic. The series names are: Uglies, Pretties, Specials, Extras. I am on Pretties. Gosh there are so many… I have a list of books I want to read and there are currently 64 XD!!! Hmm… I love Emily rodda soooooooo much. Deltora Quest is one of my favorite series in my whole life. So now you have a few of the many many books I want to read and have read.
Don’t worry Jacynta, I’m not a stalker or anything, but what country do you live in and whats your age? Dont tell me if you dont want to; I just like meeting people who love books as much as I do.
It is ok, don’t worry I don’t think you are a stalker for asking me that Lily. It is not so much of imfromation I shouldn’t be giving you but I am turning 12 in July and I live in Canberra. You probably don’t live here but it has been really hot last Friday. 42 degrees, second hottest day that has been recorded and hottest January. I am so excited going into year 6. I will look into those books. Thanks Lily.
I am a total bookworm too.
XD!!!!!!!!!!!! I am turning twelve in febuary and I live in Tasmania! Same year, same country!!!! Maybe when we’re oldies we can meet face to face (Like forty or something). I am looking forward to being in the oldest year at rimary school… getting to be house captains and all!
What day in February? My brothers birthday is in February. Did you start school early or something because you were born before April? Then you’d be in highschool this year. I am in highschool next year because I am born after April. The 14th of July. I get excited when book characters have the same birthday as me!
I would be delighted to meet you. That would be nice because to me you sound really nice and that you wouldn’t be a bad friend to anybody. Do you want to be friends? I only have about 21 books to read know becasue I read quite a few during the school break.
Yes lets be friends… Do you have Skype? Or FaceTime? Or an iPod or iPhone? Because I have Skype and an iPod, so if you have skype and an iPod or iPhone we can talk… Face to face or on text. I try not to be a bad friend, and if charecters are even in febuary I get excited! Same AGE and I’m excited!!! Umm is it ok if I get ur e-mail and tell you my birthday on there? I’ll tell you why on e-mail too. SO contact me!!!
Lily, I think it’s a really bad idea to put your email address on a public forum, even if it’s a nice website like mine. 🙂 So I’ve deleted it, and I will send your email address to Jacynta – because I can see all your email addresses – he he he …
Thank you I appreciate it. I just had no other way of letting her know 😉
Sorry I don’t have Skype and iPod or an i Phone but I have an email address and I will give it to you through an email to you to be safe. I know you can be good at being a good friend if it is not so hard for you at school.
Aha, looks like you beat me to it, Jacynta! And by the way, I have met Lily, and I can confirm that she is very nice and will be a good friend. 🙂
I was wondering if you met her..
I was lucky enough to have Lily speak at my northern book launch in October last year. She did a brilliant and very complimentary review of Path of Beasts, which made me blush.
That is lucky for you and her, very lucky.
IKR!!!! I’m the luckiest little girl in the whole of australia!!! I’ve been spoiled rotten by Lian… *giggle*
Thank you Lian tanner for the audio book, I have listened to the first disc and then I will listen to the second!
A couple of days ago I was completely fascinated with planes ,and I thought it would be cool if Herro Dan &Olga fly out of there story and find a new character that goes on adventures with them but is soon sent to prison for his misdeeds!
My sister Lilli agreed .
Thankyou Lian Tanner
From Conor(Age 6)
P.s I had help from my mum!
Hello Conor, that sounds like a very exciting story you’ve got in mind, with the planes and everything. But I’m a bit busy rewriting Ice Breaker. So perhaps you could write it!
I feel like eating a cheeseburger.
Lilly that is so random !
🙂
Lian,there is this new site called storybird ,where you can write stories and publish them to a public Internet book library!
This is the link to the website !
http://storybird.com/
Oh by the way my username is Bravehearter ,if you want to check out my books,but I only have 2 !
From Lilli
Wow, that is a seriously cool website, Lilli. Thanks for telling me about it. I’m sure some of the other writers who come to this blog would like to try it out. And I loved your story ‘The Birds are Watching’!
I do that at school! My school acout is… whoops can’t remember! But I did write a book called “Reckless Bravery” Maybe you could find it without my username? It has a dragon on the front.
Oh my gosh !
Thank you so much Lian for going to read my book in your busy life !
It is a real pleasure ,and I hope that some of your other fans join storybird so we can all write books and show them too you!
From Lilli(An EXTREMLY EXCITED FAN OF LIAN TANNER!)
I went on the website and I made “I thought….”
Cool Io ,I can’t wait to read more books from you!
What’s your username on storybird, Io?
As you can see I didn’t know that sooooo much was going on here!
And I missed a bit but yeah…