Launching and touring and jumping on hotel beds
I’m gonna be on TV! Channel 9! The Today Show on the morning of Tuesday 8 March (that’s tomorrow). Let me tell you why…
Last week I had an amazing time touring around Adelaide to promote the release of my Royal Flying Doctor Service series of kids’ adventure books. I visited schools and bookstores, signed more books than I have ever done before, and did a few interviews. But without a doubt, the highlight was a trip to the South Australian outback town of Leigh Creek for the book launch. With the first book set in the nearby ghost town of Farina, with a frantic ride to the Leigh Creek Airport to meet the RFDS, this was the perfect location for the launch. It all began with my own really cool adventure — a flight in a little twin-engine Cessna.
It was a great privilege to have the books launched at the Leigh Creek Area School by the Honourable Susan Close, South Australia’s Education and Child Development Minister. Prior to the launch, she took the time to speak to classes and even read out loud from the first book in the series, Remote Rescue. And then she launched the books with a wonderfully engaging speech in front of the whole school. She was charming, intelligent, enthusiastic and a delight to chat with before and after the official event.
I got to say a few words about the writing of the books, and then handed over to RFDS representative Charlie Paterson. He had the kids enthralled as he spoke about the real-life work of the Flying Doctors, even showing a real-time map of Australia, pinpointing every RFDS plane currently in the air. Way cool!
Then there was LOTS of book signing, question answering and posing for photos.
The whole shebang was covered by Channel Nine’s Today Show. It will screen on Tuesday morning’s programme as part of an article about Leigh Creek and SA tourism. Very exciting!
Here are a couple of the promo photos Charlie Paterson took…
It was a busy launch and a jam-packed tour. But I did get some time to relax. So what does a kids’ author do for fun in Adelaide? Well… I met some life-sized cardboard cutouts…
And in my hotel room there was a card on the bed. It said…
JUMP ON THE BED
WE KNOW YOU WANT TO
It was right! I did want to…
Addendum — 8 March
The story screened on Channel 9’s Today Show at about 6:20am this morning. It was a great article. It can be viewed on the Today Show website. Check out the last photo below for the sort of expression best avoided on national television.
