Wildlife Rescue Series!

Well, Happy New Year! Another year, another chance to be a better blogger. It wouldn’t take much. :)

I didn’t make any hard and fast resolutions on New Year’s Eve, but I have set myself a schedule for the next few months out of necessity: I need to produce a book! With the previous two books, for the duration of the writing time, I did not work on any other projects. This time around, I’m going to find out how well I’m able to juggle other projects around the main event: writing Gaia Wild. Wish me luck, and meet me here a few times a week to check in on my progress.

I actually have a backlog of things I want to write about, and I’m starting today with Jacquie Pearce’s Manga Touch. Jacquie has a number of abiding interests that inform her writing: animals; crows (yes, I know, crows are animals, but they are also a particular interest of Jacquie’s); the urban environment; Japan and all things Japanese.

Manga Touch is her latest novel for teens, and tells the story of a manga-loving girl who has the opportunity to travel to Japan with her class. Jacquie launched the book back in October at the Nikkei Cultural Centre in Burnaby, in conjunction with a manga exhibit in the gallery. She told the story of how she came to write the book, showed artefacts from her own trip to Japan, read from the book, presented various pieces of artwork that had been considered for the book’s cover, and answered all our fascinated questions. After her presentation, there were Japanese snacks and sweets for everyone to enjoy, and books to buy, which Jacquie was happy to autograph.

For someone who has not yet read any manga, or a graphic novel, Manga Touch is the perfect introduction to the art form and its history. It’s a story I can relate to, told in a style I’m familiar with, and it takes me to places I’ve never been before.

For more information about BC author Jacquie Pearce and Manga Touch, click here to visit her blog, or check out www.orcabook.com Have a look at Jacquie’s website, which will give you an idea of the other books she’s written, or click here to read her Chapters/Indigo posting on manga!