Journal of Graphic Novels and Comics

Every once in a while an incredible person will cross your path, someone who strives above and beyond your expectations and brings great things to you that you have done little to deserve and find yourself in gratitude for. I introduce Aswin Prasanth, who, along with Rajesh Panhathodi & Augustine George, interviewed me and placed the interview in the Journal of Graphic Novels and Comics (Routledge Taylor and Francis). Thank you, Aswin, thank you Rajesh, and thank you Augustine. You made a little dream of mine come true.

Something rhymed

 

Image copyright: Rae Joyce / Rachel J Fenton 

 

A few months ago, I contacted Emily Midorikawa and Emma Claire Sweeney to ask if I could guest post on their blog SomethingRhymed.com -- reader, they said Yes! Much gratitude to them and to Clêr Lewis editing my post so beautifully and for making the process so enjoyable.

Haworth while

 

First fox

First fox is launched! And what a launch.

Early arrivals to Mojo's Bledisloe were greeted with warmth from the staff and a glass of bubbles!  

Unity Books ordered in seventy copies for the launch.

Big thanks due to Anita Arlov - she was a superb emcee, bringing her characteristic generosity of spirit to the introduction of First fox.

Big thanks, too, to Lawrence Brock for setting up and running the sound system and much of the behind-the-scenes work that made the launch run beautifully.

 Leanne gave a moving reading of her title story, "First fox".

 

 And cracked everyone up with her comic timing at the end. She finished with a story called Hummingbird, that isn't in the book -- I am already looking forward to the launch of the book it makes it into!

 

Yours truly read "The Very Old Mother".

 

Then Frankie McMillan read from her collection My Mother and the Hungarians, also part of the Auckland Writers Festival, with some laugh-out-loud moments.

 

 Heaps of laughs and applause all round meant it was time for book signing!

More behind-the-scenes thanks due to Jane Brock.

 

 Chatter, nibbles and drinks followed and more books were sold.

 

New friends were made.

More books were sold.

 

 Leanne signed and signed and signed.

 Everyone was talking about First fox.

It was particularly wonderful to see a New Zealand writer get the long overdue praise and attention she deserves! 

 

 Every launch copy of First fox sold!

Leanne Radojkovich is a writer to watch! And if you're in Auckland, you can do just that on Sunday May 21, in the Limelight Room of the Aotea Centre at 12 noon, as part of Auckland Writers Festival.


I'm so very grateful to have been given the opportunity to be a part of First fox. This book was made beautifully by The Emma Press, with design and production values to die for that set it apart as an artisan press. The Emma Press is a truly exciting small press run by Emma Wright, a remarkable woman with an amazing vision for what a publisher can be. Having previously published only poetry pamphlets, she took a leap into the unknown with Leanne's fiction collection, but I'm sure you'll agree, it's paid off.