New Year, New Books & Holding onto Hope

On Gallant Wings by Helen Edwards

Hello and Happy New Year!

It already feels like Christmas and New Year are long ago, but it’s only two weeks into 2025… I hope that you were able to enjoy some peacful time with loved ones to close 2024 and begin 2025. We had a lovely family Christmas and my usual quiet New Year, where I was in bed by 10pm!

Last week, I had a big trip up North to Townsville, where I delivered workshops with children aged 6 – 13 for the Townsville City Libraries. It was a great experience. I was worried about how I would go with such a long trip, two flights to get there, being on my own in the tropics, and dealing with my health, as well as working.

Whilst quite a few things went wrong – including being air sick on two of the flights, long delays due to broken air conditioning on one of the planes, my car hire place being shut when I finally reached Townsville, dealing with getting another car which was enormous and not knowing how to get the park brake off at first, as well as it breaking down on me on my last day, in a one way street, as I reversed into traffic, it was such a good trip! As well, I handled airport security four times – the insulin pump and continuous glucose monitor and its parts can’t be x-rayed or scanned, so each time I had to be patted down, and have my spares manually inspected. Brisbane airport is chaos at the moment as it’s being upgraded. I sailed through it all with grace. On my last flight, my $65 bid to upgrade to Business was accepted (after they said it was a ‘poor’ offer!), which was very nice!

The workshops were incredible. It was so reassuring to me, that after weeks of worrying, I took it all in my stride, dealt with every problem and drama that came my way, and worked my way through everything. All on my own. It has given me the confidence to handle any trips I will take in the future.

Townsville is quite an oppressive place. It’s beautiful and the people are lovely, but the humidity is exhausting. I grappled with my diabetes and navigated my way around the town in the beast of a car I had, swapped it over when it broke down, found the pigeon lofts that still stand in Townsville and feature in my upcoming book On Gallant Wings, and made my way back home.

On the way home, I stopped in Brisbane for a couple of days, where I met my publisher in real life for the first time and held two bookshop events. I met lots of lovely people and got to connect with some readers. I loved the trip but was so happy to be home, feeling proud of myself to have been able to achieve something that had been so scary to me initially.

My theme for 2025 is ‘The Year to Soar’ and I certainly started off well! Do you make a theme or word for each year? It’s something I started doing a few years ago. I write out my dream goals for the year and pin them on my wall. If I don’t achieve them, I don’t stress. It’s more a compass for me in the hard times.

When I was offered this trip, I hesitated because it was so big. And then my publisher asked me if I wanted a small or a big life? There is nothing wrong with a small life. I love nothing more than being at home, safe and secure, my routines in place, my loved ones close. The small moments of each day are huge to me – the Moon when I get up in the darkness, still glittering in the sky. The sun painting the sky with fire as it leaves us for the day. The sounds of birds. Soft breeze against my cheek. The movement of water. Laughing with my family. They seem small, but they are enormous things, the best things. But for me, the desire to be the best I can be, has always bubbled in my belly. I have always known I wanted to leave a mark on the world, in the best of ways – through helping others, through improving their lives, particularly through showing children and young people that they are seen, valued, loved. And through ensuring that Nature thrives and is protected.

When there is a storm at night, since I was little, I wanted to have everyone I loved at home, tucked up safe and tight. I wanted to embrace them, and all the animals in the world. It’s a nurturing sense I guess. This is where I feel I have landed in this life as a children’s and YA author – in a space where I can wrap our young people up in my arms and tell them they can do anything they want to, that we all worry and feel pain, but that they have agency in their lives. That things will be all right. That they can have a big or a small life. Both are good. That they can hold onto hope. That they matter. That our planet matters. And that we will do everything we can to make the world a better place for their future.

I hope that I am doing this with my work.

Legend of the Lighthouse Moon

Legend of the Lighthouse Moon has been out in the world for 3 months now. Have you read it? If you have, I would love it if you could post a review on Goodreads, or Amazon, even if you bought it elsewhere. Or send it to me so I can add it to my own website and social media. It really helps authors to have reviews.

On Gallant Wings

I am about to enter into the final final edits of On Gallant Wings with my publisher, Riveted Press. It goes to print in two weeks. Here is the stunning cover by Tamlyn Teow. It features Essie the pigeon, Kevin the pelican, Lake Boga, main character Ava and the Catalina Flying Boat. Isn’t it stunning!

Here’s the blurb!

Thirteen-year-old Ava lives in Darwin with her family and their homing pigeons, of which Essie is Ava’s favourite. A Japanese family live next door and their son, Kazuo, is Ava’s best and only real friend. Her father is serving overseas.

While Essie is taking her first flight, Ava overhears an argument between her mother, and her brother Fred, who has lied about his age to join the militia. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, he trains in Darwin and later helps set up a pigeon service in Townsville. When most civilians are sent to safety down south, Ava remains in Darwin because her mother (who works in the post office) is essential to the war effort.Later that day, military police take Kazuo and his family away in a truck to a holding camp—much to Ava’s distress—along with many other Japanese people who call Australia home.On February 19, 1942, Darwin is bombed, and Ava and her mother are evacuated in a cattle train with the remaining women and children. After a very difficult journey, they arrive, exhausted, at her grandparent’s home in Lake Boga, where they discover the extent of the damage to Darwin is being concealed from the population. Even those who were actually there know only part of the truth.Desperate to do something to contribute to the war effort, Ava’s mother joins the WAAAF and begins work at the secret Catalina Flying Boat Base.In the meantime, the authorities decide to transfer Kazuo to the men’s camp, separating him from his parents and siblings.Living by rules and rituals has always been how Ava has felt safe, but when Kazuo escapes, she is faced with the hardest decision of all—whether to report a ‘potentially dangerous’ escapee to the authorities, or to protect a beloved friend …

It’s available for pre-order now via bookshops and in my online shop

Canberra Launch
I’d love to meet any Canberra friends at the first Book Launch for On Gallant Wings! Saturday 29th March from 2.30-4pm at The Book Cow – Kingston Free but booking essential. Head here 

Adelaide Launch – will be on Saturday 5th April from 1.30 – 3 pm at Burnside Library. More details coming soon.

Lake Boga Launch – will be on Friday 25th April (Anzac Day) at the Flying Boat Museum. More details coming soon!

Hope to see some of you at one of the launches. Stay well, until next time
xx Helen

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