Double Shortlist!

Posted by on Apr 11, 2014 in News | 10 Comments

‘A Very Unusual Pursuit’ has been shortlisted for not one, but two major literary awards! It’s on the shortlist for the Children’s Book Council of Australia ‘Book of the Year’ awards, in the ‘Younger Readers’ section, and it’s also been shortlisted for the NSW Premier’s Literary Awards – specifically, for the Patricia Wrightson award for children’s literature. I’m particularly pleased about the Patricia Wrightson award because I’ve always been a huge fan of Patricia Wrightson – one of my favourite books when I was a child happened to be ‘The Nargun and the Stars’. I also met her once many, many years ago and have never forgotten it.

Here is the full shortlist for Children’s Book Council awards.

And here are the shortlists for the NSW Premier’s Literary Awards.

  • emily

    how long does it take you to write a book?

  • Catherine Jinks

    Depends on the book, Emily. A young adult novel might take me six to eight months, a children’s book might take me four to five months, and a picture book – well, that might take me two hours!

  • emily

    Thanks Mrs.Jinks

  • emily

    can you tell me about yourself that no one knows about.

  • Catherine Jinks

    Okay, Emily. I once cheated on a maths test in primary school by glancing at the work of the boy sitting beside me. He complained to the teacher, who didn’t believe him because I was a ‘good’ girl and he was a ‘naughty’ boy. And I felt so guilty afterwards that I never cheated again!

  • Jamie jinks

    Hello Cathrine is Jinks your marrie, given or book name? Just curious to see if we’re related some how. My name is Jamie Jinks.

    • Catherine Jinks

      Hi Jamie – Jinks is my given name. If you’re Australian, we might possibly be related; my Jinks ancestors came out of Victoria in the nineteenth century. There seems to have been a Bendigo connection. Fred Jinks, my great-grandfather’s brother, was Vice Captain of the Carlton football team before the First World War. You can find him on the internet.
      Subject: Re: New comment posted on Double Shortlist!

      • Jamie jinks

        OK we’re probably related some where way down the line, as my family was from victoria. They left there came to the states in the 18th century. Then before the american revolution or revolt depending on a what history you want to read. They left there and came to Canada before the war. They settled in consecon when they came.

        • Catherine Jinks

          I don’t know, Jamie – the first Europeans settled in Victoria in 1803, so your family couldn’t have left there in the eighteenth century. In fact Australia was first settled by the Europeans BECAUSE of the American revolution – the British couldn’t dump their convicts in America anymore so they went looking for somewhere else! But you never know: there could be a connection way, way back, somewhere in England …
          Subject: Re: New comment posted on Double Shortlist!

          • Jamie jinks

            Sorry they left England (somewhere) in europe. I didn’t mean to type victoria .lol I don’t even now where that is.