Progress Report

PowerPoint Presentation

So, so exciting! Super, super busy! I think I need a pair of butterfly wings! Flap, flap.

Above is our second last sneak peak of the enchanting illustrations by Helene before the launch. Just one more reveal! No poem to reveal, as you’ll see that in the book. Wow, our caterpillar book is about to fly! No more cocoon. . . so very soon our book will fly into your hands.

It’s final editing of the manuscript time – the point where the poet is not allowed to tinker or fine tune the metre of any more lines, but has to finally be satisfied for the line edits by magic Matilda.

We have some magical people in children’s writing and poetry, writing something about the book as we speak. Can’t wait for their feedback ! They are the first, other than the team, to see butterfly emerge from its cocoon.

Our design wizz Heidi will soon be doing her stuff, taking the manuscript and the art and putting it all together. Ah the decisions on font and so forth will be taking place.

I’ll be off to see the printer to make some final decision before that. Papers, binding, and other mysteries to hide from you all a little while longer. Ah for the mysteries of the cymk that will make the colours Helene has put into her art sing onto the page.

As for launching and so on, there’s still some research to be done, before we fix dates and places. Maybe we will make a trailer? We dream of flying or road tripping North to share our book in the place where the poems were born.

Will our dream come true?

(c) June Perkins

A big thank you to all those who supported Magic Fish Dreaming.

Since the kickstarter finished, Helene presented June and the team with a story board of all the illustrations in pencil outline, that she was proposing for the book. After some fruitful and constructive consultation this was approved for the go ahead.

Helene is now half way through completing these works in colour. The image above is a partial sneak peek of what she has been up to as she wants you all to be surprised by the book when it comes out. She will have completed her illustrations in May!

It has been a great process, seeing how Helene is interpreting the poems into art, and discussing the environment of Far North Queensland. Helene and June have both been enjoying these discussions.

Matilda the editor and June are checking the text to ensure it is entirely ready to go so Heidi Den Ronden can begin the design and prepress work in June. June is presently organising the isbn and other things involved in producing the book and managing the kickstarter budget.

We are accepting pre-orders until the end of May as some of our fans still want to put in to receive a book and missed the kickstarter so if you are interested just email June at gumbootspearlz@gmail.com

If we raise enough in preorders we may be able to print the book in hard cover, or print more soft cover. We are offering a free calico bag with the first 100 preorders. If you want to order some more copies or encourage your friends to, just encourage them to email and do this before the end of May.

There are some interesting behind the scenes developments, but we will let you know more about that when we can. So do get a preorder in if you would love a signed copy of the book from both Helene and June.

We so hope we can reach a large audience with this book.

We are delighted that later in the year we will be posting Magic Fish Dreaming to Canada, New Zealand, Philippines, Papua New Guinea, United States, and France.

12933099_1728459957436677_2678568342636172810_n — Helene, Heidi and June

Matilda was present at the above meeting by skype. She lives in Far North Queensland and we are hoping she will make it down for the launch of Magic Fish Dreaming later this year.

We’ll post when we have some more news on our progress or anything exciting to share.

Everything is going well and on schedule.

Best Wishes from,

The Magic Fish Dreaming Team