North & South sea story competition for young readers

Over this summer, North & South and Libro International will be running a competition for school-age writers, inspired by the November release of Out on the Water: Twelve Tales of the Sea, by Tessa Duder with illustrations by Bruce Potter.

Young storytellers aged 15 and under are invited to submit stories based around the sea (or lakes, for those living inland) of up to 1000 words, for a chance to win a school visit and writing advice by Tessa, along with signed copies of Out on the Water.

The deadline for entries is 16 February 2015. 

For competition details, check the January 2015 edition of North & South, on sale now.

Out on the Water at the Blake Regatta

Torbay Sailing Club hosted another fantastic two days of sailing for the Sir Peter Blake Regatta over the past weekend. Click here for the Blake Regatta site

Tessa Duder with renowned sailor and MC, Mark Orams

Tessa Duder attended the prizegiving on the Sunday afternoon, where she joined MC Professor Mark Orams to give away two signed copies of Out on the Water: Twelve Tales of the Sea to the young girl and boy sailors who had travelled the furthest to take part in the sailing.

This young winner had travelled from the Bay of Islands

Out on the Water includes a story based on a young Peter Blake sailing with his brother, and another about a girl's first Optimist regatta - something familiar to all the Green Fleet sailors on the weekend.

It was beautiful 'out on the water' at the Blake Regatta - well done to all the participants and the hard-working organisers

Out on the Water is launched!

Congratulations to Tessa Duder on the launch of Out on the Water last night at Takapuna Library. With over 80 guests in attendance, Tessa's long-time nautical consultant John Duder officially launched this collection of 12 tales of the sea, with lovely illustrations by Bruce Potter. (Thanks to John, all of the stories and illustrations should be spot on in sailing terms!)

Tessa reads from the story 'Crossing the Ditch'

A dedicated writer, writing dedications

Our appreciation to Helen Woodhouse, Lisa Dam and the Friends of Takapuna Library for hosting the event, Whitcoulls Takapuna for selling books on the night, and all those who came out to help get Tessa's book on the water.

Helen from Takapuna Library gets her copy

Yvette and Tim from Whitcoulls Takapuna

Follow this link for more about Out on the Water

Out on the Water launches this Thursday 6 November

Monday, 3 November 2014

Out on the Water

Twelve Tales of the Sea

 

Tessa Duder; illustrated by Bruce Potter

New collection evokes the adventure of sailing and the sea for younger readers

Renowned children’s author Tessa Duder and illustrator Bruce Potter have combined to produce a stirring collection of twelve stories about kids out on the water around New Zealand.

The stories in Out on the Water range from a girl’s experience of her first Optimist regatta to a boy learning the ropes on a tall ship from Sydney to Auckland in the 1880s.

Each story features a full-page line drawing, and weaves into the text a rich thread of sailing words and knowledge (helped by a glossary of language of the sea).

This is Tessa Duder’s first fiction for young adults in over ten years. Her most recent young adult non-fiction is The Story of Sir Peter Blake – and one of the new stories is a fictionalised account of Peter Blake and brother Tony on an after-school sail across Waitemata Harbour.

In the book’s introduction, Tessa writes how the book answers the request from a grandson for stories about children going sailing. “So here are twelve stories about young people having a wide range of experiences on the water – inshore as crew or skipper, or as crew on offshore voyages.”

Tessa, who lives on Auckland’s North Shore, is a keen sailor with a long-standing commitment to the sport in New Zealand, from tutoring Optimist sailors to her work for the Spirit of Adventure Trust.

Out on the Water will be launched in Takapuna, Auckland this Thursday 6 November. Bruce, who lives in Alexandra, will also be available for media, and will be in Wellington during this week.

Publication Date: 6 November 2014  |  ISBN: 978-1-877514-75-3  |  RRP $29.99

Paperback, 234 x 153 mm, 152 pages b&w with line drawings

Tessa Duder

Bruce Potter