National Year of Reading 2012

WOW! A whole year devoted to and dedicated to encouraging reading? I'm IN!!!


I am really pleased to announce that I will be assisting with the launch of the National Year of Reading (woohoo) alongside the four Whitsunday Libraries!!! Very exciting. Also, I will be donating $1 from every one of my books sold between November 2011 to January 2013 to the Whitsunday Library for the purchase of books for their shelves.

Today is the official launch for the National Year of Reading in the Whitsundays, and I'll be off in a minute to help out at the Bowen library (incidentally, the town where I wrote my second story). I thought I would pop my speech on here for anyone who's interested and cannot attend the opening at the library *smile*

My name is Roxanne Roberts and amongst many other roles I play on certain occasions, I am the Author and Illustrator of a children’s book series titled Angel Wings, Faery Dust and Other Magical Things.

I am delighted and deeply honoured to be here and can’t adequately express to you how awesome it is to have a national Year of Reading!!! How exciting.

Reading seems like it is a really simple and uncomplicated thing that we use all the time, and often take for granted. Let me take you, just for a moment or two, on a reading journey. Open the doors to your imagination let your creative-self roam free, and prepare for the adventure that is reading!

A young girl sits in the school yard of her high school. She is shy and a little out of the ordinary; weird. She is good at her school work which makes her the object of ridicule from her peers. She does have some friends, but since she lives a long way away from her school, they don’t often visit. Mostly, she just doesn’t feel like she belongs, or fits into the world she has to live in. Now, before you go reaching for the tissues because this story seems a little sad, I must tell you, this girl, while a little bit lonely, was not unhappy. Why? Because she could read!

My real adventures began with the Enchanted Forrest and the Far Away Tree; laughing at the antics of Moonface and the Naughty Pixie. I became one of the Fellowship with the future of Middle Earth in my hands as I desperately fought off fear to throw the ring into the pit of Mount Doom. I journeyed often, and still do, with Sir Sparhawk, Sir Tynnian, Sir Kalten and Sir Bevier as they battled Gods, desperately relying on the ancient wisdom of Styricum to help see them through. I have hunted with Ayla of the Mamutoi and developed an interest and a passion for the healing properties of plants. I have stood beside Hermione, Ron and Harry and they defended all that is good. I was swept off my feet by the Vampire Lestat and spent many a night waiting and listening for the sound of his footfalls. I have solved crimes with Temperance Brennan, applying the clear and concise logic of science to bear on ‘unsolvable cases.”

In short, I lived many life times, have had countless adventures, learnt and grown with my favourite characters and heroes as my constant companions.

Dyslexic and unable to write or spell with much accuracy, reading as a primary school achieved much more for me than offer solace and company for a weird and lonely girl. Constant reading improved my ability to read, spell, write, answer math questions and compete effectively in an academic field.

It is my love of reading that has enabled me to earn my degrees in the arts and teaching. It is my passion for story telling learnt from the masters such as Eddings, Tolkein and Rowling that have led me to putting pen to paper to write, illustrate and publish my own series of children’s books.

So, is reading an important skill? It is THE most important skill we can impart to our children.

As an author, I say read!

As a teacher, I say read!

As a mother I say, read!

Open your heart and the doors to your imagination; find that the world is there, and many other worlds besides, when you open a book.

Supporting our local libraries is REALLY important. Libraries are such a valuable community asset. So, in whatever way you can, jump on board and help out at your library!


For more AWESOME information about the National Year of reading, head on over to the following web page: http://www.love2read.org.au/nyr-stuff.cfm


Keep checking this page for updates on the donation tally or for more details and pictures about the launch!


With love and light
xo

Whitsunday Times, Thursday 12th January, 2012

Bowen Independant, Friday 13th January, 2012

Donation Tally as of February 28th, 2012 is......$94!  YAY


Donation Tally as of January 13th, 2012 is......$60...Remember $1 will be donnated to the library from every book sold from the Angel Wings, Faery Dust and Other Magical Things series from November 2011 until January 2013!