storylines is over...conference is beginning

Did I need another project?
NO
Have I got one?
Yes.
Am I an idiot.....don't answer that!

At a recent Wellington Children's Book Association committee meeting the subject of conferences came up. New Zealand hasn't had a national gathering of children's writers and illustrators for many years. Our convener Fifi was off to Melbourne for a conference. We all lamented that it was sad to have to pay a lot of money to go to a conference in another country. $900 NZ dollars...just for the conference and that doesn't count the airfares and the accommodation. A big undertaking!
When Fifi came back we found out that there was a bit of false advertising. Fifi was hoping to make contacts with editors and publishers in Australia. She is well known here as a top illustrator and also the author of three published novels for children. She was one of this years judges of The New Zealand Post Children's Book Awards...she has street cred!
They didn't want to know....she wasn't a librarian with a big chequebook...so the publishers didn't want to talk to her....All that money....not quite wasted... but no work will come out of it.
OK we said what would it take to put a conference together?...
and we all started to suss things out... and ask around... what do we want???
keynote speakers... workshops.... masterclasses... The word went out and we have been inundated with requests from around the country!
I have a month to get the first funding application in - a detailed breakdown of costs and cv's of everyone involved....
What have we started.... Fifi and I are shaking our heads as the emails pour in... aren't we supposed to be writing books!!!
so I am now up to my eye teeth in another project....
Um! I should have kept my big mouth shut!