During 2018, I had the opportunity to work closely alongside Aulexic Publishing House to edit and strengthen my children’s book manuscript, The Anti-Gravity Antics of Cal’s Erratic Invention.
‘Emily first caught my eye when, as a teenager, she pitched a fantasy epic to a panel of professional editors at the Perth Writer’s Festival. Her ideas are captivating and she shows a natural instinct for story structure, compelling characters, and rich story worlds. In her short story, she also showed a delightfully entertaining wry humour that will appeal to readers of all ages, making for children’s stories that will also delight parents and teachers.’
~ Rebecca Laffar-Smith (Publisher, Aulexic.com.au)
An excerpt of The Anti-Gravity Antics of Cal’s Erratic Invention:
A long time ago, in a land far away – wait, wait, that’s not right.
Right now, right here, lived the greatest scientist in the world. His name was Cal, and he was working on a new invention.
The Random Button.
Cal grinned as he poured the red liquid into the blue liquid and laughed nefariously, as
genius scientists always seem to do, standing atop the viewing platform in his giant lab.
“The Random Button will be powered by brainwaves!” Cal cackled.
“It will create fantastical things, like enormous daddy-longlegs spiders! Grumpy walruses! Instant anti-gravity conditions! And the only way to defeat it will be… the TREASURE HUNT OF DOOOOOOOMMMMMMM!” Cal exclaimed, adding far more ‘M’s to ‘doom’ than he probably should have.
“My creation will be unstoppable! UNSTOPPABLE! MWAH HA HA HA HA!”
In reality, however, Cal was not standing on the viewing platform of his lab pouring red
liquid into blue liquid and laughing nefariously.
Cal was sitting. Quietly. Peacefully. In class.
The teacher, Ms White, had ordered them – I mean, told them – to write a story about their school. Cal had been working splendidly for all of ten minutes. His story would be the best, he thought excitedly: it would include spiders, pink ninjas, perhaps some flying saucepans.
Someone would try to defeat the Random Button. And it would be like a great big treasure hunt!
What? The teacher never said the story had to be true, right?
I wrote the story for my next-door neighbour’s grandkids, who had amazing imaginations but struggled to sit down and read something. Thankfully, they thought it was hilarious.
This short story, ‘Vampire Boy’, was published in the CYN Young Writer’s Competition Anthology, 2016.
Vampire Boy
Hey. I’m the Freaky Kid. My real name is Jasper, but I’m pretty sure nobody knows it anymore. Yep, when I graduate, they’ll write ‘Vampire Boy’ on my certificate, and when I die, at my funeral the priest will go ‘The Freaky Kid was kind and honest…’
Except nobody thinks I will die because I’m a vampire. Suits me.
When I think about it, I can’t really remember where it all came from. I guess it really started in year two at the Annual Fair.
Now, the Annual Fair occurs once a year (duh) down the main street of town. We have about three rides in the grass area, several stalls and games. It isn’t much but it’s all we’ve got out here in the country.
That year, my Mum volunteered our house to be the Haunted House – it’s at the end of the main street, next to the cemetery. While I was having a great time playing ‘Guess How Many Lollies in the Jar’, my friends went into my house and forever got the idea that it’s permanently full of spider webs, bats and ghosts. So the next day at school they said, ‘Look, it’s Vampire Boy!’ And the day after that and the day after that.
More personal reasons for the name include my death black hair and bright blue eyes, which clash weirdly. Like my genes also have a grudge against me.
I also tried to play soccer with the other kids on the oval once. Once. They laughed. Lots.
In year three I used to hang out with Tim, Alex and Sara. They were cool. They never called me Vampire Boy unless we were talking about our secret superhero band, and never teased me. It was thanks to them that for the first time ever, I wasn’t picked last for teams in sport. Not even kidding. The Team Test tells you who the best sport players are (those picked first) and who the least popular kids are (picked last).
I remember a new kid coming to school in year six: a pretty blonde girl with green eyes. I sort of remember flicking my hair back, stepping forward and saying, ‘Hi, I’m” –
“The Freaky Kid,” that idiot Cam interrupted.
“No, I’m”-
“Vampire Boy,” said someone else. I gave up, resolving to stamp on Cam’s foot later that day.
When I think about it, the whole chain of events sounds ridiculous. Most of the time I don’t understand or find my classmate’s humour very funny, but if I were one of them I’d laugh too. Look: I know I’m a whiny kid with too much eyeliner, but I’m in your face, I’m in your way, interrupting your day because I have point to make.
I just don’t know what it is.
But when people start to listen, when they let me say whatever it is, when they stop telling me who I am and let me tell them for a change, then I might know.
Oh well. There are also upsides to being life’s hitchhiker. It automatically gives me awesome defence mechanisms.
Once Cam said to me, “Get a life, freak.”
I said, “What about I take yours?” He didn’t know what to say to that.
So I laughed and laughed evilly as only a vampire can.
Emily-Oscar Siggs - Writer, Editor 