Sofie, if Grace were around today, what would she do on Saturday mornings?
Go to a horse-riding lesson with her best friend! And Grace would love picnics – where she can look at the trees and the water and the sky and feel free. Freedom is very important to Grace, as is family. I would hope that if Grace were around today she would find herself in a loving family with brothers and sisters to share her life with.
When you sat down to start the OAG books, what was the first sentence you wrote?
I better get back to the shore before the tide comes in or I’ll be drowned like poor Annie.
What’s one thing you wish you could do really well but have always been too timid to try?
Surfing. I am scared of the waves and of sharks and of being that out of control. But I envy the surfers riding the waves, being away from the streets and buildings and shops and feeling peaceful, feeling brave, feeling powerful and close to nature.
Do you have one piece of advice for OAGs everywhere, Sofie?
Advice? Find creative ways to express anything that feels difficult or scary. Write, draw, make things, perform, play music. Being creative can change the hardest things into wonderful things.
VIKING
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Published by Penguin Group (Australia), 2013
Text copyright © Sofie Laguna, 2011
Illustrations copyright © Lucia Mascuillo, 2011
Bonus material copyright © Sofie Laguna, 2013
The moral right of the author and illustrator have been asserted. All rights reserved.
Cover and internal design by Evi Oetimo copyright © Penguin Group (Australia)
puffin.com.au
ouraustraliangirl.com.au
Charms on the front cover reprinted with kind permission from A&E Metal Merchants.
ISBN: 978-1-74348-142-4
THE BEGINNING
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