
Hello and warm season's greetings.
My holiday newsletter (Vol 1, No. 4) is now available from the Newsletters archive above. Also, as a special holiday gift to my readers, the Preface and Chapter 1 of EONA, the sequel to EON (aka The Two Pearls of Wisdom), is now available for download as a pdf. Just go to the new EONA page under Books and you will find the download link under the Chapter 1 icon. I do hope you enjoy this preview. For those who prefer to wait, EONA will be out in bookstores in April 2011.
Cheers,
Alison
P.S. In Australia, the sequel to EON (aka The Two Pearls of Wisdom) will no longer be titled The Necklace of the Gods. It will be published as EONA.
Hi All,
For those of you waiting for the second instalment of Eona's story, I can now happily report that EONA will be released in Australia and the US in April 2011, and May 2011 in the UK. Yaaaaay! Translations will follow soon after, depending upon the publisher.
Also, if you are in Melbourne on the 4th December, I will be signing books at Borders in Melbourne Central from 2pm. Come along and get a copy of EON or Singing The Dogstar Blues signed, or just come along to say hi and have a chat. And if you are looking for a VERY reasonable Christmas pressie (under $20!), buy a copy of EON and get it personalised for the one you love. Hope to see you there.
Finally, I will be sending out a holiday newsletter in December and I'm hoping to include a sneaky-peek download of the first chapter of EONA (subject to the okay from all my publishers which I am currently working on). So, if you are already signed up for my newsletter, keep an eye out for the holiday issue in your inbox. Otherwise, you can sign up above or keep an eye on this journal page for download updates.
Cheers,
Alison
Hi All,
Cue the drumroll - EONA, the sequel to EON, is finished and delivered to my publishers! It is a bittersweet moment: all at once a thrill to have completed such a big novel, but also a bit sad to finish the duology. Of course, now there is the editing...
A bit of thrilling news: EON in its guise of The Two Pearls of Wisdom has been shortlisted for the WA Premier's LIterary Award for YA Fiction. Sweet!
Also EON has just been released in the USA in paperback. It's got a brand new cover which I think is very cool. Check it out top right.
Aussiecon 4 starts in Melbourne, my hometown, on Thursday 2nd September and I will be appearing on two panels on the first day of proceedings, so if you are around, come along:
Border Crossings: YA authors writing for adults and vice versa.
with Corey Doctorow and Marianne De Pierres. Chaired by Bec Kavanagh.
Thursday 2nd at 3pm.
Trans Characters in YA Spec Fiction
with Hazel Edwards. Chaired by Cheryl Morgan.
Thursday 2nd at 5pm.
I'll also be hanging at the con just generally soaking up the vibe and happy to chat. So if you are around, come up and say hi.
Hope to see you there.
Cheers,
Alison
Hi All,
I am currently writing the last section of EONA, the sequel to EON, which is the reason for my website silence and the lack of my new newsletter. I am set to deliver EONA soon and once that is done (and I have sat in a corner for a little while to recover from all the excitement) I'll be back on to the newsletter and regular updates. Thanks for your patience! And for those gagging to find out what happens, EONA has been scheduled to be released early next year!
Cheers,
Alison
Hi All,
I am very proud to report that EON: Dragoneye Reborn has been nominated for the following awards:
I am also thrilled that EON has been listed on the 2010 International Readers Association Young Adult Choices List.
In other great news, Germany has just released its beautifully packaged translated edition of EON. The publisher has re-titled it as EONA, which may cause a bit of confusion for those of you on the lookout for the sequel to EON. However, just to be clear, it is not the sequel, but the German language edition of EON.
I am still working on the actual sequel, and it is coming along very well!
Cheers,
Alison
Hi All,
Today, EON is released in Poland in translation. You can see the magnficent cover below, and if you have a chance, check out the great Polish trailer.
Witajcie, Czytelnicy z Polski!
Dziś oficjalna polska premiera powieści EON: Powrót Lustrzanego Smoka. Mój wydawca przygotował dla Was olśniewający zwiastun książki i dodatkowe informacje na temat powieści, które możecie znaleźć na stronie internetowej wydawnictwa. Jeśli chcecie dowiedzieć się czegoś więcej na temat tego, jak powstał EON, kliknijcie na link, który odsyła do krótkiej rozmowy ze mną.
Cheers, and Wszystkiego najlepszego!
Alison

Hi All,
I am thrilled to report that EON: Dragoneye Reborn has been listed on the 2010 Amelia Bloomer Project. This is an annual list of books
for young readers that “contain
significant feminist content – not
just cardboard “feisty” or spunky
girls and women, but tales of
those who have broken barriers
and have fought to change their
situations and their
environment."
And a reminder that today(12th February) is the last day to enter the Random House EON: Rise of the Dragoneye Tweet Review competition. Check for details in my 12th January Journal entry below. The prize is a signed copy of EON: Rise of the Dragoneye and a set of great fantasy books.
Cheers for now,
Alison
Hi Everyone,
I am thrilled to report that EON: Dragoneye Reborn has just been listed as an American Library Association Best Young Adult Book for 2010. It is a very prestigious list of just 90 books! You can check out the full list here.
Also, Random House has extended the final submission date for the EON : Rise of the Dragoneye Twitter Review competition to 12th February 2010 to give those receiving the Random House newsletter a chance to also win a signed copy of EON: Rise of the Dragoneye and a set of great fantasy books. For full details on how to enter, check the 12th January entry below.
Cheers for now,
Alison
Hi All,
Happy 2010!
First up, to celebrate the release of the paperback edition of EON: Rise of the Dragoneye in the U.K., Random House is holding an EON Twitter competition that will be running until the end of January. Here are the details:
Random House Childrens' Books are challenging fans to review EON: Rise of the Dragoneye – sounds easy right? Well the catch is they’d like you to review EON on Twitter in just one tweet! The best review will win a signed copy of EON plus a set of fantastic fantasy books. You need to post your entries on Twitter starting with @GetReading_RHCB leaving you just 124 characters for your review! The competition will run until the end of January, good luck…
To follow RHCB on Twitter please go to: www.twitter.com/GetReading_RHCB
Also new for 2010 is Genre Flash 4, the latest edition of the best on-line guide to great genre fiction and non-fiction by Australian authors. This edition also has an excellent interview with versatile Aussie author Fiona McIntosh.
Cheers for now,
Alison
Hi Everybody,
The holiday edition of my quarterly newsletter is now available for download, or if you have signed up then it should be waiting for you in your email inbox. It has all my latest publishing news plus details of an EON Twitter competition to win a signed copy of EON and a set of great fantasy novels from Random House.
Best wishes for the Holiday Season.
Cheers,
Alison
Happy Holidays!
In the spirit of the season, I have made available the short story that inspired my first novel, Singing the Dogstar Blues. The short story is called One Last Zoom at the Buzz Bar and can be downloaded as a PDF for free via the Singing the Dogstar Blues page. I hope you enjoy.
In other news, the new Australian YA edition of Eon is now available in all good bookstores and Big W. It is fabulously priced at only AUD$16.00, and even less at Big W, so is a great affordable Christmas present for teenagers or dragon-fanciers of any age. Eon was previously published in Australia as The Two Pearls of Wisdom, but absolutely no changes have been made to the YA edition. The only difference is the cover which you can check out at the top right of your screen. Cool, hey?
Finally, I am preparing my final newsletter for the year so keep an eye out for it soon (or if you fancy receiving it regularly, you can sign up for it above). It will have details of a great international Twitter competition that Random House is sponsoring to celebrate the release of the paperback edition of Eon: Rise of the Dragoneye in the UK.
Best wishes for a wonderful and safe holiday season.
Cheers,
Alison
Hi Everyone,
Eon: Dragoneye Reborn has been chosen for the Texas Tayshas High School Reading List! I'm chuffed as this is a great list aimed at encouraging students in grades nine to twelve to read current books.
And here's some breaking news - an Australian edition of Eon will be released in December, just in time for Christmas. Previously published in Australia as The Two Pearls of Wisdom for the adult market, this new edition of Eon is for the Young Adult market. But have no fear, it is exactly the same book (no slice and dice changes). The only difference is the cover - Eon will have the fantastic Sammy Yuen Jr. illustration of the dragon-claw clutching the compass (check it out at the top right of your screen). At under AUD$16.00, it is a great Christmas present for teenage book-lovers or dragon fanciers of all ages. It will be in bookstores on December 1st or Pre-order via HarperCollins now!
Finally, due to (ahem) technical difficulites, my third newsletter has fallen by the wayside, but I promise to make up for it in a Christmas special, due out next month. If you are not already signed up and would like to, please register your email address above.
Cheers,
Alison
Hi Everyone,
I've just heard that Eon: Dragoneye Reborn is under consideration for the prestigious Texas Tayshas High School Reading List and the Texas Lone Star Reading List.
The Texas Tayshas High School Reading List is a recommended reading list for students in grades nine to twelve. The Texas Lone Star Reading List is a recommended reading list developed by public and school librarians to encourage students throughout the state of Texas in grades six, seven, or eight to explore a variety of current books.
Thanks, Texas!
Cheers,
Alison
Hi All,
Eon et le Douzième Dragon is now available in France and debuted at number 3 on the Le Figaro Children's Bestseller list! A piece about me has also run in Madame Figaro. My PR trip to Paris was full of hot weather, great food and lovely people, and one of the products of my visit - a "confessions' video interview - is now up on Youtube.
Hello, je suis ravie qu'Eon et le Douzième Dragon soit désormais disponible en France. Pour en savoir plus, cliquez ici pour regarder une interview vidéo, ici pour lire l'article de Madame Figaro et ici pour découvrir le magnifique trailer d'Eon".
Au revoir and cheers for now,
Alison
HI All,
The beautiful French tranlsation of Eon will be released in France tomorrow, 3rd September. And tomorrow I am travelling to London and Paris: London for a family wedding, and Paris for a launch party with my lovely publishers, Gallimard Jeunesse.
Also, I attended the Victorian Premier's Literary Awards dinner last night. It was a great night but, alas, The Two Pearls of Wisdom did not win the Young Adult Fiction category. Sue Saliba won with her novel Something in the World Called Love. Warm congrats to Sue!
Below is a photo of the three YA Fiction shortlistees. From left is me, Lia Hills (The Beginners Guide to Life), and Sue.

Cheers for now,
Alison
Hi All,
I am thrilled to announced that The Two Pearls of Wisdom (aka EON) is one of three books shortlisted in the Prize for Young Adult Fiction category of the 2009 Victorian Premier's Literary Awards. The prize is AUD $15,000 and the winner is announced on September 1st. Fingers crossed!
Cheers,
Alison
Hi Everyone,
I will be appearing at the following events in Melbourne in August:
Monday 10th August, 2009
VATE Middle Years Conference,
Sorrento.
This is a conference for Victorian teachers of English. I will be running a workshop and participating in a panel with Garry Disher and Prue Mason.
For more information visit the site at www.vate.org.au
Saturday 15th August, 2009
Continuum 5
12.00: The Art of Expansion: From short story to novel - a panel discussion with Richard Harland and George Ivanoff.
2.00pm: Reading, alongside Jack Dann and Cat Sparks.
For more information visit the Continuum 5 site.
Thursday 20th August, 2009
“An Audience With” Alison Goodman, RMIT Alumni Event
6.00–7.00pm, Storey Hall auditorium, RMIT, cnr Swanston and LaTrobe Streets (Free event and open to the public).
For more information: www.alumni.rmit.edu.au
or (03) 9925-3533
Hope to see you!
Cheers,
Alison
Hi All,
I have just sent out the second edition of my quarterly newsletter. If you signed up for it then it should be in your inbox now. Otherwise, you can download it from the Newsletters archive in the nav bar above. Happy reading.
Also a big welcome to Canada who has just joined the EON publishing family. The Canadian edition was released on June 23rd and is available now.
Cheers for now,
Alison
Hi All,
I'm thrilled to report that EÓN - El despertar del Ojo de Dragón, the Spanish translation of EON/The Two Pearls of Wisdom, is now available. The publisher, ViceVersa Editorial, has put together a fantastic website in Spanish at http://www.eonojodedragon.com/
Below is a photo of the beautiful edition showcased in Barcelona.

Cheers,
Alison
HI All,
I've got a few appearances coming up in May:
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA
Monday 25th May, 2009
Bayside Literary Festival
7pm-8pm Meet the Author
(Free entry, but booking advised)
Brighton Library, 14 Wilson Street, Brighton.
Ph: (03) 9591 5900.
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA
Thursday 28th – 30th May, 2009
Reading Matters Conference (the leading youth literature event for professionals and young people)
State Library of Victoria, and RMIT University, Melbourne.
I will be appearing in a number of panels and discussions during the 3 days of the conference.
Entry to the conference is by registration.
However, the conference does have an event open to the public on the evening of Thursday 28th May, 7-8.30pm:
Hypothetical: so you want to be a YA writer? ($15 entry)
For conference registration or Hypothetical booking ph: (03) 8664 7555 or visit www.learning@slv.vic.gov.au.
Hope to see you at any of the above. Come up and say hello!
Cheers,
Alison
Hi Everyone,
II'm thrilled to report that The Two Pearls of Wisdom (aka Eon: Draoneye Reborn, Eon: Rise of the Dragoneye) has been listed as an Honour Book in the 2008 James Tiptree Jr Award! The award is for science fiction or fantasy that expands or explores our understanding of gender. Check out the winners list (it was a tie this year) and the other Honour Books at www.tiptree.org.
Cheers,
Alison
Hi Everyone,
I am very happy to announce that The Two Pearls of Wisdom (aka Eon: Dragoneye Reborn and Eon Rise of the Dragoneye) has been listed as a Notable Book in the 2009 Children's Book Council of Australia Awards (Older Readers section).
Also, the first edition of my newsletter is now archived and available under the NEWSLETTER button above. If you would like to receive my quarterly newsletter via email, you can sign up for it at the - yes, you guessed it - SIGN UP button.
Cheers,
Alison
Hi Everyone,
Today the shortlist was announced for the 2009 NSW Premier's Literary Awards, and The Two Pearls of Wisdom (aka EON) is one of the books shortlisted for the Ethel Turner Prize, an award for younger readers (YA literature). I am SO excited! The winner will be announced mid May. Fingers crossed.
Cheers,
Alison
I'm very pleased to announce that EON and its sequel will be translated and published in Poland. That makes twelve countries/territories who have joined the EON (aka The Two Pearls of Wisdom) party!
Australia, USA, UK, Germany, France, Spain, The Netherlands, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Israel, Brazil, and Poland.
Cheers,
Alison
Hi Everyone,
Some great news - HarperCollins Australia will be publishing a Young Adult edition of The Two Pearls of Wisdom under its overeseas title, EON! As in the UK, the YA content will be exactly the same as the adult content, just with a different cover. The Australian YA edition will be released as a B Format paperback (the smaller paperback) in December 2009 and will most likely have the beautiful cover art by Sammy Yuen Jr that appears on the USA edition of EON: Dragoneye Reborn (see second cover at your right). I'm very excited as a dual adult and YA release of a book doesn't happen that often in Australia.
Cheers,
Alison
Hi Everyone,
The Two Pearls of Wisdom won the 2008 Aurealis Award for Best Fantasy Novel at last night's ceremony! I am so stoked! I was co-hosting the awards and was totally focusing on that task, so when my name was announced I had absolutely nothing prepared speech-wise. In fact, I was so gobsmacked I forgot my lovely husband's name - sorry Ron - and attempted to thank the entire world...
It was a fabulous night. Congratulations to all the shortlisted authors and to the winners. And of course, thanks to my co-host Simon Higgins, to the judges, and the hard workng organisers of a great event.
Cheers,
A still celebrating Alison
Hi Everyone,
I'm flying up to Brisbane tomorrow to co-host the Aurealis Awards, the Australian Awards for the year's best Speculative Fiction. Should be loads of fun plus a great chance to catch up with some of Australia's best spec fic writers. Check out the site at www.aurealisawards.com or receive live updates during the ceremony (6.30pm, Saturday 24th AEST) via Twitter at www.twitter.com/aurealisawards.
Cheers,
Alison
Hi Everyone,
Happy 2009! My year is starting with a thrill as today Eon: Rise of the Dragoneye is released into UK stores. Check out the magnificent dragon artwork on the cover at your right.
Eon: Rise of the Dragoneye is the young adult edition of The Two Pearls of Wisdom. However, although the titles and covers are different, the book is the same - it is a true crossover novel that appeals to both adult and young adult readers. And in the US it is called Eon: Dragoneye Reborn. So far Eon has sold into nine territories - if things keep going this way, I may be able to make an attempt on the world record for different titles of the same book!
Happy New Year and may 2009 bring you five-fold happiness and good fortune. And remember, if you like The Two Pearls of Wisdom (Eon in its different guises) and would like to see it make the short list of The David Gemmell Legend Award, please vote for it via the white button on your left. Thanks!
Cheers,
Alison
Hi Everyone,
The Two Pearls of Wisdom (Eon: Dragoneye Reborn in the USA) has made the long list for The David Gemmell Legend Award for Fantasy.Cheers for now,
Alison
Hi Everyone,
I am thrilled to announce that today is the official release of Eon:
Dragoneye Reborn in the USA. Hooray!
Eon: Dragoneye Reborn is available as a hardcover
book and as an audio book read brilliantly by Nancy Wu. Listen to an excerpt
read by Nancy at www.eonbook.com and
you can also check out the fabulous new trailer plus watch some video of
me. Don't miss the link to the great widget (top right of the home page)
which will show the dragon within you! It has magnificent dragon artwork
from the book's cover artist, Sammy Yuen, Jr.
Cheers,
Alison

If you are having difficulty vieving the video in this window please click on this link which will take you to the YouTube site.
Hi All,
Astounding news! From December 15, 2008 to 1st January, 2009 Penguin will be running ads for Eon: Dragoneye Reborn on two electronic billboards in Times Square, New York! Yep, that's right - it will be advertised during New Years Eve in Times Square! Holy Gazoly!
Cheers,
Alison
Hi All,
I'm back home after a fantastic trip to the USA, UK and France. The Two
Pearls of Wisdom got some great reviews in the UK including a beauty
in their big daily The Times (see the reviews section for highlights)!
I had a great time meeting booksellers in the USA and was thrilled by the
level of enthusiasm for Eon: Dragoneye Reborn. It is scheduled to
be released nationally in the States on December 26th and has already received
great reviews in Publishers Weekly (starred review) and Kirkus. I also met
the wonderful teams at Penguin (USA), Transworld (UK
adult), David Fickling
Books (UK Young Adult), and Gallimard (France).
More great publishing news: Eon and Eona will now also be
published in The Czech Republic, Slovenia, and Brazil.
Cheers for now,
Alison
Hi All,
I am currently on the road in the U.S.A. for my bookseller pre-publicity tour, and then I'm travelling to the U.K. for some public appearances. You can keep track of my adventures and find out when and where I will be appearing in the UK at my Livejournal blog. Hope to see you soon!
Cheers for now,
Alison
Hi All,
Welcome to my new website. It is a work in progress and not everything is working
as smoothly as we'd like, but most of it is here, so check it out!
Meanwhile, some great news. I am thrilled to report that Brilliance
Audio has bought the US audio-book rights to Eon: Dragoneye Reborn (US
title for The Two Pearls of Wisdom) and its sequel. If that is not
exciting enough, Brilliance has also invited me to their studio in New York
to record a few words for the audio-book. How cool is that! I am heading
off to the US in late September for a pre-publicity bookseller tour with Penguin and
to visit the Brilliance studio. Can't wait.
Cheers,
Alison