OUR CLIENTS
Dianne (Di) Bates
Children’s Author
Di has authored many books for young readers including the prize-winning The Last Refuge which sold into Europe. She has won national and state awards for her books, and has edited Australian children’s magazines. Currently she compiles Buzz Words (The Latest Buzz on Children’s Books), an online magazine for people in the children’s book industry.
Di's latest book, her hundredth, Crossing the Line, published in August 2008 by Ford St, was short listed in the 2009 NSW Premier's Literary Awards. The judges said: 'The subject matter of Crossing the Line is confronting, even gruelling. Sophie, as main character and narrator, moves in and out of therapy, in and out of relationships, craving affection and intimacy, yet simultaneously bristling, defensive and distrustful. Her strong presence dominates the novel. Sophie falls into a transference relationship with her therapist, which leads to emotional obsession and stalking behaviour even more extreme than her acts of self-mutilation. What makes the story believable is the raw intensity of her voice and point of view. Sophie is a troubling and uncomfortable caracter, yet undeniably, overpoweringly real. Dianne Bates's book will be a valuable text to stimulate discussion, especially among teenage girls.'
See the online review in January Magazine.
‘Bates, an experienced and gifted storyteller....has handled the difficult and confronting themes of self-harm and stalking with great insight told in a strong narrative voice.’
~ Good Reading, September 2008
‘Bates understands well the key to keeping readers turining pages is creating characters the world cares about. Sophie's story, delivered in first person present tense, is potent and immediate....Bates shows readers how it feels to live with mental illness - how utterly soul destroying it is. But more importantly, she shows us how it is possible to work through such seemingly insurmountable problems and find a semblance of peace....This is a story that stays with the reader long after the last line is read. Highly recommended.’
~ The Reading Stack, August 2008, Jenny Meurfield
For more information about Dianne and her books, see her website at www.enterprisingwords.com.
GOLVAN ARTS MANAGEMENT • PO Box 766, Kew, Victoria 3101 Australia • golvan@ozemail.com.au