Kitteh Om Nom Nom

Death by cuteness.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnagRjxp7v4

Writing Workshop – Concord Library

William Kostakis, Sydney Morning Herald Young Writer of the Year in 2005, will present a creative writing workshop and a ‘Q and A’ session on how he got published. William is the author of the young adult novel Loathing Lola.

Suitable for high school students.

Where: Concord Library
When: Wednesday, 7 October 2009, 10am-12pm
How Much: $2 non refundable booking fee
BOOKINGS ESSENTIAL

To reserve your place, please complete the online form.

For further information, please contact the Youth Librarian on 9911 6314 or email kim.houhlias@canadabay.nsw.gov.au

An Afternoon Tea With William Kostakis

… It sounds like a midday BBC3 special or something… but anyway, ze official blurb:

Come to the bookshop to enjoy afternoon snacks with the down to earth (William’s Note: HA!) yet brilliant self-promoter William Kostakis. His lively hosting should be as popular with young adults as his book, Loathing Lola has been.

The bright young twenty-year-old has been writing since he was in diapers and in 2005, his efforts won him Sydney Morning Herald Young Writer of the Year.

$8 (inc. afternoon tea)
Friday, November 6, 4:15pm
Location: Gertrude & Alice Cafe Bookstore
Street: 46 Hall St, Bondi Beach
Bookings essential. Call 9130 5155 or email info@gertrudeandalice.com.au

Lolarious conversation of the day

William, Mum, older brother on the bus home:

Mum: Look at how I can bend my finger.
Older brother: Ew. I can’t do it.
William: Do what?
Mum: This.
William: This?
Mum: No… you’re bending it wrong.
William: It feels cool.
Mum: Stop it.
William: Okay, it feels weird and numb now.
Mum: Well, it looks like you dislocated your thumb.
William: … Yeah, I think I dislocated my thumb.
Mum: Let me pop it back in.
William: Yeah, it really feels bad.
Mum: Quiet, it’s not too bad, I’ll pop it back in. There… it’s fine, really.
William: It really feels weird, Mum.
Older brother: Idiot.

New Review – The Northern Rivers Echo

Loathing Lola by William Kostakis

I have to admit that my initial reaction to this book wasn’t entirely positive. The premise was interesting enough – 15-year-old girl decides that being the ‘star’ of a reality TV show might be just what she needs, only to discover that she may well have underestimated how destructive a move it could be. Interesting. Plenty of scope. And yet, a handful of pages into the story and I wasn’t what you’d call hooked. At least not straight away.
The opening scene takes place during Liam’s funeral. Liam was Courtney’s boyfriend (Courtney being the 15-year-old protagonist at the centre of this tale) and Liam died in a drink-driving accident.
Funerals are generally maudlin affairs, or at least that’s how they tend to be presented in movies and in books. Not here. In Loathing Lola the funeral scene is a lesson in the intricacies of public grief for the uninitiated. Through Courtney’s first person narrative and her friend Katie’s incessant chatter, we learn about the ‘Waah Waahs’ and the world of strategic competitive mourning. It’s our first introduction to the book’s black humour and sarcastic tone, a tone that shapes much of the story and the dialogue.
Anyway, while I wasn’t completely taken with the sarcasm, I was intrigued by Courtney, and so I kept reading.
Courtney is not your typical, two-dimensional, thinks-reality-TV-is-a-good-gig type of character. She’s actually quite smart and level-headed, and the only reason she’s chosen to take part in Real Teens is because Liam had thought it would be a good idea. And so she embarks on this journey, determined to use her exposure for good.
Little does she know that the might of the production company is greater – and less altruistic – than the might of her best intentions. Suddenly it seems everyone – from her ‘second best friend’ to the step-mum she didn’t know she had – wants to cash in on her fame.
William Kostakis – The Sydney Morning Herald’s 2005 Young Writer of the Year – has created in Loathing Lola a fast-paced young adult read, spliced with witty dialogue and the sort of pithy one-liners we tend, in the real world, to deliver only in hindsight. The thing I liked most about this story, though, wasn’t the sarcasm or scathing retorts. It was the way Kostakis dealt with Courtney’s grief, and so cleverly slammed the trashy world of reality television, and still managed to create a funny and compelling story. At only 19 years of age, this author’s talents bode well for a long and entertaining writing career.

The article was originally posted here.

Ashfield Library – Friday, November 6

Friday November 6, 2009 – 10:00am

William is the award-winning author of Loathing Lola, the side-splittingly funny story of Australia’s newest reality TV star, fifteen-year-old Courtney Marlow, with a love story, some mystery, betrayal, cuss words and Lola to boot.

In 2005, William won Sydney Morning Herald Young Writer of the Year. For more information visit http://www.ashfield.nsw.gov.au or contact the Library.

Don’t miss your chance to meet this talented young author and get copies of the books signed. There will be a book seller on the day.

Contact Number:
9716 1810
Venue:
Ashfield Council Chambers
Venue Address:
260 Liverpool Road
Ashfield NSW 2131

Until I’m back…

I’m on Twitter… @WilliamKostakis, join me! I’m always posting things that aren’t worth full blog entries…

Stressplosion

Hi all, sorry for the severe lack of updates. I promise (I know, I’ve promised this before…), I’ll be back soon, am just trying to juggle uni with work with apprenticeship hunting with writing two novels at the same time (bitten off more than I can chew much?)… The blog’s always the first to suffer.

No news on MAGNUM OPUS yet. There’s no hair left on my head to pull out But it’s coming along really nicely, so’s Novel #3.

How is everyone?