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NEWS and EVENTS

May 31, 2019

Taleflick dishes out praise

The Tale of Prince review by Taleflick is out

WHAT WE LIKED ABOUT THE TALE OF PRINCE:

This is a timeless story of self-discovery. With memorable characters, ones you can't help but root for, the story plays out as the lead dog, Prince, goes on a quest to find a mutt he thought had been lesser than him, learning along the way to overcome his prejudices and what it means to truly have friends. This story is ripe for an animated feature film, as it follows a well-constructed arc of adventure, quest and pursuit. It has a strong, endearing lead character overcoming obstacles and finding a new way to see the world. The narrative also lends itself to being a series, with continuous episodes based on the characters - pets of all shapes and sizes who live on Bendall Street. Each character has its own distinct personality, and while the series would follow the lead, a purebred Alsatian called Prince, there are more than enough characters for him to interact with on a regular basis. Each episode would see him overcoming an obstacle related to how he sees the world, which would be an entertaining lesson for a young audience. Key points: A strong story-line; a compelling central premise of redemption; the chance to be inventive in creating the animal characters; a heartwarming ending; talking dogs, cats and hamsters - what’s not to love?

July 25, 2018

Local Author's Award

Milestones - Bay Chronicle (26 July 2018)

Kerikeri author Bianca Staines won second place in the Purple Dragonfly Book Awards contest, which recognises excellence in children's literature. Her book, The Tale of Tyriii, placed in the Unpublished Manuscript category.

June 20, 2018

Bianca does it again!

The Tale of Tyriii (Unpublished) wins 2nd place in the 2018 Purple Dragonfly Awards

2018 Purple Dragonfly Book Awards Winners Announced:

Unpublished Manuscript Category:

1st Place: Drifty; Broken to Beautiful. A (Mostly) True Story by Dave Ives, illustrated by John Loyer
2nd Place: The Tale of Tyriii by Bianca Staines
Honorable Mention: Brutal Hackage: A Young Adult Thriller by Jane Frances Ruby

March 02, 2018

Scottsdale Public Library’s 5th Annual Ultimate Play Date

Where in the world is Story Monster? He was at Scottsdale Public Library 5th Annual Ultimate Play Date! This FREE, family-friendly event was held at the Civic Centre Library! Story Monster had hands-on colouring pages from some of our favourite co-op authors.

January 26, 2018

Tempe Comicon 2018

StoryMonster brings The Tale of Prince to the Tempe Public Library

Story Monster is heading to the Tempe Public Library Comicon on Saturday, January 27, 2018 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. This free annual event will feature costume contests, shopping, authors and artists, and fun activities for the whole family! Last year's event attracted more than 3,000 visitors!

January 15, 2018

Poets, assemble!

Poets gather in Kerikeri from all around Northland. For the full Northern Advocate article click on the picture.

December 09, 2017

What got you started writing?

Bianca C. Staines dishes out on her writing

In an interview with Nix Whittaker, Bianca C. Staines talks about her writing rituals, secrets to productivity, Easter Eggs and much more!

September 03, 2017

TV Interview with Bianca C. Staines

brought to you by Te Hiku Media

Bianca C. Staines is an award winning Kerikeri based author who has written a book called “The Tale of Prince.” Which is the first book in her series. The story is about an arrogant dog and his quest to get rid of a stray she-dog who has weaseled her way into his owner's life. The story took her about 2 years to write. She self published on Amazon to great success, she’s looking to publish the book in America soon and continue winning awards for her writing.

July 27, 2017

Tale of Prince Giveaway!

Closes on the 8th of August, 2017

What is the name of the Council of Pets’ secret service? 

 

Read the excerpt in the link below and answer the question to win a copy of ‘The Tale of Prince’

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/savvy-magazine/news/article.cfm?c_id=1504330&objectid=11898106

Send your answer to abbey@creativenorthland.com by midnight on Tuesday 8 August to win – the first answers in, win.

June 15, 2017

‘The Tale of Prince’ Wins Coveted Purple Dragonfly Book Award

CHANDLER, AZ (June, 2017) – The judges of the Purple Dragonfly Book Awards contest, which recognizes excellence in children’s literature, have spoken, and The Tale of Prince by Bianca C. Staines, won Second place in the Animal/Pets category.

“Winning any place in the Purple Dragonfly Contest is a huge honor because in order to maintain the integrity of the Dragonfly Book Awards, a minimum score is required before a First or Second place or Honorable Mention will be awarded to the entrant – even if it is the sole entry in a category,” explains Linda F. Radke, president of Story Monsters LLC, the sponsor of the Dragonfly Book Awards. “Competition is steep, too, because there is no publication date limit as long as the book is still in print.”

The Tale of Prince is the story of a pompous pooch whose life changes when a stray joins the family. After a cat is found dead in his swimming pool and Bennie is dognapped, it will be up to Prince to seek out the stray and, on the way, find the wolf that lives inside every dog. It retails for $11.99 and can be purchased at Amazon, Book Depository and Smashwords.

For a complete list of winners, visit www.dragonflybookawards.com.

October 29, 2016

Writers' Event in Kawakawa

Northland authors will be presenting new books at an event at the Kings Theatre Creative in Kawakawa on Sunday 30 October from 1.30pm-4pm.

Organised by the Northland Branch of the New Zealand Society of Authors, the event is part of New Zealand Book Week.

The keynote speaker is Aroha Harris (Nga Puhi, Te Rarawa), co-author with Judith Binney and Atholl Anderson of Tangata Whenua: An Illustrated History of Maori. Her talk is called Tangata Whenua: People and place in the early twentieth century. Using nursing as a focus, Aroha will look at how in Tangata Whenua local stories are used to demonstrate national narratives and themes.

Published by Bridget Williams Books, Tangata Whenua won the illustrated non-fiction section of this year’s Ockham New Zealand Book Awards. Copies will be available to purchase.

The event will also include presentations by the following local authors who have published books in the past 12 months:

  • Bianca Staines, The Tale of Prince

  • Zana Bell, Forbidden Frontier

  • Rae Roadley, Have a Heart

  • Narine Groom, Whisker, the Kiwi Chick.

September 24, 2016

The First draft of The Tale of Tyriii

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Started in September 2014, the first draft of The Tale of Tyriii is finally complete. It needs a lot of work but, at least, now there is something to work on.

April 16, 2016

Signing event at the Kerikeri Sunday Market

I will hold a signing event at the Sunday Farmer's Market in Kerikeri on the 17th of April. In Misty's memory, any profit made on the day will be devolved to the local SPCA.

April 08, 2016

Signing event at the Old Packhouse Market

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I will hold a signing event at the Old Packhouse Market in Kerikeri on the 9th of April. In Misty's memory, any profit made on the day will be devolved to the local SPCA.

March 16, 2016

Our beloved Misty passed away

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Our beloved three year old American Bulldog, Misty, died today following a stroke. She lent her personality and looks to the character of Bennie in The Tale of Prince. I cannot describe how much she is missed. Godspeed Misty, till the time we meet again. We will always love you.

January 04, 2016

Smashwords gets the book!

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The Tale of Prince has been approved in Smashword's premium category and a free sample of the first 20% of the book is available to download. 

October 18, 2015

La Storia di Prince (Italian Translation - Traduzione Italiana)

The Italian translation of The Tale of Prince, La Storia di Prince, is now available for purchase at Createspace.com and Amazon.com. 

October 13, 2015

An Author's Dream

Bianca C. Staines is now part of the New Zealand Society of Authors. 

October 05, 2015

The Tale of Prince in the National Library of New Zealand

A copy of The Tale of Prince is now available at the National Library of New Zealand Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa.

 

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