Black cockatoo takes centrestage

LOCAL caper grower Liz Crowley launched her second book at the Naracoorte Library earlier this month.

Titled High High High Up in the Sky, it is about the adventures of Billy, a red-tailed black cockatoo, and his best friend a wedge-tailed eagle.

It sends a subliminal message about helping our wildlife and environment with a few nail-biting twists and turns along the way.

Bourne’s Bird Museum, who have a collection of taxidermy birds, very kindly loaned their female and male cockatoos for display at the launch.

The red-tailed Black Cockatoo Recovery Project also supplied a female red-tailed black cockatoo, and the audience was delighted when Billy the cockatoo showed up to meet everyone at the launch.

Liz said stringybark trees were given out as lucky door prizes.

“This is the bird’s main food supply so I thought it would be a great idea to hand them out so the kids could go and plant them, just like in the book,” she said.

A special book cake made by Baked at Beachport, featuring the front cover of the book, was also a centrepiece of the launch.

Beautifully illustrated by Christina Miesen, the same illustrator as Liz’s first book ‘A Silence in the Forest’, that was launched in October 2023.

“The illustrations are engaging and have so many hidden surprises to discover,” Liz said. “I love the way she incorporates Australian animals, fauna, and magic into my books.”

Getting her second book published was not without its challenges.

“There was a time when I thought this second book would never get off the ground,” Liz said. “My publisher entered voluntary receivership one week prior to the scheduled release date and along with me, he took 700 other people’s dreams with him.

“It was a cruel blow and one I did not think I would bounce back from. Having already invested, it was a real struggle, and I fell into a black hole. I thought my writing career was over.”

But nothing could be further from the truth as a support network formed, including staff from the former publishing company, who were also affected.

“Everyone just banded together and helped overcome not just the hurt, but the hurdles,” Liz said. “Thankfully, the publisher relinquished all rights to my first book, and the support group helped me in getting a second edition published and back up and running. I cannot thank them enough.

“They matched everyone with their original layout artists and helped them launch their new work on platforms worldwide. They did this in their own time and did not want anything in return.

“I could not have done it without them. I am so grateful for all their help and support.”

It means Liz’s second book is self-published.

“It is the road I will travel from now on for all my future books,” she said. “I have three other books in the pipeline, some are sequels, and with the help of her illustrator and a new layout and design team based in Ballarat, Coven Press, I’m hoping to have another book out by the end of this year.

“I used an Australian print company, also based in Ballarat, and I am extremely happy with Revolution Print. The quality and the time in which they turned my book around was phenomenal.”

Liz is now open to reading her books at local schools and libraries, so contact her if you would like me to pop in.

Her book is available for sale at Limestone Coast Local Co, the Naracoorte Art Gallery and Mini Jumbuk and Collins Booksellers Mount Gambier.

“I am very grateful for the support the local community has shown me,” Liz said.