For Sale Or Swap (17 page)

Alyssa Brugman's first novel,
Finding Grace
, was shortlisted
for the NSW Premier's and Queensland Premier's
Literary Awards and the Children's Book Council of
Australia Book of the Year (Older Readers). It was a
Commended Book in the 2002 Victorian Premier's
Literary Awards and has been translated into Dutch (for
which it was short-listed for the 'Gouden Zoen' Award),
Danish and German.

Walking Naked
, Alyssa's second novel, was short-listed
for the Victorian Premier's Literary Award and
awarded Honour Book in the 2003 CBCA Book of the
Year (Older Readers). Alyssa's third novel for young
adults,
Being Bindy
, was a Notable Book in the CBCA
Book of the Year Awards, and short-listed for the
Children's Peace Literature Award.

Alyssa lives in the Hunter Valley, where she writes
full-time and keeps four horses. Shadow, her first pony, is
a bay mare in her early thirties. Istana Kazrah is a
chestnut Arab mare. Greenwood Elizabeth is a six-year-old
grey Riding Pony mare. Reddy is a bay thoroughbred
gelding who belongs to Alyssa's sister.

Alyssa had great fun writing
For Sale or Swap
. To
make it more real, she went for lots of rides in the bush
around Sydney, and tried to incorporate what she saw,
smelt, heard and experienced while she was out there.
She also competed in a few local shows to see what had
changed since she was last in the show ring.