What drew the boys into the cornfield that day? Bravado? Stupidity? Or was it more? Was it really to discover the truth behind the disappearance of that Pinchly kid...the one who went in, and never came out? AUTHOR: Gary Crew has published over 70 novels and illustrated books. He is particularly interested in the mysterious and the macabre. Among his many other awards, Gary has won the Children's Book Council of Australia's Book of the Year four times, twice for his novels, twice for his illustrated books. He lives in the cool temperate mountains of Maleny, on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland and loves Jack Russell Terriers. About the writing There are certain places that make us feel uneasy. This could be somewhere like under a bridge, in a cemetery, or it might be no more than an empty room. Whatever causes that feeling, we feel an urgent need to get out of that place: we have to cut and run because we sense that a bad thing is about to happen there. 'Corn Field' is a story about just such a "bad place". In writing it, I wanted to investigate the logic (or lack of logic) behind such unnerving and irrational human sensations--and the consequences suffered by those who do not follow their better judgement and leave! Gary Crew ILLUSTRATOR: Aaron Hill is a practicing visual artist and freelance illustrator. He has been shortlisted for the Crichton Award for Illustration ('Automaton', written by Gary Crew, Lothian Melbourne. 2006) and his previous collaboration with Gary Crew, 'Damon' (Hachette Sydney 2011), was selected for Europe's prestigious White Raven award for illustrated books. Aaron is a prolific note taker and sketcher and can rarely be found without a pencil or pen in hand. About the illustrating When illustrating "Corn Field" I was interested in creating a visual narrative that was in conflict with the narrative presented in the printed (verbal) text. I wanted to explore how visual constructs could be used to force the reader to question the validity of the narrator's memories and therefore his version of the bizarre events which may or may not have occurred in the corn field. Collage became an important structural device with which to establish and explore this unsettling concept and by referencing comic books within the collaged elements I was able to develop a link to the comic book genre and allude to a more sinister and 'fantastic' undercurrent of the text. Further visual conflict is established through the use of black and white images alongside colour illustrations. This approach was used to establish a past and a present further developing the potential unreliability of the narrator and as a result, questioning what really happened that day in the cornfield. SELLING POINTS: * Multi-award-winning author, renowned for sophisticated picture book for older readers * Award-winning artist/illustrator * Spooky sci-fi story will appeal particularly to young teenage boys * Mystery elements of appeal to both girls and boys * Comic/graphic novel elements accessible to reluctant readers