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By Mavis Toh
Amanda Teow was in bed last December and about to fall asleep when ideas for a children's book suddenly popped into her head.
The then-Nanyang Technological University undergraduate grabbed a pen, and in one night a draft was done. The story: a mouse that wakes up and hears strange noises outside its little home.
She later submitted it to the First Time Writers & Illustrators Initiative 2009, which drew more than 100 entries. Winners stood to get their stories published.
The initiative was started by the National Book Development Council of Singapore and Media Development Authority to help unpublished writers and illustrators of children's books enter the industry.
Ms Teow's story, Morris Takes A Chance, was among nine winners.
Yesterday, the books were launched by Straits Times Press (STP), the second year running that the Singapore Press Holdings subsidiary has been the official publishing house.
It is responsible for mentoring the authors and illustrators and overseeing editing, design, publication and international distribution of the winning entries.
Other winners include art directors, magazine writers and students, who were at The Arts House yesterday to present excerpts from their books and share their experiences.
'I always knew I wanted to write and illustrate, and now I have my first book,' said Ms Teow, 25, a secondary school teacher who is now drafting ideas for a sequel.
STP executive director Shirley Hew said the writers' works have mass appeal and are comparable to those by international writers.
This article was first published in The Straits Times.
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