Even as the year winds down, it’s time to look ahead to 2019! I’m pleased to announce that I’ll once again be taking part in the Kids’ Day Out at …
Your Kid’s Next Read: recommended reading lists for kids 10+, 12+, 14+ (2018 edition)
In 2016, I started a Facebook group called Your Kid’s Next Read with everyone’s favourite teacher-librarian/blogger Megan Daley from Children’s Books Daily. Our idea was to bring together a community …
Come and say hello at Wollongong Writers’ Festival
I’m gearing up for my last official public appearance of the year and I hope you’ll come along to cheer me on! I’m part of the children’s program for Wollongong …
5 picture book picks for Christmas gifts
One of the best things about being an author with a blog is that you can call in the experts when you need to do so. Take Christmas for instance. …
Industry Insider: How do you know when a story is ‘finished’?
One of the most interesting aspects of any author workshop is the Q&A section at the end. You might remember this post, wherein I advised authors to be prepared for …
10 spooky (or scary) middle-grade books for Halloween
Whether you love it or loathe it, Halloween is more and more of a thing in Australia. With that in mind, fabulous Australian writer (and lover of all things spooky) …
15 more tried-and-tested books for 13/14 year old boys (+ 13 expert choices)
If I had to highlight the one post that THE MOST people search for on this blog, it would be this one: 21 tried-and-tested books for 13/14 year old boys …
NEWS: Join me at the Sydney SCBWI Conference in 2019!
I’m very excited to announce that I’ll be speaking at the 2019 SCBWI Sydney Conference, alongside my podcast partner-in-crime Valerie Khoo. The bi-annual Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators …
Be prepared for anything: the inside story on author talks
The life of a children’s author is a funny one. On one hand, we sit alone in our offices, talking to no-one, revelling in isolated splendour. And then term three …
Authors For Farmers: 100 brilliant Aussie books to be won!
If you received my newsletter last week, you’ll know that Aussie authors have banded together to donate 100 books for a monster raffle to benefit drought-affected Australian farmers. The aim …
3 NEW simple Book Week ideas from Australian authors
You might remember last year that I put together this post, where six Australian authors shared ideas, templates and printables for how to be their characters for the Book Week …
How to be Gabe (+ more) from The Ateban Cipher for Book Week!
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Well, one of them. Regular readers of this blog will know that my thoughts on Book Week are divided along the lines …
The first-ever Shoalhaven Readers’ & Writers’ Festival wraps up
If you’ve been reading my blog, or listening to my podcast, for a while, you’ll know that I’ve been heavily involved over the past six months or so in organising …
Better Reading 2018 Top 50 Kids’ Books + What I did on my holidays
After three weeks in Canada, I’m back at my desk and catching my breath. It was an amazing trip in a ridiculously good looking country and I’ll recap some highlights …
NEWS: Online creative writing course for kids open for bookings
After a lot of hard work from a lot of people, my online creative writing course for kids is now open for bookings through the Australian Writers’ Centre! So much …
BIG book giveaway: win with Your Kid’s Next Read!
In case you missed my newsletter yesterday (sign up here if you don’t want to miss the next one!), the Your Kid’s Next Read Facebook group now has 4000+ members …
Tickets are now on sale for the first Shoalhaven Readers’ & Writers’ Festival
If you’ve been listening to my podcast of late, you’ll know that I’ve been hard at work behind the scenes as part of the team creating the first Shoalhaven Readers’ …
40 YA Books for Tweens (+ 25+ MG books that feel like YA)
Aside from ‘what to read after Harry Potter?’, the most frequent question that come up in the Your Kid’s Next Read Facebook group is this one: ‘Can anyone suggest YA …
News: Say hello at The NSW Writers’ Centre’s Kids & YA Festival 2018
First, the news! ICYMI, the program for The NSW Writers’ Centre’s Kids & YA Festival 2018 dropped yesterday, and I’m included in the seriously fabulous line-up of authors, illustrators and …
And now, some straight talking about writing…
I seem to write about writing a lot (you’ll find my hundreds of blog posts about writing here). And if you listen to So You Want To Be A Writer, …