One of the things I love most about all of the various things I do is meeting other writers. Through the podcast, the blog, social media and the Your Kid’s …
Simple Book Week ideas (from Australian authors)
Last year, in the grips of Book Week Fever, I wrote about my love/hate relationship with this most special time of the school calendar. In summary, as an author, I …
The #writeabookwithAl August 2017 version is about to kick off!
Are you writing a novel, for children or for adults? Or would you like to be writing one? Why not do it with me? Despite the fact that I thought …
COVER REVEAL: The Book Of Secrets (Ateban Cipher #1)
The day is finally here when I can reveal the cover for the first book in my new series! I have to say that from an author’s perspective, this never …
What publishers really want (in their own words)
As Valerie Khoo and I head rapidly towards 200 episodes of our So You Want To Be A Writer podcast, our backlist of fabulous – and by that I mean …
News and events update
The school holidays are underway, which means less headspace for writing but more time to get my house in order. As a work-at-home mum, I usually find the best way …
Industry Insider: How to research historical fiction
This week, I’ve passed over the Industry Insider reins to Kirsty Manning, debut Australian author of The Midsummer Garden. With a background in journalism and book publishing, and a …
10 of my favourite book dedications
If you received my newsletter last week, you’ll know that I shared a sneak peek of one of my very favourite pages of The Book Of Secrets (Ateban Cipher #1) …
You can now buy The Mapmaker Chronicles (1-3) in the US and Canada!
Well, it’s happening. The first three books in The Mapmaker Chronicles series are on sale in the USA and Canada, through publisher Kane Miller. You can buy the books via …
Proof! The Book of Secrets (Ateban Cipher #1) is coming soon!
Look what arrived in the post this morning! This is an honest-to-goodness, bonafide proof copy of The Book Of Secrets, book #1 in my new Ateban Cipher series (and, yes, …
What teaching kids about writing has taught me about writing
There’s nothing like getting up in front of 100+ grade-five boys to talk about writing to … clarify the mind. As you look out across the endlessly wiggling room, the …
6 more Aussie author Instagram accounts I love
Well, it seems that y’all are looking for authors to love on Instagram, given my 5 Australian Author Instagram Accounts I Love post is consistently one of my most popular …
6 tips for getting back into the swing with your writing
My, but my blogging muscles feel a bit creaky. I’ve been submerged in school holidays for what feels like the last year (really a matter of weeks) – just long enough …
Today’s the day! The Mapmaker Chronicles now in the UK!
Another exciting day in a month that has already left me fairly breathless! The first three books in The Mapmaker Chronicles series are now available for UK readers, through Little, Brown …
News, reviews and Facebook Live…
If you’ve been watching my social media feeds, you’ll know that I’ve been in Sydney for a few days, signing books and undergoing the worst kind of torture (aka, being …
The Mapmaker Chronicles: Beyond The Edge Of The Map is out now!
It’s launch day for Beyond The Edge Of The Map, book #4 in The Mapmaker Chronicles series, and there’s really nothing more for me to say except ‘HUZZAH!’ Thank you …
Five Australian author Instagram accounts I love
If you follow this blog or my podcast with any regularity, you’ll know that I was a late-adopter of Instagram. I tried it a few years ago, couldn’t get my …
The Mapmaker Chronicles: landing in the UK on 6 April, 2017
If you read my newsletter yesterday (sign up here to hear all my news first!), you’ll have seen the announcement that the first three books in The Mapmaker Chronicles series will be …
The Mapmaker Chronicles #4 is in the building
On Friday, I received the best kind of mail of all. My friendly post office lady handed me a parcel, saying ‘what a surprise, another book for you!’ But this …
Some books are harder to write than others: 7 tips for getting to The End
My dear friend Allison Rushby has a fantastic new middle-grade novel, The Turnkey, out TODAY with Walker Books (read more about it here). Having been privy to this novel’s …